Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 145 The Lonely Martial King

When Beijiwu returned, it was already early March in the lunar calendar.

The city of Luoyang was as festive as it was during the New Year, as people watched King Wu's entourage return.

The captured women were all sitting in prison carts; some were Han Chinese, some were Persians, and some were from strange countries unknown to the people of Luoyang.

Many people can tell at a glance that they are Hu people, people from the Western Regions, not mountain farmers or Han people.

There weren't many prison carts carrying female prisoners, which was quite noticeable.

In addition to female prisoners, there were also a large number of male prisoners, as well as boxes of gold and silver jewelry, books, and golden Buddha statues on the carts.

The camel caravan followed the horse-drawn carriages into the city. These tens of thousands of camels were laden with various records and collections from the Western Xia Kingdom, as well as crops, grains, and ironware from the Western Regions.

The most numerous items were clothes.

More than 100,000 babies are born every year, and there is a severe shortage of clothing and fabric.

The thoughtful Arctic warrior brought back a large amount of spoils of war and resolved potential future crises in the Qin region, laying the foundation for more than a decade of peace in the Qin-Jin area.

The Hu and Han people on both sides of Luoyang City watched the long caravan with joy, welcoming the return of the mighty King Wu.

After entering the palace grounds, Beiji Wu dismounted from the imperial carriage and walked towards the main hall.

The spoils of war will be counted and put away by designated personnel. Beiji Wu sat in the main hall, looking at the group of people below.

The courtiers, already kneeling, kowtowed three times and cried out in unison, "Your Majesty is divinely gifted and possesses boundless virtue; long live the Emperor!"

Arctic Martial asked lazily, "What's been going on lately?"

Rong Dingwen replied, "Your Majesty, the Khitans from the north entered Youzhou from Qingshan Pass. After their attack on Tiezhou was blocked, they plundered cattle and sheep and left."

Beiji Wu frowned, and his originally lazy demeanor turned into one of imposing authority.

"Who is guarding Qingshankou, and who are the people guarding Shanhaiguan and Tiezhou?"

Rong Dingwen lay on the ground with both hands and carefully answered, "Qingshan Pass was guarded by the Duke of Yan. The Duke of Yan went to Xifengkou, which was guarded by the Duke of Wei, a hundred miles away, leaving only a dozen people at Qingshan Pass, which led to Qingshan Pass being breached by an inside agent."

Beijiwu did not interrupt Rong Dingwen, who continued to recount the reactions of the others with trepidation.

"Tiezhou fell to Qingshan Pass on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The Khitans attacked Tiezhou with the help of an inside agent. Meng Hetong, Lang Wubing, and Yang Xiangyun, three commanders of ten thousand, organized the defense."

"When Niu Zhifu and Ma Weiming, the generals guarding Shanhaiguan, went to provide support, the Khitans had already retreated. After the battle, more than 3,000 people died and more than 100 enemy soldiers were wounded. Meng Hetong had already garrisoned Qingshankou, and Shanhaiguan had also strengthened its defenses."

"The Duke of Yan and the Duke of Wei led three thousand men in pursuit of the Khitans, but were killed and their entire army was wiped out."

"Xue Chonghu is stationed at Xifengkou. Youzhou is currently short of troops, so a garrison commander has been sent from Luoyang to provide support."

Beijiwu's face was ashen as he cursed, "Two useless idiots! Neglecting their duties, treating the safety of millions of people in the rear as a joke, not only letting the bandits in to kill our soldiers and civilians, but also disobeying orders and leading three thousand men to their deaths!!"

"These two old codgers have truly opened my eyes. In all my years in command of the army, I have never suffered such casualties!!"

Arctic Martial Qi was furious; this repeated gifting made him want to exterminate their entire family.

"Send messengers to all border regions, ordering Wuzhou and other areas to strengthen their defenses, with at least 800 people on duty in each area! Anyone who dares to drink alcohol or leave their post without permission will be fined if nothing happens, or demoted to a commoner if something does happen!"

"This time, I'm giving face to all those who surrendered, not just to these two individuals, but to everyone as a final act of respect!"

"If you make such a serious mistake again, don't blame me for being unethical. Your whole family will die for this crime!"

"The families of the Duke of Yan and the Duke of Wei will continue to inherit their titles, but their stipends will be suspended for one year! They shall replenish their own land and military households. The four dukes are ordered to stay at home to study military strategy, practice martial arts, and manage their fiefdoms! The residences of the Duke of Yan and the Duke of Wei in Luoyang will be confiscated! All personnel in these residences are to leave Luoyang within three days!"

Beiji Wu wanted to go out and destroy the Khitan, but he didn't want to run around acting as a troubleshooter.

"Destroy the Khitan within five years!"

Beiji Wu calmly said, "Give Tiezhou three years to develop, and then we will move north in the fourth year. If the war goes badly within a year, I will go there to resolve the matter myself."

"Let Tiezhou, Shanhaiguan and other places focus on defense, and stop trading ironware and grain with the Khitan, and stop trade."

"Anyone involved in smuggling will be killed without exception!"

Seeing that Beiji Wu had calmed down and hadn't gone on an expedition as soon as he returned, everyone felt relieved.

"Your Majesty understands!" Now that the ruling system has stabilized, Beiji Wu quickly noticed the expressions of many of the ministers below, many of whom seemed indifferent.

Even somewhat disappointed...

Arctic Martial realized that his previous will had clearly defined the succession of power.

It's like someone who's become the crown prince wants to become the emperor as soon as possible, or someone who's become the acting emperor wants to become the emperor as soon as possible.

If I'm not around, then the various departments in Luoyang have the final say.

The problems in Luoyang are no less significant than those in the north. A group of surrendered individuals have quickly connected, and it's likely that they are all old friends and drinking buddies from various departments.

A will can only be written when one is close to death, and power can only be inherited in secret.

As the King of Martial Arts, who commands millions of people, Arctic Wu is more prestigious than traditional monarchs. He is also the ruler of a foreign race who controls the strongest military force and whose word is law.

Things should be handled slowly. As long as these literati do not wield military power or collude with eunuchs and imperial guards, it doesn't matter what they think.

Arctic Martial doesn't believe that everyone is willingly acting as a slave.

It's normal to have some rebellious thoughts.

"Anything else that needs urgent attention? You can handle the less important matters yourselves. The Prime Minister will have someone send the reports from these past few days to the Imperial Study tomorrow."

Rong Dingwen respectfully replied, "As you command!"

The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the school will open after the spring plowing season, but there are not many people in the city who are proficient in agriculture. We need to transfer people from the Agriculture Department."

Arctic Martial Arts: "Since it's not enough, then recruit fewer people. There are still many things to do in the countryside. If everyone goes to school, who will farm? The mountain farmers' school will be used by the mountain farmers, based on the mountain farmers' public household registration. You don't need to worry about this; someone will take care of it."

Li Chengren cautiously replied, "As you command."

We still need to distinguish between mountain farmers and Han people. Some things can't be changed just by getting a haircut or changing clothes.

The Northern Martial Army has its own base of influence, and the civil officials in power will inevitably be infiltrated by the Mountain Farmers. Even if they only occupy one-tenth of the positions, they can still keep the entire city of Luoyang in order.

Beijiwu added, “The mountain farmers are simple-minded and their progress in learning multiple languages ​​is slow. In the future, the mountain farmers should mainly use the mountain farmer script, and the Han people should mainly use the Han characters. They should wear Han clothes and practice Han etiquette. They must not forget the laws of their ancestors.”

Beijiwu is the ancestor of the Shannong people, not the ancestor of the Han people.

The original plan was to not distinguish between them, but in reality, not distinguishing between them easily leads to a loss of order, so they were separated again.

It is impossible for those who surrender to expect the same treatment as the conquerors.

A mere difference in status created a huge divide between civil and military officials.

Before Rong Dingwen and the other civil officials could say anything more, Beiji Wu said directly, "This time, I led a thousand men and captured over ten thousand prisoners."

"Sang Yang'an, Mu Chuanliang, you will settle these people near the Wanhu Team as before, and train a group of elites as soon as possible. Five years later, I want this group to conquer the Western Regions for me."

Sang Yang'an and Mu Chuanliang immediately replied, "Your Majesty, we obey!"

The mountain farmers do have civil officials, but they are relatively few. However, with the healthy development of the entire training system, they will soon be able to mass-produce more executives.

There is no need to rely on the Wen Dynasty people to fight wars, nor is there a need to rely on them to govern the country.

"Let's adjourn the court session and return to our duties."

Beijiwu returned to the palace to rest. After being away for so many days, he slept alone at home.

Emperors have always been lonely. Beiji Wu lay alone on the dragon bed, suddenly regretting why he had rebelled. Being a forest hunter would have been quite nice.

When you're lonely, you tend to think of people you're close to.

The first thing that came to Beijiwu's mind was the fragrant orchid and ginger grass that used to sit on his lap to read and learn to read.

Those who are close to you must be nurtured from a young age. Beijiwu quietly closed his eyes.

"We'll bring them over after the wheat harvest at home."

(End of this chapter)