Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 76 Strong General
Beiyuan Guard, General's Office, White Tiger Hall
Commander-in-Chief Hong Enzhong sat on the platform with a very bad expression. Nearby were five commanders of the Beiyuan Guard, the governor, the military commissioner, and the clerk in charge of recording.

Beiyuanwei is an important town, and the General is the highest-ranking officer here.

The subordinates also include guards and garrisons, who are respectively commanded by commanders and managed by commanders of thousands.

Officials were required to attend meetings in the town every month, and two out of every thousand households were stationed at other passes to prevent invasion by foreign barbarians and to prevent people from the county from escaping.

There weren't many people at the meeting; most things were discussed and decided by a small group of people, and then everyone worked together to get things done.

Yang Xiangyun, the commander of a thousand households guarding the southwest, felt something was amiss.

After everyone arrived, Yang Xiangyun asked, "General, today is not the first or fifteenth of the month for meetings, and we have not heard of any unrest on the border. Has something happened at the court?"

Hong Enzhong nodded, but his expression looked very bad.

"According to the messenger's report, Japanese pirates are causing trouble in the southeast, and a rebellion has broken out in the southwestern Sichuan region. However, I have summoned you today for matters concerning the county."

Hong Enzhong thought for a moment and slowly said, "A troublesome fellow has come out of the county. He claims to be the chief of the mountain farmers tribe. He killed four soldiers and civilians from the garrison and kidnapped more than twenty villagers back to the mountains."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiangyun immediately volunteered, "General!"

Yang Xiangyun called out, then slowly stood up, knelt on one knee, and said, "This humble general is willing to lead troops to punish this mountain peasant bandit!"

Hong Enzhong nodded, but then frowned and said, "Sit down first and let me finish telling you about the mountain farmers."

"Yes, ma'am!" Yang Xiangyun sat back down in his original seat.

At this moment, Yang Xiangyun observed the expressions of the other commanders and found that they were not in good spirits.

Yang Xiangyun thought about it carefully.

What's the deal with this mountain tribe? I've never heard of them before; they sound like they live in the mountains.

Hong Enzhong said, "This mountain farmer tribe lives at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, 40 miles away from Beiyuan County. Originally, it was called Beitian Village. This year, a Beitian Village resident named Beijiwu claimed to be the chief of the mountain farmer tribe and led all 29 households in the village to claim to be the mountain farmer tribe."

"Beiji Wu was the second son of a military household in Beiyuan. His father died early, and his brother was a lowly soldier in the county."

“The whole village of over a hundred people is a rabble, but this Beiji Wu is young, incredibly strong, and exceptionally brave. I don’t know whether to recruit him or kill him.”

Yang Xiangyun said directly, "Don't worry, sir. As long as you give me three hundred soldiers, I guarantee I'll kill all these bandits!"

Commander Lü Siming reminded Yang Xiangyun, "Lord Yang, it would be better to bring more people with you, otherwise it might cause trouble for the county."

Yang Xiangyun had always felt something was wrong, and now that feeling was becoming more and more obvious.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Lu Siming replied, "According to the people of Zhoujia Village, more than four hundred people surrounded him, but he showed no fear and charged directly at them, leaping more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) and five or six zhang (approximately 13 meters) high!"

"That Arctic warrior jumped directly into the army formation and with a single slash, killed four people! Seeing this, the rest dared not fight him, and one person scared more than four hundred soldiers and civilians to their knees and beg for their lives."

"This is not just a rumor. There have long been rumors that he can kill a wild boar and a leopard with one punch, carry an ox, and plow fifteen acres of land a day. His endurance is amazing, and he can hold off a thousand troops single-handedly!"

Yang Xiangyun instantly understood why Lü Siming had asked him to lead more troops.

A superhuman with immense strength who can plow fifteen acres of land a day could absolutely cause the entire army to collapse!
Unless a massive army surrounds and attacks him, exhausting his strength, or binds him, the entire army will be thrown into chaos if such a fierce warrior charges to the front lines.

"Is he really that powerful?"

Yang Xiangyun was still somewhat skeptical.

General Hong Enzhong nodded. "I've asked many people, and they all say the same thing. Some even say that he punched a wooden stake as thick as a bowl into the ground half a meter deep in the horse market."

"There was also a merchant from Tongzhou who punched him. The moment his fist touched him, all the bones in his arm were shattered. He only survived by breaking an arm. He also said that he stomped a hole in three iron pots that were nested together with one kick."

Yang Xiangyun gained some understanding of the Arctic martial arts of this mountain peasant tribe.

At this moment, the governor and the censor said, "I have also heard that this person has killed more than twenty people. He kills without blinking an eye and even said that if the general arrests him, he will come and kill the general."

Yang Xiangyun understood why Lü Siming had reminded him earlier: if he let Beiji Wu escape, then this peerless warrior acting alone would be a huge problem for the entire Beiyuan County.

Hong Enzhong calmly said, "I am not afraid of such a greenhorn, but if such a valiant general can serve the court, it would be a great thing for the court."

“I have asked many people, and Beitian Village pays its taxes on time and conducts business in a lawful manner.”

Yang Xiangyun understood his superior's meaning and said, "Sir! This humble general is willing to take men to inquire whether this Beiji Wu is willing to serve the court."

Hong Enzhong nodded. "Just send someone over to ask. There's no need to risk your life."

"Thank you, sir!" Yang Xiangyun quickly accepted the task.

Hong Enzhong then looked at Lü Siming, "Beiji Wu is a heartless man. He has beaten his brother and the villagers. Send a few people from Beitian Village back to check on things first, and we'll see how things go tomorrow."

"If he remains stubborn and incorrigible, then get rid of him!"

"Yes, sir!" The officers quickly accepted the order.

This is the territory of the imperial army's border troops. Unless they are outmatched, they will never bow down to any mountain tribes, nor will they give them a way out!
***
Beijiwu is busy in the fields.

They were busy dismantling several field ridges to create large-scale collective farmland for convenient planting along a single line of land.

Hundreds of acres of contiguous farmland can reduce the number of turns that oxen need to make and also increase land utilization.

The land connected together is the public land of Beijiwu, and the others also have their own land.

Without reserving some land, some people will not feel a sense of belonging.

There is no need to touch the portion of food that the villagers have kept, but when it is needed, Arctic Martial will definitely use it without hesitation!

Most of the villagers were building houses, but Beijiwu was leading a few women to cultivate the land in the fields.

By the afternoon, Beijiwu had already connected hundreds of acres of nearby land into one piece.

"Clan leader!"

Beigong Dingbian rode over on horseback and shouted quickly, "Clan chief, my father has arrived!"

Beiji Wu was busy with work and had no interest in the affairs of Beigong Dingbian's family.

"What does your dad coming back have to do with me? Don't bother me, and don't let him eat in the cafeteria!"

Bei Gong Dingbian hurriedly dismounted and said, "Clan Chief, my father has come on official business. The county has learned about what you did in Zhoujia Village and would like to invite you to work in the county!"

"Pah!" Beijiwu cursed, "I don't believe those people would be so kind. What a load of bull! They're offering me a job in the county; they're probably just planning to trick me into going to the city to be beaten and killed!"

Bei Gong Dingbian paused for a moment, then realized... that seemed to make sense...

"Really?" Bei Gong Dingbian was still somewhat skeptical.

Beijiwu said with a serious expression, "I don't know what the imperial court is, but do you think we don't know what the border army is?"

"I'll ask you one question now: are you closer to your father or to the Shan Nong tribe? Have you thought this through? Your wife, children, and mother are all in the Shan Nong tribe. Which side is your heart with?"

The young Beigong Dingbian panicked and hesitated.

Arctic Martial said in a sinister tone, "Being a traitor has no good end."

Bei Gong Dingbian broke out in a cold sweat and quickly knelt down, crying out, "Chieftain! This servant is utterly loyal to the Shan Nong tribe and to you, Chieftain. I have absolutely no disloyalty and would never be a spy! Please, Chieftain, spare this servant!"

Beijiwu asked, "Are you choosing me, your wife, children, and mother, or your father?! Say it! Not choosing means death! Choosing the wrong one also means death!"

Under immense, millstone-like pressure, the cowardly Beigong Dingbian knelt down and cried out, "I elect the clan leader! I elect the clan leader! Clan leader, you are my father!!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Alright, go back and tell your father that I have no interest in being an official. I just want to lead the mountain farmers to live a carefree life farming in the mountains."

“I don’t want to harm the people either. All thirty-five households of the Mountain Farmers want to live a peaceful life. If the imperial court recognizes the Mountain Farmers and me as their chief, and exempts us from taxes, then I can help the nearby people defend against attacks from mountain bandits or wild beasts, and I am also willing to submit to the imperial court.”

Bei Gong Dingbian remembered Bei Ji Wu's words, "Yes!"

***
Kitahara Mamoru

General Hong Enzhong had a grim expression on his face.

"A mere brat dares to dream of becoming a mountain king? Send out two thousand elite troops to encircle and annihilate Beitian Village!"

"As ordered!"

Hong Enzhong decided to kill Beijiwu to eliminate future troubles.

A general led two commanders of a thousand and ten commanders of a hundred, along with cavalry, spearmen, and five hundred archers.

The group set off early in the morning, heading in a grand procession towards Beitian Village, forty miles away.

The two sides were too close; the cavalry arrived at Beitian Village in just one hour.

Beijiwu was working with the women in the east of the village; it was a little after nine in the morning.

When the first cavalryman approached, he naturally discovered the men and women working there.

Xi Dan and Jiang Cao, who were playing by the roadside, stared blankly at the knight approaching from the front.

Beijiwu looked at the two little girls standing there dumbfounded, and then at the two knights in armor riding tall horses towards the two children without any intention of stopping.

The two cavalrymen were there to suppress bandits. Behind them were more than two thousand men. As the vanguard, they naturally had to see some blood!

When the two Han Chinese knights charged at the two little girls with spears nearly two meters long, there was no room for negotiation.

Arctic Martial walked quickly over and approached the two girls.

"Run home and get everyone ready for battle." Beijiwu suddenly realized he couldn't rely on anyone else for help; whether they ran or not, they were all going to die.

Apart from himself, no one in the entire mountain farmer tribe is a capable fighter.

However, this thought was fleeting; facing a horde of knights, Arctic Martial had no time to spare for further consideration.

"Li Hong! Take the men back to the village! Hurry up!"

It was only then that Li Hong realized what was happening.

As the two cavalrymen thrust their lances toward the two girls' stomachs, Beijiwu stood in front of them and grabbed the two lances with both hands.

The blood is boiling.

Facing the two trash knights who had just been wearing cruel smiles, Arctic Martial also wore the same cruel smile.

The two knights were unable to break free from the immense strength of the Arctic Warrior. Instead of avoiding the Arctic Warrior, their horses charged towards the creature, which was smaller than them.

This is the quality of a warhorse.

The two knights, squeezed by the force of their lances and horses, had no choice but to release their lances.

Arctic Warrior gripped the spearhead with both hands, raised it towards himself, and hurled it at the two knights.

Two spears struck the two knights squarely in the face, while the two charging horses were pushed aside by Beijiwu with both hands and fell to the ground on either side of the road.

The cavalry behind them wanted to stop, but it was too late.

The knights behind only saw the two knights in front fall off their horses, and then a young man wearing linen clothes and trousers with short hair casually pulled a spear from the corpse.

"who are you?"

"Arctic Martial Arts".

Arctic Warrior's spear struck the two knights who had just arrived like lightning. Then the spear shook, shaking off the blood, and he took two steps forward with his body, leaping three or four meters with great force!

The Arctic warrior hurled his spear down several meters away!

The sharp spear pinned a man on horseback, several meters away, to the horse's rump!

The man and the horse fell to the ground together!
As Arctic Warrior landed, he kicked a knight away, grabbed the weapon from his hand, and then turned his horse around.

At this moment, Beiji Wu was not holding an ordinary spear, but a cavalry lance that was three and a half meters long, similar to the halberd and the spear of the zhangba. It was long and heavy, but also sharper and stronger.

With a powerful swing of his lance, Beijiwu knocked several approaching cavalrymen off their horses.

The commander, whose weapon had been stolen by Beijiwu, had barely realized what was happening when Beijiwu stabbed him in the neck with a spearhead that was over three meters long, killing him instantly!
"drive!"

Arctic Warrior charged toward the cavalry, his well-trained warhorse also charging toward the large group of men and horses.

The nearby cavalrymen drew their weapons and hurled them at the Arctic warrior.

Arctic Warrior's horse slowed down, but Arctic Warrior showed no sign of backing down.

The two sides quickly clashed with their long-handled weapons.

boom!
Arctic Martial's strength alone overwhelmed the strength of five spears and lances. With Arctic Martial's sweeping movements, the weapons that the others threw down were knocked aside like twigs.

One end of the long-handled weapon was thrown out, and Arctic Martial used both hands to forcefully strike it back!

Before the group could even retrieve their weapons, Arctic Warrior used his heavy lance to knock down two armored knights.

The other three were not so lucky; they were pierced within two breaths!
Hundreds of knights and Arctic warriors clashed in a bloody battle on a narrow path less than three meters wide. These personal guards were the elite troops of the commander who had just died, and their combat power far exceeded that of ordinary soldiers.

After more than fifty people were killed, the cavalrymen behind them quickly scattered into the nearby fields.

Liu Chonggu, the ten-man flag leader, rode his horse and jumped into the harvested farmland. Once his view was unobstructed, he saw a long line blocking the road ahead, as well as elite cavalrymen lying dead everywhere!
The nearby cavalry dared not advance any further. They hesitated and observed for less than half a minute before Beijiwu killed all the cavalrymen who were in the way!
"drive!"

Instead of running away, Beijiwu rushed towards the group, which was thirty or forty meters away!
With increasing skill in wielding their weapons, a new round of bloody battle would ensue when a lone rider charged into the bewildered ranks!
After Beiji Wu had slaughtered most of the 100 elite cavalry and 100 ragtag cavalry, he quickly rode his horse toward another cavalry unit that was approaching from behind.

The messenger was less than three minutes ahead of Arctic Wu.

***
"Report!!"

Liu Chonggu rode his horse quickly to the central army.

"Reporting, Commander! We encountered Beiji Wu at the village entrance. Beiji Wu single-handedly wiped out the entire vanguard. When I returned, both cavalry units were completely annihilated, and Beiji Wu is charging this way!"

Hong Enzhong quickly stopped his horse and exclaimed in alarm, "One person and one horse?"

Liu Chonggu quickly replied, "Yes! It's not far ahead. When I came back, at least two hundred people were dead!"

Just then, everyone looked into the distance and soon saw a great battle taking place on the mountain a few hundred meters away. A young man on horseback charged forward and killed all the cavalrymen who were in his way.

With the obstructing cavalry no longer blocking their view, everyone could see the terrifying man fighting a bloody battle.

"Attack together! Kill him!"

Hong Enzhong immediately gave the order!
After the general gave the order, the nearby guards did not go forward, but the nearby soldiers quickly rode over.

Arctic Martial has already killed countless people. Seeing more people rushing towards him, he coldly charged at them!

The two sides soon met. When more than a dozen spears came thrusting at him, the Arctic general, who was used to dealing with such attacks, tilted his long spear downwards and forcefully spun the heavy, long-handled weapon in his hands.

The spear aimed at the horse's head was knocked away by the long spear, and Beiji Wu raised the long spear with both hands and chopped it down at the heads of several cavalrymen.

The tip of the lance was a sharp edge resembling a longsword. Even though it had become somewhat dull from the intense fighting, it was probably well-sharpened before the battle. With the added force, it directly severed the heads of three soldiers.

This time, the person who had just fled truly felt the terror of this man.

He rode his horse toward the next person, his blood seemingly burning!
boom!
boom!
boom!
When three heads fell to the ground, and seeing the scene of corpses strewn across the ground behind the man, the ragtag soldiers, who already knew how terrifying the Arctic Martial Arts were, finally couldn't hold on any longer and quickly fled to the fields on both sides.

Seeing this, the others quickly learned from the advanced experience to save their lives.

Beiji Wu really didn't bother with the cowards in the fields on both sides and continued charging forward.

The entire army was easily defeated by Arctic Martial, just like split bamboo!

Seeing this, Hong Enzhong quickly rode his horse to the wasteland on the side.

This area is no longer part of Beitian Village; it belongs to the wasteland between Beitian Village and Hutou Town.

Beijiwu didn't know Hong Enzhong. As he passed by Hong Enzhong, he cut melons and vegetables along the way, killing those who didn't know to dodge.

"Fire arrows!"

One of the Hu (non-Han) knights shouted, ordering the others to fire arrows and kill the immobile Arctic Warrior, horse and all.

Suddenly, Beijiwu in front stopped his horse and quickly turned to look in the direction where the voice was coming from.

In an instant, dozens of people in that direction were struck as if by lightning, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Arctic Warrior charged towards them!

On the other side of the field, Hong Enzhong quickly rode his horse away, shouting, "Hurry! Retreat!"

With the commander's withdrawal, the encirclement and suppression of Arctic Wu ended in failure.

Beiji Wu fought his way from the side road to the main road, and from the main road to the official road. After changing three horses, he spat at the Wenchao border troops who had already run far away.

"You son of a bitch!"

After cursing, Beijiwu rode his horse home.

On the road, they saw a group of Hu (non-Han) knights. These Hu-looking knights quickly dismounted and knelt before Beijiwu.

"We are willing to pledge our loyalty to our master! We will fight alongside our master, even in blood and gore!!"

Ögedei Khan and his Hu brothers bowed their heads to the Northern Warrior, pledging allegiance to this fiercest man with the etiquette of the steppe.

For a century, the northern lands had been ravaged by war, with nomadic tribes killing one another, and they had long since grown accustomed to being led by fierce generals.

Moreover, the Hu people did not have the trust of the Han people, and the Hu knights, who had no chance to rise in the ranks, quickly chose a fierce man who could lead them into battle!
Looking at the hair and beards of this group of people, Beijiwu understood what was going on. These people with braids thought that he and they, with their short hair, were all barbarians.

"Okay, what's your name?"

Wokoji raised his head and said excitedly, "I am Wokoji from the Sanggan tribe of Yanmen County in the north. I used to be a centurion and became a banner chief of the Wen Dynasty two years ago. Now I am willing to serve a true warrior. You are the true master of us grassland men!"

Beijiwu smiled and said, "I am a mountain farmer, but your grasslands are indeed on the mountains, so you are not wrong."

Woko replied happily, "Yes, Master!"

Beijiwu said, "Then you will be members of the Mountain Farmers from now on. I am not xenophobic. Once you join the Mountain Farmers, you are a member of the Mountain Farmers. Now go and collect the prisoners and surrendered soldiers, and gather the frightened warhorses and the dropped weapons together. I will go back and call people over."

Woko quickly replied, "Yes, Master!"

Beijiwu returned to the village and drove out all the good-for-nothings to work.

Bei Gong Dingbian, the three Bei Tian brothers, and various men and women from the village—not one of them dared to persuade Bei Ji Wu to surrender to the government and turn himself in.

They all understood deeply that Beijiwu was never afraid of implicating everyone in their village.

They would even be killed if they dared to advise the Northern Army not to oppose the imperial court.

A large group of people got on the pirate ship and there was no way to escape.

(End of this chapter)