Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 212 Authority
Farmers have few idle months; May is an especially busy time.

A southerly wind rises at night, turning the wheat fields golden.

Women and mothers-in-law carry baskets of food, while children bring jugs of water.

They went to the fields to provide food, and the able-bodied men were on the southern hill.

In May, during the wheat harvest season, Bei Jiwu brought his wife and children, who hadn't worked in a long time, to the fields to work.

“Get to work. I’ve specially reserved five acres of land for you. All of you can finish today before going home.”

Beijiwu clearly had no intention of participating in the labor, so he simply stood by the field.

Seeing Beijiwu's attitude, Li Hong and the other women knew there was no room for negotiation.

"Yes."

Li Hong, Li Bing, Zhang Xiulan, Zhang Xianglan, Ma Tuchai, Gao Qiuyue, Jiang Cao, and Xi Dan, eight young women or girls, were given eight sickles.

There were also more than twenty boys and girls of all ages in the field, all children of Beijiwu.

Over the years, several children have died before reaching adulthood, but life goes on as usual, and they just keep having children.

With ample food and comfortable housing, fewer mosquitoes and animal diseases, and fewer unhealthy habits, the survival rate of children reached over 95%.

Bei Jiwu's eldest son is not even nine years old yet, and he won't be able to work in the fields for long.

Most of the children run around here; hardly any of them want to work.

Beijiwu left the affairs here to the women to manage, while he went to have tea and meetings with people in nearby buildings.

No sooner had Beijiwu left than Jiang Cao reminded him, "Should we find someone to help with the work?"

Li Hong quickly denied it, looking at twelve or thirteen-year-old Jiang Cao with a serious expression.

"If they find out, it won't be something that can be resolved with just a few scoldings. There are eight of us and only five acres of land, which isn't much. Let's all get to work."

Li Hong is afraid of Arctic martial arts.

Although she doesn't regret joining Beijiwu back then, she never dares to tell him how much help she has brought him, let alone say anything about bringing him good fortune.

Li Bing added, "Big brother, stay here and play with your younger siblings. Don't come over and cause trouble, and don't run around."

“Okay!” Arctic Hydrogen and the other children quickly agreed.

A little girl shielded her eyes from the sun with both hands, saying, "Mommy, this place is no fun at all, I want to go home."

Li Hong sighed and looked at Beijiwu, who had already walked away.

In just a few years, I've almost forgotten how to work and manage a household.

In a rural area, they would have already started hitting the child by now.

"Get to work! Jiang Caoxi Dan, watch the children. The six of us will work. If we don't finish, the whole family probably won't be able to go home."

***
Arctic Martial didn't care about those women; his main focus was on educating the children.

Whether women do housework or not is something Beijiwu has long since stopped caring about; as long as they don't cause trouble and get in his way, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter if they live a good life; all of Beijiwu's subordinates are living good lives.

As long as you can work, you deserve to live a good life.

Arctic Wu never had the idea of ​​letting his subordinates work without enough to eat; he believed that a car needs a full tank of gas to start.

Providing maximum benefits is for better enjoyment and easier handling of matters, not to feel bad seeing others suffer.

Inside the meeting room, more than twenty people from the Arctic Wu and production team were having a meeting.

"How much yield does one acre of land produce now?"

After Bei Jiwu finished speaking, Feng Degong, who was in charge of taking over Sang Yang'an's affairs, took the initiative to answer: "The yield per mu of public land is 168 jin, and the yield per mu of private land that is well managed is 180 jin, while that of private land that is poorly managed is less than 80 jin."

"Furthermore, spring wheat is different from winter wheat. The more wheat to harvest, the longer it takes for the harvester to finish one acre. Now, with the addition of irrigation and fertilizer, low-end harvesters are not as efficient."

Shandong Agricultural University has two sets of data: one set is published in newspapers, and the other is not.

The yield of 168 jin per mu is real data, but it is also quite conservative. It is usually an average figure.

Arctic Martial Arts is fairly satisfied with this number.

"One hundred million mu of land is enough for this year."

"The population will continue to grow. More than five million babies were born last year, and this year it will definitely be even more."

Arctic Martial outlined the various problems that need to be addressed.

Approximately how many children were born in your production team this year?

Feng Degong had not kept count of such cases, and cautiously replied, "About a few hundred."

Arctic Martial looked at the others.

Does anyone know the exact number?

One man immediately replied, "From this year to this month, a total of 2618 babies have been born, plus 1420 women who took maternity leave in advance and informed their doctors. It is estimated that there will be around 4 babies this year."

Beijiwu nodded. "What's your job? What's your name?"

The man replied excitedly, "This humble servant, Gong Changyuan, is in charge of pest and rodent control, and also oversees the cattle and horse stables."

Beijiwu looked at the other person and said, "You're in charge of household registration and statistics, why don't you even know the most basic things?"

The commander, who was being questioned, was speechless for a moment. He hurriedly stood up from his chair and then knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I have been busy with agricultural work, and in previous years the population count was only taken in autumn."

Beijiwu looked displeased. "I'm asking you to come to work every day, not to work only one day a year and receive a year's salary!"

"Knowing I'm here, you still don't do your job properly. Since you're being so perfunctory with me, then go apologize to my gun."

"Guards, drag him out and shoot him."

The guards on both sides quickly responded, "Yes!"

The people in the hall were terrified, and the man on the ground struggled frantically.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me! This servant knows his mistake! Don't kill me! I'm innocent! Gong Changyuan! Fuck your mother!!"

Gong Changyuan, who was named, was also sweating profusely. He never expected that someone would die during a meeting.

The meeting room was eerily quiet, save for the distant sound of a man crying out.

The death of their colleague made the rest of them's hearts race and their legs tremble.

Why is it more dangerous than when we were at war, even though we are in a time of peace?

Many of the mountain farmers are unaware that fighting only requires Arctic warriors and a small group of people to risk their lives.

Now that there's no war, imperial power can still devour people.

The emperor's majesty was so terrifying that only those who were close to him could feel its power.

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out outside the office building, sounding like firecrackers.

After the gunshots rang out, Beiji Wu said calmly, "I won't interfere in the affairs of the Wanhu team. You can vote yourselves to elect someone who can take on the job of statistician."

"If you feel that your job is difficult and arduous, you can resign. If someone becomes an official and can't even do their job properly, then they might as well die sooner."

Arctic Martial Arts is like a teacher checking homework, and soon continues to check.

"How many acres are there here?"

Feng Degong quickly replied, "When I took over, there were 180 million mu. By this year's planting season, there are still 162.46 million mu. Some of the land has been used to build houses, some as warehouses, and some has been used to dig ponds for water storage and to pave field roads that are more suitable for transporting grain." Beijiwu was not so easily fooled.

"How much land is needed to build houses? If we calculate based on 80 square meters per family, one mu of land can solve the housing problem for at least eight families. Ten thousand mu would be 80,000 people. Even if you add up schools, warehouses, and ponds, it would still be less than 100,000 mu."

Sweat beaded on Feng Degong's forehead in just a few seconds.

"Reporting to Your Majesty..." Feng Degong hurriedly stalled for time, his mind racing as he considered the various matters at hand.

Under Arctic Martial's calm gaze, the man in his forties or fifties was on the verge of collapse.

“Your Majesty…” Feng Degong stammered, then forced himself to say, “This humble servant may have misremembered.”

His scalp certainly couldn't stop a bullet.

Fortunately, what determined his life or death was not the gun itself, but Arctic Wu, who was sitting there giving orders.

"If you're the first to answer, you're dead right now."

Arctic Martial calmly glanced at the man who came from a technical background, and then looked at the others.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Feng Degong felt as if he had escaped from the tiger's mouth, and he was almost soaked to the bone.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! From now on, I will certainly be loyal to my duties and do my best to fulfill my responsibilities!"

Beijiwu ignored him and continued to ask: "How many households are there currently? How much land does each household cultivate on average? What is the average income per household?"

The meeting room remained quiet throughout.

Everyone can hear their own heartbeat.

Arctic Martial was too lazy to ask anything more.

"These are basic questions. If we can't answer these questions, then we have no reason to exist."

Everyone was so scared their hearts almost jumped out of their chests.

"This is your last chance."

“Go outside and harvest the five acres of wheat. You will do it yourselves with sickles. While you are working, think about whether you can continue doing this job. If you don’t want to do it, resign. I will find someone more capable to take over the position.”

"If you think being an official is a matter of losing your head, then don't be one. If you can't even handle simple things, what right do you have to take my salary and benefits?"

"roll!"

Everyone was finally free to leave, and they hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

A group of people quickly went out to work and harvested the wheat despite the scorching heat.

Being an official could cost them their lives, but after harvesting wheat for more than an hour, all twenty-odd people chose to continue serving as officials.

There's no shortage of dogs in Arctic Wu.

If you have grain in your hand, the chickens will come.

Arctic Martial summoned the men of the man who had just died and obtained the latest data from several adjutants.

Even if the official in charge doesn't do anything, those who are specifically responsible for doing the work know what's going on.

Beijiwu sat quietly in his chair, reading the report, while several people nearby waited silently with their heads down.

"Of the 14510 households, only 10,000 are public households. How were the remaining 4,000 households resettled?"

You Yongkang replied, "We all worked with our original family members, and the money was distributed among the original heads of households. The funds given to the farm by the Emperor were used to hire manure carriers, construction teams, and to buy food."

“Some families grow their own grains and vegetables. They all work in the same team and usually sell some fruits and vegetables to make money.”

"Some people, because they don't have a public household registration and can't leave the brigade at will, work for others to earn some money. Some families can't complete the work by one person, so they hire someone."

The expectation of Arctic Martial is that one household manages one piece of land, not one person.

"How can there still be a household with only one person?"

You Yongkang replied, "Several people died of illness, leaving only their wives and no children."

Arctic Military's original intention in dealing with this situation was to directly reclaim the household registrations, but he also knew that most people were unwilling to do so.

If an unmarried man dies and his wife is left to wander, many men certainly wouldn't want to join the army.

Inheritance can effectively stabilize the tens of millions of families currently in existence. Without inheritance, it would be a problem for society.

Arctic Martial was pondering this matter.

It is necessary to separate the household registration of rural residents from that of ordinary residents.

Within a mere second, Arctic Martial found a suitable countermeasure.

Being a member of the Mountain Farmers can be seen as a medal, a title.

Household registration and employment can be inherited, but medals and titles cannot.

"The household registration inherited from the man is cancelled after the woman marries out."

"If it is a widow with children, the household registration and pension left by the man after his death are enough for the whole family to live on for ten or twenty years. In the future, the children will also inherit the man's job."

"From your team to all teams across the country, married daughters are like water spilled from a bowl. Their household registration will be canceled. Household registration can only be transferred within the same family. Non-biological children cannot inherit it, nor can collateral siblings!"

"I'd rather the meat rot in the pot, I'd rather the household registration and job be canceled without anyone to inherit them, than let anyone other than the male protagonist's children inherit them."

"Wives and concubines can only be held temporarily. Once the children are over fourteen years old, they must be returned to their original households!"

"Those who are too busy can hire people, and those who inherit the household registration can be exempted from labor before the age of twenty."

Arctic martial arts do not allow others to profit from a man's deceased spouse's estate, nor do they allow a man's wife and children to take his money and go to other men after his death.

"A nationwide investigation has begun, spanning nine years. Anyone found in violation will have their public household registration revoked, be removed from public employment, and be reduced to an ordinary free citizen!"

Power is almost unlimited.

Although Arctic Martial Arts can't pluck the moon from the sky or investigate back ten years, he can indeed investigate back nine years and judge a group of people who clearly didn't violate the rules as having done so!

Upon returning to the palace, Beijiwu began to purge some people, while also focusing on disciplining a group of useless subordinates.

Throughout his career, Beijiwu has given his subordinates countless opportunities to climb the ranks, as well as countless chances to make mistakes.

Those with ability will gradually climb up, while those without will remain at the bottom.

The empire of Beijiwu was one he fought his way to, and from any perspective, it lacks the qualities of being diligent in governing and caring for the people.

Public opinion is useless to a strongman like Arctic Wu, and military morale is also nonsense.

If popular support were effective, the Northern Army wouldn't have been able to bring down the Wen Dynasty.

If morale were useful, the army that Arctic Martial spends money to raise wouldn't suffer repeated defeats. They only manage to win a battle if they are given a death order that their entire family will be killed if they lose!
The main reason why Arctic Martial Arts School treats its subordinates badly is that these people are too useless and constantly challenge Arctic Martial Arts School's normal conscience.

They were well-fed and clothed, the women received hereditary land and privileges, and they had plenty of weapons, warhorses, and military provisions, yet they still couldn't win a battle.

If they only fight when forced at gunpoint, then why offer them the maximum benefits?

Over the past decade, countless gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women, and land have been distributed to his subordinates and to the people of the world.

Arctic military personnel are increasingly dissatisfied.

"It is not that I have betrayed the world, but that the world has betrayed me!"

Whether they were subordinate officials or ordinary people with no connections, they didn't care whether they lived or died.

Arctic Martial reflected on his actions over the years and realized that he had been putting in a lot of effort but getting no reward.

Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, and enjoy life to the fullest.

(End of this chapter)