Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 132 Three Dynasties
"Shan Nong Daily! Shan Nong Daily! The Southern Dynasty emperor has passed away, and two emperors are now in a standoff between the Central Plains and Jiangnan!"

"Shan Nong Daily! Shan Nong Daily! The Prime Minister and the Duke support the new ruler of Lin'an, and King Wu is aiding the King of Luoyang!"

"Give me two newspapers!"

"Alright! Ten copper coins!"

For every newspaper the little girl sold, she would put five copper coins into the cloth bag she carried on her side.

498 was very happy that something had happened in the Southern Dynasty. Whenever there was something exciting, the newspaper would sell out very quickly.

Expired newspapers are harder to sell. In the past, a hundred copies a day would sell out quickly, but now even with two hundred copies a day, there are always quite a few left over.

"Shannong Daily! Shannong Daily!"

Wearing a sweater, a sheepskin hat, and wool boots, 498 shouted desperately in the cold winter.

The job of selling newspapers was only for children. They could earn one copper coin for every ten copper coins they sold, but it was still a respectable job.

This kind of work is especially easy for many children from refugee families who came from the west.

Most children's wish is simply to have enough to eat.

With the shouts of newsboys, the people of Yamauchi Kyushu quickly learned of the great turmoil in the south.

Originally, the military campaign against the Khitans was mainly aimed at temporarily clearing out bandits in Youzhou. Apart from some people who were building Shanhaiguan, the rest of the iron cavalry and light cavalry temporarily went south to support Luoyang.

The ladies and young women of the Wang and Li families gathered together to read the newspaper and chat.

Wang Mingyu frowned. "After Prime Minister Xiao, who became Prime Minister? Why would they support that bastard Prince Qin?"

Neither the King of Qin nor the King of Jin were human. The King of Jin died of the plague, while the King of Qin fled back to Luoyang from Qin to stay with the emperor.

Wang Minghui said, "Ever since Lord Xiao Gan was imprisoned and committed suicide by the Emperor, Prime Minister Qin Dao has taken his place. This man is good at flattering and is not favored by the Crown Prince."

"It turns out that Minister Li Luyang of the Ministry of Revenue was also a capable minister. He was executed by the emperor for speaking the truth and displeasing the emperor."

"Nowadays, His Majesty is surrounded by a group of sycophants, and the several dukes who followed him are all from the south."

Wang Minghui continued reading the newspaper and sighed, "According to the newspaper, the naval forces of several southern towns support the new emperor. They say that before the emperor died, he managed to summon several ministers and soldiers and established the Prince of Qin as the new emperor."

"The area south of the Yangtze River is now all under the control of Lin'an Prefecture, and it seems that the area north of the Yangtze River and south of the Huai River has also submitted to the King of Qin."

Fang Huairui didn't understand what they were saying. "What are you talking about? All this stuff is so far-fetched, I don't even know where it is."

Wang Minghui smiled and said, "Luoyang is located below the Yellow River. Our family and the Li family's fiefdoms are near Qizhou, but we don't know if they are in the south or the north. Qizhou is located on the banks of the Yellow River, and the Yellow River irrigates the fields on both sides."

"The Yellow River is at the very top, and Hebei is north of the Yellow River."

"Qingzhou and other places are also south of the Yellow River. South of Luoyang and south of Mount Tai is Huaibei, and Huainan is the area around Jiangning and Yangzhou, which is located north of the river. The area south of the river is Suzhou, Hangzhou and Lin'an Prefecture."

"According to the commentators in the newspapers, in the future, the King of Qin may use the Huai River as the boundary to control the rich lands north and south of the Yangtze River, while the Crown Prince will retreat to Shu and occupy Jingzhou."

"However, this is on the premise that the people of Jingzhou do not rebel. If local military officers and powerful clans in Jingzhou establish their own independent forces, things will become even more chaotic."

A group of women chatted and laughed, discussing national affairs.

Nobody really cares.

Fang Huairui said casually, "The Crown Prince has given this old Qin land to our Shan Nong Kingdom. King Wu is planning to stay in Jincheng for a while. Why don't we go there too? Jincheng is where King Jin lives. How can we spend the New Year in this kind of dilapidated house?"

"They are, after all, two dukes! Besides, King Wu is already in Jincheng, so we should go to Jincheng to find a residence and move in after the duke's mansion is built."

The group of women were clearly more concerned about the housing situation and all thought it was quite good.

Wang Mingyu said, "Go and talk to Madam Li. It won't do any good if we talk about this. Maybe when we get to Jincheng, our relatives and friends in Luoyang can come and reunite with us."

A group of young women and wives went to bother Old Lady Li. Old Lady Li didn't like the shabby mud house, so she told the Duke of Wei, who had already returned. The Duke of Wei also felt it was shabby, so he wrote a letter to Beiji Wu.

Since Beiji Wu also needed people familiar with Luoyang to garrison the south, he agreed to the arrangement for the two families, the Duke of Yan and the Duke of Wei, to come to Jincheng to help with the wedding.

As for the women in the family, they continued to live their lives in the Tongzhou courtyard.

The yard was stocked with a year's worth of food, including chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep, as well as plenty of vegetables, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar for more than half a year, and even charcoal-cured meat for winter.

Bei Jiwu often went out to fight, and his family was used to this kind of life. In addition, several women were pregnant and had difficulty moving around, so they did not need to go out.

Gao Qiuyue also knows some medical skills, so if something really happens, she will go out on her own. The Thousand-Household Brigade, which is specifically responsible for protecting them, is located 30 meters away.

Arctic Wu could easily create a secluded, self-sufficient, and tranquil environment.

It's fine to go home for a few days off occasionally; there's no need to stay home every day.

Beiji Wu doesn't want to go home lately because Wan Qizhen brought Beiji Wu's fiancée over.

Several of the former emperor's concubines and princesses also came with him.

Wan Qizhen met Beiji Wu at the Prince of Jin's residence and immediately greeted him respectfully, "Greetings, Prince Wu!"

Beijiwu smiled and said, "No need for formalities. I am of the same generation as your father. I originally planned to get married next year, but I didn't expect to encounter these things. How is the princess?"

Wan Qizhen immediately said, "Auntie is well. Because things are not very peaceful in Luoyang, I sent all of you here. Father Emperor still remembers that Uncle once said that he wanted to marry the person he was looking for."

These words made Beijiwu a little embarrassed. "I clearly said that I wanted to marry a beautiful princess. Your father gave me face. When you go back, please give my regards to your father. I have prepared elite soldiers, swords, and armor. When you go back, take the troops with you and assist your father well."

Wan Qizhen breathed a sigh of relief. What he feared most was that the Shan Nong people would break their promise and not only refuse to lend him troops, but also keep him here.

Or perhaps they could lead their army south and seize the opportunity to attack Luoyang from both the north and south. Unexpectedly, these mountain farmers kept their word and did not march south despite such a favorable situation.

"Yes! Thank you, Uncle!"

Wan Qizhen addressed his uncle much more naturally.

Arctic Wu doesn't want the land in the Yellow River floodplain; it's too difficult to deal with.

When the Yellow River is in a bad mood, it floods once a year; when it's in a good mood, it floods once every two or three years.

Beijiwu is well aware that he lacks the strength to manage the Yellow River. His immediate priority is to secure the Jinzhong Basin and the Jizhou Plain. He has no time to deal with the dire situation north and south of the Yellow River.

The salt and tea business is concentrated in the Taishan area, which is not affected by the Yellow River. As for the Qizhou area, it is flooded, but that's fine; no one is going there for the time being.

If Luoyang is occupied, then the several flood-prone areas around Luoyang will become territories that must be managed.

This area is densely populated, making it too troublesome to manage.

Helping Wan Shi would allow us to uphold morality, and we could get whatever we wanted without having to rob him directly.

Wan Qizhen did not stay any longer, as it was not appropriate for a grandson of the emperor to remain outside during this crucial period.

Although Wan Zhi told him not to go back, Wan Qizhen still returned with his troops and weapons.

After Wan Qizhen left, Beijiwu went to the resting place of the palace women.

“Wan Fei…” Beiji Wu had never had high expectations for this princess, but fortunately Wan Qizhen sent several princesses this time, so he could just pick a suitable one.

As long as it's not too ugly, the requirements for Arctic weapons are actually not high at all.

As I was thinking about something, I heard a woman's voice coming from the courtyard at the end of the pavilion.

"Hurry up and get dressed, King Wu is coming soon."

The woman's voice was magnetic yet carried a hint of command, giving the impression of someone pampered and of high status.

Upon hearing this, Beiji Wu walked over, accompanied only by two palace maids from the Wen Dynasty.

The palace maid followed Beijiwu and immediately shouted, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Beijiwu walked into the courtyard. Although land was not scarce in the Prince of Jin's mansion, people preferred to build houses and courtyards that were more compact and did not like spacious courtyards.

In a courtyard of about ten square meters, Beijiwu saw a beautiful woman with fair skin, rosy lips, bright and charming almond eyes, a foxy look on her face, and a graceful figure.

The woman looked to be clearly over thirty, probably around thirty-two or thirty-three.

But she is indeed beautiful, not only naturally beautiful, but more importantly, she gives off a kind of alluring, almost seductive, vixen-like charm.

"Greetings, King Wu!"

Wearing a white cotton coat and a white cloak, Imperial Noble Consort Cui Qing bowed to the young boy in the cold winter.

Bei Jiwu looked the beautiful woman up and down and asked, "Who are you?"

Cui Qing sensed the aggressive gaze, lowered her head and said in a coquettish voice, "Your Majesty, I am the former Imperial Noble Consort Cui, and I have come here with my daughter, Princess Luzhou, for a marriage alliance."

Beijiwu looked at the girl next to him. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old and about 1.45 meters tall. He felt that she would still be a short person when she grew up.

"This is your daughter? Princess Luzhou?"

Cui Qing quickly replied, "That's right."

Princess Luzhou, upon seeing her fiancé, lowered her head shyly and said, "Your Majesty, I greet you. Long live Your Majesty."

Beijiwu said directly, "Are there any other princesses? Bring them all out for us to see."

The Imperial Concubine's mother soon realized that Beiji Wu was not satisfied with this princess.

“Yes…” Cui Qing had no choice but to send someone to call out the other princesses.

Several Arctic weapons have been discovered that are indeed of good quality, and are generally of high quality.

“Alright, the six of you stay here.” Beiji Wu pointed to the three princesses and three concubines. “The rest of you, rest for two days, and I’ll have someone send you back to Luoyang.”

Beijiwu said to Cui Qing, "Teach them how to serve me. Tonight, after they've taken a bath, bring them over to serve me."

Cui Qing said with difficulty, "This is unreasonable..."

Beijiwu laughed and said, "I am the embodiment of the law and reason here. There is currently a war in the south. If you want to go back, that's fine. I won't stop you. If you don't want to, that's fine too. I'll send you back."

Cui Qing hurriedly replied, "I am willing, and I dare not disobey Your Majesty's decree."

Beijiwu nodded and smiled, saying, "Then the three of you should take good care of these three little ones today and pass on your experience. Tonight, personally take the three of them to my room."

The three concubines replied in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The mountain farmers don't follow the rules of outsiders, and no ministers are so foolish as to jump out and insult Beiji Wu as incompetent and tyrannical.

The mountain farmers are all traitors and surrenderers; those who stood their ground were killed long ago.

Perhaps future emperors and ministers will produce men of unwavering integrity and righteousness, but this generation is unlikely to see such a thing.

While Beiji Wu was enjoying himself in Jincheng, the battle for control of the south was heating up.

(End of this chapter)