The royal edict delivered by a swift horse announced that the 21 towns within the Fierce Lion Province would be exempt from taxes for the next year. However, this decree ultimately became a death warrant for Henry Vander.
Inside the town hall, Henry Vander was deeply troubled.
Now, with the granary's fine rice not yet secured and a year's worth of tax exemptions, it was akin to asking for the life of this miserly old man.
"Thomas Blackwood, Thomas Blackwood, think of a solution quickly. We can't collect taxes, and we can't get that grain. What should we do?"
Thomas Blackwood, with a sly smile, secretly handed a record book to Henry Vander.
Henry Vander impatiently flipped through a few pages before throwing the book back to Thomas Blackwood, saying, "I called you here to give me ideas, not to show me this useless stuff!"
Thomas Blackwood picked up the record book, patiently showing it to Henry Vander and explaining, "Sir, this is the key to our tax collection!"
Henry Vander frowned slightly, "But the decree says no taxes for a year!"
Thomas Blackwood let out a sinister laugh, "That's why this is our key to tax collection. Sir, take a look for yourself. This book categorizes the various professions in Green River Town, from stonemasons to carpenters and blacksmiths. But there are only seven literate people in Green River Town!"
Hearing this, Henry Vander's thoughts immediately cleared up. He looked at his cunning advisor Thomas Blackwood with delight and said, "Heh heh, you mean..."
Henry Vander and Thomas Blackwood exchanged a knowing glance and laughed together.
"Sir, you guessed it right. We capture those seven literate people and then post the decree."
"The illiterate villagers of Green River Town won't understand what's written on the decree. The content will come from our mouths!"
Henry Vander slapped his thigh excitedly, laughing heartily, "You're right! Since they can't read, we can put up the notice and decide whether to tax them and how much ourselves!"
After all, Green River Town is located in the northern borderlands, far from the central authority. As they say, a distant emperor and remote mountains, altering the decree here is no big deal.
Without delay, Henry Vander ordered the literate craftsmen to be lured to the town hall under the guise of repairing it and then temporarily detained them to ensure they couldn't communicate with the outside.
However, Henry Vander didn't know that the record book Thomas Blackwood had was compiled by Magnus Valorion when he first arrived in Green River Town.
Once the "last" literate person in Green River Town was imprisoned by Henry Vander, he and his advisor Thomas Blackwood brought the decree to the town's central square.
The central bell in Green River Town was struck.
This bell, cast by Magnus Valorion for gathering people in times of enemy invasion, was now being used by Henry Vander.
All the villagers thought there was an invasion and, following Magnus Valorion's previous instructions, grabbed their weapons and rushed to the central square.
The ringing bell not only alarmed the working villagers but also surprised Duncan Thorngate, who was training in the military camp.
"Is there an invasion? You guys organize the defense; I'll go check out the situation at the square."
Duncan Thorngate dropped his tasks and headed straight for the central square.
When Henry Vander and Thomas Blackwood saw the villagers rushing over with weapons, they were initially puzzled.
They didn't understand why these people had weapons, and some even hurried over with a bucket of cow dung.
After explanations from the crowd, Henry Vander learned that the bell was only to be rung during wars to gather the people for defense.
But Henry Vander didn't care. To him, collecting taxes was far more important than defending the land.
As for the bell's effectiveness, it worked well. In no time, the square was packed with people.
Henry Vander immediately had Thomas Blackwood post the decree for everyone to see.
Pretending to be considerate, Henry Vander said, "I know many of you can't read, so I've gathered everyone to read this decree from the central government to you."
Standing in front of the decree, Henry Vander announced loudly:
"Dear folks, the decree states that the Altai, Sami, Tuareg, and Celtic tribes have been raiding our borders, killing our people..."
"Therefore, according to the latest decree from the court, Green River Town needs to increase taxes by 30% to support the national defense. The additional taxes will go to the army at the border to support their fight."
One must admit, Henry Vander was quite clever. He made up the story on the spot, and it sounded logical.
Henry Vander continued his fabrication, not noticing the villagers below tightening their grip on their weapons and glaring at him.
Although many villagers in Green River Town were not highly literate, they knew the words "tax-free for a year" very well.
The villagers below remained silent, coldly watching Henry Vander's poor performance.
Henry Vander thought their silence was due to despair over the heavy taxes.
He continued, pretending to be sympathetic, "My dear folks, this 30% tax increase isn't my decision. It's the Emperor's order to support the border troops protecting our safety!"
Suddenly, someone from the crowd shouted, "Indeed, our lord is always thinking of us..."
Henry Vander thought the person referred to him, and was about to praise them when the speaker changed their tone.
"If it weren't for our lord setting up night schools, we might have been fooled by this pig-like monster!"
"Exactly! The lord always said ignorance is dangerous. Now I see every word he said is true."
The villagers started praising Magnus Valorion, becoming more and more agitated.
They realized Magnus Valorion's night schools were not just for entertainment but genuinely for their benefit.
Being illiterate was a huge disadvantage, and now they saw how unfairly they had been taxed.
Henry Vander couldn't remain calm anymore. Wasn't Green River Town supposed to have only seven literate people? Could these peasants really read?
"No, it's impossible. They must be bluffing!" Henry Vander thought to himself.
He walked up to the decree, pointing at the words "tax-free for a year," saying, "Folks, this says '30% tax increase.' If you resist, you'll all be executed..."
Before he could finish, two lumps of sticky cow dung hit him and his advisor Thomas Blackwood in the face.
"To hell with you! 'Tax-free for a year' turned into '30% tax increase'? You scoundrel, what kind of official are you!"
The villager who brought the cow dung couldn't stand it anymore and gave them a taste of it.
Now, Henry Vander and Thomas Blackwood were in a real predicament, covered in cow dung.
Henry Vander, still fuming, whispered to Thomas Blackwood, "You said there were only seven literate people here! How do they all know how to read?"
The villagers were furious, and they surrounded Henry Vander and his men, weapons in hand.
Henry Vander and Thomas Blackwood were in a stinking mess, both literally and figuratively.
Thomas Blackwood, wiping away most of the dung, whispered, "Sir, I didn't expect these peasants to know how to read!"
"But don't worry. You're a government official, and killing an official is a grave crime. They wouldn't dare harm you!"
Hearing this, Henry Vander regained his composure, standing tall with a dung-covered face, he said, "I am an official appointed by the central government. Do you dare to kill me?"
"If you kill me, your families will be executed!"
The villagers were momentarily stunned by Henry Vander's bravado, stepping back involuntarily.
Henry Vander could have used this moment to escape, but he made another foolish move.
"If you don't dare kill me, then obediently pay your taxes! Every penny! Here, I am your king!"
The mention of taxes infuriated the villagers. The decree clearly stated a tax exemption for a year. Who was he to demand more taxes?
Anger surged among the villagers. Even Magnus Valorion never called himself "king." How dare this pig-like scoundrel do so?
The villagers, now furious, stepped forward, tightening their circle around Henry Vander and his men.
At this moment, Duncan Thorngate, who had been quietly observing, decided to step in. It was time to fan the flames of the villagers' anger further.
Duncan Thorngate stepped out of the crowd, righteously saying, "Folks, this scoundrel Henry Vander stole the 8,000 kilograms of reserve grain left by Magnus Valorion while we were unguarded!"