Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 188 Conquest and Domination

May of the seventh year of the Wu Dynasty

The Arctic Army did not hold a grand welcoming ceremony, but only convened a meeting with a few dozen capable officials.

As the hero of this operation, Lu Cheng naturally sat opposite Bei Jiwu to report on the situation.

"A total of 3 taels of gold, 15 taels of silver, and countless jewels, ivory and jade artifacts were seized. The gold and silver Buddha statues were left untouched in the area. In accordance with His Majesty's decree, we will fight a quick battle and return as soon as possible."

"Even so, 700 of the 5,000 people died, more than 90% of whom died from disease."

Arctic Martial nodded. "It was my oversight. We shouldn't have attacked there at this time. Even if we had taken it now, the climate there wouldn't be suitable. Perhaps it would be much better to attack there in ten years or so."

Lu Cheng replied, “Your Majesty is unaware that although the combined land and naval forces lost seven or eight thousand men, the Lin-yi Kingdom suffered even greater casualties. We annihilated at least tens of thousands of enemy soldiers, captured one hundred thousand artisans from the city, mostly weavers and farmers, and also seized more than two thousand palace women and a hundred war elephants from the palace.”

"If those people hadn't run into the forest, we could have caught even more!"

Arctic Warrior retorted, "Didn't I tell you not to bring women back?"

Lu Cheng was clearly used to being with Beijiwu, and said with a smile, "We don't use boats; we all come back by horse-drawn carriages and elephant-drawn carts on foot."

“We brought a lot of rice and crop seeds from there, as well as water buffalo.”

Arctic Wu wasn't interested in these gains; he just wanted to know what was happening over there.

Do you think our people can adapt to the climate there?

Lu Cheng stopped smiling and quickly shook his head seriously.

"I can't adapt. Just staying there for three or four days makes me feel extremely uncomfortable."

"I heard that we were lucky to come at the right time. If it had been spring, summer or autumn, it would have been ten times more uncomfortable than those days."

"Some soldiers were covered in blood-sucking worms, and others had edema. They would slowly die of illness even if they didn't fight."

“We mountain farmers used to be northerners. If it weren’t for Your Majesty’s orders, we certainly wouldn’t have been so obedient this time.”

Beijiwu believed Lu Cheng's words and also believed that the Tongzhou people, who were used to dry and arid regions, could not adapt to the hot and humid climate there.

Southeast Asia is a nightmare for northerners, and it's pretty much the same for southerners.

We're already overwhelmed with work in the domestic region. If we send our men to raid those rotten lands, they'll likely complain.

"It would be great if someone could adapt to the climate there."

Arctic Martial sighed, clearly deciding to leave that matter for now.

Just kill them and let things be quiet for a few decades. After that, a solution will naturally emerge.

Now is not the time; without air conditioning and medicine, those tropical regions are truly a nightmare.

Lu Cheng laughed and said, "Even if you can adapt to that place, you probably wouldn't want to be a household commander there. When I came back, I heard that when you sleep on the ground, your body will be covered with insects, and you will sweat constantly day and night."

There are very few people who are adaptable, have a certain level of combat and management skills, and are willing to stay in such a run-down place...

"How is Zhang Weicang doing there?"

“When I came back, he was in Jiaozhi County. The temperature there had already risen, and some places that were previously passable were now being submerged by seawater and river water, requiring small boats to cross.”

Beijiwu nodded. "Later, I'll have him give up Rinan County and Jiuzhen County in the south, or support locals to manage those places. We can encourage our people to intermarry with local women, so that in ten years or so we'll have a group of locals we can use."

Sang Yang'an couldn't understand how Beijiwu could be so relaxed.

"We killed so many people this time, the people there hate us to the bone, I'm afraid it's not safe for us to stay there."

Sang Yang'an's thinking was normal; he just forgot how many people the Arctic Army had killed. He should surrender as usual.

Tens of thousands of people from the Adaihai tribe died directly under the sword of the Arctic Warrior. Tens of thousands of Khitans also died at the hands of the Arctic Warrior. The situation was even more severe for the Jurchens and Han Chinese, who died even more, but they all accepted the current rule.

The lower classes didn't care how many people died in the upper classes. During the century of chaos, the Han people had long been divided into southerners and northerners, and the Lin-yi Kingdom also had a distinct caste system.

Since they are not a unified entity, killing all the upper echelons would allow them to take over and become the upper echelons. This time, Arctic Martial killed high-ranking Indian officials who did not look like Han Chinese. Only those who looked similar were worth keeping.

Beiji Wu smiled and said, "Jiaozhi County and Guilin County are no problem. I have destroyed the agriculture there. Only some men and women can still farm." "Send people to distribute food and clothing, buy up grain from the south, and sell food at low prices. The rapidly recovering population will not care about such trivial matters."

"Instead of levying taxes, we will use our money and food to feed them."

"Let Zhang Weicang grow rice in Guilin County, use the remaining money in Jiuzhen County for disaster relief, make good use of the locals to spread the culture of the mountain farmers, in short, just maintain stability and stop bullying the locals."

"Once the highway is repaired this year, Lu Cheng will return to Tongzhou to handle some matters."

"Yes!" Lu Cheng replied with a smile.

Now we have no worries about food and clothing, and we don't need any rewards.

If he were actually given a hereditary territory, Lu Cheng would actually have something to worry about.

The least populous province of Annam has been captured, and the regime is currently barely maintaining control, but it doesn't require much effort.

Lu Cheng then asked, "When will Nanzhao and Baiyi fight?"

Beijiwu casually said, "It's already resolved. The ruler of Nanzhao is willing to surrender the city and ask for a hereditary commander of a thousand households."

Lu Cheng asked curiously, "Surrender again? It seems so easy."

Beiji Wu smiled but didn't speak. Sang Yang'an next to him said calmly, "The Jurchen tribe was destroyed. This has nothing to do with Nanzhao. However, the Tubo to the west of Nanzhao was destroyed and the royal family was all killed. Annam to the south was almost wiped out as well. The Baiyi to the east were no match for the Shan Nong army."

"The only place that will have a good outcome is Shuzhou in the north. If they don't surrender, their fate is obvious."

Beijiwu remained unmoved and casually said, "If this is not resolved quickly, it will inevitably lead to chaos in the future. Only by using the same language and standards can it be good for everyone."

Having found the right art of command to unleash military power, Arctic Army fully utilized the conquest capabilities of the Mountain Farm Legion.

win!
We must win!
You can't lose!
They have basically taken over all the places now, and as long as they continue to send people there in the next few years, they can maintain their foothold in all the places thanks to their huge population base.

Build roads, relocate people, sell grain, and open train lines.

A simplified version of the steam engine has been made and is currently being improved. The Mountain Farming Kingdom lacks an ancient person who understands science better than Beijiwu.

It doesn't matter if we can't make it; the roads created by explosives can already effectively save time in transporting grain.

“From the Lancang River in the Nanzhao Kingdom, you can reach Annam by water. The climate in the Nanzhao Kingdom is much better. Although the roads are complicated and infested with insects, it will be much easier to have a local guide.”

"Nanzhao needs to station troops here. Do you have any good candidates to recommend?"

After studying the matter for a while, Beijiwu still felt that it would be better to use Nanzhao to control the southwest region.

However, the biggest problem at present is still not being able to find a suitable general.

Arctic Martial Arts needs someone who can act freely and is capable of completing their own mission.

He doesn't care if he becomes a local tyrant; Arctic Wu only needs temporary peace.

Lu Cheng remained silent. His men complained about the harsh climate in the south and had no desire to become officials.

Not everyone is aware of where they need to go; most people kneel down for their own sake and for the sake of their families.

Seeing that Lu Cheng had no recommendations, Sang Yang'an said, "Wang Daoji has been drinking with Shi Wenyuan quite often lately."

Beijiwu didn't ask how the two knew each other, but instead smiled.

"Great combination, they're the one!"

Wang Daoji led the troops to handle matters, while Shi Wenyuan stayed in the city to handle matters. The two teams could act independently or work together to handle the orders of the mountain farmers.

Governor-General Wang Qing of the Shan Nong Province said, "We need southerners. We are all northerners and cannot adapt to the climate and things in the south."

Arctic Martial Arts also realized this.

To effectively rule the South, one must ensure that Southerners serve one's interests.

(End of this chapter)