Chapter 31

Chapter 23: Calming the Situation

An Zai shan, standing behind the crowd, gave Yang Zixuan a big thumbs up.

Yang Zixuan smiled in understanding and refocused his gaze on the crowd.

The crowd was intimidated by the swift and decisive actions of the riot police. Seeing the row of dark-clad riot police behind them, some of the more timid individuals began to retreat, and the volume of the crowd's noise noticeably decreased.

"Villagers, I am the new county magistrate of Hongshui County. If you have any issues, you can ask me now, but please put down the iron tools in your hands first!" Yang Zixuan stood on the Jeep 212, looking down at the crowd with a commanding presence.

With the ringleaders subdued, the crowd's emotions stabilized, but many still refused to put down their iron tools, such as hoes, when they saw the riot police behind them.

"I guarantee, on my honor, that as long as you put down the iron tools in your hands, the police behind you will not touch you in the slightest!"

With this promise from Yang Zixuan, many in the crowd began to slowly put down their iron tools...

The sound of iron farm tools hitting the ground echoed loudly...

What was originally expected to be a very difficult riot was instantly dissolved, leaving the officials of Tianma Township, who were watching from a small window on the third floor of the township government building, speechless.

At the forefront of the small window stood Liu Jian, the township head of Tianma Township. Seeing the crowd gradually calm down, he felt both admiration and fear.

The root of this conflict was the township government's forced collection of non-regulated taxes. Once County Magistrate Yang finished dealing with the crowd, he would likely turn his attention to him first! Liu Jian's somewhat plump face began to change, and he realized he couldn't just wait here to die. He needed to find a more reliable backer. In Hongshui County, the only person who could still control the county magistrate was the newly arrived party secretary. Perhaps he should make a trip to the county town...

Thinking this, Liu Jian felt a glimmer of hope. He had his own backer in the county party committee compound, and during holidays, he always brought some gifts to this backer. If he could get this backer to introduce him to Secretary Su Nan, then his promotion and wealth would be just around the corner...

With this thought, Liu Jian's heart calmed down. He turned and ran home, rummaged through his drawers, took out a stack of money, put it in his briefcase, and got into a car heading for the county town...

"Magistrate, we don't want to cause you trouble, but our lives are truly unbearable. The township collects such heavy taxes every year; how can we survive?"

"Yes, Magistrate, you don't know that some of us can only eat a meal every few days. It's not that we don't grow enough food, but much of our rice is taken to pay taxes..."

Although Yang Zixuan knew that some townships in Hongshui County had heavy taxes, he hadn't had time to conduct a thorough survey of the townships since taking office. The outbreak of such a serious mass incident was unexpected. The taxes were indeed heavy, and the township government hadn't even built any roads; the roads in Tianma Township were still dirt paths...

Yang Zixuan slowly got out of the car, feeling heavy-hearted as he walked into the crowd. Looking at the simple, weathered faces, he suddenly felt a deep pain. In his previous life, he was also an orphan and understood the suffering of the common people. Since heaven had given him this opportunity, if he did nothing, he couldn't forgive himself.

The drizzle wet his clothes, and Yang Zixuan, holding a megaphone, said loudly, "Villagers, since I am here today and know your situation, if I remain indifferent and do not give you an explanation, I do not deserve to be your county magistrate! Here's what I can promise: I will have the Tianma Township government post a list of the regulated taxes at the entrance of the township government! If you have paid any taxes not on this list, the township government will immediately refund you in full! Moreover, the provincial government has allocated a special fund for poverty alleviation. In a few days, I will send people from the county government to personally distribute this fund to the poor villages and households in Tianma Township! This will be a gift from the government for the New Year! Next year, the township government will only collect the regulated taxes and will not duplicate or create new taxes! There will be no more absurd head taxes! If you find that the township government or village committee is collecting extra taxes, you can report them to the county party committee and county government!"

As soon as Yang Zixuan finished speaking, there was a stir in the crowd. Some who were worried about how to survive the New Year were even moved to tears. After all, more than 90% of the people gathered here were from the poor villages or households of Tianma Township. Hearing that the county government would allocate funds for the New Year, how could they not be excited!

Usually, whenever there was a special allocation from the central or provincial government, the funds were often reduced layer by layer by the city, county, and township governments, leaving very little for the people. Now, Yang Zixuan was bypassing the Tianma Township government's finances and distributing the funds directly to the people.

"Who just said they were from Damu Village and offered to take me to the family that jumped into the pond?" Yang Zixuan continued, and Song An quickly handed him an umbrella.

As soon as he said this, dozens of people volunteered to lead the way...

Yang Zixuan gave a few instructions to An Zai shan and then headed to Damu Village, one of the poorest villages at the foot of Tianma Mountain!

Wearing long rubber boots, Yang Zixuan found it very difficult to walk on the muddy mountain path. Hundreds of people still followed him, some from Damu Village and others who had volunteered to see what the county magistrate would do next.

Tianma Mountain, shrouded in rain and mist, looked like a galloping horse leaping between heaven and earth, majestic and rugged! The dense subtropical forest was well-preserved here.

"The scenery of Tianma Mountain is very unique, and the forest is well-protected!" Yang Zixuan said, wanting to learn more about Tianma Mountain as he walked and talked.

"Yes, Magistrate, you don't know, but a few blond, blue-eyed foreigners came to Tianma Mountain a while ago. They stayed for a few days with backpacks and said that Tianma Mountain has very well-preserved tropical vegetation. They said they would come back soon!" A villager from Damu Village, seeing Yang Zixuan's interest in Tianma Mountain, immediately chimed in.

"Does Tianma Mountain have any hot springs or particularly scenic spots?" Yang Zixuan continued to ask.

"Hot springs? Magistrate, do you mean those warm waters that can be used for bathing? Yes, there are many on the mountain! Tianma Mountain is so vast; I've lived here for over ten years and haven't explored it all."

Yang Zixuan's eyes lit up. It seemed that the people at the foot of Tianma Mountain, and even the entire Tianma Township, had a chance to escape poverty!

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