Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 61 Tuoba Niu 1
With a large number of livestock, the autumn plowing process became much faster.

Early in the morning, Bei Jiwu rode his horse to inspect the autumn plowing situation in Beitian Village.

"Clan leader!"

When Zhang's family, who were watching their work in the fields, saw Beijiwu, they quickly knelt down on the soft ground and greeted him happily.

Grandma Zhang and her two youngest sons knelt on the ground, and the whole family kowtowed together.

It should have been a feudal society, but the Arctic military turned it into a slave society.

People are not so opposed to kneeling, and do not feel it is a humiliation.

Beijiwu looked down at the three men, then at Uncle Zhang and his two sons who were still working in the distance.

"How many more days will it take to finish plowing your land?"

Arctic Martial believes it should be faster than last year.

Even without my help, it should be faster than last year.

Because everyone has enough to eat this year, and with meals being prepared collectively, each household has more manpower to work in the fields.

A few women and children can cook for the equivalent of more than thirty women in thirty households.

These women are mostly unable to do heavy work, so sending them to cook is much easier than sending them to work in the fields.

This alone is already faster than last year, and with more iron tools and more oxen, there's absolutely no need to worry about tilling.

Aunt Zhang said happily, "Clan leader, my family's thirty mu of land will be plowed up the day after tomorrow."

The saying "one ox plows thirty mu of land" doesn't mean plowing thirty mu in one day, but rather throughout the entire plowing period.

One ox and three laborers can plow two or three acres a day.

Winter wheat will not be planted temporarily after autumn plowing. This region has a high altitude, cold climate, little rain, low temperatures, and unstable snow cover. The climate and environment determine that only spring wheat can be planted.

"There's no need to rush the farmland issue; take it slowly."

Beijiwu smiled and said, "Let the cow rest for a while. You can keep this cow at your home from now on."

Looking at Beijiwu, Aunt Zhang bowed her head excitedly and said, "Thank you, Clan Chief! Our family will repay your kindness for a lifetime!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Just work for me to repay me. There's always work to be done in the village. Now every household is sending one person to build a commune and a mud house for the cattle, horses and donkeys to spend the winter."

Aunt Zhang quickly replied, "Yes, clan chief!"

Beijiwu looked at Zhang Da Niang's several well-behaved sons and said, "Regardless of whether they are boys or girls in the village, I will arrange their marriages. I will contact people in the surrounding towns to select healthy men and women."

Upon hearing that her son's marriage was settled, Aunt Zhang hurriedly kowtowed, "Thank you, clan chief! Thank you, clan chief! Our Zhang family can never repay your kindness, clan chief, even in eight lifetimes!"

Beijiwu rode away on his horse without saying anything.

The region has a long period of arable land available, enough to cultivate more than 1,000 mu per month.

There's no need to worry about farmland; all that's left is land reclamation and the construction of water conservancy facilities.

The land in the entire village is arranged around the village, radiating outwards from the village as the center.

The river flows from west to east, and there is only one channel.

The land along the river is only a few hundred acres, while the rest of the land is a few dozen or a hundred meters away from the river.

Digging ditches to divert water can make irrigation much easier, eliminating the need to carry water a long way.

The downstream area is certainly not happy about the upstream using so much water, but fortunately, Beitian Village now has a clan chief, so there is no need to worry about other people's dissatisfaction.

If you're dissatisfied, then let's have a fight.

That's how the law works in rural areas: whoever has the strongest fist survives.

Therefore, the fact that Beijiwu is capable of fighting is a good thing for the entire Kitada Village.

With absolute power to suppress order, Kitada Village had a backbone. Whether it was distributing water, cattle, or doing chores, as long as Beijiwu assigned the task, others had to endure it even if they felt wronged.

Unbridled violence and order are far better than the chaotic villages where people schemed against each other.

Arctic Warrior rode his horse to inspect his territory. Men and women who came near him on the way knelt down obediently and only got up to continue working after Arctic Warrior had gone far away.

"Clan leader!"

A little boy ran over.

Beijiwu stopped his horse and looked at the approaching child, who was Song Qiang, the son of the Song family.

“Chief! There’s a man on horseback at the village entrance. He says he’s here to tend the cattle and horses for you.”

Beijiwu nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

After saying that, Beijiwu rode his horse to the edge of the village.

Song Qiang breathed a sigh of relief and slowly walked back.

When Beijiwu arrived at the village entrance, Tuoba Niu had already dismounted.

When Tuoba Niu, who was carrying a bundle, saw Beiji Wu, he stood still and waited for Beiji Wu to get closer. Then he went over and knelt down.

"Master Wu! I've come to look after the cattle and horses." Tuoba Niu put down his bundle on the ground. "These are the iron awls, bone needles, and copper rings I brought, all for putting rings on the cattle. If you need me to put rings on your livestock, Master Wu, I'm happy to do it! I won't charge you a single penny!" Seeing that this livestock seller was also a skilled craftsman, Beiji Wu smiled and said, "Good! You can take care of the cattle, horses, donkeys, and sheep for now. It's almost noon, so let's have lunch together here, and the livestock can all be taken out to rest in the yard."

"Come with me and we'll talk once we're on horseback."

Tuoba Niu breathed a sigh of relief and slowly stood up. "Yes, Master Wu!"

"Master Wu," Tuoba Niu couldn't help but ask, "Did any livestock die last night?"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "No, most of the people here are nomadic herders. They all have time to take care of cattle and horses. These large animals are not chicks; they don't die so easily."

Tuoba Niu was relieved, fearing that Beijiwu would refuse to pay after a few cows died.

Although Xiaqiu sold all the horses, and Tuoba Niu only sold cattle, sheep, donkeys and dogs, Tuoba Niu had no choice but to endure it after being forced by Beijiwu to take care of the horses in order to pay the remaining amount.

Few people will reason with Arctic fighters.

Just like Tuoba Niu, he subconsciously endured it.

The two rode their horses toward the village. Tuoba Niu looked at the nearby village, where the houses were spaced dozens of meters apart and each courtyard was quite large.

Beijiwu asked, "Where do you live? How many people live with you?"

Tuoba Niu replied, "I live in Changchengtun. There are nearly three hundred people in the village. We don't have much land, only a thousand acres. We all make a living by herding. We usually send people to Beiyuan County to raise cattle and horses. Basically, everyone in the village works for the county."

Seeing the good development of Changchengtun, Beijiwu got the idea.

“We are short of girls here. If you have any suitable girls, you can marry them off and raise them here. I will give five bushels of wheat as a dowry for each girl. You can also come over to visit relatives in the future.”

Beijiwu offered a very generous price, and Tuoba Niu quickly said upon hearing this, "This is a good thing. I'll go back and tell the villagers about it."

Arctic Martial said, "Okay."

Tuoba Niu felt uneasy and took the initiative to ask, "Then how much do you think would be appropriate for a dowry?"

Beijiwu had no idea about this. "How much is it usually? It's not me getting married, it's introducing women to men in the village. Just follow the general standards."

Tuoba Niu laughed and said, "That makes things easier. A normal wedding costs three or four taels of silver. Our village doesn't have that kind of money. We can give a Tatar slave or three horses as a dowry."

Arctic warriors are not surprised by slaves, but by their price.

"A slave can be worth three horses? What kind of slave is so expensive, is it made of gold or silver?"

Tuoba Niu explained, “These are not warhorses. A good horse would cost at least ten taels of silver, but the dredges used for plowing and pulling carts are Mongolian horses used by civilians, and each one costs less than two taels of silver.”

“In the horse market, one warhorse can be exchanged for ten, and a strong male slave can be exchanged for three horses or two cows.”

Beijiwu's eyes widened. "Wow! So two cows were only five taels of silver!! You actually sold one for eight taels!!"

After saying this, Beijiwu stood up from his horse and jumped directly towards Tuoba Niu.

Tuoba Niu was terrified and was kicked to the ground by Beiji Wu.

After crashing heavily to the ground, Tuoba Niu, filled with remorse, immediately kowtowed in a panic.

"Master Wu, spare my life! Master Wu, spare my life!! I deserve to die! Please, Master Wu, spare my life!!"

Arctic Martial was not about to let this unscrupulous merchant get away with it. Just as he was about to make his move, he noticed that many people nearby were watching them.

Beijiwu cursed, "I'll spare your life, but tell me why two cows are only worth five taels of silver!"

Tuoba Niu breathed a sigh of relief, knelt on the ground, and looked at Beiji Wu with tears streaming down his face.

“Master Wu! A cow can have five calves in four years, ten calves in eight years, but only two or three can grow into mature cows.”

"Five taels of silver is a discounted price. Normally, a good ox would start at five taels. Some oxen are heavy, some are light, and so on."

"Mongolian grassland cattle are small in size and weak in draft. There are many cattle there and they have not fought many wars. Every year, they sell the excess cattle that they cannot raise to drive down the price."

"There are also those people in the military settlements who forcibly requisition cattle from the people at low prices, and then sell them for money. Most of the cattle they sell are second-rate cattle."

"The cattle I sold to Master Wu were all good cattle, all ringed and fully grown. I did earn Master Wu two or three taels of silver per cow, but I also paid taxes, and after bribing everyone, I really only made a meager living! These cattle don't belong to my family, they belong to dozens of families in the village, so there's really not much left after dividing them up!"

"Please, Lord Wu, see the truth!"

Beijiwu frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, considering that life is indeed difficult in your village, I won't hit you. But I spent so much money out of thin air, and you've never been honest with me when we do business."

"I'll give you two choices now."

"First, continue to take care of my livestock. As long as no more than one or two out of ten die after next spring, I will give you the rest of the money."

"Secondly, the term will remain the same as the original one month, but I want three Tatar slaves, not the old ones, but the rest of the men, women and children are fine, and three women will marry into the family. I will give each woman a dowry of five taels of silver or five shi of wheat."

Tuoba cattle have extensive breeding experience and are well aware that winter is full of uncertainties.

"I'll choose the second one!"

Tuoba Niu chose to hand over three Tatar captives and slaves, and then marry three women to them.

Beijiwu nodded. "Alright, get up and talk. You can stay here for a day and tell the people in your village about the situation here. If any family is willing to marry their daughter here, then let them marry her."

"It doesn't matter what kind of man he is. Even if he's a good-for-nothing, even if he's dead, I, Beiji Wu, as the chief of the Shan Nong tribe, will uphold justice for them. The women who marry into this tribe are my people, and they must obey me!"

Women whom Beijiwu bought to increase the village's population, even if they married other people in the village, still had to obey Beijiwu's orders.

The mountain tribe does not welcome men and women who come in and want to take charge!
(End of this chapter)