Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 178 Wanhu

The distance from Luoyang to Lin'an Prefecture is 1900 li.

Lin'an Prefecture, relying on its well-established postal system and the miraculous means of communication such as carrier pigeons, received the urgent message from Luoyang within three days.

On the evening of the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Wan Hu was eating grapes with his beloved concubine when the voice of the eunuch Li Zhong came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

Wan Hu, who was being intimate with his concubine, said impatiently, "What's the big deal? What could be so important?"

Li Zhong shouted nervously, "It's the north! The north is going to be in trouble with us!"

Wan Hu temporarily blocked out the presence of the sexy woman beside him, quickly sat up and shouted, "They're attacking from the north?"

Li Zhong hurriedly said, "They haven't attacked yet, but the situation is not good either. Your Majesty, you will know if you look at the letter sent by Lord Mei."

Wan Hu disregarded the beautiful woman and hurriedly put on his clothes, examining the letter beside the blazing tin stove.

[The Northern Army has secretly deployed 50,000 troops south, intending to seize Jiangnan directly from Ezhou! The situation is critical!]

Is this a misunderstanding? Do we really need 50,000 people?
This news is a bit fake, so fake that it's not convincing at all.

When did the Northern Dynasties ever need an army of more than 10,000 to attack the Southern Dynasties?
Regardless of whether the news is true or false, we must surrender now.

Wan Hu isn't stupid. Aside from being a bit of a bad person, he makes the right choices most of the time and knows how to get his subordinates to listen to him.

He was able to win the favor of Emperor Wen, gain the support of several dukes, acquire military power from ministers and generals, appease a group of equally despicable brothers and sisters, and stand out from the crowd.

Upon seeing these few short paragraphs, Wan Hu knew that it would be difficult for him to regain control of most of the Wen Dynasty's territory.

This news is definitely not something I'm the only one who knows; once others find out, they won't be able to settle down.

If the people below had a choice, they wouldn't have chosen Wen Chao!
Wan Hu's understanding of the situation was both accurate and clear.

The reason for continuing to impose heavy taxes on the Fuzhou-Guangdong region was that they had no money to spend and had to squeeze some money out of it.

It's not that we can't see the situation clearly, nor that we think the disaster there isn't serious.

Someone always has to suffer. If you don't want to suffer, then you'll just accept your subordinates' tax suggestions and someone else will take the blame if something goes wrong.

Nowadays, no one wants to take the blame anymore, otherwise they might get killed by the Wu Dynasty army.

The Wu Dynasty, from its inception, practiced killing officials but not civilians, and sparing those who surrendered.

Previously, officials were not given the opportunity to surrender, which meant that many people in the Wen Dynasty who wanted to surrender did not have the chance.

Now that the people and soldiers in various places know the correct way to join, the officials of the Wen Dynasty will become their enemies.

This thought sent chills down Wan Hu's spine, and he broke out in a cold sweat even in the warm pavilion.

Even if the generals and civil officials under his command are all loyal, it cannot change the current predicament.

Wan Hu stood up and paced back and forth in the room, pondering a solution.

Li Zhong cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, should we invite a few dukes and grand secretaries over to discuss this?"

Wan Hu remained silent, calmly considering the current situation.

After a few seconds, Wanhu sat in a chair by the fire, contemplating the various consequences.

First, let's look at the military comparison between the two sides.

The exact number of people in the Wen Dynasty is unknown, but it was no different from the more than 20 million people in the Wu Dynasty.

Initially, the population was only ten million. Later, it merged with the Tatars from Sichuan, western Xinjiang, and the western regions. In addition, it killed and abducted millions of women who could bear children, so the population of the Wu Dynasty increased at an unusually fast rate.

The emperor of the Wu Dynasty really did lead a group of men out to rob money and women, and even distributed the loot to his men.

The number of soldiers is not important; what is important is that they have no chance of winning the battle and their quality is absurd.

Arctic Warrior is the god of war of this era. He can wipe out wherever he goes, whether it's 100,000 or 200,000, it doesn't make much difference.

The Turks, Tibetans, Mongols, Khitans, and all the tribes of the Western Regions obeyed him.

Those who disobey will die; if their lord dies, their kingdom will perish.

Although the Khitans seemed to frequently rout the Northern Wu's men, people throughout the Northwest and Northeast regions knew that the Khitans were doomed.

The Khitans themselves were well aware of their impending doom; they were simply waiting to see when the Northern Warlords would have the time.

Wan Hu was certain that Beiji Wu had no intention of attacking the Southern Dynasty at the moment; if he wanted to, he would have done so long ago, and no one in the Southern Dynasty could stop him.

The current situation is not a question of whether or not there will be a war in the Arctic.

Wan Hu quickly blocked out the distracting and chaotic thoughts, and calmly considered whether he could still hold onto the throne.

The answer is no.

Manhu himself gave an answer that didn't require specific thought.

Firstly, the distant central and western regions of the south would certainly no longer suffer along with them, and would no longer pay taxes and grain to Jiangnan. Previously, it was normal for various regions to pay grain to Jiangnan, but after the Wu Dynasty occupied Luoyang, it was Luoyang that began distributing grain to other regions.

Many people have long been thinking: Jiangnan has so much grain, why can't we give the grain from Jiangnan to poor areas like the Wu Dynasty did, instead of selling it elsewhere?
The mountain farmers set an example for ordinary people in every way: they did not collect agricultural taxes, pay grain, perform military service, or conscript soldiers. The imperial court provided them with food and lodging, and distributed money, grain, and women.

Previously, the mountain barbarians could be used to prevent Han people from joining the mountain farmers, but the mountain farmers created a century-old log, which directly united Han people, Hu people, and mountain farmers on the people's front against natural disasters and man-made calamities.

The mountain farmers are the main force, cultivating the land and repairing rivers to combat natural disasters. The rest of the people join the mountain farmer kingdom to deal with frequent natural disasters and solve the root causes of various wars.

Western Xia, Western Frontier, Mongol Turks, Khitan, and Southern Dynasties.

"Sigh!" Wan Hu sighed helplessly, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Li Zhong cautiously inquired, "Your Majesty?"

Wan Hu knew he had no advantage and had lost the support of the people.

Not only has he lost the support of the people, but the rest of the family and the court officials are also unable to control the current situation.

The foundation of the rule over all people has been severed. All those carrying the sedan chair must flee, and they must even throw the people inside the sedan chair to their deaths before running away.

Wanhu refers to the person in the sedan chair.

"This is not something that one or two people can salvage."

Even if a peerless warrior emerges who can defeat the Arctic Warrior, people will still flock to the north.

Wan Hu displayed the composure of an emperor, slowly sitting up straight.

"Send a message to King Wu: I... request to surrender. I am willing to offer all the gold, silver, and grain of Lin'an Prefecture, and I only ask to be granted the title of Ten Thousand Households."

Li Zhong couldn't believe these words and never imagined he would end up like this.

"His Majesty……"

Li Zhong knelt on the ground, crying and looking at Wan Hu.

Wan Hu had made his decision, and in the few seconds after he finished speaking, he pondered it repeatedly, but still couldn't find any way out.

If we don't surrender, we won't be able to maintain our dignity.

The tea and mulberry fields in the Jiangnan region are now severely damaged, and grain production has been declining year after year. If another natural disaster occurs next year, I will be powerless to provide disaster relief and will surely die.

Without an army, without the people supplying grain, and without the people performing military service, the merchants of Jiangnan certainly wouldn't pay taxes anymore.

With the example of Wan Chuo before them, Wan Hu now has no choice but to surrender with dignity, rather than waiting for the Arctic Army or the rebels to invade.

Arctic forces are unlikely to invade, yet he trusts the people around him?

Now it would be better to surrender and go back to Luoyang to be a leisurely official. After all, I am an emperor, and I should at least be given a hereditary title of a thousand or ten thousand households, right?

Once you make up your mind, many things become much easier!

As long as the surrender is swift, it means surrendering as the emperor of the entire Wen Dynasty, rather than as the last emperor of a single city.

That is, when the people, officials, and soldiers of the Wen Dynasty, as well as many downstream regions, were preparing for a major battle, Wan Hu's letter of surrender had already arrived in Luoyang.

It's like a group of people preparing to switch jobs for higher pay and get ten times their salary, all teaming up to pull off a big move and earn ten times the salary, only to suddenly discover that their boss sold the company to another boss for a pittance!

Emperor Wen once again stood against the people, cutting off the opportunity for a group of people to achieve great merit and take control of thousands of households.

***
A reply to Emperor Wenchao
Arctic Martial Arts:
I don't know where you got the false information that I'm going to attack the south. My troops are here to prevent your people from coming to my territory to steal things, and to strictly investigate illegal immigration in the Jiang'an area.

I know about the rebellion in the south. You can continue to be King Wen and relocate the people south of the Yangtze River to Jiangnan. Don't worry about food. I will sell you grain at low prices in both years of famine and years of plenty.

Forget about surrendering; just keep an eye on your men.

****
King Wu personally issued this notice.
Wan Hu: Now that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are seeking reunification, I sincerely hope to go to Luoyang to retire and live a wealthy life. I am willing to offer up all the palaces and lands of the Wen Dynasty, as well as all the gold, silver, jewels and books in the treasury. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request!
****
Arctic Martial's carrier pigeons were almost used up, so he also agreed to Jiangnan's surrender.

[Very well, you will retain your imperial privileges, inherit the title of Commander of Ten Thousand Households in Chang'an, and be granted ten million taels of silver for the future resettlement of your clan. I have sent men to escort you here.]

Wan Hu breathed a sigh of relief, his feelings a mix of emotions.

The family fortune of our ancestors is gone.

Fortunately, his father died after only two years as emperor, so this newly acquired empire didn't carry such heavy significance.

His father and his brother were both selling off or giving away territory, especially his father, who lost half of his country.

***
Inside the study, Beijiwu couldn't help but smile after seeing the thank-you letter from Wanhu.

Consort Wan and Palace Attendant Cui, who were serving nearby, knew that this was a good thing.

The palace maid, Cui, smiled and said, "Your Majesty, is there some good news?"

Beijiwu smiled and put down the letter, "It will be more convenient to eat lychees from now on."

It doesn't really matter about Jiangnan; the main thing is to take over Lingnan so that we can build roads and then we can eat fresh fruit.

(End of this chapter)