Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 67 Recruitment
Beitian Village

Beijiwu practices riding skills on horseback near the village.

Beijiwu, riding a fine horse, felt the power of the warhorse beneath him.

"You can't feel the difference when you're walking slowly, but you can clearly feel the difference when you're fighting or running fast. No wonder a good horse is ten times more expensive than an ordinary horse. There's a reason why it's expensive."

Beijiwu discovered that the Western Region horse he was riding was much better than the ordinary Northwest horse, with differences in both size and endurance.

Those ten horses made a killing!
In a good mood, Beijiwu rode his horse, holding a long wooden pole with an iron knife attached, and casually practiced his slashing movements.

It's too difficult to get a good weapon, so I'll just use whatever I have for now.

Arctic Martial was contemplating how to charge and retreat quickly and effectively.

The good horses under my command shouldn't be considered warhorses; they always feel less agile than my own on the ground.

Riding on horseback actually makes you less effective in combat; at best, you can run faster and have a better vantage point.

"Forget it, let's focus on improving our foot combat skills first. My stamina is better than a horse's. If we're surrounded, I can fight my way through more easily by pushing hard on the ground, and I can also avoid being attacked from the shadows."

"What I fear most right now is a barrage of arrows."

"We should prepare helmets and armor, but are we really going to rebel?"

Arctic Wu was still undecided. His current geographical location was too awkward; if he rebelled, he would definitely be besieged.

Unless they flee to the grasslands, but that would make life even more difficult.

Rebellion isn't about suffering.

Beijiwu pondered his future path, wanting to go south, north, east, or west, but unfortunately, the imperial court wouldn't allow people like them to live in good places.

"Chief! Someone's coming from outside!"

Beijiwu heard a young man's voice; it was Old Zhang's son riding over on horseback to deliver the message.

"Okay! I'll go take a look!"

Beijiwu rode his horse from the west end of the village to the east end, and upon reaching the village entrance, he saw the procession approaching from afar.

The team of more than ten people posed no threat to Kitada Village, and Beijiwu waited quietly.

Tuoba Niu led the villagers on horseback to a place ten meters away from Beijiwu, where they dismounted.

"Master Wu! I've arrived! I've also inquired in the city, and so far no one has reported it to the authorities."

Beijiwu nodded. He would take it one step at a time. If the government really wanted to attack him, then there was no need to hesitate. He should leave when necessary.

If you don't leave, then take care of the people in the village; they can be used as your subordinates in the future.

If you don't have any subordinates, you'll have to do all the work yourself, which certainly won't be considered carefree.

Beijiwu, who once lived alone for a year, was quite certain that he could indeed live comfortably and easily on his own, but it was just too boring.

With more subordinates, there will be more fun and enjoyment, so it doesn't matter if you're a little tired.

Before long, the women riding donkeys and the slaves on foot approached.

Ma Tuchai glanced at Beijiwu and found that this young man was incredibly powerful, unlike the mountain king she had imagined.

Tuoba Niu explained, "These three are Tatar slaves. The man is called Arutai, the woman is his wife, and the short one is his son."

Beijiwu nodded. "Since they're a family of three, let's put them together. Do you think these three can understand me?"

“Sure.” Tuoba Niu said as if introducing livestock, “These three can all work. The woman is pregnant this month. The man can raise horses and cattle. The woman can cook, make leather, and shear sheep. The child can ride horses, herd sheep, and raise sheep.”

Beijiwu said to the three reserved Mongol slaves, "I am Beijiwu, the chieftain of this tribe. Although you are slaves, if you behave well, no one will bully you. You will not go hungry, and we will provide each family of three with a house to live in. From now on, behave well and work for me."

Arughtai and his wife quickly knelt down, "Yes! Thank you, Chief!"

Little Arutai also knelt down, looking at this mountain farmer man who was said to have killed many people.

Beijiwu then looked at the four women, "Why are there four women?"

Before Tuoba Niu could introduce them, Ma Tuchai took the initiative to speak.

"My name is Tuchai, and this is my husband, Ma Qing. We are planning to return to a nearby county, but it is getting late, and we would like to ask if you could help us stay here for the night?"

Beiji Wu frowned. "Why would you be staying here all night? Just tell me what you do. Don't make me guess. I'm the kind of person who'd rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. If you upset me, you might not have time to explain or make amends." With a sharp weapon in hand, Beiji Wu didn't need to be particularly fierce. Ma Qing, who already knew Beiji Wu's character, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.

"Grandpa, spare me! Grandpa, spare me!" Ma Qing couldn't hold out for even a minute against this murderous tyrant.

Ma Tuchai realized she had messed up. The man in front of her was ridiculously powerful, and trying to outsmart him with her little bit of cleverness was tantamount to courting death.

“This is Ma Tuchai, my younger brother Ma Qing.” Ma Tuchai took out a bundle. “There are 147 taels of silver here. I would like to ask Master Wu a question.”

Arctic Martial felt that something was wrong with this world; making money was too easy.

"What's the matter? I know quite a lot, so feel free to ask me anything."

Arctic Martial acted very magnanimously, clearly wanting the money.

Ma Tuchai held the assets she had transferred in both hands and looked at Beijiwu.

"May I ask, Master Wu, there are rumors in the city that five people have come to Beitian Village. Are you aware of this?"

Beiji Wu said indifferently, "How would I know what others say? But it is true that five debt collectors came to me. I killed them, burned them to ashes, and buried them in the ground."

Ma Qing, kneeling on the ground, was trembling all over.

People nearby dared not look at Arctic Martial Arts.

Ma Tuchai breathed a sigh of relief, finally confirming her husband's death and no longer worrying about him suddenly reappearing as her husband.

"Master Wu, aren't you afraid the government troops will come and arrest you?"

Beiji Wu said indifferently, "I killed people, so it's normal for them to come and kill me too. But I don't want to die, so it's normal for me to kill them as well. It just depends on who has the ability."

"If you've got the guts, then come on."

"We all made our way through fighting and killing; we can't just rely on words to punish evil and promote good, or to keep the area safe."

Beijiwu felt neither guilt nor fear.

Ma Tuchai had no intention of seeking revenge either; she knew very well what kind of business her husband was in.

Ma Tuchai tossed the bundle in her hand to Beijiwu, "Catch!"

She wanted to show off, but the bag was too heavy. It fell to the ground after being thrown more than two meters away, still several meters away from Beijiwu.

Tuoba Niu bent down to pick up the bundle and handed it to Beiji Wu.

Beijiwu didn't take it, but glanced down at it and said, "Open it and take a look."

"Yes, Master Wu!" Tuoba Niu had no sense of security whatsoever; he was neither afraid of being poisoned nor of any accidents.

Beiji Wu didn't remind him, and just watched as Tuoba Niu opened the bundle, revealing what was inside.

Silver hairpin, bracelet, gold necklace, broken silver, official silver, account book, steamed bun, scissors.

Beijiwu glanced at it. He was originally too lazy to rob a woman of her money, but after seeing the ledger, he noticed the words "Yang Family Ledger".

"Who are those five people to you?"

Beijiwu asked directly, raising his long sword.

Ma Tuchai quickly replied, "They are my husband and father-in-law. Now I have nowhere to go and no one to rely on in the city. I want to ask Lord Wu for a place to stay."

Beijiwu said, "No need. You can go. Take the money and live your own life. Your man's loan sharking has ruined many families. He was also thinking of kidnapping other people's wives to sell. I didn't hesitate for a moment when I killed him."

Ma Tuchai looked at Beiji Wu with great surprise, never expecting that Beiji Wu had this side to him.

"Master Wu, you are wise. My brother and I have nowhere else to go. We are now carrying a large sum of money and we are at the mercy of others wherever we go. Why don't you consider this money as our filial piety and allow us to stay here for a while?"

Beijiwu looked Ma Tuchai up and down. "Can you write?"

Ma Tuchai nodded, "Yes, I can do some bookkeeping and accounting."

“Alright, then you can stay at my house.” Beijiwu looked at Ma Qing kneeling on the ground. “What can your brother do? I don’t keep idle people here.”

Ma Tuchai replied, "He is timid and doesn't know how to fight or kill. He usually works at the rice shop."

“Then go manage the granary.” Beijiwu found him a suitable job. “You’ll live in our village’s granary. Food and lodging will be provided. I’ll find you a wife later.”

(End of this chapter)