Chapter 11

In the morning we meet the tax man in the village square outside the temple. It is not a large square, but big enough. I see some of the foresters forming a wall and stopping the merchant from entering. "Good morning" the tax collector greets the village chief and smiles "Would you please let my witness for these proceedings through." The village head greets the tax collector with all the ceremony he did not receive. "We will not, we brought our own witnesses." There is only a need for so many witnesses after all. "Then I am afraid we will have to postpone this." The man says and smiles at us gathered behind the village chief. I at least do not smile back. "Postponing is fine by us." Our chief says the taxman leaves and people go back to work.

"Well that settles it, this is a siege." Banks elder tells us. Apparently, his father sent him into the army so he should know. I would not have done so since the man is the second son in the family, but that is not for me to say. I am only in the meeting since I have been in all the others and like usual I don't ask permission. "Yes, this is a bother." our village head says. "The problem is not the money, rather the time." There is an agreement in the group. "Having to meet them there every day will be a time drain." My father says in his gruff voice, my oldest brother nods. "We will have to do so in shifts." Our priest says and so the men work out shifts to work in.

The next month is hard on the village. Every morning we get up, greet the taxman and then the meeting is postponed. Only a third of the village meet each morning while the rest go about their business. Every day the merchant comes to someone in my family and talks incessantly alternating threats with bribes. We even begin taking some of the lesser bribes, like everyone else in the village. No one gives their word to anything and no one seems to care. Elders from the village Banks travel on shift to us and I help them with their problems for free. At the end of the month, it seems the intruders has had enough and meet with force at the morning meeting.

"Are you ready to let my witness step forward?" The taxman, his name is Jo. "No, we have brought our own witnesses." The village chief says in the same ritual that has gone on over the last week. "Then I charge you with a vote to remove you as chief of this village." The tax collector says and grins at him. I am happy I went around the whole village every week and took a survey of how anyone would vote. "Good, do you have a candidate?" The priest says the first time he has spoken at these daily meetings. "Yes, I nominate Su." The man says and his foolish grin is plastered on his face. "Okay," The village chief says and looks over at me, I shake my head at him.

"Keep in mind the wrath of our Lord if you don't pay taxes." The tax collector says to me and I just smile back. I still have the possibility of going to the lords keep and pay my taxes there if he refuses to collect them. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord is willing to take taxes and flay his skin like a dog. Even if only metaphorically. I step forward in front of the gathered people. "I wish to remind you all of the talks we have had and vote like you all have told me," I tell them all and smile. Even if everyone votes for me it will be invalidated since I am only twelve and not eligible for the position.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." The village chief says after everyone has finished the dog and pony show in front of the tax collector. "Here are our taxes, are you going to take them now?" He asks and even though the tax collector looks furious and the merchant behind him crestfallen, most of the money is from their own bribes even as small as they were. "Thank you for paying the lords taxes" the man finally says and write out our writ of payment with the priest of Banks as a witness.

Their hurried retreat after the failed coup is kind of hilarious, but this will lead to further problems in the future in my mind. After all, they are powerful men or they would not have tried their gambit. Only knowledge of customs and grit made it possible for the village to succeed in pressuring them. There is also the fact that no one fears any minions or though guys they can send at us. The village, with my family in front, breaks open the casks of beer and bring out the food. There is a mood for a party after the vile bastards defeat, but I am left with some others to fret over the future.

"What do you think big brother?" I ask when showing him my new idea for a business. I have drawn up the patterns for a honeybee hive. "Producing honey?" He asks me while we sit at his table. "Yeah, could get a pretty penny for it," I say and looks at them. "You want to do this?" He says and looks at me with doubt in his eyes. "No, no of course not, I was hoping you would. I like honey." I tell him and smile. He and my father are the farmers in the family. My brother is the one with the green thumb while the other one has a head for trade. Me, I consider myself the restless and talented one. "I will think about it." My brother says I think it is code for "I will ask my wife." Ah, the joy of honey all year round. I am in a good mood as I walk home through the village. I have turned thirteen a week ago and we had a real party.

The only worries in my mind are gathering enough money to realise my dream of going travelling and see the world. The big problem with me being a healer is that when I don't work there is no money coming in. Not like my brothers who have workers doing some and nature doing more for them. They could take a year off and still earn money. So I try to start a business that pays me a small percentage as part owner. It is not easy since the law does not recognise more than one owner in an enterprise and I have had no luck so far.

"Good news Su." The village chief says when we arrive at his house. He is smiling and has opened one of his wines. "Sit down, sit down and I will tell the tale." He says with big flourishes of his arms and a bigger smile. We all gather around to hear what he has to say. "When I was down in Banks on business" he begins and I cannot help my own snark when I think of the "business" he was engaged in. And it seems none of the others can stop their thoughts either. "When I was down in Banks on business and pleasure" he amends "there was news about our dear departed merchant and tax collector. It seems they were not well liked at our Lord's court and when news came of their disgrace here thing began to happen. People came forward with their own allegations far worse than ours, they were harassed on their way home and few samurais wished to see them. It all culminated when they entered the Lord's castle and found in the belongings of the merchant a knife longer than prescribed." he tells and then takes a drink while the rest of us sit leaning forward to hear the rest. "The merchant tried to bribe the guards, the tax collector tried to appease the local representative. It was to no avail and they chopped the head off of the merchant and his helpers." The men laugh and I with them, but the last part leaves me a bit queasy, those helpers were but boys. "The best part is that one of the hot head and traditional samurai was so appalled that he confronted the tax collector. Their confrontation went badly and now the tax collectors head adorns the samurai trophy room." Good humour is had at the expense of the men and I join in, they were no kin of mine.