The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 279 Reclamation Corps: Distributing Grain, Land, and Women

Niu Fu was a farmer from the outskirts of Xingqing Prefecture. He was tall and burly, with shoulders as broad as millstones, dark skin, but lean and muscular build.

His family was dirt poor; their three mud-brick houses were drafty. His mother had passed away early, and his father barely managed to raise him by working for landlords.

At the age of twenty, he still hadn't found a wife, so he decided to go all out and became a regular soldier in the military supervisory office.

These regular soldiers were different from the laborers conscripted for the "Three Households and One Battle" campaign. While the laborers carried hoes and transported grain and fodder, the regular soldiers had to don armor and go to the battlefield to fight for their lives with real swords and spears.

But Niu Fu wasn't afraid. What he wanted was the monthly military pay of 500 wen for a regular soldier, and the two mu of land that could be earned for his family if he died on the battlefield.

Over the course of two years, he patrolled the border with his team and actually saved up five taels of silver in his pocket.

Then he went to find Wang, the most famous matchmaker in the south of the city, to find a wife for himself.

"Don't worry, Fu boy, leave it to Aunt Wang."

"Do you remember Widow Liu from the back street? She was so young, but her life was so hard. Her husband died, and she had to raise two children on her own."

"She has a decent appearance and a strong physique; she's definitely a good woman who can bear children."

Niu Fu's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"Her husband is dead?"

The sky has eyes!
He had seen Widow Liu twice when she was still a young wife; she was truly beautiful.

But the thought of her husband having a baby with such a beautiful young wife breaks his heart!

Now look what's happened, that guy has good fortune but no chance to enjoy it.

In the end, it will only benefit themselves.

What happened to the widow?

They're in high demand.

"Alright, she's the one!" Niu Fu slammed the silver on the table and agreed in a gruff voice.

The matchmaker smiled and tucked the silver into her sleeve, patting his arm: "Don't worry, in three days, your godmother will bring Widow Liu to you for a consultation."

Hearing this, Niu Fu felt very pleased.

I didn't sleep well last night.

But to everyone's surprise, the camp was in an uproar the next day at the crack of dawn, an hour earlier than usual.

"The northern barbarians are invading from the south, and the Hexi Corridor is in grave danger. The Military Supervisory Office has ordered that the army set off in half an hour!"

"Going to war?"

Niu Fu's face immediately fell. A war was about to break out. What would Liu the widow do?
But there was nothing he could do but pray that when he returned, Widow Liu would still be unmarried.

But before he could even see Widow Liu, he became a prisoner of the Northern Frontier Army.

In the Battle of Yanzhi Mountain, the Xia state's elite army of over 80,000 was routed like wheat stubble swept by a whirlwind, with more than 50,000 becoming prisoners.

He, an infantryman without even proper armor, was unwittingly strung together in a long line with other civilians and reorganized, becoming one of the first soldiers and civilians to be escorted to the northern frontier.

They traveled and stopped frequently along the way. When they were hungry, the Northern Xinjiang Army distributed thin porridge to them. When they were thirsty, they drank puddles from the roadside. At night, they huddled in the open Gobi Desert, and people around them kept dying.

After three months of trekking, the group had dwindled to one-tenth its size, and they had arrived at a place called Yanqi.

The further west you go, the more skeletons you find on the road. Some bones have rusty arrowheads embedded in them, and some have been gnawed down to half their original size.

The escorting officer spat and casually kicked away a piece of bone, saying, "This place used to be called Kashgar, under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate. Now it's called Yanqi."

"I heard that back in the time of our Han Dynasty ancestors, this place was called Yanqi."

“Wanhu said this is called ‘restoring our homeland’,” Shihu grinned.

His name was Wei Niudu, and he was not a true soldier of the Northern Frontier Army; he was originally a soldier from Ganzhou City.

After the Battle of Ganzhou, he was captured by the Northern Frontier Army and, after a period of coercion and inducement, became a glorious infantryman of the Kuli Army.

In the battle at the military horse farm, they repelled the Western Xia army's offensive and earned Li Xiao's approval.

Thus, those infantrymen who had distinguished themselves in battle successfully became true members of the Northern Frontier Army, and those who killed three enemy soldiers even became military households.

Soldiers like Wei Niudu, who had not made great contributions but had worked hard, showed a good attitude towards reform, and were devoted to the northern frontier, were also promoted to the rank of Shihu (a military unit).

Another comrade-in-arms also became a deputy headman.

The other eight households did not all come from the same place.

Prisoners of war, laborers, abducted people from Hexi, and people from Gansu made up a large mixed group, making it difficult for them to form small groups and facilitating the management of northern Xinjiang.

Niu Fu and Wei Niu Du had the best relationship because they were both regular soldiers of Western Xia.

They were enemies on the battlefield at the military horse farm, but now they are good buddies.

Niu Fu was even somewhat unconvinced by Wei Niu Du.

He believed that this guy was only in this position because he had surrendered to the Northern Frontier Army earlier and had more seniority than him; otherwise, it was uncertain who would have become the head of the household.

"Old Wei, how do you know so much? Have you been to the Western Regions before?" Niu Fu asked curiously.

Wei Niudu chuckled: "I've never been here before, of course. I heard about it from the Commandant last night."

Unlike the Shihu, most of the Duwei were transferred from the Northern Frontier Army, and the Baihu were all from the Northern Frontier Army.

"The captain said that at the end of last year, the Fifth Division of our northern frontier army marched south from Yili and captured the city without much effort. They killed so many people that the blood flowed like rivers and even blocked the moat."

"All the men were killed, and the women were taken back to the northern frontier to be wives for the brothers."

"That taste...it was truly amazing!"

I originally thought the Northern Frontier Army was already quite valiant in the Hexi Corridor.

Unexpectedly, they were even more ruthless when dealing with the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate, resorting to massacring entire cities!
The entire city of Kashgar was wiped out; it was absolutely brutal.

Of course, Erhu only destroyed Kashgar as a warning to others; his main purpose in attacking the towns that followed was to plunder.

But Niu Fu and the others didn't know that!

Hearing about the Northern Frontier Army's achievements in the Southern Frontier, they were also greatly shocked.

"It's alright, we'll be the Northern Frontier Army from now on."

"Let's follow the army south to plunder and steal women, hehehe~" Wei Niudu chuckled slyly.

The Western Xia army was of average strength; it was capable of protecting itself from surrounding forces, but unable to expand its territory.

So these soldiers didn't get any extra money.

Things are different when you get to northern Xinjiang.

The soldiers in the Six Garrisons are really well treated!

Wei Niudu had seen them eat meat heartily, hand out large sums of money, and distribute women, which made him drool with envy.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to become a lowly householder, he would have wanted to join the Northern Frontier Army as a soldier and plunder for his fortune.

As they got closer to Yanqi, the shadows of white bones became increasingly dense in the roadside haystacks and under the gravel.

Some skulls were cracked with grotesque gashes, some ribs were broken, and some finger bones were curled up, as if they were still desperately clutching something before they died.

The wind swept by, carrying grains of sand, its mournful sound like the wailing of countless wronged souls.

As evening approached and the setting sun painted the Gobi Desert a deep ochre, the group finally caught a glimpse of the outline of Yanqi City in the distance.

The city wall was low and dilapidated, like a gnawed bone. Several red and white battle flags were planted at the city gate, the sun and moon patterns on the flags fluttering in the wind, exuding a chilling atmosphere.

Niu Fu squinted at the flag, his heart skipped a beat.

Having been captured for so long, he had a pretty good grasp of the organization of the Northern Frontier Army.

The pure red battle flag marks the Second Garrison, commanded by the Grand Protector's uncle.

The one with the white border is the banner of the Fifth Garrison, which is under the control of Li Ao, the younger brother of the Grand Protector.

Last year, he led the Fifth Division army to slaughter all the foreign tribes in the entire city of Kashgar. He is an absolute butcher.

Thinking of this, Niu Fu felt a chill run down his spine.

He considered himself a brave man, having fought bandits outside Xingqing Prefecture without flinching, but now, looking at the red and white battle flag, he still felt a chill run down his spine.

He leaned closer to Wei Niudu and asked in a low voice, "Old Wei, we're not going to be making a living under the Fifth Division from now on, are we?"

Wei Niudu raised an eyebrow and chuckled dryly, "You're right."

"The place we're going to is called Seven Rivers, which is the territory under the jurisdiction of the Fifth Town."

Wei Niudu paused, glanced at Niu Fu's nervous look, and added, "But don't worry too much, he can't control us reclamation groups."

"We just need to listen to the commander-in-chief, who listens to the governor, even though there is no governor in Qihe yet."

"But none of this has anything to do with us ordinary people."

Wei Niudu patted Niu Fu on the shoulder with considerable force: "When you get to Qihe, if you work hard and farm honestly, you'll definitely have enough to eat and live a good life."

"If you really want to get rich, then join the army in the Six Garrisons and earn military merits by cutting off heads..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Niudu shut his mouth and glanced into the distance.

Niu Fu followed his gaze and saw several cavalrymen wearing red armor with white trim charging towards the reclamation corps.

Those cavalrymen stood tall and straight, clearly elite troops.

The head of the reclamation corps, Zhou Dali, was a former commander of the fourth town. He was the head of the Zhou family of Flying Eagle Fort and was among the first group of people to follow Li Xiao.

However, because he was getting a bit old, he switched careers and became a Wanhu (a military officer).

After exchanging views with the scouts from the Fifth Garrison, they immediately arranged for the reclamation team to set up camp in the open outside the Northern Frontier Army's main camp.

As night fell over the Gobi Desert, Zhao Shunzi, the commander of the Fifth Town in charge of Yanqi affairs, led a group of his personal guards into the camp of the reclamation corps.

"Uncle Zhou."

Zhao Shunzi dismounted from afar, cupped his hands to greet Zhou Dali who was coming to meet him, and spoke with the cheerfulness of a young man, yet also with a hint of respect for his elder.

"It's the third son of the Zhao family from Bohai Fort!"

Zhou Dali squinted at him for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter and patted Zhao Shunzi's arm.

The calluses on his palms rubbed against his nails, making a rustling sound. "Haven't seen you in years, and you've become a commander of a thousand households? Not bad, not bad at all, the younger generation is truly formidable!"

Both of them were Han Chinese from Jiubao and Shibazhai, and Zhou Dali even knew Zhao Shunzi's father.

Zhou Dali led him to his slightly larger shed, where his personal guards discreetly stood watch outside.

"Uncle Zhou, how many people came this time?"

Zhao Shunzi sat down cross-legged, took out a sheepskin bag from his bosom, and handed it over, saying, "This is wine from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate. Try it."

"Three households with ten thousand households each, that's about one hundred thousand people."

Zhou Dali took a big gulp and smacked his lips: "I'll be the vanguard. You should recognize the other two commanders: Blind Wu from Qianhe Village and Old Ge from Heishan Village."

Under normal circumstances, the population of three 10,000-household communities would certainly exceed 100,000.

However, because Qihe and Yili are on the front lines against the royal court, the Fifth Garrison needs reinforcements at any time.

Therefore, the proportion of Western Xia surrendered soldiers and laborers among these three households was higher.

Many of the surrendered soldiers and laborers still had their families in Hedong. They came to the northern frontier alone, and each person was counted as a household, so the total number was naturally far less than a family of five or six. In addition, the list of 10,000 households compiled when they set off from Gansu had been lost along the way, and some of the old, weak, sick and disabled had also perished. By the time they arrived here, there were only a little over 100,000 people left.

Although the number is not large, as long as they take root in northern Xinjiang, and are given some soil, water, and women, the number of 100,000 people can double in a few years.

Zhao Shunzi nodded slightly: "That's great. We are short of people in Yili and Qihe, especially Han Chinese."

"The Grand Protector said long ago that if we want the Han people to settle down in the Western Regions, we have to rely on you brothers who are engaged in land reclamation."

"Those alien races are completely unreliable."

Zhou Dali chuckled. There were many ethnic groups in the Northern Frontier Army, including Turks, Uyghurs, Naimans, and Khitans, among others.

However, apart from the Khitans, people from other tribes were never able to integrate into the core power circle of the Northern Frontier Army.

More like a war consumable.

The edifice of northern Xinjiang needs a large influx of Han Chinese to solidify its foundation.

“As per the orders of the Grand Protectorate, I, as a commander of ten thousand, will be going to Qihe to cultivate the land,” Zhou Dali said, changing the subject.

He had participated in the western expeditions against the royal court more than once, and was quite familiar with the Seven Rivers region.

The vast grasslands and deserts were lush with water and grass, but they were close to the front line where the royal court was confronting them, and small groups of cavalry would harass them from time to time, making it a dangerous place.

Therefore, sufficient support is needed to ensure that the reclamation groups can take root there.

Zhao Shunzi saw his concerns and said in a deep voice, "Uncle Zhou, don't worry, the Commander-in-Chief knows what he's doing."

"Although the commander-in-chief is still pressuring the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate to hand over grain in Kerpin, a considerable amount has already been collected from places like Kuxian and Luntai, which is enough to sustain them for a while."

"The Commander-in-Chief's meaning..."

Zhao Shunzi paused, looking into Zhou Dali's eyes: "I can give each of you three households 50,000 shi of grain."

"However, considering that you, Uncle Zhou, are alone in Qihe, we can increase it by 20,000 shi."

"Seventy thousand shi?"

Zhou Dali straightened up abruptly, his previously tired face instantly brightening, and his hand unconsciously tightened its grip on the sheepskin bag: "That's great, it really solved our immediate problem!"

The grain that their reclamation team had left was enough to last until Qihe.

With this additional 70,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), at a ration of five liang (a unit of weight) per person per day, it would be enough to feed these 10,000 households for more than a year.

By then, crops will grow on the newly reclaimed land, cattle and sheep will have calves, and life will start to fall back on its own.

Seeing his overjoyed expression, Zhao Shunzi's lips curled up, and he dropped another bombshell: "In addition to 50,000 shi of grain, the Commander-in-Chief has also prepared women for you."

"A woman?" Zhou Dali was stunned.

"Not many, only two thousand."

Zhao Shunzi explained, "They were all recruited from the Eastern Karakhanid Khanate."

Zhou Dali was genuinely delighted and slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Great! That's exactly what I was worried about!"

There were many bachelors in the reclamation corps, mostly soldiers captured from the Western Xia battlefield or migrant workers who had fled alone.

In this foreign Gobi Desert, with no one to hold your heart, as time goes by, it's inevitable that some thoughts will arise, and who knows, someone might dare to risk being beheaded and secretly run back home.

But if we give them a woman, a family, and a child, so they have someone to care about, their hearts will naturally settle down, and the roots of Qihe will truly take hold.

"The Commander-in-Chief has considered everything very carefully," Zhou Dali remarked.

Zhao Shunzi stood up and dusted himself off: "The grain and women are in the city. Uncle Zhou, you can send someone to receive them first thing tomorrow morning."

"Although life is tough over in Qihe, with these things, we'll get through it eventually."

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the men of the reclamation team, carrying the energy they had gathered along the way, followed Zhou Dali towards Yanqi City.

The matter of food was temporarily put aside, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the open space at the city gate.

There, the woman they had been longing for would be delivered.

The reclamation corps is not short of food now. The 70,000 shi given by the Fifth Town is enough to last until the end of next year. But there is no one around who cares about their well-being. Lying in the shack at night, listening to the howling wind blowing across the Gobi Desert, they always feel like there is an empty piece in their hearts.

Especially for a bachelor like Niu Fu in his twenties, who still doesn't know what it's like to be with a woman.

Last night I heard that the wives were going to be separated, and I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, my mind filled with vague thoughts.

As soon as Niu Fu reached the edge of the open field, he was captivated by the sight before him.

The Uyghur women were confined in makeshift rope enclosures. Some wore tattered headscarves, while those without were forcibly torn off and discarded by the Northern Frontier Army.

Although his clothes were dirty and tattered, and his face was still streaked with tears, his high nose bridge and deep-set eyes exuded a unique charm in the morning light.

"Beautiful, so beautiful..."

Niu Fu swallowed hard, his eyes widening in disbelief.

The entire reclamation team was in an uproar. The men whispered among themselves, and their rough laughter and whistles rose and fell. Even the most dull-witted sturdy man grinned. A restless spring atmosphere filled the air.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Zhou Dali's roar, like muffled thunder, suppressed the noise in the arena.

"These women aren't just for show!"

"Even buying a cow or sheep costs money on a normal day, let alone a woman who can warm the bed and give birth?"

Zhou Dali glanced at the crowd, his gaze lingering on their fixed stares: "Five strings of copper coins for each woman."

After these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment. Some people clicked their tongues in amazement. Five strings of cash was no small sum; it was almost enough to buy a strong ox.

"It's okay if you don't have money."

Zhou Dali had anticipated this, and a smile appeared on his lips. "You can owe it to me first, put it on the books, and pay me back later when you earn grain and exchange it for money."

"Those who want to find a wife, come and register with me."

He paused, his eyes flashing sharply as he swept over the men with their families: "Those with wives shouldn't get involved."

"Those who want to take concubines either go to the battlefield to seize them themselves, or wait until after the autumn harvest when they sell their grain, cattle, and sheep, and then buy them at the market."

"Now, all you single folks, come here!"

Niu Fu's heart pounded, and the five strings of cash felt like a stone weighing on his heart.

The money I saved while serving as a soldier in Western Xia has long been lost; now I have not a single coin left.

But when he looked up and saw the foreign woman with her arms crossed and a timid look in her eyes, he gritted his teeth.

Trading a cow for a wife who can give birth and warm your feet on a cold night is worth it!

"I want one!"

Niu Fu shouted at the top of his lungs and charged ahead like a wild bull, reaching Zhou Dali in just a few steps.

"Wan Hu, I want a wife!"

Once he started, the men behind him surged forward like a floodgate opened.

"Wan Hu, I want him!"

"Give me one too!"

The crowd was packed so tightly that it was impossible to move. Some people were shouting at the top of their lungs, some were wringing their hands anxiously, and even the laborers in their thirties and forties were pushing forward with red eyes.

In this foreign Gobi Desert, having a home is better than anything else.

The Uyghur women in the rope enclosure were even more frightened by the scene. They shrank into the corners one by one, and some even covered their faces and cried. However, their cries were completely drowned out by the men's anxious shouts.

Niu Fu stared intently at the woman with the large buttocks. Her breasts were huge, and they trembled when she cried, creating a surging, undulating effect that made it impossible for Niu Fu to look away.

Goodbye, Widow Liu.

My son, Niu Fu, is going to get a wife.

Not long after, Niu Fu finally got married.

Although she wasn't the woman he had his eye on before, she was still a voluptuous foreign girl with large breasts and a full bottom. Her eyes and brows had an innocent and naive look, and she looked like she was good at bearing children.

Niu Fu cherished her dearly, protecting her carefully when walking, afraid that she might be bumped by others.

The girl was initially shivering with her shoulders hunched, but after he stuffed a freshly baked naan bread into her mouth, her eyes gradually brightened, and she timidly followed him.

Almost all the bachelors in the reclamation corps had gotten married, and with the addition of these women, the atmosphere in the corps changed.

But Zhou Dali had already given a strict order: no one was allowed to share a room with anyone outside of Qihe.

He can spend time with his wife during the day, but they have to separate at night.

Zhou Dali was also criticized by many people for this ridiculous rule, but the effect was quite obvious.

The thought of being able to fall asleep with his soft, cuddly wife after Qihe makes even carrying heavy sacks of grain feel like carrying a blazing fire on his journey.

It was November when we arrived at Seven Rivers.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on the withered yellow grass, quickly accumulating into a thin layer, leaving the earth desolate.

The initial enthusiasm for the journey was instantly frozen, and the men stared blankly at the vast white wilderness before them.

As the passion fades, the chill of reality creeps up your trouser legs.

Someone rubbed their hands, which were red from the cold, and said in a trembling voice, "In this awful weather, how can we survive the winter in that shed? We'll probably freeze into icicles!"

Zhou Dali, however, remained calm: "What's the panic?"

"You won't freeze to death."

Then, pointing to the ground beneath his feet, he loudly ordered, "Use the tips of your guns to dig holes in the ground. Dig bigger holes for larger groups and smaller holes for smaller groups, just big enough for a family to crawl into and sleep in."

"Then find some wood and weeds to build a roof on top, and that will be your home for the winter!"

"Next spring, I'll lead you to reclaim the wasteland."

"The newly reclaimed wasteland will be rent-free and tax-free for ten years, and all the income will belong to us."

"The days ahead will definitely get better and better!"

The method he described was the dugout.

Dig half a person's depth into the ground, level the four walls, and cover the top with grass and trees. Although it looks simple, it can block the wind and keep out the cold. In this Gobi Desert of the Western Regions, it is a good thing for getting through the winter.

Niu Fu felt a surge of warmth upon hearing this, and he pulled his wife to find a sheltered, sloping spot.

He swung the gun and dug down. The frozen soil was as hard as stone, and the shock made his hands go numb. But the thought of being able to spend the winter warmly with his wife after the dugout was built gave him renewed strength.

The foreign woman wasn't idle either; she gathered some dry branches and piled them aside. Occasionally, she would glance up at him, and the fear in her eyes lessened.

Working through the night, Niu Fu's dugout was finally completed.

He crawled inside to try it out, and it was indeed much warmer than outside. The wind couldn't get in, and the snow didn't fall on him.

This was his first home in Qihe.

On the very night the dugouts were built and people moved in, the suppressed voices of many women echoed across the wilderness of Qihe.

Amidst this sound, Niu Fu finally transformed into a true man.

(End of this chapter)