Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 86 Kitahara Guard 2
Inside the General's Mansion, Beiji Wu had just sat down when Beigong Dingbian arrived with several people.

"Chief, these two people say they know you and have come to pay their respects."

Beijiwu looked at the newcomer and realized it was the official who had collected taxes earlier.

Li Wenjin knelt down and shouted, "Greetings, Clan Chief! This servant is Li Wenjin, the centurion of the city, and this is Shi Wenyuan, the banner chief. We two are willing to join the Mountain Farmer Clan and serve the Clan Chief!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Alright, then continue to be a centurion and a flag chief."

Shi Wenyuan raised his head and looked at Beijiwu.

"Clan Chief," Shi Wenyuan said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This servant is in charge of land taxes and poll taxes in this city. I know a little about the affairs of the city, and I can also write and do arithmetic. If you need anything, Clan Chief, this servant is willing to serve you."

"Haha!" Beijiwu laughed heartily, "Good! Then you'll be the county's registrar from now on. Do you know how many people there are in this city?"

Shih Wen-yuan had known this for a long time.

"Reporting to the clan chief, there are more than 5,000 registered soldiers in the city, many of whom are reinforcements from several nearby garrisons. There are 16,000 military households and their families, 1,300 craftsmen, blacksmiths, laborers, grooms, doctors, and 4,000 grain merchants, cloth merchants, traveling merchants, and commoners."

"The city has a population of about 28,000, which should include some unregistered prostitutes and Hu slaves, or newborn children."

“There are probably less than 20,000 people outside the city, scattered in many places throughout the county.”

"The warehouse has 20,000 shi of grain, 5,000 shi of bean feed, 2,000 warhorses, 60,000 taels of silver, and 11,000 guan of copper coins."

"There are also thirty-five beauties. The General has kept six beautiful concubines and ten singing girls. Several households and commanders also keep many beauties, among which the General's concubines and singing girls are the most beautiful."

Shi Wenyuan deliberately focused on the key points while carefully observing the young hero's expression.

Arctic Martial smiled and said, "You are indeed a capable person. The pleasures of women are the grave of heroes. Now is the time to do great things. Indulging in women will only delay important matters."

Shi Wenyuan quickly lowered his head, "Yes! The clan leader is wise! This servant admires the master's heroic spirit!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Too many women will be a hindrance, but life needs some variety. Call all the women without men to my courtyard, and I will choose one carefully. The rest will be rewarded to those who have made contributions. You two are very loyal, so each of you can choose one."

The two men excitedly kowtowed to Beijiwu.

"Thank you, Master!"

"This servant is eternally grateful!"

Arctic Martial smiled and said, "Just call me Master in private, but when we meet or discuss things, call me Chief."

Li Wenjin and Shi Wenyuan quickly knelt down with joy: "Yes! Master!"

Bei Gong Dingbian, who was listening nearby, also became excited and nervously watched Bei Jiwu.

"Master! I have already sent people to escort the people back. Has the grain from the village also been transported here?"

Bei Gong Dingbian wasn't concerned about food supplies; he was just looking for an excuse to say something that would make him feel important.

Beiji Wu understood what this man was thinking and said directly, "Aside from riding around on horseback these past few times, have you accomplished anything? I'm not one to hog all the credit. I'll go first when there's trouble, and I'm always the first to lead the charge in attacking cities and breaking through enemy lines."

“I’ll eat meat and you can drink soup too. I won’t be stingy with the rewards you deserve. But tell me, what makes you so convincing? You’re illiterate and can’t govern a village. You always hide in battle. Let’s talk about it after you’ve made some contributions.”

"Your wife has already given you a son, so just keep having sons. If you have five children, I'll give you a widow to continue having children for you."

Bei Gong Dingbian's face flushed. Although he had participated in several major battles, he had only played a minor role throughout.

It wasn't that he was cowardly; it was just that every time, Beijiwu led his men to end the battle very quickly.

"Don't worry, Master! I will definitely fight on the front lines next time!"

Bei Gong Dingbian did not do it for women, but to regain his dignity.

Beijiwu nodded and said, "Alright, go down. I'll give you the position of centurion. If you make a contribution, you'll be promoted to commander of a thousand. If you keep riding around on horseback all day without knowing what to do, then go back to Beitian Village and farm!"

Bei Gong Dingbian replied, somewhat resentfully, "Yes!!"

"Get out of here," Arctic Martial ordered, dismissing the three lackeys.

"Yes, Master." The three respectfully took their leave.

Shortly after Bei Jiwu sat down, a maid brought over tea.

"Master, please have some tea."

Looking at the delicate woman who brought the tea, Beijiwu knew that she was a servant from the General's mansion.

"Go down, I still have matters to discuss," Beijiwu reminded him. "Go and tidy up my sleeping area."

"Yes," the maid replied and withdrew.

Beijiwu looked at the steaming hot tea and poured it directly onto the ground.

The tea on the ground looked fine, and Beijiwu took the silver to test it, and there was no problem with that either.

But it's just collapsed, so it's not a big loss.

After the mountain farmers arrive, the cooking will be done by our own people.

A few minutes later, the banner chief, Liu Chonggu, entered. Upon entering, Liu Chonggu quickly knelt down, saying, "This servant greets his master!"

Beijiwu was amused. "You've met Shi Wenyuan?"

Liu Chonggu hurriedly replied, "Master is incredibly insightful. This servant did indeed see Shi Wenyuan when I entered the room just now."

Beijiwu knew that Shi Wenyuan had told Liu Chonggu how to address him.

"Alright, we're all on the same side, so I won't beat around the bush. I can tell you're someone who wants to do something. Right now, the city is short-handed. Would you be willing to take on the role of centurion and do something beneficial for our brothers and fellow villagers, both in and out of the city?"

Liu Chonggu immediately replied, "This servant is willing!! Thank you so much, Master!"

Beijiwu said, "Alright, you're now the centurion. I've always been a fair person when it comes to rewards and punishments. You'll lead the men to maintain order. Don't be afraid of offending anyone. If anything happens, I'll help you teach those unruly, bullying men and women a lesson!"

"All military households whose families are destitute will be properly settled. They will be given tasks such as weaving and spinning, with food and lodging provided, and rice and copper coins given. If they are interested, we can also help them find a spouse."

“The military prostitutes were also sent to work in cotton mills or married off to unmarried men over thirty years old.”

"From now on, I will arrange marriages for the sons of soldiers. There will be no more prostitutes in the camp, so as not to disrupt the morale of the troops and cause them to fight each other."

Liu Chonggu quickly replied, "Yes, sir!"

Beijiwu then said, "From now on, you will be responsible for supervising the other thousand and hundred households. If anyone embezzles military pay or rations, or steals other people's women, just report to me! I am the only chief of the mountain farmers, and everyone else is my servant. You don't need to worry about offending anyone."

"Anyone who dares to disagree, I'll teach them a lesson!"

Liu Chonggu suddenly felt that being a servant was nothing, and happily replied, "Yes, Master!"

Beijiwu had no time to admire the beauty; he began to give orders to each person.

Mu Chuanliang entered, knelt down, and called out, "Master!"

Beijiwu instructed, "The Wenchao army will definitely regroup and come back. What the city needs right now is stability. I'm not worried about the outside world. The most troublesome are the merchants and military households in the city."

"Go to the grain shops, cloth shops, and wine shops in the city and tell them that they are operating normally. Just do what they used to do. If you want to leave, just pay the taxes according to the old rules and you can go."

Mu Chuanliang replied, "Yes!"

Beijiwu then instructed, "Tell the craftsmen to produce more bows and arrows and spears. If they need anything, just tell the registrar or come directly to the general's mansion to find me."

"Yes, Master!" Mu Chuanliang knew that he was about to embark on something big!

After feeling that it was about time, Bei Jiwu walked out of the General's Mansion and headed to the Treasury Courtyard.

Several thousand households have already arrived.

"Greetings, Chieftain!!" The thousand-household chiefs and hundred-household chiefs all knelt down to greet their master.

Besides Lü Siming, who had already left, the Beiyuan Guard had four more commanders.

Wokoji led his troops into battle, daring to fight to the death.

Kitada Negi was somewhat cowardly, but he fought alongside his three sons and did not run away.

Tuoba Niu promptly relayed messages and rallied his friends to offer strategies for attacking Hukoubao.

And Meng Hetong, who successfully captured Hukoubao and remained loyal.

Beiyuanwei has a large population, and its treasury contains a large amount of supplies such as iron pots and ironware, as well as enough swords, spears, and armor for 5,000 people, along with rice, fodder, and various winter supplies.

Of course, the most important things are silver and copper coins.

Beijiwu stood at the door and nodded to the four thousand-household commanders and more than fifty hundred-household commanders.

"Pay this month's military pay today, and from now on, pay will be paid on the 15th of each month!"

"Ordinary soldiers receive one tael per month."

"Two ounces for the flag!"

"Five taels for every hundred households!"

"Ten taels for every thousand households!"

"From now on, I can take two days off every month to reunite with my family."

"Those who fight on the battlefield will be given priority for promotion! They will be allocated land and housing, and given wives!"

Beijiwu was very generous in distributing money, taking out more than 10,000 taels of silver from the Beiyuanwei's treasury and fines, including compensation for those who died in battle.

Even if someone was killed by Arctic Martial Arts, Arctic Martial Arts still provided compensation to appease the deceased's family.

In just one day, the people inside and outside the city and in the distant villages all knew that the newly occupied mountain farmers were honest and hardworking new masters.

The beautiful maids and dancers from the General's Mansion were also given away by Beijiwu to his subordinates. Since he didn't particularly like any of them, and since they had all been used by others, he distributed them equally among more than thirty people.

(End of this chapter)