Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 89 Weizhou Guard

Beijiwu looked at Lü Siming kneeling on the ground and asked with a furrowed brow, "Can't we deceive the Weizhou Garrison?"

Lu Siming knelt on the ground and said, "Reporting to my master, the Weizhou Garrison was established to guard against the three towns of Jizhou. Without the emperor's order, we cannot replace the garrison there. We can only try to persuade them to surrender, or you, my master, can take action yourself."

There were also generals of the mountain peasant tribe in the house.

Ai Dake, who had recently become a middle manager, scolded, "What are you good for if the master has to do everything himself?"

Since the Arctic Martial Breakfast, the status of the mountain farmers has risen significantly.

Ai Dake also transformed from a useless person who was discriminated against by everyone into a centurion who led a hundred people.

Although he was illiterate and unable to fight, he could still deliver messages or do things that didn't require fighting or arithmetic.

We haven't selected enough talent yet, so we'll just make do with what we have for now.

However, in the event of war, talented individuals will inevitably emerge.

Many grassroots personnel also demonstrate their talents in governing cities.

Similar to Wokoji who surrendered to Beiyuanwei, Meng Hetong who surrendered to Hukoubao, and the middle and lower-class figures in Beiyuan County who have recently shown their abilities.

The mountain farmers are not only the original inhabitants of Beitian Village, but Beijiwu also has no affection for Beitian Village.

The old farmer Kitada Genya stood arrogantly to one side, a smug smile on his face. The old man always considered himself one of their own.

Woko immediately volunteered, saying, "Master! This humble general is willing to lead troops to attack the Weizhou Garrison and take the last place in the Northern Plains for you!"

Beijiwu waved his hand to signal the others to be quiet. "Although I am exceptionally brave, I am also aware of the difficulty of attacking cities and fighting battles. Since ancient times, formidable passes have been difficult to conquer. If you go there, you will only be throwing your lives away."

"Lu Siming, you are in charge of training the troops and maintaining order in the army. You have made a contribution by capturing two guards this time. I will reward you with two thousand taels of silver to reward your subordinates. I have also reserved one of the general's beauties for you. You will be rewarded for your future merits."

"Your family members probably won't die so soon. When the court negotiates peace, I'll try to find a way to save them."

Lu Siming said happily, "Thank you for your great kindness, Master! I will never forget your great kindness!"

Beiji Wu corrected him, saying, "It's fine to be loyal in private, but when there are more than five people in a meeting in the future, just use the titles of civil officials and generals. You can refer to yourselves as 'lowly subordinate generals' or 'minor generals.' It would be disrespectful to an official to refer to yourself as a slave in front of outsiders."

Lu Siming immediately kowtowed, "Yes! This servant thanks Master for his compassion!! This servant would gladly die to serve Master!"

Kitada looked down on this kind of lackey, his eyes filled with arrogance.

Beiji Wu also wanted to correct the arrogant habits of some people, so he gave instructions to everyone.

"Now that we have occupied Beiyuanwei, we have replaced our weapons and horses with new ones, and we are eating and drinking well, so we have gained a lot of strength."

“Wokoji, take a thousand men and go to Mongolia to capture some slaves. We will try to be polite first, then use force. All the Mongolians who come here to farm or herd livestock, or who are willing to join me, will have all their previous debts forgiven. I will settle their debts for them.”

"Those who are unwilling will be arrested and brought in for resettlement; only living people will be accepted."

Ögedei hurriedly replied, "Yes, Master!"

Beijiwu looked at Tuoba Niu and said, "Tuoba Niu, you take five hundred men and distribute the two thousand cattle in the city that are not currently in use. Do not extort the people, or you will be executed!"

"Any family with more than three members who does not own an ox shall be given an ox without any payment. Priority shall be given to military households without oxen. If a family has more than five members and owns an ox, an additional ox may be given."

Tuoba Niu replied, "This servant obeys!"

Basically, all two thousand cattle are distributed to military households, which is the current base of Arctic Army.

Beijiwu looked at Beitiangen and said, "Beitiangen, you take five hundred men to support Hukoubao."

“Yes!” Kitada Neya knelt down and agreed.

Beijiwu then looked at Lü Siming, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Lü Siming, go and distribute the rewards to your men first. I will have the kitchen prepare some wine and meat."

Lu Siming thanked him again, "Thank you, Master!"

Beiyuanwei, as an important military town, had a population of less than 50,000, and even with its four garrisons, the total population was less than 70,000.

The total strength is estimated to be less than 10,000, and it will not be easy for them to resist the imperial army's expedition at present.

Moreover, they also had to defend four passes simultaneously.

Beijiwu somewhat regretted getting himself into trouble, as he now had to deal with a great deal of things every day.

Thinking of his leisurely days before he had a woman, and then of his current hectic and busy life, Beijiwu sighed.

No one understood why Beijiwu sighed, but no one dared to ask.

Beijiwu touched the armrest of the hardwood chair and gently patted the chair.

"Fine, Lü Siming, write another letter to Weizhou Guard and send it over. If they are willing to surrender, I will not harm a single person. If they are not willing to surrender, don't blame me for being impolite."

Lu Siming said, "Master, please rest assured. Fang Shouxiao, the garrison commander of Weizhou Garrison, is incompetent, immoral, greedy, and cowardly. Now that all three garrisons have been captured by you, Master, you are invincible. Weizhou Garrison will surely be yours!"

Beijiwu said directly, "You send someone to deliver a message, and I will go with him. If he refuses to surrender, I will go into the city and resolve the matter here as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

"Yes!!"

Lu Siming knew that as long as Beijiwu took action, Weizhouwei would definitely not be able to hold out.

Wokoji and others also wanted to make contributions.

"Master! Your servant is willing to fight alongside you in battle!"

Beijiwu shook his head. "They're all from Beiyuan. What's the point of killing them? I'll go and persuade them to surrender. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. You all guard Hukou Fort. Even if Hukou Fort falls, don't be afraid. Just wait for me to come back."

Everyone answered in unison, "Yes, Master!"

In an era without firearms and cannons, it was extremely difficult to stop a peerless warrior.

After the fall of Kitahara Guard, spies from the city sent messages outwards.

There were still many secret sentries loyal to the imperial court in Beiyuan County, and these people began to pass on messages after Beiyuan County was captured.

Both the Great Wall and Shishankou thousand-household posts were deceived because they received the news too late.

By the time Lü Siming sent someone to persuade him to surrender, Fang Shouxiao of Weizhou Guard had already learned of the news.

Inside the Thousand Household Office, Fang Shouxiao summoned his trusted subordinates.

"The Kitahara Guard and the other three schools have already fallen into the hands of the Arctic Martial Arts. What do you think we should do?"

Yan Boyan, the advisor, said, "Sir, it is said that Beiyuanwei and Hukoubao were both lost in a night attack, and Changchengwei and Shishankou were lost due to being deceived. Now, as long as we pay more attention at night, it should not be difficult to hold them."

Fang Shouxiao didn't want to listen to this nonsense at all; he was both anxious and angry.

"So, in your opinion, the story of Beiji Wu charging up the city wall and killing countless enemies is all a lie?"

Yan Boyan hesitated. “This doesn’t seem like it. If that person wasn’t truly invincible and could take on a thousand men single-handedly, he wouldn’t have been able to capture one guard and three garrisons in just a few days.”

Fang Shouxiao was extremely flustered. He sat on the tiger-skin chair and looked around, quickly turning his gaze to his deputy.

"Commander Lin, what do you think we should do?"

Although Lin Changmao is a deputy general, he personally built the Weizhou Guard. He worked his way up from a lowly soldier to become a centurion, and now he is nearly forty years old. He has assisted three chiliarchs.

"My lord, in my humble opinion, ordinary soldiers would easily surrender to that Arctic Warrior. Now that Arctic Warrior is giving out money and silver, his men are daring to fight and kill. If we want to hold this place, we must give our men some rewards."

"Otherwise, some people will hear that others have surrendered and then follow suit, and they will not exert themselves in battle."

Fang Shouxiao immediately frowned. "Do they think I can't control them? Anyone who dares to slack off during battle will be executed without mercy!"

Seeing the situation was not good, Lin Changmao quickly defended himself, saying, "Yes! As long as you boost morale, sir, there will be no problem when the imperial army attacks Hukoubao or comes to our aid. Let's wait and see!"

Fang Shouxiao stood up and thought for a moment, then paced back and forth a couple of times before sighing, "I swear to live and die with Weizhou City, but I cannot bear to see my wife, children, and elderly parents die with me. Let them leave from the east, and I will fight to the death without any distractions!"

Lin Changmao and Yan Boyan exchanged a glance, then quickly said respectfully, "General, your righteousness is truly admirable!"

Fang Shouxiao quickly looked at the two of them.

"You may all leave now. Let the soldiers on the city wall guard the city properly. Kill a few of the lazy ones to show them what will happen to them, so they will serve obediently!"

Lin Changmao said, "Yes!"

Fang Shouxiao shook his head. "I don't trust you to handle things. With a formidable enemy at hand, I will send a military supervisor to enforce discipline. You will be stationed at the West Gate today, and you are not to leave without my orders!"

"Yes!" Lin Changmao obediently agreed.

Fang Shouxiao was somewhat satisfied then. "Go down."

Lin Changmao and Yan Boyan said in unison, "This humble servant takes his leave!"

The two walked out of the garrison together, and once they reached the main street, Yan Boyan asked, "Do you think we can hold it?"

Lin Changmao's expression was not good. "He is stingy, embezzles military rations and weapons all day long, keeps a hundred women at home, can't have children himself, so he cuts open other people's pregnant wives to bask in their good fortune, and kills people at the drop of a hat. Do you think he can be guarded against?"

Yan Boyan stopped speaking.

Both of them had strong opinions about this superior, but dared not say anything due to the intimidating power of the imperial court.

The soldiers in the city also dared not oppose this man; as long as the knife did not fall on their own bodies, they had no courage to uphold justice.

Soon, several soldiers in the city who were used to slacking off were beheaded in public by the supervising team. Hundreds of people looked at the corpses with blood flowing from their heads and necks, feeling a sense of shared sorrow, but none of them dared to say anything to the guards holding the knives.

Everyone continued to defend the city in a somber mood; those who needed to rest did so, while those who needed to patrol and stand guard continued their duties, serving their country with utmost loyalty.

Joining the army was just a way to make a living.

As long as they have food to eat, they don't want to rebel, but they also can't muster any strength.

Lin Changmao was just about to rest for a bit before going out to take night duty.

"That! That!!!"

"It's human!"

"Lord Centurion! There's a man outside!"

"Lord Centurion!"

Lin Changmao quickly climbed the city wall with his men. When they saw a young man on horseback about 200 meters ahead, they immediately realized something was wrong.

The young man was followed by only one cavalryman, who was the messenger who had just delivered the message!
Lin Changmao shouted loudly, "Who goes down below the city walls?"

"Northern Martial Arts!"

Beijiwu looked at the two or three hundred people on the city wall with dissatisfaction.

"I'll wait another hour. If they still don't open the gates and surrender, I'll storm in."

Beijiwu casually made some polite remarks, then pulled on the reins and turned the horse around to take a nap 800 meters away.

Just as Beijiwu was about to leave, Lin Changmao shouted, "If I open the door, do you dare to come in?!"

Beijiwu looked at the man with suspicion, then dismounted, carrying only a knife instead of his lance.

"Why don't you dare?"

Lin Changmao looked directly at his subordinates and ordered, "Open the door!"

The nearby henchmen were startled, "But..."

Lin Changmao said directly, "The commander is planning to escape with his family and the treasury's silver. Now he's making us stay here and not leave his side for a moment. Are you going to cover his retreat and get killed?"

"And look at that guy down there, he's got the guts to run into dragons and tigers, and I heard there's money to be made after he surrenders, and he'll share some of the silver from the treasury with us!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stopped trying to stop them.

Lin Changmao continued, "If anything happens, it's my responsibility! At worst, I'll be beheaded by the imperial court. Since he dared to break in, I've had enough of that beast. Open the door! I'm going to die with that beast!"

Seeing this, the nearby low-ranking soldiers gritted their teeth and went down together to open the door.

Beijiwu didn't know what they were talking about, but he was mentally prepared to dodge arrows, rolling logs, and various kinds of thunderstone, molten gold, and fire oil.

Not only that, after the city gate slowly opened, Beiji Wu carefully walked through this tunnel of life and death, while keeping an eye out for the thousand-pound stones that might fall at any moment and the hidden arrows that might be shot in at any moment.

This feeling is very bad; it's even more dangerous than directly attacking the city and climbing the city walls.

I thought I would be met with a barrage of arrows or be surrounded by hundreds of people as soon as I entered, but after entering the barbican, I didn't see anyone with a weapon on me.

Instead, a military officer-looking man was standing in front of them.

"Lin Changmao, a centurion of Weizhou Guard, greets the Arctic Chieftain!"

Arctic Martial looked astonished. "You're really surrendering? I thought you'd only surrender after you'd seen my strength."

Lin Changmao said respectfully, "Your courage to come alone is extraordinary. I have a request, and I humbly request your permission!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Speak, it's not a troublesome matter, as long as you don't hurt anyone."

Lin Changmao said awkwardly, "Fang Shouxiao, the commander of the Weizhou Thousand Households, oppresses the people and harms soldiers and civilians. Today, he killed several brothers in the army."

Arctic Martial asked, "Why did you kill him? What was the reason?"

Lin Changmao discovered that Beijiwu was not easy to talk to, but now that they had surrendered, there was no way out.

"Several people were lazy and negligent, and they were all beheaded."

Beijiwu said very seriously, "I think you're right. With a formidable enemy at hand, it's certainly not advisable to be lazy or slack off. Being stricter is not wrong either."

Lin Changmao realized he had shot himself in the foot and struggled to say, "This... he also killed a pregnant woman and dug out a child to eat."

Beijiwu frowned. "Is it in the past or now? If it was during the famine years a few years ago, there were too many people like this to kill. But if it's in the last two years, I can help you."

Lin Changmao quickly said, "It happened this year. More than a hundred women in his family have not given birth to a child for him. He knows he is sick, so he is thinking of making up for what he lacks."

"He ate it not only by himself, but also with his godson and family!"

Beijiwu walked towards the main street. "Our mountain farmers forbid cannibalism. In my opinion, cannibalism is the act of a wild beast. Since it is a wild beast, it is fine to kill it."

"Someone come here! Show me the way, and I'll clear the way for you all today!!"

Lin Changmao was overjoyed. This person clearly had a sound moral conscience and was very willing to do something for everyone.

"Chief, this way please! I'll show you the way!"

Lin Changmao immediately cleared a path for Beijiwu and shouted, "We surrender! Beijiwu will lead us to kill that dog of an official, Fang Shouxiao! Everyone, charge!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers standing on the nearby city walls shouted excitedly, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Beijiwu had never seen such a hated garrison commander. The other four garrisons seemed quite normal, with many loyal ministers and people willing to die in battle.

This place looks very strange. As you walk along, you find hundreds of soldiers following behind you on both sides.

Everyone abandoned the city's defenses and excitedly led Arctic Martial to kill the corrupt officials.

When Beijiwu and his group arrived at the Thousand Household Office, they saw more than a dozen carriages parked at the entrance, each with four or five large boxes on it.

There were also hundreds of panicked soldiers and drivers near the carriage.

Beijiwu shouted, "I am Beijiwu, the mountain farmer! Surrender and you will not be killed!"

Lin Changmao's personal guards immediately warned, "Sir! These bastards are the ones who helped that corrupt official bully us! The women that corrupt official wanted and the people he killed were all done with the help of these bastards!"

"Kill!" At Beiji Wu's command, hundreds of surrendered soldiers immediately swarmed forward.

Dozens of soldiers, whether personal guards or ordinary soldiers, and even a few grooms who helped with the work, were all hacked to death.

Beijiwu walked to the carriage and cleaved the seal and copper lock with a single stroke. Opening the box, he saw gleaming silver.

Nearby soldiers also witnessed this and shouted, "These corrupt officials! They actually thought of taking the silver out! They're sending us to our deaths!"

Beiji Wu was not afraid of rebellion from the surrounding people. "Men, send the silver into the treasury and surround this house! Don't kill the women. You can find that corrupt official and his cronies and deal with them yourselves. From now on, you will be the commander of this place. What was your name again?"

Arctic Martial only needs that no troops are sent here to attack or harass it; it doesn't have high demands on this place.

Lin Changmao deserves credit for surrendering and should naturally be rewarded with the rank of commander.

Lin Changmao immediately replied, "This humble servant is Lin Changmao!"

Beijiwu nodded. "From now on, you will be the garrison commander here. Each person will receive one tael of silver. You will take one hundred taels, and the person who opened the gate will take twenty taels. The rest should be put back into the treasury. No embezzlement is allowed."

Lin Changmao said happily, "Thank you, Chief!"

Beiji Wu was in a hurry to go home and deal with things, so he said, "You can make arrangements yourself. If anyone attacks here, send someone to contact me. Don't worry about the imperial court's orders. Close the east gate for now and no one is allowed to enter or leave."

"I went back at noon, and in the afternoon I sent people over to take inventory of the warehouse and supplies, and at the same time help to appease the people, about a hundred people."

"You can continue to be in charge of defending the city and training troops. Appoint some virtuous and capable people to do the work, and give those with ability a chance to rise. During this period, you must not seek revenge or kill anyone. Everything is up to me to decide!"

Lin Changmao replied, "Yes, sir!"

Just as Beiji Wu was about to leave, he suddenly heard someone inside shout, "I want to see Beiji Wu! I am Fang Shouxiao, the garrison commander of Weizhou! I want to see Beiji Wu!"

Beijiwu ignored the man, strode out, jumped three or four meters high to the roof, and then ran and jumped forward quickly like a parkour performer.

Lin Changmao and the others looked over and saw that Beiji Wu had run to the city wall in just a few breaths, stepped onto the wall, and disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Don't kill me! I surrender! I surrender!"

Fang Shouxiao shouted loudly, hoping to be taken back to the court as a loyal subject, but he was soon to be torn to pieces by a group of officers and soldiers who had once oppressed him!

If it weren't for the strict prohibition against cannibalism among the mountain tribe, a group of people would have loved to eat him!

The town of Kitahara, consisting of four settlements, finally fell.

(End of this chapter)