Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 163 The Disadvantages of the Feudal System
Several rotating households in Luoyang gathered together.

Reading newspapers was not only a hobby for civil officials, merchants, and workers, but also an important channel for military officers to learn about domestic affairs.

When traveling, I often rely on stacks of newspapers to learn about things.

Newspapers were also bestsellers in the army, with at least a hundred copies being purchased and delivered to the barracks every day.

Especially the thousand-household garrisons that collected tolls at various checkpoints, and the Youzhou garrison responsible for the northern war.

Prostitution was abolished in the military long ago, back when the Kitahara Guard was in power.

This measure of using official vehicles for private purposes initially received unanimous support from the military, and indeed, all of them were later assigned wives and allowed to go home twice a month.

Even if the troops were stationed in Youzhou, their families stayed in Tiezhou, taking turns to go back for two days each month to handle their personal matters.

Standing on the city wall for long periods of time while patrolling was very boring for most people. They would read a newspaper many times and even use it to pass the time when they went to the toilet.

The generals also read the newspapers every day to keep up with the latest news in various regions, especially the various decrees of King Wu.

Although literacy is not mandatory, the literacy rate among the people of Shan Nong has increased significantly.

It is an overall improvement across professions such as industry, agriculture, commerce, and the military.

Even housewives recognize common words like wheat, millet, cabbage, and radish, know a few numbers and percentage signs, and pay attention to recent prices and fashion trends.

Because there weren't enough newspapers to go around, fights often broke out over them, so each army had a dedicated person in charge of reading the newspapers.

First, I gave a group of people a general overview of the content. Once they knew what it was about, fewer people were willing to read the newspaper afterwards.

People who are willing to read newspapers usually have much higher learning abilities than others, a stronger desire to learn, and can easily master written language quickly through learning and thinking.

At this time, the few households did not realize how terrifying these groups with strong learning abilities and close attention to public affairs, especially the situation within the Huanghuai Province, were.

These people will not be willing to be slaves, nor will they be slaves to thousands of households for generations.

The different households have different concerns and different perspectives.

"What does Your Majesty mean by this? Are you asking us to pay for the military expenses next year?"

Lang Wubing was the first to express his doubts and anxieties.

Yang Xiangyun, Xue Chonghu, and Yan Shuangli were also thinking about this matter.

Meng He and his comrades took turns guarding Youzhou. Now the Khitans are no longer a concern, and a single commander of ten thousand households is sufficient to handle them.

Yang Xiangyun had worked with Beijiwu for quite some time and still remembered everything Beijiwu had done.

"His Majesty said back in Beiyuan that a thousand-household commander should lead a thousand-household commander to inherit the fiefdom for generations and become a hereditary lord."

Yang Xiangyun's expression was not good. He was three or five times more unhappy now than he had been happy before.

Lang Wubing immediately said anxiously, "I was there at the time, but I forgot what we said. If the military expenses are paid by ourselves, then aren't they our own soldiers?"

Yang Xiangyun gave this hothead a calm look.

"Hasn't it always been like this? In the past few years, His Majesty has only increased your household registration, but has never replaced your soldiers. Your soldiers and their families are all in your hands."

Lang Wubing stood up anxiously, pacing back and forth near the table with a serious and worried expression.

None of the people at the table paid any attention to this kid; they were all Wanhu (a high-ranking official), and none of them were inferior to the others.

Lang Wubing's position as commander of ten thousand households was either due to good luck in fighting alongside King Wu and gaining merit, or it was due to him and his uncle getting some credit. What he could do, others could also do.

Xue Chonghu was not as anxious as Lang Wubing, but he shared the same opinion as the others on this matter.

“I have 14,000 households under my command, about 70,000 to 80,000 people. Of these, 14,000 are capable of fighting. The rest are mostly young women and children aged one, two, three, or four. They can all survive by farming, but where am I going to come up with a million taels of silver to pay the soldiers?”

Yan Shuangli sighed, “You are better off than us. Your fief is within a hundred miles of Luoyang, while mine is in Qinzhou in the northwest. His Majesty gave me the former territory of the Xia Kingdom that was destroyed before. It can only be used for grazing cattle, sheep and camels. My men would never be willing to take their wives and children there. I’m afraid they will all run away.”

Hereditary succession is certainly desirable, but for many in power, losing the support of the imperial court and transforming from a high-ranking official in the capital into a remote border official is definitely not a good thing.

There were not only several households with ten thousand households in the house, but also two households with one thousand households.

Shi Wenyuan, a staff member who came from the Kitahara Guard, smiled.

"You guys are only thinking about money; you haven't thought about anything else."

Everyone looked at him, and Lang Wubing immediately said, "Speak quickly! What else is there?"

Shi Wenyuan disliked Lang Wubing, but he didn't hold it against him.

"All along, when we went to various places to lead troops and govern, it was all appointed by King Wu. So whether it was managing people or managing troops, we were all acting with the help of King Wu."

"If the fiefdoms are inherited, not only will the generals inherit their positions, but the generals' deputy generals, commanders of thousands, and commanders of hundreds will also have to inherit their positions. It will be much more difficult to manage them than it is now. In addition, if you want your subordinates to listen to you when you issue a military order, you must first fill up the silver and wine."

"Moreover, His Majesty did not allow you to inherit the throne for nothing. You must pay taxes, just like the vassal states outside. You must pay tribute and taxes, and raise your own troops to fight bandits."

Upon hearing Shi Wenyuan's words, Lang Wubing immediately retorted, "Then we're even worse off than those useless civil officials! I went to the battlefield to fight and risk my life, not to spend my whole life farming in that wretched place of Youzhou!"

Yang Xiangyun disliked Lang Wubing to begin with, and now he wouldn't tolerate him either, coldly watching this arrogant young man.

"Life and death?" Yang Xiangyun sneered, "In all these years of fighting, every battle has been about rushing in and killing people. What difference does it make whether you're here or not? Does it mean your men won't dare to go into battle without you, or that they won't be willing to guard the pass without you?"

Lang Wubing glared at Yang Xiangyun, "You!!"

Yang Xiangyun was not afraid of him and said coldly, "We all know what abilities we have, but you don't know what abilities you have!"

"Let me tell you, when it comes to marching and fighting, managing and training troops, and archery and horsemanship, there are many in the army who are better than you. If you are not convinced, you can have a contest. You can find someone from my subordinates or Yan Shuangli's subordinates and see how many people can beat you!"

Yan Shuangli didn't want to argue. He was the most senior among them, a general who had received formal military education, just like Yang Xiangyun, and his initial rank was even higher than Yang Xiangyun's.

"We're all on the same side, don't fight." Yan Shuangli didn't side with Lang Wubing, and said calmly, "Without His Majesty's support, we're like water without a source, we can't last long."

“Even feudal lords have always maintained good relations with the imperial court. Moreover, most of our men are Han Chinese, Hu people, and naturalized mountain farmers. These people drink and eat meat in the army and earn money to support their families.”

Yan Shuangli pointed to the food on the table and tapped it with his finger. “This meal costs thirty or forty taels of silver. If we were no longer officials appointed by the court, but lords who had been sent away, we would be eating coarse grain buns, wild game from the mountains, drinking ordinary yellow wine, and even reading newspapers that were three or six months old.”

Yang Xiangyun looked at Yan Shuangli, "Then what do you suggest we do?" Lang Wubing also sat down and looked at Yan Shuangli.

The Wu Dynasty never relied on tactics in battles; they simply charged.

Whoever is lucky enough to go to the battlefield with Arctic Martial Arts will have the opportunity to stand out.

Fighting battles brings rewards and opportunities for merit, but the Arctic Army forbids its border troops from leaving the region.

Initially, the focus was on developing Tiezhou. Three years of peaceful development were planned, and in the fourth year, troops were sent out to make contributions. If the city could not be conquered within a year, the Arctic Army would personally resolve the issue.

There are no plans or strategies in military warfare; it's either defend or charge.

With its extremely strong hard power, including top-notch troop quality, morale, and weaponry, it has no need for tactics or strategies.

Even if we're ambushed, it doesn't matter; no one can stop us anyway.

Among the many commanders, Xue Chonghu stabilized Luoyang and went to Shu to help train troops, doing a lot for peaceful reunification.

Yan Shuangli was originally the garrison commander of Yanmen Pass. After surrendering, he actively offered advice and plans, and he did a good job in the tasks assigned to him, such as receiving soldiers from Jinzhou and dealing with various remnants and rebels in Qingzhou.

Since following Beijiwu, Yang Xiangyun has done a lot of things. He is good at protecting the home and handling internal affairs and can stand on his own.

Meng Hetong was steady and reliable in his work. He obeyed orders, did his job well, fought when necessary, and listened to everyone's opinions without insisting on his own.

"Don't rush. There's no use saying anything now. Once His Majesty has made a decision, it's hard to change it."

"First, let's settle the fiefdoms properly. Second, let's ask our subordinates. If they don't want to go or have strong opinions, then we can discuss this matter with His Majesty later."

Yan Shuangli cautioned, "Our opinions are actually not important. Don't be self-righteous and think you're the heroes."

Yan Shuangli picked up his wine glass, looked at the people around the table, and then at the fine wine and food on the table.

"The fact that we can sit together to drink and eat is not only due to fate, but also because we are all impressed by His Majesty. We not only behave well in front of His Majesty, but we also treat Wanhu Menghe in the same way in ordinary times."

"His Majesty has always valued agriculture and construction. Sang Yang'an and the others have been granted the title of Ten Thousand Households, and have always been under His Majesty's direct jurisdiction. Moreover, their titles are hereditary."

"Lang Wubing is right. His Majesty has never cared about military officers who only know how to fight. He values ​​more those skilled workers and peasants who suit the preferences of the mountain people. Whether it's us who lead troops into battle or those Han officials, they can all go cool off somewhere else!"

Upon hearing Yan Shuangli's words, the generals suddenly realized that they were no different from the Han Chinese civil officials they had always looked down upon!

Yang Xiangyun raised his wine cup, held it with both hands, and bowed, saying, "General Yan is right. I never thought of that. As the chieftain of the Mountain Farmers, His Majesty does indeed prefer the Mountain Farmers who mine and smelt iron in the mountains and farm in the fields."

Civil and military officials have always believed that they are in opposition to each other and belong to two different systems.

However, gradually many people discovered its authenticity.

Beiji Wu never cared about the military power and civil officials that emperors of past dynasties would care about. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts and came from a mountain farming tribe.

The mountain farmers' values ​​have never changed, nor have King Wu's preferences. They have never pursued territorial expansion or civil and military achievements, but instead have focused on industry and agriculture year after year.

Civil and military officials will receive the same treatment; hereditary succession is possible, but salaries and military pay will no longer be provided.

People who pay for their own living, cultivate their own land and pay taxes, are not allowed to leave their territory without orders, and are not permitted to engage in the salt and iron business.

All kinds of business routes, official routes, and development paths will bypass the territory of these people.

Once you become a lord, your power and influence are limited to your own fiefdom. You can't affect the Central Plains, and you can't get others to give you face or rush to offer gifts.

Several generals were drinking and eating, while a group of their subordinates were reading the newspaper. They also learned that once the commanders of their respective households became lords, their lives would certainly not be good!
A group of soldiers drank and ate, discussing countermeasures together.

"Are we really going to follow Lord Wanhu to his fiefdom and be border soldiers for the rest of our lives? What will that be like compared to before? It's not even as good as a few years ago! At least a few years ago we were eating the government's food. Now we're going to the border with a bunch of wives and children to work in the fields, eating grain every day, with no wine and no money. What's the point of living like that!"

"That's right. My wife is used to the good life in the city. If she knew she was going to my fiefdom to become a military household, she would definitely divorce me."

"So you don't need to go if you get a divorce?"

"Of course, it's not my wife, why would she go! It was the same when we were filling in the border areas with immigrants."

"Damn it, we went back again!"

“It’s definitely worse now than before. Before, if you didn’t join the army, you could go back. Now, your whole family has to join the army.”

Can I change my household registration?

"No, unless the Lord Wanhu above us dies or is punished, we will be his slaves for life."

The people at the table quickly fell silent.

They looked at each other, and in each other's eyes they saw hesitation, doubt, and determination!
"Ask a few more people."

"Ah."

No one dares to do this kind of thing, but we just don't dare to do it now.

The road is there; when there is nowhere else to go, you will take this road.

Rebellion is definitely out of the question. If the higher-ups were to rebel, they would be overjoyed and kill all their superiors.

Whether they were military officers or hereditary civil officials and prefects in various regions, they all faced the same predicament.

Rights and obligations should be equal. If you don't allow Arctic Martial Arts to interfere in local affairs, then don't receive Arctic Martial Arts' salary and wages, and don't come to him if something happens. Arctic Martial Arts only accepts one-tenth of the protection fee.

This protection fee is a protection fee for Arctic militants not to attack them, not a protection fee for actually protecting them.

They can govern themselves, but they won't take responsibility if something goes wrong. The imperial court won't bail them out, and they'll prioritize their own people when it comes to disaster relief.

Some things have been made clear long ago: when a hereditary lord does something wrong and is killed by his subordinates, the imperial court does nothing.

As long as the new leader is not too excessive and is willing to continue paying taxes, the court will actually recognize this leader as the new lord.

Whether civil officials or military generals, they all needed imperial power to endorse them and gain benefits from it.

Things would become very troublesome if the subordinates found out that they were not slaves of the Northern Army, but slaves of the officials above them.

(End of this chapter)