Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 162 Surrender of Shu

In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, wheat is harvested in northern Henan.

Wan Dai opened the carriage curtain and saw a golden sea of ​​wheat growing vigorously in the distance.

The golden sea of ​​wheat stretched as far as the eye could see. Wan Dai asked Wan Qizhen, who was riding a horse beside him, "With so much wheat, can we harvest it all?"

Wan Qizhen laughed and said, "We will definitely be able to harvest it all. We have always trusted the mountain farmers when it comes to farming. They value this more than fighting a war."

The father and son, along with officials from Sichuan, left the Shu Road and returned to Luoyang City along the same route they had taken before.

Wan Chao had thought many times that he might never come back in this lifetime, and even if he did, he would be captured and brought back.

To my utter surprise, it was my own son who persuaded me to go back.

In my younger years, I really liked Beijiwu and thought he was a good person.

In the past two or three years, the Arctic Army has sent a lot of things, including troops, money and food, and often some treasures.

As time went by, Wan Shi gradually calmed down and lost the inexplicable trust he once had in Arctic Martial Arts.

However, after learning that Beiji Wu had helped his brother, who deserved to be torn to pieces, and saved millions of disaster victims in the south, Wan Dai sat in his study all night.

If given the choice again, I would probably still give up Luoyang and wouldn't regret my decision.

Because if he didn't allow it, he would definitely be killed by his own brother or imprisoned for life.

Giving it to Arctic Martial Arts School at least shows that the other party is truly fair, has given him dignity, and is indeed very good to his people.

After a half-hour carriage ride, Wan Dai soon saw the legendary horse-drawn harvester that was said to be equivalent to the labor of sixty people.

More than a thousand iron harvesters, resembling horse-drawn carriages, moved swiftly forward, pulled by horses.

Thousands of harvesters moved forward in a row, with migrant workers like ants picking up large bundles of wheat behind them.

"Is that a horse-drawn harvester?" Wan Dai asked. "It's different from what I've seen."

Wan Qizhen replied, "It should be the latest model. Ironware here is very cheap. A pound of iron only costs about twenty coins, and an iron pot can be bought for one or two hundred coins."

"I remember reading in the newspaper when I went home before that the Shan Nong Province, Huang Huai Province and Pingyuan Province produced a total of 20,000 harvesters last year, and by February they had nearly 40,000 harvesters."

Upon hearing this, Wan Dai knew that the Mountain Farming Kingdom was no longer what it used to be.

They couldn't even defeat the Shan Nong people, who hadn't yet established their nation four years ago, let alone the Wu Dynasty, which now has tens of millions of people.

The carriage continued its journey and soon arrived at Luobei County.

Wan Qizhen knew the county magistrate here and asked, "When you came, you saw vast wheat fields. How many acres of wheat were harvested this year?"

Luo An replied, "This year, the province planted a total of 30 million mu of wheat, using 40,000 horse-drawn harvesters and more than 200,000 horses. His Majesty's order was to complete the task within two weeks as soon as possible. In order to speed up the process, 500,000 people were mobilized, and we are striving to finish the harvest within ten days."

Wan Qizhen said with a smile, "It looks like this year's harvest is good."

Luo An was one of Bei Jiwu's own people, originally a failed scholar who had come from Tongzhou. He had been there for several years and became a county magistrate at the age of thirty. He also changed his name from his previous number.

The main business of the mountain farmers is farming and calculation. Luo An was promoted because he was good at calculation and knew how to coordinate time and meet deadlines. He would not delay the work of the main team because of wrong intuition or other such ideas.

"The yield is 180 to 220 jin per mu. 30 million mu can yield about 2 million mu of wheat. The weather has been good these past two years. It snowed when it was supposed to snow and rained when it was supposed to rain. The weather has been sunny and cloudless these past few days. It's going to be a bumper year."

"We expect to harvest two million tons of wheat, enough to feed eight million people for one or two years. Most of the land in the south has been abandoned this year, so we still need to transport some grain there."

Wan Qizhen asked worriedly, "Do you have enough food?"

“That’s enough,” Luo An affirmed. “There are still ten million mu of millet to harvest, and the cultivated land in the Mountain Agriculture Province has reached thirty million mu, with ten million mu of wheat fields. The Plain Province has ten million mu of cultivated land, but there are no harvesters, only sickles. It will be fine in two years.”

"Actually, the rice and millet production of Huanghuai Province alone is enough to feed everyone in Huanghuai Province and the south, it's just that transportation is more troublesome."

Wan Qizhen exclaimed, "The mountain farmer is truly a saint!"

Wan Chao, who had been silent in the carriage, sighed. He knew very well that Shan Nong Kingdom was now the one that the people truly desired.

The Wu Dynasty's unification was inevitable.

Nowadays, the Wan family has long lost the support of the people and has few loyal subjects left.

Wan Di sat in the carriage and quietly entered Luoyang City.

No one checked the carriages, which saved Wan Dai some face.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, Wan Dai felt the carriage stop.

"It's time to get off the carriage and head to the palace," Wan Dai thought.

"Meet uncle!"

"No need for formalities, elder brother, please alight from the carriage."

Wan Dai quickly opened the curtain and saw a young man wearing a silk vest that exposed his arms and long trousers standing in front of a house looking at him.

Wan Chao hesitated for a moment, a look of doubt on his face.

This was the first time the two had met. Back then, Wan Dai, as the crown prince, could not easily leave Luoyang and learned about the Northern Martial Army through various battle reports and letters.

Before Beiji Wujin advanced into Luoyang, Wan Di fled in advance because he could not stop the Southern Dynasty army.

Wan Qizhen was also in charge of the negotiations with Arctic Martial Arts during this period.

Seeing that his father did not recognize Beijiwu, Wan Qizhen quickly reminded him, "Father, your uncle is waiting for you here."

Upon hearing his son's words, Wan Dai quickly got out of the carriage and politely greeted Beiji Wu, "Greetings, King Wu!"

Beijiwu smiled and said, "Brother, you must be tired from your journey. Let's go inside and talk. This is my home, and the palace is my office."

Just then, a child ran out of the yard, glanced at them curiously, and then ran away.

Wan Dai looked at the three or four-year-old child.

Beijiwu laughed and said, "It's my son. He must have gone out to buy something. Most of the women and children in my family play at home. Being in contact with the people in the city helps them understand the hardships of life, unlike the stifling atmosphere in the palace."

"Please, elder brother."

Wan Di hurriedly returned the greeting, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

It was the height of summer, and Wan Dai was dressed in a long Hanfu robe, while Bei Jiwu was dressed a little less. In the courtyard, three or four children were bathing and playing in the water naked in a wooden tub.

"father."

"Okay, go play by yourself. Don't make your little brother cry, or I'll spank you."

"understood."

Beiji Wu led Wan Shi and his son casually through the wet courtyard. The children were sitting in basins playing in the water by themselves, without needing any eunuchs or maids to serve them.

Wan Dai walked from the courtyard to the main room. The children on both sides looked at him curiously, but a few were taking a bath, scrubbing themselves, and splashing water, ignoring the outsider.

The meal had already been prepared in the main room, and Consort Wan rose to bow to Bei Jiwu.

"Your Majesty, my royal brother."

Wan Dai looked at his sister, with whom he wasn't particularly close, and said politely, "Your Highness, Imperial Concubine."

Wan Qizhen politely said, "Auntie."

There were no outsiders here, so Beiji Wu said directly, "Sit down and let's talk. I still have a few crying and naughty children and a woman who nags all day long at home. I've sent them all to the palace to worship Buddha. It's very quiet at home."

No sooner had Beijiwu finished speaking than a naked child eagerly stood at the door.

"Dad, I've finished taking a shower."

The child looked at the delicious food on the table, then looked pitifully at Arctic Martial.

Beijiwu said directly, "Go take your younger siblings back to the house to play. There are a few boxes of food for you to share. What was your older brother doing outside just now?"

The child said, "Big brother went to buy mung bean popsicles. Mu Lin gave him a hundred coins." Bei Jiwu tossed a tael of silver from his pocket. "You brothers and sisters will share this month's allowance. If you need money in the future, just tell me. Don't borrow money from others. Tell your younger siblings not to come and cause trouble, or I won't give you any allowance next month."

"Okay!" The child caught a silver coin and ran out happily.

After the children left, Beijiwu laughed and said, "Come on, let's eat and talk. Since I entered the city, I haven't learned the manners of the rich. It's too troublesome. The weather is hot, and I don't care about face."

Wan Shi knew he was no match for Beiji Wu, and he also knew there were some things he needed to say as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, I have come here to return the land of Shu, so that the world may be unified and the people may no longer suffer. I beg Your Majesty to accept our surrender!"

Wan Chao did not kneel down, but instead clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and begged to surrender.

Beijiwu immediately said, "Brother, please sit down and talk. I accept your request."

Upon hearing that Beijiwu had so readily accepted the surrender, Wan Shi was momentarily speechless.

I had thought he would decline several times, and I had even prepared all sorts of sincere words of advice, but now it was hard to say.

Why did they refuse the surrender of the South but accept the surrender of themselves?

Wan Shi couldn't figure it out, but he didn't have time to think about it anymore.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wan Dai thanked him awkwardly, and then said sincerely, "There have long been people in Shu who say that the will of Heaven cannot be defied. If Your Majesty does not accept my surrender, or if I am unwilling to surrender, I will surely be punished by Heaven."

Beiji Wu looked completely unconcerned. “A natural disaster is a natural disaster. The Yellow River has problems almost every year. When I came here, it was still flooded. These are times of many disasters. Brother, you don’t need to pay attention to those rumors. They are just some weak-willed people who are afraid of death and always want to find something to rely on.”

"Mountain farmers cultivate the land according to the four seasons. When floods come, they rescue people and take shelter from the disaster. When the floods recede, they salvage the crops. They take precautions against various disasters in normal times, rather than relying on foresight or divine favor."

Wan Dai cautiously replied, "Yes."

Beijiwu sighed, "I have seen many beauties from various places who were captured by the Wan family in the palace. Some were noble ladies from the royal family in the past, and some were female prisoners from various places."

"Basically, it's always the women who stay behind, and the men who die."

"I am aware of the plight of the people from the previous dynasty. How about you take up the post of Prefect of Luoyang, brother?"

Wan Dai immediately refused, saying, "What merit do I have? I only wish to be carefree and live a leisurely life as an ordinary citizen."

Arctic Martial Arts will not allow Wan Shi to live like an ordinary person.

“The Shan Nong Kingdom does not have a king. Only one of my sons will become a king, and the rest will be reduced to ten thousand households. Therefore, I will give my elder brother and Qi Zhen ten thousand households each.”

“My brother is a benevolent man, and neither my brother nor I are lying. I am not good at dealing with the problem between the Han people and the mountain farmers. The mountain farmers farm to feed the Han people and are responsible for fighting and risking their lives. I want everyone to live peacefully, but there will always be friction in life.”

“With my elder brother handling things, things will be much easier. From now on, I will treat Han people and Shan Nong people equally. Shan Nong people and Han people will be collectively referred to as Shan Nong people.”

"Furthermore, it would be bad if some people rebelled in the name of the Wan family. With you here, brother, they would lose their sense of righteousness and wouldn't just randomly pick someone from the Wan family and claim to be of Wan family blood."

“I am not familiar with the affairs of Shu. Since you feel that Luoyang is not suitable, then you shall continue to govern in Shu. I will not send troops there for the time being. Everything will remain the same. Shu can be self-sufficient. I will help if anything happens.”

"Your elder brother is still the King of Shu, but the title of King of Shu will not be passed down. Qizhen is here to help me with some things. You can call him back anytime if you need anything."

Wan Dai knew that Beiji Wu was not the kind of person who would break his word.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

Thus, the Shu region peacefully surrendered, and the mountainous areas of Yunnan and Guizhou would also be incorporated into the territory without needing to be managed.

The surrounding area was inhabited by Han Chinese or mountain farmers, and these Han Chinese were armed with swords, bows and crossbows, and were organized into groups.

***
"Shan Nong Daily! Shan Nong Daily! The world is unified! Shu (Sichuan) surrenders!"

"Mountain Farmers Daily! Mountain Farmers Daily! King Wu has decreed: Drive out tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves; suppress bandits and thieves; and kill those who set up checkpoints and collect money without permission."

Wan-Chou was walking down the street when he saw a girl shouting that she was selling newspapers, so he bought one.

498 quickly called out to him, "Hey, I haven't given you your change yet!"

Wan Shi stopped and looked back at the man who had cut his hair short, with the hair only reaching his shoulders and parted on both sides.

"Here you go." Wan Dai turned and walked out, not caring about the remaining 995 coins.

498 quickly caught up, "I won't take your tip! Here you go!"

Wan Shi was startled and looked closely at Si Jiu Ba. "You know me?"

498 gave a disgusted look, "Who knows you! All you do is ask for tips. How am I supposed to work in the future? If I only work for people like you who give tips, I'll become your servant! I'm a public servant!"

Si Jiu Ba reached out and grabbed Wan Dai's hand, placing a tael of silver directly into it.

"I don't have change! Consider this five coins a gift. Don't come here to buy newspapers if you don't bring cash!"

Si Jiuba cursed at him, and then went back to selling newspapers in a huff.

Looking at the silver in his hand and then at the extraordinary mountain farmer girl, Wan Dai felt that Wen Chao's defeat was not unjust at all.

After returning to the mansion where Wan Qizhen had stayed when he came to Luoyang, Wan Zhi was reading the newspaper alone in the main room, while the others were preparing for their departure to take up their new posts in a few days.

After learning from Arctic martial arts practitioners to not bring so many servants, life became much less troublesome and more free and easy.

"In Huanghuai Province this year, private farmland yielded 200,000 tons of wheat, a 14% decrease compared to last year. Public farmland yielded 2 million tons of wheat, an increase of 128 million tons. Private farmland produced 10,000 tons of millet, while public farmland yielded 300,000 tons. Private farmland produced 5,000 tons of soybeans, while public farmland yielded 105 million tons."

"The Huanghuai Province has accumulated 335 million tons of public grain, enough to feed 20 million people for a year."

"Other crops such as sorghum and vegetables are difficult to quantify and have not yet been included in the statistics."

"The production of beef and horse meat in Shannongguo is 1.9 tons, and the production of mutton is 3 tons, which is a slight increase."

"The northern provinces have enjoyed favorable weather and increased grain production this year, and enough grain has been reserved for 100,000 troops for two years."

"With a bumper harvest of grain nationwide and a further expansion of arable land, it is sufficient to maintain 300 million mu of arable land before the population exceeds 100 million, in order to protect the ecology and manage the river channels."

"The national iron production increased by 100%, reaching 500,000 tons per year, which was used for agricultural tools, weapons, military equipment, and daily civilian and commercial use."

"By the end of autumn, a total of 658 million strings of cash had been distributed for the year, and a total of 400,000 tons of grain had been purchased. Grain was purchased locally from the military households in Pingyuan Province to support the border troops."

"A total of 1600 million strings of cash were distributed to officials (including cadres from rural areas) throughout the year."

"A total of 94 strings of cash were distributed throughout the year, and 425 million strings of cash were used to support the south for disaster relief and to pay wages."

"A total of 100 million taels of silver were awarded throughout the year, which were used for King Wu's rewards and individual relief."

"The total fiscal revenue for the year was 2714 million strings of cash, of which 2004 million strings of old coins and 17 taels of silver."

"The total expenditure was 2219 million guan, of which 200 million guan were new coins, resulting in a fiscal surplus of 495 million guan."

"The national treasury has 924 million taels of silver and 9800 million strings of copper coins remaining."

"In order to reduce the burden on the people and allow millions of people to recuperate, the people of the three provinces and the newly added Sichuan region will enjoy the same treatment and continue to be exempt from taxes for two years."

"Two years later (starting in the sixth year of the Wu Dynasty), households not under the jurisdiction of hereditary lords will pay taxes normally every year per household per person."

"The people within the hereditary military households will be subject to the policies of their own territories. After next year, the salaries of the military households under the command of the hereditary military households in various places will no longer be paid."

"In order to select talents, this year we are accepting submissions from all regions on the theme of 'Land.' You may submit your answers yourself or entrust someone else to do so at the gate of Luoyang Palace. Please indicate your name and place of origin at the end of the article. The deadline is the beginning of winter."

***
Wan Dai was deeply shaken when he saw the autumn harvest data.

"A hereditary territory has to pay its own soldiers' salaries and wages? Sixty taels per person per year, ten thousand households would be six hundred thousand taels. Who can afford that?"

Wan Dai only knew about wages, but Yan Shuangli, Xue Chonghu, and others knew that each soldier would have to spend at least a hundred taels of silver.

If they are allowed to pay their own salaries, their subordinates will definitely demand to return to the public account.

Hereditary succession is permissible for civilian households, but not for military households.

Farming requires oxen and horses for plowing, and the current grain price is extremely low. The output of 500,000 mu of land is not that high. The hundreds of thousands of people in the production team are farming for Arctic Wu, not farming for themselves.

People simply couldn't afford to support soldiers and warhorses. They either had to find ways to raise money to secure their positions or abolish hereditary succession and start receiving government salaries.

Should they stay in the capital to live a good life and build a unified empire, or should they return to the countryside with a group of brothers after the war to farm and implement a feudal system?
(End of this chapter)