Abstract: Historically ,southern China was rich in grain while the northern China was often deficient due to the climate.The Chinese government ordered transport servicemen to ship grain by boat at their own expense from the south to the north,a distance of 2500 kilometers.The Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) system of canal transportation servicemen evolved from the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644) military garrison system and it had worked for several centuries.It was expensive，dangerous and arduous work to transport grain and generation after generation of servicemen were obligated to perform this duty.Consequently ,servicemen absconded in order to avoid the burden .Sometimes servicemen lodged false accusations against civilians,claiming the civilians were also servicemen， in order to lessen their  burden .The government would usually support these accusations because of the importance of the canal transportation.This paper analyzes a lawsuit，which took place in Jishui Country,Jiangxi province during the Kangxi reign(1662-1722).The article explores the social,economic reasons for the lawsuit and also surveys the relationship between the government’s attitude toward the suit and the civilian’s response.