Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 165 The Messenger 2
Wang Mingyun woke up at night.

When I woke up, my head ached, I felt dizzy, and I was extremely thirsty.

"water!"

Wang Mingyun called out.

"Master, the water is here." The servant Wang Zhong quickly poured the water and brought it in, serving it to Wang Mingyun.

Wang Zhong was Wang Mingyun's servant, page, and occasional bed partner.

"How did I get here?" Wang Mingyun was stunned, temporarily forgetting what had happened before.

Wang Zhong replied, "Master went to sleep after eating the food and wine. I have been serving him here for three or four hours."

Wang Mingyun was immediately startled, realizing that he was in a heavily fortified military city!

"How are the others? Has chaos broken out in the city?"

Wang Zhong didn't understand what was going on, but he quickly realized it.

"No chaos has broken out. Those generals have all gone back to sleep, so don't worry, sir. I just heard that the mountain farmers from Yangzhou have been here for several days. The city gates haven't been closed for the past few days. If they wanted to fight, they would have done so already."

Wang Mingyun gradually came to his senses and realized that the military towns that the court had established to defend against the north were now basically useless.

These places are probably just like this place, they'd love to see the north attack them.

From the moment the Southern Dynasties received relief grain from the North, no amount of propaganda about the North being a bunch of barbarians could change that.

It wasn't that the Southern Dynasties didn't want to portray the Shan Nong people as a barbaric and cruel foreign tribe; the main reason was that too many people surrendered to the Shan Nong people, and the Shan Nong people didn't engage in city-wide massacres or indiscriminate killing.

Especially after the Southern Dynasties invaded the north and plundered the Han people in the Yellow River flood area, everyone knew what this place was like.

On the contrary, the mountain farmers treated the poor people well, distributing land, money, and women to them.

The crown prince ceded Luoyang and then Shu, and now only Jiangnan remains unconquered.

Everyone wanted to be a member of the Wu Dynasty, not a member of the Wen Dynasty.

Wang Mingyun walked out of the house and looked at the city, which was already seven or eight o'clock at night.

After wandering around for a while, Wang Mingyun saw the soldiers on guard duty.

Is your general present?

The soldier wearing the hat replied, "The prisoners were taken back to Yangzhou this afternoon."

Wang Mingyun immediately realized that the person standing guard in front of him was a soldier from the mountain farm.

"Among the prisoners captured this time were more than 10,000 vicious bandits and more than 10,000 women and children. Have they all passed through?"

The soldier replied, "Those with families will go and settle down together, and single men and women will also go. Those who are beautiful will be sent to Luoyang."

Wang Mingyun originally sent people here; some were given to Beijiwu, and some were exiled here to the mountain farmers.

"Can you manage all these people? I don't see many of you."

“We can manage it,” the soldier replied. “We’ve done this many times before.”

The more than 20,000 prisoners sent by the Southern Dynasty were not a big deal for the Mountain Farmers' Army, which had received professional training.

They have extensive management experience in resettling tens of thousands of prisoners of war, having handled such matters several times before.

Although these rebels and their families were disappointed with the Northern Wu, they still believed the words of the Wu Dynasty people.

After the mountain farmers said they would provide land, food, lodging, and help people settle down, these people became obedient.

If they hadn't been honest, they would have been killed by the Southern Dynasty long ago.

These people were originally selected from the Southern Dynasties. When they encountered mountain farmers who spoke the same language, as long as they could eat their fill and were not separated from their families, they would not think of running away.

Wang Mingyun then asked, "How much do you earn per month?"

The soldier didn't think it was a secret, and since he often boasted about it to outsiders, he boasted, "Five taels a month, food and lodging provided, clothes and hats replaced every three months, shoes replaced every half month, two extra taels for working outside, and only five taels for training in the barracks."

The soldier added, "Things are going pretty well, the food is alright."

Wang Mingyun discovered that the wages of the mountain farmers' soldiers were too high, which was somewhat wasteful.

Everyone knows that the people of Shannong have always prioritized defense in warfare, and they are prone to losing their lives when they go out to fight.

In the early days, they went to rob the Mongols, and were chased all over the place by the Mongols, Khitans, and Xianbeis.

During the mid-term, when harassed by foreign tribes from the Western Regions, they obediently stayed in the city and did not go out.

Later, when they fought the Khitans, the Khitans stormed into their hometown, plundered it, and left without a trace. When they went out to chase after them, they were all killed, leaving no survivors and losing two commanders of ten thousand.

They've never captured a single city on their own; without Arctic Warriors leading them, they're just a bunch of useless trash.

Are you a mountain farmer or a Han Chinese?

Wang Mingyun then asked another question casually.

The soldier, who had been easy to talk to, immediately became enraged and yelled, "Get out! What are you? Daring to pry into our military secrets? Get out of here! Or you'll regret it!"

Wang Mingyun realized that this was a Han Chinese.

To avoid causing trouble, Wang Mingyun went back to rest.

The next day, after having lunch, they crossed the river and headed towards Luoyang.

It took them more than a month to travel the 1,200 li (approximately 650 kilometers), and by the time they reached the vicinity of Luoyang, it was almost July.

Along the way, Wang Mingyun saw rice paddies in Xinyang, vast fields of harvested wheat, messengers coming and going at the post stations, and a large number of men and women dressed in clothes and shoes.

There was no one who was destitute, nor anyone who appeared to be starving or freezing.

There were no checkpoints on the road, and the journey was smooth and unobstructed.

Most villages appear to be quite large, ranging from a hundred to tens of thousands of households.

Apart from some huts used for herding sheep and resting horses, there were no courtyards where people lived alone.

The mountain people have always lived in collectives, with the lowest level of group being 100 households. Those with fewer than 100 households are not allowed to establish villages outside the village.

Every piece of land must be approved and undergo unified planning.

There are strict plans for which areas to plant wheat, which areas to plant mulberry trees for silkworm rearing, and which areas to plant vegetables; it's not a matter of who can plant whatever they want.

After months of arduous travel, Wang Mingyun finally returned to Luoyang.

Luoyang City looked just like the old Luoyang City. Wang Mingyun entered the city in a sedan chair, and after a few minutes he saw that the ground was being dug up by the roadside.

Because of the distance, it was hard to see clearly, but I saw someone using a rope to dig the soil out of there, so it must be quite deep.

"It must be a drainage ditch. It seems that King Wu really put his mind to improving people's lives."

Before coming here, Wang Mingyun had done a lot of work, inquiring about Beijiwu's various preferences.

I've done this kind of thing many times before, but I did inquire about a lot more things to ensure the success of this mission.

No useful information could be obtained from Beijiwu's brother, Beijiyong.

Beiji Wu also seemed to have forgotten about his older brother. He hadn't shown any concern for him since he sent him away, hadn't written a single letter, and ignored Beiji Yong's various letters of greeting.

After a bumpy ride in the sedan chair, Wang Mingyun successfully entered the embassy. There were only a few people inside, and Wang Mingyun met the envoy from the Western Liang Kingdom.

The envoy appeared to be Han Chinese. Wang Mingyun asked, "How far is the Western Liang Kingdom from here?"

The envoy from Xiliang, Li Sheng, replied, "It is about three thousand li away, mostly barren desert land. We have come here to pay tribute."

Wang Mingyun asked, "Why do we pay tribute to the Wu Dynasty?"

Li Sheng sighed, "This small country has only a little over 100,000 people. If it doesn't submit to King Wu, it will be destroyed sooner or later."

Wang Mingyun glanced at the man and asked a rather profound question.

"Has anyone from the Western Liang Kingdom fled to the Wu Dynasty?"

This question embarrassed Mr. Li, but he didn't lie and nodded.

"Yes, I can tell you that you are from Wenchao, so I won't lie to you. Indeed, quite a few people have fled to Guanzhong to avoid paying taxes."

Wang Mingyun nodded, his face grave. "The same goes for the Wen Dynasty. People are all flocking to the Wu Dynasty, where they receive money, grain, and land, and there are no taxes to pay. Plus, everyone there speaks the same language."

Being of the same origin and very powerful, they have a great attraction for the people of small border countries.

Even the Hu people, who couldn't speak the language, wanted to come to the Wu Dynasty to live. The territory here was large enough and not xenophobic.

Merchants from the Western Regions and the Northwest were excellent sources of publicity.

After resting for half a day, the two went to the palace to pay homage to King Wu.

King Wu summoned more than ten people to the Mingtang Hall, seemingly to handle multiple matters at once.

"See Your Majesty!"

"Greetings, King Wu!"

Different people say different things.

Beijiwu nodded and said, "Sit down and talk. The officials in the court are useless. Small matters are handled by the people below. If you have something to say, just say it. Let's start from left to right."

The one on the far left is Qi Tian, ​​who manages the river channel.

Previously, Beijiwu had said that if he could manage the Yellow River well, he would be given a hereditary official position, and as a result, a major flood occurred that year.

Now that the Yellow River flows north and south, it has nothing to do with Qi Tian anymore.

Qi Tian stood up, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty, I saw in the newspapers that Ezhou City was flooded, with over a hundred people drowning and countless farmlands destroyed. I would like to request permission to go and manage the flood and repair the dams."

Beijiwu said lazily, "They've already been divided up over there. In principle, I don't interfere in local affairs. If you go, you'll definitely have to make the people there work and feed them."

"You can't expect me to eat my food, take my things, and then act like a local tyrant, only to have me clean up your mess when things go wrong, can you?"

“Those who are enfeoffed are considered other countries, not our own people. I am the king of Shan Nong Kingdom, not the king of all the people in the world. I also do not like the saying ‘All land under heaven belongs to the king.’”

"The mountain farmers believe that one should govern as much territory as one is capable of. For me, the territory is already very large. I don't need to act like a bully and force everyone to listen to me."

Qi Tian had nothing to say. Beiji Wu was clearly capable of centralizing power and unifying the country, but he insisted on playing the feudal game.

"The minister obeys the order."

Seeing that Beiji Wu was unwilling to meddle in other people's business, Qi Tian obediently sat down as well.

Prefect Zhang Weicang of Xinyang carefully stood up.

"Your Majesty, this year we planted 113 million mu of rice, producing 10 tons of rice annually, and 200 million mu of tea, producing 6 tons of tea. Should we continue to expand this area next year?"

The Yellow River stepmother hasn't stirred up any waves for two years, which makes one feel a little uneasy about this happiness.

Beijiwu said, "There is no shortage of food at present. In recent years, there have been continuous natural disasters. The two years of good days have not been easy. We should focus on stability and continue to maintain this next year. We can build more reservoirs upstream and in places far away from cities to use water during droughts and store water during floods."

Zhang Weicang respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I obey your decree. I have another matter to ask for your permission."

Beijiwu said, "Let's be direct and not beat around the bush. I've been sitting here for several years and I've never killed anyone because of someone's opinions or saying things they shouldn't have. Honest advice is hard to hear, but the mountain farmers not only learn from various natural disasters and failures, but they are also good at listening to correct opinions."

In fact, just as Beijiwu said, he did not kill anyone because of what others said, and no one was punished for their words.

Zhang Weicang hesitated for a moment, then quickly said solemnly, "I hope to abolish the hereditary system. It is my duty to share the burdens of Your Majesty and serve the Shan Nong Kingdom. One should be loyal to the emperor even if one is paid by him. Your Majesty is a rare and sage ruler throughout history. I have only done some insignificant things, which are not worthy of being inherited, nor do I have the ability to serve as the local official of Xinyang City."

Beijiwu didn't want to pass on a place too close to the people to hereditary succession, but he genuinely hoped that Zhang Weicang, who was good at managing the city, would stay for a few more years and establish a rice and tea group in the area.

Hereditary succession is better suited to accomplish this task than simply letting him go after a few years.

With him in the area, the talent he cultivated could remain there due to the hereditary system, and his descendants would also receive relevant education.

"Here's what we'll do: you continue to be the governor of Xinyang, and your family can continue to manage the rice and tea industries hereditarily, as if you're managing these things for generations to come."

"I will assign an officer to handle the political, police, and tax matters. We are currently short-staffed, so you will continue to manage everything. As long as there are no major problems with tax revenue and output, and don't sell tea and rice privately, your family has been managing the rice and tea business in this area for generations."

“I allow you to register as a member of the Mountain Farmers tribe, and to have one person in each generation inherit the title.”

Zhang Weicang was pleasantly surprised and immediately said, "Thank you, Master!"

"Next, just say what you need to say." Beijiwu spoke, looking at the next person, which was tacitly acknowledging this title that had been eliminated many times.

The title of "master" is used repeatedly, and the servants also constantly switch between standing and kneeling.

Wang Mingyun stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have brought a letter from the Emperor from the Wen Dynasty. The Emperor specifically instructed me to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your timely assistance in helping the people of the Wen Dynasty."

Beijiwu nodded. "No need to be polite. I've also sold a lot of grain. From now on, we can all live in peace. I won't set up troops in the Jiangbei area. I'll only leave some patrol soldiers to prevent smuggling, which will save on military expenses."

Wang Mingyun knew that the two emperors had already established communication through correspondence, and that he had only come to deliver a gift of gratitude.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Wang Mingyun said politely. "This time, I have sent five hundred embroiderers, fifty beauties, and four hundred and fifty female officials and palace maids from Jiangnan. They are all veterans of the palace who followed the late emperor south and are very familiar with the affairs of the palace."

The Luoyang that Beijiwu took over was not the complete capital of the Wen Dynasty. When it was taken over, many people had already left, and some of the emperor's belongings were also taken to Jiangnan.

To understand the true pleasures of emperors, one should ask the palace maids who served multiple emperors.

These people were essentially the backbone of the imperial palace.

Beiji Wu felt that the Southern Dynasty wouldn't do anything reckless, but he didn't want to guard against such things either.

"it is good."

Beijiwu plans to take a look later, and if he doesn't like them, he'll give them to Wanchao, since Wanchao has the money to support these people anyway.

Beijiwu continued, "I have reached an agreement with Wan Hu in a letter to set up a market in Yangzhou to trade various goods."

"The Wu Dynasty will sell iron farm tools and horses, and will also transport whatever is needed over there. The price will be negotiated. Both sides will conduct transactions as officials and merchants. People and ships from the north will not go to the south, and people from the south will come to the north. Private merchants are not allowed to participate, as that would break the rules."

"If smugglers are caught, they can be killed on the spot without questioning."

"In order to resolve the issues between the North and the South, I will send an official to Lin'an Prefecture to handle matters concerning the Wu Dynasty, and I will also send someone to Luoyang to handle matters concerning the Wen Dynasty."

"This way, when Wenchao comes next time, he can go directly to the embassy to find out the latest situation. If there is anything, he can also send a messenger to the diplomatic envoy to relay the message, thus avoiding any misunderstandings."

Wang Mingyun was completely convinced that this arrangement was indeed foolproof and could effectively maintain peace between the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

"Your Majesty is wise! I will certainly inform Your Majesty upon my return."

When Beijiwu handled other matters, he made decisions quickly and easily, without needing to consult with ministers or obtain formal documents and seals.

The emperor, a farmer from the mountains, kept his word.

(End of this chapter)