Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 123 Peace Negotiations Continue
April is the time to plant wheat.

The banks of the river were covered with green grass, and beyond the grass and earthen embankments lay vast farmlands.

The two sides of the river belong to different villages, and there is some competition and comparison between them.

Sang Yang'an and several men from the village were busy in the wheat field working on new farm tools.

Qiu Feng, a middle-aged man, bent over and looked at the iron thing in front of him.

This iron contraption is three meters long and can support more than ten people standing side by side without feeling crowded.

“This thing is so big, even an ox can’t pull it, right? It took the five of us to move it down together. The dozen or so plowshares that were tamped down the ground are buried there. An ox definitely can’t pull it.”

Qiu Feng always felt that this thing was unusable.

The other farmers shared the same thought: this tool was getting more and more outrageous.

Sang Yang'an, however, laughed arrogantly, "If one cow isn't enough, then ten cows will do! If one horse isn't enough, then ten horses will do!"

"This year, during the Spring Festival, the three prefectures surrendered and sent more than 7,000 horses, and the Khitans sent 40,000 horses. With so many livestock in our county, we get richer and richer every year. Are we afraid that we can't pull these few thousand heavy plows?"

Qiu Feng exclaimed in shock, "Good heavens! Ten oxen are used to pull the plow on this kind of land? I thought it was already impressive that three or four oxen were used last year. In the past, having even one ox was considered good. Most of the time, the whole family would plow the land by pulling a rope on their shoulders. I never imagined that so many oxen could be used!"

The rest of the people on this land had never thought of having ten oxen and horses plowing the land at the same time.

Even for wealthy families in the south, owning one or two cows was considered quite impressive.

Ten oxen plowing the field is like nine horses pulling a cart – it's the ultimate luxury!
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and get the harness ready. I'll go and bring the ox over."

Sang Yang'an needs to complete the planting tasks as soon as possible. There are more tasks this year, and there are several more indicators and things to pay attention to than last year.

Qiu Feng and the others also knew the importance of completing the mission, so they quickly said, "Alright! Enough talk, we'll all listen to Commander Bai!"

An old man next to me said with a serious expression, "We have to finish the task quickly this year, otherwise we won't meet the target. The newspaper said that villages that fail to meet the target will be removed from the public household registration system."

Sang Yang'an said directly, "Just listen to me and get to work. We'll definitely get it done!"

Everyone was relieved. "Okay! We'll do whatever you say!"

"Yes! As long as we can complete the mission, that's all that matters!"

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work! Adults and children, come out and work together. Let's eat breakfast and dinner together to save time!"

Seeing that everyone else was willing to race against time, Sang Yang'an naturally followed the villagers' advice.

Sang Yang'an led the men to familiarize themselves with the farm tools and assigned farming tasks.

The wives and other women were assigned tasks according to last year's assignments: some cooked, while others who were not in good health stayed home to look after and care for the children.

Most people still went to work in the fields, using the seed drills they had made to cultivate the land.

Yun Tumei from the tool factory was responsible for guiding the strip seeders on horseback, and like many other banner chiefs, she went to various villages to teach the techniques.

A row seeder is a mechanical tool specifically used for sowing seeds. It needs to be pulled by an ox or a horse and operated manually.

Seed box: Stores seeds and has an adjustable opening at the bottom.

Seed guide tube: It precisely guides the seeds into the furrows, so that the seeds are arranged in rows, which is much more accurate than simply scattering by hand, avoiding dense competition, increasing yield per acre, and saving seeds.

Furrow opener: Used to create shallow furrows in the soil.

Covering device: Cover the seeds with a wooden board.

The use of strip seeders can reduce the difficulty of weeding, facilitate inter-row weeding, and reduce labor costs.

A row seeder, a heavy plow, and ten horses make up modern agricultural machinery.

The blacksmiths and artisans of the garrison were only one of its advantages; the coal and iron mines were another. The addition of a large number of manpower and livestock brought together various advantages, forming a powerful vitality.

Aside from making swords and arrowheads for more than half a month, the blacksmith shops in Tongzhou, Shuozhou, and Wuzhou had been producing agricultural tools. Now that they had repelled the invaders from the east, west, north, and south, Beijiwu continued to reduce military defense spending and invested a large amount of manpower and resources into agricultural and industrial production.

The coal mines here can be mined in open pits, and there's more than enough to go around.

Iron ore has long been discovered, and after a year of development, the two riverside ironworks are now sufficient to produce enough to meet the daily needs of 500,000 people.

The precursor to guns and steam technology was not gunpowder, but steel.

Only by rapidly increasing steel production can various mechanical weapons be produced.

This year's spring planting will still be staggered, with 2 million mu of wheat to be planted in April and 2 million mu of millet to be planted in May.

The four million mu of public land, and the remaining thousand households decide for themselves how much land to cultivate, since the Arctic Army will no longer care about them starting this year.

The fiefdom of a thousand-household commander was taxed at only 10 percent. A few thousand-household commanders who went out to fight were given rewards and tax exemptions, but the rest were left unattended.

Anyway, the land was given long ago, and start-up funds were also given to purchase various supplies. Arctic Martial Arts doesn't provide these people with retirement benefits either. If you don't have the ability, don't be a lord.

Since they were all enfeoffed, they couldn't rely on the central authority for everything like a unified dynasty.

April passed in a flurry of activity, and it was only then that Wen Chao's army, which had been submerged in the floodwaters, finally returned to Luoyang.

Wan Ye lived in constant fear, terrified that Beiji Wu would launch a direct attack from Jinzhou and wipe out his remaining army of over 100,000 men.

Every day I dream that Beiji Wu leads his army of over 100,000 men, who were once loyal to him, into Luoyang and kills me.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest. I've had some ginseng soup prepared for you to nourish your body. There's a plague breaking out in the city now, Your Majesty must not be harmed."

The busy Wan Ye heard a woman's voice and looked over to see his beloved concubine approaching.

The Crown Prince's birth mother is dead, and although there is no Empress now, the beautiful and noblewoman in her mid-thirties is already considered the head of the harem. Imperial Noble Consort Cui Qing, daughter of a tea merchant from Huizhou, possesses a striking and elegant appearance, with well-defined and sharp features. Her makeup is luxurious, her clothing extravagant, and her demeanor sharp yet alluring and captivating.

Wan Ye didn't have much of an impression of this concubine when she was young, but she became more and more beautiful after she turned thirty. He doted on her and they had a son and a daughter.

The son, Wan Hui, has already been enfeoffed as a prince in Huizhou, while the daughter, Princess Wan Fei of Luzhou, has not yet married.

"My beloved concubine, come here." Wan Ye smiled and reached out his hand to the charming beauty.

"Yes, Your Majesty~"

The beautiful woman swayed her slender waist and leaned sweetly against Wan Ye's arm.

Even though the beautiful woman was right in his arms, all Wan Ye could do was indulge in the act.

Let alone 65 years old, even at 55 years old, you can only move your upper body.

Though one may grow old, one's heart may remain young.

Just as Wan Ye was about to kiss the delicate and beautiful woman with his thick white beard, the voice of a guard came from outside.

"Your Majesty! An urgent report has arrived from the border! The Mountain Farmers have made their move!"

Wan Ye was immediately startled, so frightened that he went limp and began to tremble.

"The mountain farmers have attacked?"

Wan Ye's voice was filled with terror.

If the Arctic warriors could kill 50,000 Khitan cavalry in open battle, they could certainly kill their own 100,000 useless bastards.

Wanye had absolutely no confidence in passing through Mengjin Pass, Zhiguanxing Ancient Road, and Hangu Pass.

Even if all these people surrender, Wan Ye will not have the slightest suspicion.

The imperial eunuch opened the letter, glanced at it quickly, and then swiftly approached Wanye.

"Your Majesty, both Juyong Pass and Zijing Pass have received letters of surrender from the Shan Nong tribe, but the generals of both places are loyal to Your Majesty, have firmly rejected the Shan Nong tribe's offer of surrender, and have even killed the messengers who delivered the letters!"

The eunuch handed over the letter.

Cui Qing voluntarily stood to the side, three meters away from the old man, breathing in the slightly fresher air.

This beautiful woman knew a bit about politics, and seeing the emperor's trembling and frightened appearance, she knew that the old man probably wouldn't live for many more years.

A thoughtful look appeared in her eyes as she pondered what her future should hold.

Wan Ye didn't notice the beauty's expression. After picking up the letter and reading it carefully, he couldn't feel any joy.

The loyal men refused Beiji Wu's offer of surrender, but Beiji Wu had already declared himself King Wu and would definitely attack Jizhou.

Now, in the entire Wen Dynasty, who can stop the Northern Wu?
Now that a plague has broken out in the army and Luoyang is in turmoil, there is no way to resist the attack of the mountain farmers.

In the Jiangnan and Southwest regions, there were always incidents of killing officials and rebelling, one wave after another was suppressed.

This year, we also need to manage the Yellow River, send troops to guard against rebellions by the local chieftains of Shu Prefecture, and guard against the Khitans, Mongols, and Tibetans.

The entire Wen Dynasty had a population of just over 20 million, and its total military strength was only about one million, yet nearly 200,000 of them had already been lost at the hands of the Shan Nong people...

Continuing to fight to the death means continuing to send people to the Mountain Farming Kingdom. The number of households in the Arctic Martial Kingdom is directly proportional to the number of military forces that the Mountain Farming Kingdom has absorbed from the Wen Dynasty.

If more were added, it would inevitably collapse, and the garrisons and border troops in various places would not be so easily commanded.

This time, not a single soldier was killed, but many of the capital's elite troops were lost. In addition, the capital was punished by drought, snowstorms, floods, and locust plagues, so its ability to suppress the local areas was much weaker than before.

"Summon the Minister of Rites!"

Wan Ye knew that only by negotiating peace could he stabilize the situation and ensure the continuation of the Wan family's dynasty.

Consort Cui tactfully took her leave, saying, "Your Majesty is busy with military affairs, so I shall take my leave now."

Wanye nodded and said, "Okay."

Wan Ye gazed at Consort Cui's swaying, voluptuous hips, pondering how to negotiate peace with the Arctic Army.

The Minister of Rites arrived shortly afterward.

Wang Mingyun knelt down and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Wan Ye had already dismissed all the people in the way, and after Wang Mingyun knelt down, he said directly, "The Shan Nong tribe failed to persuade the Jizhou border army to surrender, and I'm afraid they will start another uprising. What do you think we should do?"

Wang Mingyun, the Minister of Rites, had previously served as an envoy to Shannong County, where he persuaded Beiji Wu to accept the title of Marquis of Shannong. Indeed, after accepting the title, he did not go out to attack.

Even when people from Xinzhou, Lanzhou, and Daizhou surrendered their cities and joined them, they did not occupy much territory.

Wang Mingyun was well aware of Wan Ye's intentions. If he wanted to fight, he would have simply approached several generals and officials from the Ministry of War.

"I believe... now is not the time to start a war. We should talk with Marquis Shannong to see if we can recuperate and avoid further conflict."

Wanye nodded. "I can't bear to see any more bloodshed. Go on a mission to Shannong County. I'm willing to marry a princess to him. Isn't he from Wuzhou? I can bestow upon him the title of King Wu."

"The business of silver and salt and tea can also be discussed. If he can come to Luoyang, we can have a good talk."

Wang Mingyun kowtowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Wanye is eagerly anticipating Arctic Martial's arrival in Luoyang, as that would surely allow him to deliver the most accurate and highest-level "Ten Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart" to Arctic Martial.

(End of this chapter)