Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 38 Tax Package
Early in the morning, Beijiwu arrived at Hutou Town.

On the road outside the town, some people were tidying up haystacks. After seeing Beijiwu approaching, they watched for a while.

"Who are you looking for?"

Even in remote rural areas, it's not easy to sneak into a village.

The villagers are like living, mobile cameras; you can often see various middle-aged women sitting in the sun chatting at the village entrance.

This was also the reason why the imperial court sent people to the frontier.

Arranging more people to farm in the border areas would not only solve the food problem, but also allow military households to live a stable life there and guard the border for generations.

Or perhaps, during battles, they could slow down the speed of the Hu people's troops, or serve as military rations when defending a city.

"I'm going to find Wen the Rich Man."

Beijiwu kept walking, ignoring the gossiping people.

The people behind were watching Arctic Martial Arts.

Arctic Wu could feel the gazes of people nearby, but fortunately he was already used to it.

It was the same in the village before; everyone treated those bad people like thieves.

Those who don't get married, don't have wives or children, and don't honestly farm are considered bad people and should be treated with caution.

If someone loses something, these are the first people they'll think of.

They also wouldn't allow the women and children in the family to get too close to such people, or even let them go there to play.

If even our own people are being ostracized like this, what about outsiders?

Street vendors and passersby entering the village are key targets for prevention and control by village and town officials.

Most villages are not located near official roads. Villages near official roads are easily damaged, especially in border areas, where being close to a main road is never a good thing.

Hutou Village is near the official road, while Beitian Village is near a small road.

Official roads are the arteries of the imperial court's rule. Villages located along these roads are more likely to be protected by garrisons and are also more convenient for the government to conscript laborers and collect taxes.

These villages may have been formed by military families, immigrants, or merchants attached to garrisons.

They can leverage their geographical location to gain a business advantage and gradually develop.

Kitada Village is a village that has existed for a hundred years. For nearly a century, it has been located in areas with frequent wars or complex terrain, so it sought to protect itself in remote mountains.

The worse the ground environment, the better it is to prevent bandits.

Different regions have different approaches, and villages with varying strengths also exhibit significant differences in their development.

When Beijiwu arrived at the Wen family mansion, he saw the Wen family patriarch watching over a hundred people handing over their grain.

Wen Zhaohu also saw Beiji Wu and asked him as he walked over, "What brings you here, Master Wu?"

Beijiwu noticed that there were several men who looked like soldiers around Wen Zhaohu. When Wen Zhaohu called out "Master Wu," the soldiers clearly looked in their direction.

The officers and soldiers had seen it so many times that they were no longer bothered by it; Arctic Martial Arts was not afraid of these people.

However, one of the officers and soldiers, who was around twenty years old, seemed a little uncomfortable when he saw Beijiwu and subconsciously looked away.

Beiji Wu glanced over there, then casually told Wen Zhaohu a lie.

"It's nothing. I killed a wild boar nearby last time. I was just taking a walk around to see if there was any prey to hunt, so as not to damage the crops or hurt anyone."

Wen Zhaohu laughed and said, "I heard about this. Master Wu killed a wild boar weighing two or three hundred pounds with one punch and even carried a cow home from the county."

Beijiwu said helplessly, "The rumors are too outrageous. I bought an injured cow, healed it, and brought it home in a car. Last time I was on my way home from here, a wild boar charged at me and I stomped it to death. It was only a little over 100 pounds."

Wen Zhaohu exclaimed, "Then if wild beasts or bandits appear in the vicinity in the future, we'll still have to rely on Master Wu to step in."

Arctic Martial didn't agree to such a thing. He looked around and asked, "Does this area pay taxes? I remember last year it only started after autumn."

Wen Zhaohu said, "It's better to do this sooner rather than later. This year, our county is using a tax-contracting system, which means that for every household in a place, the tax is paid to the person in charge of that place. Master Wu, your village only has thirty households, so why don't you pay the tax together with our town?"

Beijiwu looked at the wealthy man and asked, "How did you know I'm the village chief now?"

Wen Zhaohu smiled and said, "I heard from the townspeople a few days ago that you took the brothers from the Beitian and Beigong families to the county. Master Wu, you are a capable man, and capable men are easy to talk to."

Beijiwu nodded and asked with a smile, "How much is the tax included?"

"Not much. Our land here is barren, and it's a war-torn place where neither father nor mother cares for us. The imperial court often exempts this place from taxes, and each household only needs to pay one shi of grain."

Wen Zhaohu didn't resort to tricks. These days are turbulent; having more capable people on your side makes it easier to find someone if trouble arises. You need to manage both the legitimate and illegitimate affairs.

If a local landlord doesn't know a few tough guys, he won't be able to keep his fortune.

"One shi of grain?"

Upon hearing this, Beijiwu felt as if he had traveled through time.

Wen Zhaohu hurriedly said, "Master Wu, you don't need to pay it yourself. Just have your men collect some from each household. Thirty households would only need thirty shi of grain. If you think of a way, you can definitely collect enough. If it's not enough, I can lend you some."

Beijiwu frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at the villagers nearby who were handing over their grain, as well as the soldiers who were inspecting the grain delivery.

Soon, Bei Jiwu whispered, "It's okay if a household pays grain tax, but how come there are people in my village who can't make a living even though they cultivate more than ten acres of land?"

Wen Zhaohu also whispered, "If the officers and soldiers go down to collect the grain themselves, there will be more. These people always need to drink some soup and eat some meat while they are working, so this tax-farming system is good. We can send the grain or money directly over, which will save the officials from coming down."

“Alright then.” Beiji Wu was also willing to save trouble. “I’ll go back and bring thirty shi of grain, or you can pay for thirty shi of grain for me first to get rid of these people, and I’ll bring the grain to you this afternoon.”

Wen Zhaohu laughed and said, "Okay, I'll pay for it for Master Wu first, and he can pay me back later."

Beijiwu nodded and walked towards the officers and soldiers.

Wen Zhaohu followed.

Beijiwu said to a soldier on guard duty, "I have something to ask you."

Beiji Yong is not brave at all, and at this moment he has no intention of acknowledging this younger brother.

People sitting nearby collecting grain and writing, as well as soldiers standing guard nearby, all looked at Beijiwu.

"Hey, who's this, talking big? You want a beating, kid?"

More than a dozen officers and soldiers looked at Beijiwu with unfriendly expressions.

Beijiwu casually said, "Even if you dozen or so of you were combined, you wouldn't be enough for me to beat."

"Damn it!" Li Wenjin, the squad leader, rolled up his sleeves and cursed at Beijiwu, "What the hell are you calling me? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

At this moment, Beiji Yong, a lowly soldier, quickly came over and said, "Master Li, this is my younger brother, Beiji Wu. He came to talk to me about something. Please don't take his words to heart; he's mentally unstable and a complete idiot."

Upon hearing that it was his younger brother's younger brother, Li Wenjin, who was in his thirties or forties, said irritably, "It's your brother? Well, I'll give you face then. Otherwise, I'd slap him a few times and make him bleed."

Arctic Martial smiled at the man who had spoken, "Want to have a match?"

Li Wenjin was stunned for a moment, then looked angrily at Beijiwu.

"You little brat, you're asking for it! Fine! I'll teach you a lesson today!"

Li Wenjin shoved Bei Jiyong aside and swung his fist at Bei Jiwu.

Arctic Martial raised his stick, looking with a hint of amusement at the man who was probably the strongest fighter in the group.

"No! Gentlemen, please calm down!" Wen Zhaohu quickly stopped the two.

In reality, he didn't stop them, and Li Wenjin had no intention of continuing the fight.

Because Li Wenjin discovered that this boy wasn't afraid of him at all.

That was a look he never saw in the eyes of the villagers in the nearby countryside, the soldiers and commoners in the city and military garrisons, or even the merchants and ordinary herders.

It was more like the amused look in the eyes of his superiors and the Hu nobles who led the herdsmen to rob and kill.

That's the look in the eyes of someone looking at prey and the weak!

Bei Jiyong hurriedly said, "Master Li, don't argue with this fool. This guy can't tell right from wrong. If you're doing something for his own good, he'll think you're harming him and he won't even recognize his own family."

Li Wenjin said firmly, "I'll let you go today for your brother's sake!"

Beijiwu smiled and held his stick horizontally in front of him.

boom!
The wooden stick, about the thickness of two fingers, was broken into two pieces.

Everyone stared at this hothead.

Li Wenjin had no idea what this fool was doing; she only thought he was incredibly strong!

The next moment, Beijiwu held the two broken wooden sticks in his hands and held the two pieces of wood horizontally to both sides.

boom!
Two logs broke into four!
Beiji Wu threw the wood on the ground and then said to Beiji Yong, "Come here, I have something to ask you, otherwise all eleven of your friends will get a beating today."

(End of this chapter)