Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 93 Peace Negotiation
After a fierce battle, Beijiwu, covered in sweat, sat on a box, panting.

"How many are still capable of fighting?"

Beijiwu felt so exhausted he was about to collapse; it was more tiring than tilling ten acres of land.

Meng Hetong stood nearby and looked around. "We lost more than two thousand men this time. Not many infantrymen died, but the cavalry suffered heavy losses."

Beijiwu remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly stood up and looked around.

"How many of Wenchao's troops are left? How many of those who came in haven't surrendered yet?"

Meng Hetong replied, "I don't know, but there are several thousand laborers transporting supplies on the rear road, five or six thousand of whom died during the siege, and three or four thousand of the newly arrived five thousand cavalry have also surrendered."

"I don't know how many archers and infantry shieldmen died or how many surrendered, but the thousand iron cavalry surrendered after being surrounded, so there shouldn't be many left."

Beijiwu nodded. "After we rest for a bit, we'll count the bodies, give our men a proper burial, and have people from the city and nearby villages come and help. We'll give each person one tael of silver as wages so our men can get some rest."

"Yes!" Meng Hetong said again, "Let the surrendered soldiers do it, and the laborers are also strong, which will save money."

Beijiwu laughed and said, "The war is temporarily over. These people will be ours from now on. Give each of them one hundred wen (a unit of currency) as wages. Have Wenchao's supply corps start cooking. We'll be eating horse meat again today."

People nearby chuckled; ever since they started following Arctic Martial Arts, everyone had grown to hate eating horse meat.

The farmers were driven over to do things: some dug holes, some cooked, and some stripped off clothes.

Those who are one's own people will be buried with their clothes on, while those who are outsiders will be stripped naked.

Fifteen minutes after Meng Hetong left, Ai Dake came over.

"My lord, many members of the Kitada family have died in battle, and only Kitada Tora is left as a man in the Kitada family."

Bei Jiwu casually said, "From now on, Bei Tianhu will be a commander of a thousand households. He will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and a hundred acres of land."

Ai Dake added, "We also learned from the prisoners that among them was a member of the royal family, the emperor's younger brother's son, who was also a prince. He has now been imprisoned in the city's jail."

Beijiwu thought for a few seconds, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. First, clean up the mess, bury our people properly, and take 10,000 taels of silver from the treasury as compensation for their families. If their families aren't here, remember their names and find a way to give them to their families later."

"The injured should go into the city to rest and recuperate. Doctors should treat the wounded, and all kinds of medicines can be used freely."

"Send someone to inform the four garrisons that the battle here has been won, and that 20,000 men and a large amount of supplies have been captured, so that they can guard the garrisons with peace of mind."

Ai Dake respectfully replied, "Yes!"

Although there were many things to do, Ai Dake didn't have to do much; he delegated most of the tasks to his subordinates.

The laborers, porters, and craftsmen who had previously stayed put and not been fighting were now busy.

The men and women in the city began cooking and delivering food and wine to the military households outside.

With the army no longer besieging the city, the Beiyuan Guard had won a victory, and everyone inside naturally breathed a sigh of relief.

The surrendered soldiers were recruited and registered, and the corpses on the ground were sorted out to distinguish between friend and foe, then buried separately and handed over to the city residents for identification according to their identities.

Arctic warriors waited for civil officials to tally the finances.

More than an hour later, flag chiefs came one after another to report various information.

Previously, there were fewer than 10,000 soldiers capable of fighting, but now the number of soldiers recruited, including both ragtag and regular troops, exceeds 10,000.

There were also 20,000 logistics troops, scouts, clerks, army doctors, and even camp prostitutes.

3000 carts, 6000 cattle, and 2 horses.

There were seven or eight thousand cavalrymen alone. Elite cavalrymen couldn't possibly have only one horse. There were countless dead horses, and more than twenty thousand live horses.

There are 600 iron pots, one pot for every 100 people. Elite troops usually have more as spares.

The registrar rode over on horseback, accompanied by several men dressed as clerks.

"Chieftain, I have inquired and found out that the army carried 200,000 taels of silver with them on this expedition for rewards and military supplies. 100,000 taels were placed in Tiger Mouth Fortress, and 50,000 taels were in the baggage train. I just checked, and there are 50,000 taels in four carts!" Beiji Wu thought the army was only carrying military rations and weapons, but he didn't expect them to also carry money, and even more outrageous, 200,000 taels.

Do they only pay wages when there's a war?
If there are 50,000 people, and each person receives one tael, that's 50,000

You can't just pay people one or two taels of silver to fight a war; you need at least ten taels... that would be five hundred thousand.

If we only consider the elite and regular troops, and each of the more than 10,000 men received ten taels of silver, with the rest embezzled by the centurions and generals, then that would be about right.

Without payment, mere verbal promises won't convince soldiers who are willing to risk their lives.

After returning, no one had another chance to see the general.

If you want someone to risk their life for you, you have to pay them cash upfront.

"Keep them safe and transport them to the city for safekeeping. Leave ten boxes outside the city. Register them according to the names on the backpacks. After the families come out to claim them and verify that there are no problems, give each of the deceased brothers fifty taels of silver to their families."

Shi Wenyuan was startled. "Fifty taels...isn't that too much? Ten taels would be enough."

Beijiwu said directly, "Those who risk their lives should be paid for it. Let the wounded brothers recover in peace. I will not forget them. The brothers who have made contributions, please wait quietly. Let's clean up the battlefield first. After verifying the merits, the rewards will be distributed."

"Yes!" Shi Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief, which was good for explaining things to the families of the deceased.

Although the death of a man or son in the family is a sad thing, it's still fifty taels!

Fifty taels of silver can buy six or seven cows!

Many people can't save up fifty taels in their entire lives.

After resting for a while, Beijiwu stood up and said, "Pack up the bodies of that prince and that general from this time. I'm going to Hukoubao."

Shi Wenyuan didn't know what Beijiwu was planning, but all signs indicated that he was a brave and resourceful ruler.

"Yes! I will obey the clan chief's orders!"

Many people surrendered, and Arctic weapons were used directly. There were also some who did not surrender but did not die.

Wan Yong is that kind of person.

Having killed many people and been on the battlefield many times, Wan Yong thought he was not afraid of death, but he didn't know what was wrong with him. He just didn't have the courage to end his own life.

Suicide is not an easy thing to do; it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.

Wan Yong rode his horse in a daze, staring at Li Laiyong's corpse lying flat not far away.

Bei Jiwu approached Wan Yong and said politely, "Don't worry, I'm easy to talk to. We were enemies before, and fighting on the battlefield is normal."

"Now that the war has ended, I also want to continue the peace. Later, take General Li's body and leave from Hukoubao. Go back to Wenchao and bring back a letter for me. I do not want to continue fighting with the South."

“If they are willing to offer me amnesty and allow me to continue living here, then I will guard this place and prevent other barbarians from passing through.”

"I will continue to govern this area and am willing to submit to the Wen Dynasty. Whether the court recognizes my status as a foreign state or appoints me as a hereditary county magistrate or marquis, it's all fine."

“I don’t want to continue fighting, and I don’t want you and the Hu and Han people here to wear mourning clothes. Before, I was honestly in the mountains. It was the general of Beiyuan Guard who insisted on killing me. After I defeated his two thousand men, I thought of returning those soldiers in exchange for some food. I never thought of becoming a big shot.”

“It was your general who was unreasonable and insisted on killing me. He didn’t care about the lives of the surrendered soldiers and refused to ransom them. I had no choice but to become powerful in order to protect myself.”

"Now I am just trying to protect myself in this small county and I just want to live a peaceful life. If you continue to be unreasonable and continue to fight, then I will never mention peace talks again."

"If you want to continue the war, I will move south and east. Do you think Tongzhou, Jinzhou, and Jizhou can stop me?"

"I am now willing to submit a petition to apologize and surrender, and to negotiate peace so that everyone can have a peaceful New Year. I have no need to feign surrender. Taking your garrisons and cities is as easy as turning my hand."

"If the court doesn't trust me, I can send my brother and sister-in-law to the capital as hostages."

(End of this chapter)