Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 187 Liu Jingshun

After resolving the issues in the northeast, Beiji Wu quickly learned from his subordinates that the problems in the Kingdom of Linyi were extremely serious.

If it were earlier, Arctic Army might have retreated, since they weren't that enthusiastic about Annam province.

But we can't retreat this time. Even if we're all dead, we can't retreat. Otherwise, everyone already on the front lines will definitely say that we can't fight and we have to retreat.

"Look at how the ancients dealt with this place: a quick and decisive battle, and no women allowed. Anyone who brings a woman should stay here for life and never come back."

"We must take it! I will not stop sending troops there until victory, whether it is Shan Nong Province or Huang Huai Province, or if necessary, conscripting soldiers from Zheng City!"

"Issue the Minister of War to personally go and supervise the battle!"

Arctic Martial brought up the person who had mentioned wanting to attack Lin Yi Kingdom when he had nothing else to do last time.

The number of babies doesn't matter; what's important is that someone has to take responsibility!

No one else objected, so the Minister of War had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

"The minister obeys the order!"

The imperial court is neither short of money nor land, so why would it bother to attack that land that has been rotten since ancient times?
Beijiwu looked at a craftsman and said, "Lu Cheng, take five thousand men and one hundred cannons and three thousand cannonballs over there. I remember there are poisonous insects everywhere and it's easy to get malaria. Remember to drink plenty of hot water, avoid walking through the forest, and find some local guides."

Lu Cheng was a craftsman in his forties, mainly responsible for the production of steel, gunpowder, and agricultural tools, and rarely appeared in public.

After being entrusted with an important mission by the Arctic Army, Lu Cheng knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This servant obeys the decree!"

The others all turned to look.

Beijiwu did not correct him, and looked at the others, "Is there anyone willing to be the governor of Annam Province? I remember that there are poisonous insects everywhere there, and it is easy to get sick. Moreover, the language is different from ours, and the climate is hot and humid all year round. In order to stabilize the area, one would have to serve as the governor of Annam for at least twenty years. Is there anyone willing?"

Prefect Zhang Weicang of Xinyang knelt down and said, "I have heard that Annam is rich in rice. Now that many places in Xinyang have been stabilized, I am willing to resign from my post as Prefect of Xinyang and serve Your Majesty to develop the barren lands of Annam!"

In fact, Beijiwu needed Zhang Weicang to manage the southern tea and rice plantations more, but seeing that Zhang Weicang was willing to go to Annam Province, he nodded in agreement.

"Alright, you can decide for yourself whether to bring your family. From now on, you will receive the treatment of a provincial governor. This position is not hereditary. If your descendants are capable and outstanding, they can be given priority. After you go there, remember not to go to the south. First, handle matters in a place close to Lingnan and observe carefully."

Zhang Weicang kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your subject will remember Your Majesty's teachings!"

Meng Hetong volunteered, saying, "Your Majesty! This humble general is willing to go and conquer the Kingdom of Linyi!"

Beijiwu did not agree, saying, "You should lead your troops to the south to suppress bandits, integrate the militia from various parts of the south, and restore the smooth flow of roads in the south so that the people can live in peace."

Meng Hetong also kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

Beijiwu then said to Wan Qizhen, "Qizhen, take three thousand iron cavalry to Lin'an Prefecture. If any more rice merchants sink the relief grain I sent over into the sea, be sure to kill them and the entire families of those behind them."

Wan Qizhen hurriedly replied, "Your subject obeys!"

Beijiwu's expression was very cold. "I am not someone who does not cherish my reputation, nor am I someone who particularly cares about my reputation. I have never thought of treating merchants as lowly people, nor have I ever had the idea of ​​suppressing or inhibiting merchants from doing business normally."

"But some unscrupulous merchants dare to challenge my authority, and they must die! After this, find the people behind the sinking of my disaster relief grain last time, and kill them when you have a thousand of them!"

"If the people behind the scenes and the soldiers and officers of the southern grain supply, along with their families, aren't enough, kill their servants. If they aren't enough servants, kill the entire families of those who carried out the orders! If that's still not enough, find them among their relatives and friends! In short, gather a thousand people! I want these bastards to know what it means for blood to flow like a river!"

Not a single person dared to speak up for those people.

Everyone knows how significant the "Wu" in King Wu's name is.

Moreover, this matter is not just about money; it has escalated to the point of shaking the foundations of the nation and challenging the emperor's authority, leaving no room for leniency.

Arctic Martial looked at the group of people with a very bad mood.

"Dismiss the court. Handle your own minor matters and don't bother me."

Li Chengren stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the national treasury is now full and has a surplus every year. Since Your Majesty entered Luoyang, you have not selected any palace maids to enter the palace. I humbly request Your Majesty to fill the harem so that the royal offspring may flourish!”

Beijiwu said irritably, "We already have enough palace maids in the palace. We've sent quite a few from both the south and the north. There's no need to waste money and resources and disturb the people's rest."

"There's no need to discuss this further. I'll say it one last time: don't interfere in my family affairs, and don't get involved in the affairs of the princes and their consorts. I will handle my family matters, and you can all quietly attend to your own affairs."

"I am not the kind of person who kills indiscriminately. Interfering with royal affairs is a capital offense in the eyes of any emperor. I am already showing restraint by giving you this warning. Don't be ungrateful and court death!"

"Anyone who interferes in my family affairs again will die that very day!"

Today, Arctic Martial Arts is exceptionally angry.

Li Chengren quickly knelt down, "Your subject obeys the decree! Your subject would never dare!"

Beijiwu thought for two seconds and quickly said, "The money is indeed inexhaustible. The Yellow River has been repaired for several years but it hasn't been of much use. Let Wan Hu, Wan Di, and the prefects and governors of various places look for talents who can repair the river."

"Building roads through mountains doesn't cost too much money; it's all done by the mountain farmers themselves. In short, we need to get the highways and railways leading to Lingnan done as soon as possible."

The most expensive part of Beijiwu was river construction, because it was always managed by Han Chinese officials. On the other hand, road construction didn't cost much because it was done by their own people.

The Yellow River has been under management for five or six years, and problems arise almost every year.

"We advertised for 100 river management professionals, and all other management personnel were to be assigned from among the mountain farmers. From materials to construction, everything was to be coordinated by the mountain farmers, including paying workers' wages and recruiting workers."

"That's about it. Let's adjourn the court."

Arctic Martial Arts doesn't want to say any more.

Wan Qizhen raised his head and looked at the steps: "Your Majesty!"

The others were about to kneel and pay their respects when they saw Wan Qizhen speak, so they all waited.

Beiji Wu Gang stood up and then sat down again, casually saying, "Speak."

Wan Qizhen continued, "South of Sichuan lies the Nanzhao Kingdom, whose territory is teeming with poisonous insects and various foreign tribes. Now that His Majesty intends to annihilate the Linyi Kingdom, why not take the opportunity to destroy the Nanzhao Kingdom as well?"

Beijiwu readily agreed, “Alright, you take care of things in Jiangnan first. There’s no rush with Nanzhao. I’ll have the Tibetan army and the three routes from Lingnan and Annam attack.”

Wan Qizhen thought of the region near the Nanzhao Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, there should be 100,000 southwestern barbarians in the eastern region of Nanzhao Kingdom. They speak more than a dozen languages ​​and are all mountain dwellers who are not subject to rule."

In Wan Qizhen's view, these people might be of the same clan as the mountain farmers, all of whom are from the mountains.

Beijiwu casually said, "Those who are not docile are not worth disciplining. I'm so busy, how can I have time to fight with them?"

“If we cut off trade with them, they can live however they want in the mountains. If they come out to cause trouble and arrest nearby people, we will kill them all.”

The southwest region does not produce salt or iron. Once the supply of salt, iron, grain, and precious stones is cut off, internal problems are bound to arise.

No war is needed; economic sanctions will suffice.

The same applies to future food trade; if food trade is banned, countries with more than one million people could easily descend into chaos.

The more we rely on food imports, the more serious the problem becomes.

The southwest region was fine originally, but Beijiwu, in his anger, incidentally dealt with the Yamanaka Baiyi, whose condition was not serious to begin with.

That's how casually a great power acts.

Nobody took the small southwestern countries seriously.

It's normal to win; the Tibetan Empire, with its millions of people, was wiped out in just a few months.

It's normal to lose. The Wu Dynasty army has never been very strong. They lose more often than they win against any opponent.

Everyone, including the Wu Dynasty army itself, felt that their combat effectiveness was low and useless.

But in reality, there were too many border veterans who lacked fighting spirit.

These people were so determined to surrender that even though they were equipped with the best weapons and armor, and were well-fed and clothed, they still couldn't unleash their full fighting potential.

These veterans do nothing but wait to get off work all day, they just brag all day, and when something happens, they just shirk responsibility and hide in the background.

Such people were rare among the Mongols, Khitans, and Jurchens; they were usually killed long ago.

Because Arctic Wu rarely leads troops, and because he promotes young and inexperienced soldiers or veteran generals who already lead these old soldiers, he lacks offensive capabilities.

Wang Xiang's cavalry was the most daring to charge, but they were unlucky and always faced equally elite forces.

They were completely overwhelmed by Arctic Martial Arts when they fought against them.

During the first battle against the Khitans, we faced their elite forces and suffered some losses, which meant we had to replenish our ranks from the rest of our ragtag army.

The second time they fought the Khitans, they were betrayed by their own people.

Xue Chonghu started from the grassroots level and knows who wouldn't dare to risk their lives.

Yan Shuangli was a renowned general from a distinguished family who had received military training and knew how to select his personal guards.

This time, the Arctic Army eliminated veterans who refused to fight and had never fought before. Even during the Northern Expedition, they never considered letting these useless people gain merit.

Arctic Martial still used Wang Xiang and Lang Wubing, but they had to start from the bottom again.

The problem in the Northeast is the veterans, while in the Southwest it's really a matter of climate and terrain. No one can stay there and pass the position down through generations. Even if they were all killed, new natives would just emerge.

***
After many deaths, the Kingdom of Lin-yi was finally destroyed.

"boom!!!"

Liu Jingshun stared blankly ahead. The city that his army had been fighting for a month without success had been breached by the Shan Nong people!
The mountain farmers' fleet drove the Linyi people's wooden boats into the rivers and seas within a single day.

The deafening roar of the iron weapons caused the war elephants, the pride of the Elephant County people, to flee in panic, and their formation quickly fell apart.

Whether it's naval battles, land battles, or city defense battles, encountering the Shan Nong people is like a lamb encountering a tiger—they have no power to resist whatsoever.

Taking advantage of the cold weather during the Lunar New Year, the group quickly advanced.

They quickly killed hundreds of thousands of people and took the heads of bandits and rebel leaders back to report.

The mountain farmers only take gold, silver, jewelry, and grain; they don't want women.

The land, the women, and some of the jewelry soon belonged to the army.

In a small county town of Linyi Kingdom, now renamed Zhancheng Prefecture, Linyi County.

Prince Yi, who was over fifty years old, stood in front of another two hundred people, speaking righteously and eloquently, protected by his two sons and hundreds of servants.

"The governor said that keeping you here is only temporary. We can all go back. We are not going to stay here to farm for the rest of our lives."

The nearby soldiers remained silent, and a group of people did not stand in formation, but stood scattered near the village, blocking the city gate and coldly watching the governor.

Wang Ziyi knew he had to appease these people, or a mutiny might break out.

Not only the ordinary soldiers, but also his personal guards needed to be appeased.

"Your families are all in Jiaozhou. You're just stationed here temporarily. People will come to replace you in a few months!"

Wang Ziyi didn't want to waste words and said to his eldest son, "Zhenyan, you take a hundred men and temporarily act as the county magistrate while I go to the general to inquire about the situation."

Wang Zhenyan was thirty years old and was extremely anxious.

“Father! The people here are like beasts, with no distinction between young and old. They have their hair disheveled on top and their feet bare, barely clothed, and have no sense of shame. I beg you to come with me to Jiaozhi County!”

He's right, this is indeed a gathering place for a group of savages.

This area is not only remote and impoverished, but it has also penetrated deep into the southernmost border mountains of Jiaozhou, making it extremely dangerous.

Because of the ease with which people rebelled, coupled with the locals' insubordination, people from all dynasties would return and fight back after leaving.

As Wang Zhenyan refuted, the more than two hundred soldiers nearby all looked at Wang Ziyi.

If neither Wang Ziyi nor his son are willing to stay here, why should the rest of us stay and suffer?

"You unfilial son! How dare you disobey military orders?!"

Wang Ziyi shouted at his son. Having led troops for many years, he knew very well that the current situation was very bad.

It is only the constraints imposed by the imperial court that prevent these people from deserting.

But his own stupid son had contradicted him in public, and now his authority was about to crumble!
Prince Yi had to leave this place, and he had to take his personal guards with him.

“My lord.” Liu Jingshun, who was in his twenties, stepped forward and said respectfully to Wang Ziyi, “I humbly request to stay and take care of the wounded and guard this place.”

Wang Ziyi hesitated for a moment. The young man in front of him had left a deep impression on him. He was a fierce general who killed people like chickens on the battlefield.

Although he was young, he possessed superhuman strength and was able to kill more than ten barbarian men.

"You are still too young; it will be difficult for you to command respect if you stay here."

Liu Jingshun smiled and said, "It's alright, I get along very well with everyone. We'll have someone come and take over from me and the others in a while."

At this moment, Prince Yi looked at the indifferent soldiers.

Most of the people here are veterans of the Wen Dynasty, and there are also some young new recruits, but they are basically all from the same place.

If they want to cause trouble, they'll all come at once.

If you don't want to cause trouble, you'll just have to put up with it.

At this point, these people remained silent, giving the old man no friendly look, but they also did not object.

"Good!" Prince Yi nodded. "You have rendered meritorious service in killing the enemy this time, and you will be a centurion here from now on."

Prince Yi had already attributed all the credit to his son. He was just saying it casually and had no intention of giving this orphan boy from the mountains a proper position.

So what if they are brave and good at fighting? The imperial court has no shortage of military generals.

Without wasting any time, Prince Yi mounted his horse and quickly left Tu City with his personal guards and son.

After these people left, Liu Jingshun looked around at the people nearby.

Zhang Biao walked over, his face long, and said, "What do we do now? Will those bastards in the city really remember us?"

His words resonated with the others, who had almost no trust in high-ranking officials.

Not only them, but the people of Jiaozhou share the same view.

The reason this region is so chaotic is mainly because corrupt officials in the imperial court are inhumane.

These corrupt officials not only treat the local people in the border areas as inhuman beings, but also the people in the interior as inhuman beings.

When faced with a year of great famine and the inability to pay taxes, these beasts will do all sorts of inhuman things, forcing everyone to flee to the deep mountains.

There were some things that not only Liu Jingshun knew, but the soldiers nearby also knew what kind of cruel people were in charge.

If they resist here, their wives and children will be dealt with by the local magistrate and cruel officials.

Liu Jingshun had no wife or children and no attachment to his hometown. After learning that the mountain farmers were willing to give him money and opportunities for advancement, and that they would not collect taxes, he decided to stay and find a stable place to live.

Having been raised by his family and the villagers, Liu Jingshun was terrified of the imperial court and did not want to provoke it.

Right now, finding a village to stay in is what Liu Jingshun really wants to do.

It would be better if the imperial court didn't come. Liu Jingshun's family was destroyed when he was young, and he couldn't integrate into other villages. He preferred this village where no one would check household registrations.

Only Liu Jingshun knew his true intentions; the others, out of fear of the imperial court's authority, could only stay and wait.

The mountain farmers' navy received generous treatment, and fighting only required firing a few cannons from the shore.

The miserable army not only had to cross mountains and valleys, traverse sweltering and humid dense forests and swamps, but also had to be constantly on guard against traps from savages and poisonous insects and wild beasts.

On the battlefield, they were responsible for attacking cities and capturing strongholds. This time, the army suffered the most casualties, but in the end, the credit went to the navy.

"The navy has returned to Guangxi Prefecture with grain and jewels, leaving our army to garrison and cultivate the land, cleaning up this mess."

"The commander of the army has left, leaving a commander of a thousand to garrison Jiaozhi County, and the deputy commander to garrison Jiuzhen County in the middle. As for Rinan County, the worst one, since almost everyone was killed, we are left here in Champa to wait to die!"

The soldiers sat on the ground, cursing the imperial court.

Those who stayed came from different villages; they were the kind of people who had to join the army to earn money because their families couldn't afford to pay taxes.

The rest were transferred to Jiuzhen County to cultivate land, where rice was harvested twice a year and the population was tens of thousands.

Before the war, Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen counties had more than 200,000 people, but now less than one in a hundred remain.

"Let's get the houses ready first. These are extraordinary times, and to prevent any surprise attacks, we should all live closer together."

Liu Jingshun tried his best to get everyone to live with him and become part of the village.

"Cheer up, everyone. Let's talk about something happy first."

A nearby man, who looked like a scoundrel, named Zhang Biao, asked, "What's the happy thing?"

Liu Jingshun smiled and said, "Of course it's a matter of dividing the women among ourselves. The mountain farmers only want women from the city, and there are still quite a few women in this village! They're all ours!"

After Liu Jingshun started talking about happy things, everyone stopped wearing their deadpan expressions and came over to listen.

Liu Jingshun and a group of people sat on the ground and began to explain the rules.

"Whoever is the most capable gets to choose first! Those without women can choose first!"

Old Man Li happily said, "Okay! I'll do whatever you say!"

The others had no ill will toward their superior, Liu Jingshun, since they would eventually have to go home.

Zhang Biao stood up and clenched his fist. "I'll listen to you. You're a better fighter than me, so you choose first!"

The nearby soldiers also looked at Liu Jingshun with smiles.

"It's okay to choose a few more!"

"Let the centurion find a pretty one to satisfy his lust!"

"Sir, the women here are very obedient. Just touch them and they'll know what to do."

A group of rogue soldiers quickly came up with a plan, talking about how they would storm into the city, kill people, and rape women.

The disobedient people in this stronghold have been purged. War itself is cruel, and many people in Liu Jingshun's army unit have also died.

Some died from malaria, some from fighting, and others from poisonous insects and snakes.

Liu Jingshun was a mountain dweller and belonged to the category of troublemakers; he would rather be a bandit than a law-abiding citizen.

The county town, surrounded by earthen walls, was full of women and children, and there were also women holding children.

It wasn't that Prince Yi was kind-hearted and didn't kill women and children; it was that if there weren't enough people here, the other soldiers wouldn't stay here at all and would definitely run away.

These women and children were originally intended for these soldiers, to allow them to live here longer.

"Sir! We've caught a man! Should we castrate him?"

Zhang Biao and two other men walked over with a thin man. The man walked in front, but after only a few steps, Zhang Biao kicked him in the buttocks.

This must have been the first time something like this had happened. The man, who looked to be in his thirties, quickly got up and continued walking forward, tense and frightened.

Liu Jingshun glanced at him calmly, and the timid man knelt down on his own initiative.

The other men all died under the butcher's knife, but this man, surprisingly, did not have such intense hatred.

Even the women and children in the vicinity, or relatives from the same village, were mostly at a loss.

The leaders were all killed, all the strong and tall men were dead, and those who remained were either men who were usually bullied by the villagers or weak men who couldn't find wives.

Not long after, another man was caught.

A man in his twenties named Li Cheng said with a smile, "Lord Baihu, I also caught a eunuch hiding in a haystack, trembling. Even if his wife has been violated, this eunuch doesn't dare to come out."

Looking at the two men kneeling on the ground, Liu Jingshun pondered for a second or two.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?"

"can!"

The last man to arrive lay face down on the ground, raised his head, and looked at him with a sallow complexion that was no different from that of people from the Lingnan region.

The people of Champa County were not much different from most of the poor people in the Mountain Farming Kingdom; they were all a group of bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong.

Every place has both kind and vicious people; if a war breaks out, it's best to be the victor.

There is no such thing as innocent or not innocent. The weak will die, be eliminated, and have their houses, land, and women taken by others.

To resist is to die, but not to resist is to die even more.

Liu Jingshun is a cruel and ambitious man who takes advantage of the weak, but does not find pleasure in bullying them.

"I'll spare your lives, and I won't harm your wives and children. Will you obey?"

Zhu kowtowed excitedly, "I will obey! I will obey!!"

Liu Jingshun nodded and said, "Tell the person next to you what I said, and then you two go and stand with your family, go back to your house, tidy up the yard, and cook for us."

"Yes!" Zhu Suo mumbled the message to the person next to him, then took the initiative to press the head of the man in his twenties down and help him kowtow to express his gratitude.

Zhu was soon reunited with his wife and children, and comforted them in the local dialect.

The young man who stood up looked around in bewilderment, then walked to an open space, standing more than a meter away from the others.

Zhu quickly explained, "Sir, he has no wife."

Liu Jingshun glanced at the thin, monkey-like young man, who looked like the kind of simpleton who was often bullied in the village.

“Give this woman to him; they will be husband and wife from now on.”

Liu Jingshun randomly selected a woman in her thirties or forties from among the women and put them together in a group.

With the translator, things became much easier. Everyone went back to pack their things and prepare for dinner.

While the soldiers were venting their pent-up energy with one or two women, Liu Jingshun inspected the village's food supplies and had the women and children move the food to a clean warehouse.

The locals had become accustomed to the rule of various tyrants. Women and children went out to pick wild vegetables, while men, under Liu Jingshun's command, repaired the breaches in the fortress to prevent wild animals from entering.

Even when women and children were sent out to pick wild vegetables and fruits, no one was assigned to supervise them, and no hostages were left behind.

These women and children will still obediently return.

They had nowhere else to go and were used to all sorts of things.

Whether they were young girls or married women in their twenties or thirties, once those energetic soldiers grabbed their arms or patted their bodies, they would follow them into the house like docile livestock.

Life will always find a way.

The next day, two soldiers developed high fevers and fell ill in the house.

Liu Jingshun realized that his men were not suited to life here at all. If they continued to be so aimless and lazy, these soldiers would soon kill themselves.

The next day, five short-haired men who claimed to be mountain farmers rode in on horseback, bringing a tin kettle for boiling water and leaving a map to the county town.

"If you continue to serve as the township head here, people from the mountain villages will come over one after another to tell you how to do things and how to manage this place well."

Liu Jingshun didn't know the man's name or remember what he looked like, but standing outside the earthen wall, he watched the short-haired man ride away quietly on horseback.

“Shan Nong Kingdom…” Liu Jingshun looked at the others curiously, “Is it Shan Nong Kingdom outside now? I remember it was Wen Dynasty a few years ago.”

Zhang Biao laughed and said, "Things changed last year. It seems like it's not even been a year. People in our village all say that the Shan Nong people are very good, and they are all very kind people."

Liu Jingshun stared in astonishment at the departing people in the distance.

A good person?

This time, Liu Jingshun saw countless dead bodies.

There's no point in worrying about these things; all Liu Jingshun knows is that the Shan Nong people seem to be seriously planning to manage this place.

(End of this chapter)