Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 98 Inheritance Law

Motivated by the hereditary system, many people also love to show off.

With nothing to do, Beijiwu found some things to do to pass the time, euphemistically calling it patrolling.

Under the watchful eye of Arctic Warrior, the craftsmen replaced the horseshoes on a jet-black, robust warhorse.

After watching for half an hour, someone came over to report on the work.

Ai Dake bowed respectfully, "Master, this servant has already counted the population of the entire county."

Bei Jiwu continued watching others work, and said softly, "Tens of thousands of people now?"

The county's population has always been an estimate, and the major battles only involved fighting within the military, without harming the civilian population.

It's possible that some people fled over mountains and valleys, while others concealed their identities; a more detailed count is needed.

Shi Wenyuan did this job; Ai Dake's job mainly involved running errands, as well as inspections and reporting.

"Reporting to the master, there are currently 47,735 households and 78,116 people."

Arctic military discovered that the actual population was 10,000 to 20,000 fewer than they had estimated.

Concealing population figures?

Probably not.

The actual number of people determines the amount of land granted as a reward; each additional person means several more acres.

"How come there are so few?"

Beijiwu asked casually, because he didn't want to think too much and had accepted so many people's questions.

Fewer people are easier to manage.

Ai Dake explained, "During the war, some people took advantage of the chaos to kill and rob, resulting in the deaths of many people. After the situation stabilized, many of them were executed."

"Hmm." Arctic Martial didn't say anything more.

The Arctic Warriors only fought against government troops, but after the order was out of control, many local ruffians and scoundrels emerged from the villagers and began to make money by taking advantage of the situation.

Amid the turmoil, many people began to save themselves. After things stabilized, the scourges in each village were identified and eliminated.

Many of the loan sharks and those who colluded with officials in the city were killed.

Many of those who took advantage of the chaos to rob, like those from Ma Tuchai's family, were also killed to maintain order.

If good people are selected based on the standard of being a good person, then most people in and around the city will die, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that nine out of ten houses will be empty.

Currently, as long as one doesn't commit crimes or cause trouble, one can continue to be a law-abiding citizen of Shannong County.

They burned the land, reclaimed wasteland, dug ditches to bring water, built houses and livestock pens, collected fodder, and built brick kilns.

Shannong County is in dire need of reconstruction, and there are too many things to do. Beijiwu is also too lazy to spend time on women.

"Li Hong is pregnant, and Jiang Rong is pregnant too. If Gao Conglian isn't pregnant in three months, let her take the dog back. How many women do you have now?"

Arctic Martial enjoyed another man's wife for three or four months, and now plans to enjoy her for another three months before returning her to the original owner.

After all, she was someone else's wife, and Beijiwu felt he didn't need that many women.

Ai Dake hurriedly knelt on the ground. He had just married two beautiful wives, both of whom were pretty girls that the general had slept with.

“How dare I use anything that my master has used? I already have two wives at home, so let them continue to serve my master! Whether they are maids or kitchen helpers, it is all my master’s kindness!”

Judging from the current trend of women being distributed in the city, Ai Dake felt that if Gao Conglian returned, both of his beloved concubines would be forcibly given away to others.

Money, grain, and women will be distributed; all previous debts will be cancelled. If Li Laiyong wins, everyone, including the surrendered soldiers and the defending civilians, will have no way to survive.

Seeing that Ai Da Ke was unwilling to accept a woman he had used, Bei Ji Wu stopped pressuring her.

"Alright, let her continue working at the county government office."

"Thank you, Master!" Ai Dake breathed a sigh of relief.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when Arctic Martial Arts came up with another tough move.

Beijiwu said, "As the chieftain, it's normal for me to keep a few female slaves. But you don't fight wars, unlike me who sits in the county government and has time to relax. If you keep too many women, they will inevitably seduce other men. I only need one."

"You can raise more if you want, and you can go to war next time."

"I'll give you six months. Whichever one can get pregnant, you can keep. If you both get pregnant, you'll have to endure hardship to enjoy life. You'll be at the forefront when we go to war."

Ai Dake immediately replied, "Yes, Master! This servant is willing to fight!"

Ai Dake, who was originally timid and unwilling to fight, now dares to talk about fighting after having a thousand men under his command.

Arctic Martial thought that this good-for-nothing was probably unaware of the dangers of the battlefield.

It seems we need to clarify the inheritance law: if the father dies, the son inherits; if the elder brother dies, the younger brother inherits; and if there are no men left in the family, the women inherit.

Women inheriting the family property also have to fight. If they can't fight themselves, they send a capable woman to lead the troops. In short, they have to complete military tasks and pay blood taxes. Furthermore, in order to preserve the mobilization capacity and military expenses within the territory, families with many children cannot receive too much when dividing the inheritance.

Land and military households can only be inherited, not divided as family property.

They did not practice primogeniture; instead, they selected only those skilled in archery and horsemanship who could lead troops into battle.

Then, a popular election was held, in which a thousand families within the territory voted to decide their new lord by watching the equestrian, archery, and martial arts skills of several potential heirs, as well as their future development plans for the territory.

Arctic Martial Arts decided to bring up this matter at the next first-day meeting. Nowadays, most of them are military households, so various government orders are implemented very quickly.

"Is there anything else? If not, you can leave."

Ai Dake raised his head and respectfully announced the good news, "We've found a coal mine in the mountains, and we can start mining now."

Arctic Wu had already found an iron ore mine ahead of time, and it was even a well-functioning official ironworks.

The primary task of frontier garrisons was defense, and the maintenance and manufacture of weapons, swords, arrowheads, and armor were essential needs.

If there were iron ore resources nearby, the imperial court would organize mining and smelting.

Beiyuan Guard had an Ordnance Bureau, which was responsible for weapons manufacturing. It was usually equipped with blacksmiths and military craftsmen who used local or transported iron to make weapons and distribute them to nearby garrisons.

Tongzhou Sanwei is located in the Lüliang Mountains and is rich in mineral resources. However, the resources in Jinzhou are under the supervision of the Prince of Jin and the imperial court, so technicians cannot arbitrarily expand production or make changes.

Basically, the weapons, armor, iron pots, and farm tools of the Tongzhou Three Guards, as well as weapons from Mongolia and Liaodong, all came from the imperial court and Jinzhou merchants.

"Alright, let's start mining coal. Send a few people from the military craftsmen's office to take a look. We'll use coal to smelt iron from now on."

Coal produces toxic gases when it burns, but there are many ways to solve this problem. The approach is definitely correct; now it's up to the others to come up with a solution.

Beijiwu thought of something else, "Go tell Wokoji and Tuoba Niu not to rob merchants. When they encounter merchants, tell them that there will still be a trade every half month. They can exchange female slaves and girls for iron pots and tea, or they can come directly to us to buy iron knives, swords and armor."

Without the control of the imperial court, the iron trade would become much larger.

"Yes!"

After Beijiwu and Ai Dake left, he also went back to rest.

"It's a pity that tea can't be grown here, otherwise we could have developed the Tea Horse Road."

Tea was more popular than coal, iron, and salt in this era. It was an essential item for the grassland people, and its comprehensive value was irreplaceable. It could be used directly as currency.

Arctic Martial didn't bother to think too much about it. Anyway, at worst, he could just go out and rob someone or fight a bunch of people to solve all the problems.

Firepower can solve all problems.

As soon as I got back to the courtyard, I saw Li Hong and the others sunbathing and washing clothes.

"gentlemen!"

Several little girls greeted Beijiwu happily as soon as they saw him enter.

Since moving to the county, the women in the family have been unable to leave the courtyard, and can only talk and play in the courtyard by themselves every day.

This small courtyard will be their home for life.

Li Hong walked over with a happy smile on her face.

As the first woman to become pregnant, Li Hong not only proved that she could have a child, but also that Bei Jiwu's body was fine.

Xiulan, Jiang Rong, and Gao Conglian often touched their bellies, filled with anticipation.

"Sir," Li Hong greeted Beijiwu gently.

Beijiwu, who has always had moral flaws, laughed and said, "From now on, call me master. You are all my people. From now on, you can just call yourselves slaves and lowly servants."

"I was just planning to send Conglian and the others back because they can't have children, but it turns out that Ai Dake already has two new lovers and doesn't want the old ones anymore."

Gao Conglian, who was originally happy, suddenly felt embarrassed and sad, but also a little smug and relieved.

Now I don't need to go back. From now on, I'm a legitimate female slave!
"Yes! I understand," Li Hong replied with a smile.

Gao Conglian quickly replied, "Yes, Master! This humble servant understands!"

Surrounded by the crowd, Beijiwu entered the house and saw the puppy playing inside.

“Let your son stay here for a few more months, and then I’ll send him back after my baby is born.”

The wicked Arctic Warrior is about to have his own child. The poor puppy can only stay here for a maximum of ten months before going home to face a stepmother who beats the child.

Jiang Rong served Bei Jiwu along with the others. While sleeping in the same bed with Bei Jiwu, she also thought about her poor son.

[Sigh! I wonder how Mu Lin's stepmother will treat him. When he's a little older, I'll try to find him a job with the master so he can inherit the thousand households as soon as possible.]

Jiang Rong lay down next to Bei Jiwu, now only hoping to give birth to a son as soon as possible to solidify her current position. She hoped it would be a son, not a daughter.

(End of this chapter)