Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 126 Wang Family
The news that Shan Nong Kingdom had agreed to a ceasefire spread throughout the country.

The Duke of Yan and his family have been staying in Tongzhou City for seven or eight days.

In recent days, the Duke of Yan and his family have been full of complaints.

"Yumen, where have you gone?"

Wang Mingyu, who was sixteen or seventeen years old, was drawing in the courtyard when she saw Yumen enter and asked him a question.

Yumen complained, "Miss, didn't you see the newspaper I'm holding? I went to buy a newspaper."

Before Wang Mingyu could speak, a noblewoman who shouldn't be living in such a dilapidated place came out of the mud house in front.

Fang Huairui came out with her maids and servants and scolded, "You girl, you don't even say a word before doing anything. You're getting more and more unruly."

Yumen laughed and said, "Madam, you must be feeling very uncomfortable living in this wretched place, but don't take it out on us servants! Take a look at today's newspaper, there's good news!"

Fang Huairui frowned. "What good news could there be? I just want to get back as soon as possible. I've been living in this lousy place for half a month, and it's not even convenient to take a shower."

Yumen handed over a newspaper. "Take a look. It says the peace talks have been successful! A large area of ​​land in the south has been ceded to King Wu."

Fang Huairui walked to the wooden chair in the courtyard and sat down. Her maid, Tong Bao'er, snatched the newspaper from Yumen's hand and smiled, "Look at you, so full of yourself. When the eldest mistress isn't around, I'll teach you a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Fang Huairui said directly, "No need to wait until I'm not around, teach them a lesson if they need to."

Tong Bao'er turned around with a smile and handed over the newspaper. "Grandma, I wouldn't dare. It's not that I'm afraid of this girl, it's just that Miss is still here!"

Wang Mingyu lost interest in painting and sat down. "Yumen, don't you know how to get your master a newspaper? Do I have to ask?"

Yumen placed the newspaper on the table. "Yes, Master!"

Yumen gave his young mistress a newspaper and then stood beside her, saying, "I went out to buy a newspaper just now, and when I saw that the person selling the newspaper was a maid, I thought I'd hire her to work in the mansion and give her a meal."

Wang Mingyu tidied up the newspapers, but instead of reading them, she looked at the girl.

"and then?"

Yumen laughed and said, "That girl said she has a public household registration, and she's so proud of herself."

Yumen smiled and said disdainfully, "Aren't they just slaves working in workshops and fields?"

Fang Huairui frowned and looked at Yumen with a serious expression.

"You silly girl, I usually joke with you and don't hold some of your things against you, but don't talk nonsense about things outside. Even if that girl is a servant, she is still the servant of King Wu."

"Have you gotten yourself into trouble?"

Seeing Fang Huairui's serious expression, Yumen quickly said, "Don't worry, Grandma. I know what's important. That girl will just bring us newspapers for a few days from now on. There's nothing else."

Fang Huairui was relieved and sighed, "Master gave up his good title of Duke and insisted on bringing us to this place."

"This place isn't even within the garrison area; they just randomly picked a spot to build the city. We've come here and are living in this wretched place. A proper young lady and lady of a duke's family have been turned into a village woman!"

Although Fang Huairui lived in a large place, it consisted of newly built mud houses.

There were no flowers, trees, or pavilions; even outside the courtyard were a group of country folk.

Their clothing, food, shelter, and transportation were all very basic. They couldn't buy good food or drinks, nor could they buy cosmetics. They couldn't even change their bedding every day.

Wang Mingyu said irritably, "Stop talking. Ever since King Wu brought us back, all I hear you say is this."

Fang Huairui shook her head helplessly, then quietly read the newspaper.

Tong Bao'er squatted down and massaged Fang Huairui's legs.

Both the Wang and Li families were dissatisfied with their simple dwellings and couldn't find anyone to build a new house for them.

After Fang Huairui saw today's newspaper, she finally quieted down for a while.

Wang Mingyu was the same, intently looking at the contents of the newspaper.

After reading a message, Fang Huairui looked up and pondered, "King Wu has acquired the three towns of Ji Province. I've heard that the soldiers in these three towns are arrogant and domineering. After King Wu takes over the three towns, can he control these people?"

Wang Mingyu laughed and said, "Each town only has ten or twenty thousand arrogant soldiers. I heard that the three towns together only have fifty thousand soldiers. It's not like King Wu hasn't fought against fifty thousand elite soldiers before. Teaching those three towns' miscellaneous soldiers a lesson is as easy as turning his hand."

Fang Huairui nodded in sudden realization.

The arrogant troops of the three towns in Jizhou are a troublesome and dangerous force for the other commanders.

For a fierce general like Beiji Wu, who has fought his way out of battle, he is no different from a child.

Even if all the strong troops of the three towns were combined, they still couldn't defeat a single iron cavalry commander from the mountain peasant tribe.

Fifty thousand elite troops are enough to conquer the world, and ten thousand elite troops are enough to occupy a region.

Fang Huairui pondered, "The Li family is the Duke of Wei, and our family is the Duke of Yan. If Wei Town is cleaned up, the Li family's fiefdom might be in Wei County."

Wang Mingyu was also thinking about this. "When my elder brother comes back, I'll ask him about the fiefdom. Now that everything is alright, it's time to go and settle down there."

Fang Huairui looked at the news in the newspaper and said, "The newspaper said that King Wu has ordered a three-month period of rest and recuperation. Things will get busy again when the wheat is harvested. We should take advantage of the fact that people outside are free during this time to tidy up the house first, otherwise there will be nowhere for the master to stay when he comes."

The Duke of Yan and the Duke of Wei have not yet arrived, but they should be here soon.

Wang Mingyu couldn't make the decision on this kind of thing. "It's pointless for you to tell me. Go talk to your older brother instead."

Fang Huairui nodded and continued reading the newspaper.

I get so bored here that I usually just read books and newspapers or chat with people to pass the time.

Fortunately, we could keep up with the outside world's developments through newspapers, so we weren't too anxious.

The language used by the mountain farmers is relatively simple. Through reading books and newspapers and previous understanding, one can roughly guess the meaning of some words.

Before coming here, my family had learned the script of the Shan Nong ethnic group.

Fang Huairui was able to endure this wretched place for seven or eight days mainly because she had no other choice.

We have to endure it!
This is not Luoyang, and their family is no longer a dukedom of the Southern Dynasty.

Now that the Northern Dynasty has accepted them, the family must endure it for the sake of future wealth and prosperity.

Fortunately, peace has been restored between the North and the South, so there's no need to live in fear anymore. When Fang Huairui first learned about the surrender to the enemy, she was so frightened that her legs almost went weak, fearing that her whole family would be beheaded by the emperor.

Fortunately, it wasn't her decision at the time. Under the strong insistence of the two dukes, most of their families secretly ran away to seek refuge with Beijiwu.

Fang Huairui and the others didn't actually like the mountain peasants at all, but unfortunately, the people from the south just couldn't beat those from the north.

The mountain farmers do not have musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, or painting skills; they only know how to farm, herd horses, and raise sheep.

They ate simple meals every day, but luckily they could chat with the Li family in the next courtyard to relieve their boredom.

The two families already had a good relationship, and now that they have both surrendered to the Mountain Farming Kingdom, their relationship has become even closer.

"Grandpa's back!"

Several women looked toward the doorway, where a short-haired man wearing silk trousers walked in.

The courtyard's earthen walls were only about 1.5 meters high, and you could see the main room as soon as you entered the courtyard. There were no multiple courtyards or entrances; it was extremely simple.

The man who came in also seemed uncomfortable, and looked embarrassed when he saw the women behind him.

Wang Mingyu took a closer look.

"Brother, why do you look like this? I heard that the mountain farmers have given high-ranking positions and generous salaries to the Han people, but they don't expect all Han people to follow the mountain farmers. Why did you cut your hair?"

Fang Huairui also felt that Wang Daoji's outfit was ugly. "This short hair makes him look like a monk. If you didn't know better, you'd think his hair was burned!"

Wang Daoji walked over and sat down, using his displeasure to cover up his embarrassment and awkwardness.

"Now that I am an official in the Mountain Farmer Kingdom, I must naturally follow the customs of the Mountain Farmers. The court has promised my family two households of ten thousand and a million acres of fertile land in Ji Province. What's wrong with shaving my head?"

Fang Huairui and Wang Mingyu only said a few words, but didn't dare to really argue with the man about it.

The whole family came to surrender on their own initiative; it's only right that they show some sincerity.

Mingyu called out, "Grandpa, when are we going to the fiefdom? This place is poor and dilapidated; we should have left long ago!"

Wang Daoji instructed, "We'll have to stay here for a while longer. We're not allowed to go out this year because there are disasters everywhere. Next year, when the princess comes to marry, our family will also have to stay here to help."

“I have already had the houses built, and we can move in in two or three months. King Wu has given me and the Li family a thousand households each. King Wu will pay our military pay and food for this year. Next year, when we have our own fiefdoms, we will support them ourselves.”

Fang Huairui quickly replied, "Didn't they say they'd give us ten thousand households?"

Wang Daoji said awkwardly, "Our family hasn't made any contributions either. We can fill the remaining households ourselves by coming from outside. Anyway, there have been constant floods, droughts, locust plagues, and epidemics outside these past two years, and the biggest problem is people."

“My father and the people from our hometown are also willing to come, so it won’t be difficult to gather enough households to reach 10,000.”

Fang Huairui and Wang Mingyu both nodded; the family hadn't really done much.

The maid Dou Yumen said, "But our Wang and Li families, two dukes, risked the extermination of their entire clans to come and seek refuge. Don't they deserve credit for that?"

Wang Daoji sighed, "What's the big deal? The mountain farmers don't need this. The emperor ceded territory, paid reparations, and made marriage alliances. Now, King Wu doesn't need outsiders to come to him. He said he will no longer give high-ranking positions and generous salaries to those who come to him later."

"The commanders here all brought their troops to join us. When our family was in the south, we didn't have military power, otherwise we would have brought our troops to join us."

Wang Mingyu asked, "What if someone brings troops to join us? There are plenty of soldiers in Ji Province, and several dukes who are familiar with our family also have people in the east, west, and south."

With the world in chaos, there are naturally more people leading troops, and their thoughts become more complex.

Wang Daoji affirmed, "We will not accept them for the time being. Even if they bring troops to surrender, we will let them go back. Now that we have made peace, according to the rules of the Mountain Farmers, we should behave ourselves and not do anything that would cause misunderstandings."

The women looked at each other in bewilderment.

Fang Huairui asked, "Then who would be willing to surrender? Wouldn't they all run away?"

Wang Daoji smiled, picked up the newspaper, and pointed to a passage on it.

“The price of food outside will definitely rise. If there is no food to eat, some people will not be able to survive and will cause trouble. At that time, will they surrender to the north and live a peaceful life, or will they follow the southerners and leave their homes?”

Fang Huairui nodded, and Wang Mingyu smiled and said, "Li's fourth brother also got a haircut? I want to go see him."

Wang Daoji shook his head and said, "He did not cut his hair. King Wu sent him and several commanders to Jiaodong."

Fang Huairui quickly asked, "What are we going there for? Where will our family go from now on?"

Wang Mingyu pondered the Jiaodong region, "Although it's not as good as Jizhou, Youzhou, or Yuzhou, it's still quite good."

Wang Daoji laughed and said, "There are no such good things! The king sent five people to Jiaodong to take over the salt and tea business there. What we two families should get is the fertile plains of Weijun."

The family members all breathed a sigh of relief, at least they knew where they would go from now on.

Taking advantage of the fact that most people outside were still unaware of the territorial concessions and reparations, Beijiwu quickly launched its operation.

Although I don't want outside territory, it doesn't mean I don't want anything!

We don't want rotten land, we want good land!

To stabilize business in the salt and tea region and prevent damage to tea trees and salt fields, Beijiwu dispatched Li Yuanrang, Wang Xiang, Qiao Guozhong, Mu Chuanliang, and Sang Yang'an, who had completed the spring plowing work the best and fastest this year.

Five thousand people each performed their duties and supervised each other.

Three thousand people were responsible for stabilizing the salt and tea fields in the Jiaodong region.

Tea-growing areas are all mountainous regions, and salt-producing areas are all impoverished coastal areas. Both places have government-maintained order and sparse populations, so they don't have to bear too much responsibility.

The other two thousand iron cavalry and elite cavalry went to seize the gold mine to prevent the gold from flowing out. They also took the opportunity to take in the miners and their families, providing them with enough food to survive. They demanded that these people supervise each other and not take the gold out of the mine without permission, or face the death penalty!

The salt and tea business was of paramount importance, and Beijiwu did not quite believe that the Han people would be fair and honest, and would not steal or pilfer.

So they borrowed another 3,000 soldiers from the Mongol tribe and had them escort gold, salt, and tea to repay the debt.

Mongolians, who were accustomed to robbery, had nowhere to spend the money they took because of the language barrier. If they were caught hiding gold, it would be a capital offense.

Guihua City and Guinong Department are now considered to be subordinate to Arctic Martial Arts, and they are now working for Arctic Martial Arts in exchange for ironware, food and wine.

The mountain farmers have so much grain that they can't finish eating it all, so they use it to brew wine.

(End of this chapter)