Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 74 Fields
The next morning, Beijiwu rode out on horseback, taking Ai Dake and Mu Chuanliang with him.

Ai Dake and Mu Chuanliang also rode fine horses worth more than ten taels of silver.

This fine horse is clearly different from the ordinary dwarf horse. Just as clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse, riding on it makes one feel much more powerful.

"drive!"

Arctic warriors gallop wildly on horseback.

The two people behind them quickly followed.

All three horses started running quickly, but stopped on their own after only seven or eight minutes, refusing to run any further.

When Ai Dake saw that Beijiwu's horse had stopped, he also tightened the reins to prevent it from hitting the people in front of him.

All three of them can ride horses and have practiced for the past two months.

If a good horse is there, men, women, and children alike will try to use it; it won't be wasted if left unused.

In border areas, there are very few people who cannot ride horses; at most, they may not be skilled enough to ride, but they are not so bad at that that they cannot even sit on a horse.

Ai Dake shouted, "Chieftain, this horse is really useless. It can only run for a short while before it can't go on anymore."

Mu Chuanliang immediately corrected him, saying, "This is already a good horse. It has run more than ten miles in one go. Where are we now?"

Mu Chuanliang looked around, unsure of where he was.

Beiji Wu dismounted from his horse, letting it catch its breath and rest.

The other two also dismounted to relieve the pressure on their horses.

Looking out at the mountains in the distance, Beijiwu sees a landscape dominated by hills and mountains. Along the way, he sees many tall trees and barren basins. Rivers are scarce, the climate is arid, and it is often cloudy.

"In eight minutes, I ran fifteen miles, or about 7,500 meters."

Beijiwu was very satisfied with this number, and he was still counting the seconds on horseback, which gave him a reasonable estimate of the approximate distance.

Mu Chuanliang and Ai Dake listened carefully. Bei Jiwu often used the rules of the mountain farmers as an excuse to provide unit conversions to the villagers.

For example, one kilometer is two li (a unit of distance), and one shichen (another unit of time) is two hours.

Furthermore, when building houses, centimeters and meters were also used as units to unify the units used by various non-Han and non-Han peoples.

Even the script is written according to the simplified characters of the mountain tribe, so that Beijiwu doesn't have to learn the local script and various rules.

Beijiwu led the horse forward, and not far ahead was the location of Tiger Head Town.

7 kilometers in eight minutes!

This speed is already very fast. With some training, I should be able to run 5,000 meters in one go while carrying weapons, armor, and a knight.

Even without carrying so much weight, you can still run 10,000 meters.

Within a radius of five li (approximately 2.5 kilometers), centered on Beiyuan County, there are at least a dozen villages within a radius of five li outside the city walls.

Within a straight-line distance of less than ten kilometers, it encompasses the area of ​​Hutou Town and Zhoujia Village.

Riding a fast horse from the county town to any nearby village only takes a few minutes, or ten minutes or so.

This is already very efficient.

Kitahara Prefecture covers an area of ​​approximately 1,000 square kilometers, with most of its main structures located in a region that is roughly shaped like an inverted triangle, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

More than 60 percent of this area is mountainous, with only about 10 percent being plains carved out by upstream rivers; the rest is slopes and hilly terrain.

Both sides are wasteland, and most of the passages are in the middle area.

This terrain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, has led to most villages being relatively concentrated.

Beitian Village is located in a remote area of ​​Xishan, more than ten kilometers away from the main road. It only takes a few dozen kilometers to get there from the mountain path or the main road in all directions.

With the support of a good horse, Beijiwu could reach most of Kitahara Prefecture within an hour.

Combined with the formidable strength of the Arctic Army, the entire Beiyuan County, with its fifty to sixty thousand soldiers and civilians, would tremble.

Arctic Martial has gained a clearer understanding of what constitutes a good horse.

A good horse that can run seven or eight thousand meters at a fast pace is worth fifteen taels of silver.

A fine horse that can run 10,000 meters at high speed is worth fifty taels of silver.

A good horse that can run 20,000 meters in one go will cost 500 taels!
Beijiwu looked at the horse he was leading. The horse could obviously run a little longer, but it was already tired and didn't want to run anymore.

"Come on, I'll take you to a lavish restaurant."

Beijiwu was in a great mood and led his horse to Tiger Head Town ahead to give his beloved horse a treat.

Originally intending to go directly to collect the debt, Beijiwu was overjoyed upon discovering that his horse was a 10,000-meter steed and was willing to spend more time taking good care of his prized horse.

The three men led their horses closer to Hutou Town. At the edge of the village, many people were plowing the fields. They did not approach the Arctic Empress Wu.

People on horseback are generally not easy to mess with, and this time not many people came over to talk to them.

Beijiwu headed towards Wen Caizhu's house. The townspeople nearby didn't dare to approach him. Even when Beijiwu knocked on Wen Caizhu's door, no one came to ask him anything.

The Wen family's gate opened quickly, and a woman in her early forties opened it.

The old woman opened the door and saw Beiji Wu, as well as three horses and two people behind him.

"Who is the young master looking for?" the gatekeeper asked cautiously, carefully examining Beiji Wu's strange clothes and his noticeably short hair.

Beiji Wu smiled and said, "I am Beiji Wu, a friend of this old man. I've come here to rest for a while."

With that, Beijiwu led his horse inside.

The old woman wanted to stop them, but when she saw Beiji Wu and the other two leading their horses through the gate, she quickly called out, "Master! Master!"

A gate with steps and a threshold is not suitable for horses to enter, but it's not a big deal if they force their way in.

Beijiwu was too lazy to enter from the side, so he led his horse directly into the courtyard.

Not long after, Old Man Wen strode out from the inner courtyard and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Empress Wu of the North Pole.

"Master Wu, what brings you here today?"

Wen Zhaohu recently learned what Beijiwu had done; bad news spreads very quickly throughout the surrounding villages.

The Arctic Martial Arts Academy is not something Wen Zhaohu can just do casually...

Wen Zhaohu has never bullied Beijiwu, not even last year.

Beijiwu laughed and said, "We were just passing by, but the horse got tired from carrying us. Quickly feed the horse the best feed and add two extra eggs. I'll pay for it. It's okay for a person to skip a meal, but a horse can't."

Beijiwu chuckled and boasted, while casually ordering Wen Zhaohu around.

Seeing Beiji Wu's happy expression, Wen Zhaohu felt relieved and quickly said, "Alright! Granny Wang, go feed the horses! Master Wu, please come in!"

Beijiwu was worried about the three horses, so he said to Mu Chuanliang, "Go to the stables and take care of these three horses, especially mine. Make sure they get the feed right! And make sure they get clean water too!"

"Yes, clan leader!" Mu Chuanliang quickly replied.

Only then did Bei Jiwu feel relieved and walk into the main room with Wen Zhaohu. The rest of the Wen family also knew that Bei Jiwu had come. Madam Wen, Qiuyue, and Wen Jinglun and his sister all came over to greet him.

After Beijiwu sat down, the rest of the people went inside.

Not long after I sat down, someone came over to serve tea.

Looking at the girl serving tea, Beiji Wu asked Wen Zhaohu curiously, "It's only been a month since I last came, and you've already got a few more people here."

Wen Zhaohu said with a smile, "Now that autumn is the off-season for farming, some people come to ask for jobs. Since they are all fellow villagers, we will lend a hand."

Beijiwu glanced at the courtyard and said, "Isn't a hundred acres too little for your grand mansion? Our village has over a thousand acres of land. If I hadn't been so lazy this year, I would have several hundred acres."

Wen Zhaohu laughed and said, "I dare not compare with Master Wu. We don't lack land here, but we lack people. They asked for too much land, and this old body of mine can't handle it all."

Beijiwu then asked, "Do you know how many acres of land there are around here?"

Upon hearing this question, Wen Zhaohu stroked his beard and said with a smile, "It's hard to say about other things, but Master Wu has come to the right person by asking how much land the county has."

Wen Zhaohu knew more about land data than the county magistrate.

Beiji Wushun said, "Please tell me in detail."

Wen Zhaohu smiled and said, "There's not much to say. There are 250,000 mu of military and civilian settlements in Beiyuan County, but only about 50 or 60% of them are used. The imperial court has been looking for people to come here, but I heard that there aren't many people left in the interior. They even caused several uprisings when they brought people here, so they stopped doing it in the last two years."

"Currently, there are 30,000 mu of land registered in Hutou Town, but we are actually too busy to manage even 5,000 mu."

"The book says that our area is sparsely populated and has military settlements scattered around."

"But don't worry, Master Wu," Wen Zhaohu said with a smile. "The imperial court encourages us to acquire more land; otherwise, who will grow the crops?"

"Moreover, the imperial court is also trying to send people here. There are thousands of military households in Beiyuanwei, and the imperial court is sending their families here to reunite."

Wen Zhaohu smiled again and continued, "If someone commits a crime in the mainland, their property is confiscated, they are exiled, or sent to the army. But when they come here, they have to listen to us."

In ancient dynasties, most of the time no one wanted to be a soldier, and the court often found ways to force people to become soldiers.

Beijiwu didn't care about this, saying, "There are indeed too few people. We can't even keep up with the thousands of acres of land around my village."

Wen Zhaohu chuckled and said, "Master Wu probably doesn't understand the situation here. A small village has at most two thousand mu of land."

“I was present when Beitian Village was being compiled. There were 30 households, each with 1,200 mu of land. Newly reclaimed land was exempt from tax for three years.”

Beijiwu pondered for a few seconds, "Anyway, we lack people but not land. Nowadays, we can feed everyone by simply farming."

Wen Zhaohu nodded with a smile, "Exactly."

Only three households in Kitada Village, burdened by high-interest loans, were unable to survive; in reality, everyone else was able to live.

In fact, every household has surplus food and can survive without Arctic weapons.

Children don't get enough to eat because adults are used to being frugal from a young age and are unwilling to eat as much as they want.

Even if Beijiwu is left unattended, Beitian Village will gradually develop and become prosperous, supporting three or four hundred people on more than a thousand acres of land.

However, Beijiwu has never respected the opinions of those people in Kitada Village.

It wasn't because the people of Beitian Village thought he was morally superior that they made him the village chief.

It was Arctic Warrior who used violence to ride on the heads of a group of people and become their chieftain.

Beijiwu tilted his head and looked at Wen Zhaohu. "I see that there are a lot of irrigated lands in Hutou Town that are lying fallow and no one is farming them. It's perfect that we pay taxes together. Give me a hundred acres of wasteland later, and I'll send people to farm it as next year's grain tax. Any extra can be used for future expenses."

Beiji Wu asked for 100 acres of land right away. Wen Zhaohu was not angry at all. On the contrary, he was happy and said: "This is a good thing. If Master Wu takes a fancy to any piece of land, just say the word!"

Beijiwu smiled and said, "I won't take people's land. Go out and take a look later. Find out which lands are not being cultivated, mark out a section, and I'll have someone build a house here to take care of these lands."

Wen Zhaohu didn't want to dominate the market, as that would easily make him a target. Now that Beijiwu also wanted to develop here, Wen Zhaohu was naturally willing. With the protection of a powerful figure, he could hire fewer servants and wasn't worried about the people in the town rebelling.

"Don't worry, Master Wu, leave this to me."

Tiger Head Town definitely needs a tiger head, but unfortunately Wen Zhaohu doesn't have the guts to be that tiger head. Instead, he wants to be a fox who borrows the tiger's power.

Wen Zhaohu then said to his wife, "Quickly prepare the wine and dishes; I want to properly entertain Master Wu."

Just as Madam Wen and her daughter-in-law Qiuyue were about to leave, Beijiwu raised his hand and said, "No need. I'll leave after the horse rests for a while. I still need to go out and collect debts."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhaohu asked in confusion, "Is there anyone else who owes Master Wu money?"

Bei Jiwu didn't hide anything and said directly, "The wife of Mr. Yang, the owner of the rice store in the county, has come to me. Now she is my woman, and I also have the Yang family's account books in my hands. I can use them to help collect those bad debts."

Wen Zhaohu was startled and looked at Beiji Wu very cautiously. "Master Wu, I heard that five people from the Yang family have caused you trouble?"

Beijiwu shook his head. "I was just trying to do business properly, but none of the five of them knew me. They came into the village and started causing trouble for me. I tolerated them for a long time, but I finally couldn't take it anymore and killed them all in one go."

When the Wen family members looked at the Arctic Martial Arts Center again, they all remained silent.

Wen Zhaohu said with a solemn expression, "If the authorities investigate this, it might not be good."

"It's alright, if no one says anything, no one will know." Beijiwu said indifferently, "Even if they know, it doesn't matter. Whoever makes me a bad person, they can't be a good person either."

Breakfast is a matter of life and death for the whole family, but Beijiwu doesn't care.

Only people in a unified dynasty would be terrified of rebellion. The common people on the frontier don't care who the emperor is, nor do they care whether they are Han or non-Han.

Everyone is of mixed ethnicity, and there have been a hundred emperors over the past hundred years.

As long as you have the power, you can easily win a rebellion.

Those with ability all dream of securing a future, while those without ability dream of dying to absolve themselves of their debts and becoming traitors to lead the way and exploit the wealthy.

After learning that Beijiwu had plans to rebel, Wen Zhaohu was even more afraid to offend this big shot.

After Beijiwu left, Wen Jinglun looked after Wen Zhaohu.

"Father, shouldn't we tell the county about this?"

Wen Jinglun asked carefully.

Wen Zhaohu angrily retorted, "Don't talk nonsense! What good will it do you to tell the court? Are you after his few acres of land in the mountains, or do you want to see if he can take the blame for killing our whole family?"

Reporting the Arctic armed rebellion will not benefit anyone.

Wen Jinglun whispered, "But what if the imperial court finds out...?"

Wen Zhaohu said angrily, "Aren't you afraid that Beijiwu will do something if he finds out? Does he look like a good person?!"

There's nothing more to say about the Wen Jing Lun.

If Arctic Martial finds out that their family became whistleblowers, the whole family will be doomed.

How could the imperial court possibly keep such a secret? Even a dog wouldn't believe that.

Wen Zhaohu was also thinking about this matter, and quickly said, "The county probably already knows about Beijiwu's killing. The county people will handle it. Is there any difference between killing and rebellion? The county doesn't care, so why should we?"

The others thought it made sense.

Those who should be most aware of the dangers of Arctic weapons are county officials and military officers, not ordinary citizens like us.

(End of this chapter)