Chapter 60: Valuing Agriculture (IV)

In recent days, an unprecedented sight has emerged in the Tangzhou region. Merchants who used to sit in teahouses, taverns, and beauty shops, counting copper coins and keeping accounts, have now brought their children and temporarily hired laborers to the uncultivated land by the Qishui River to turn over the soil. Although it is long past the sowing season, these merchants tirelessly turn the soil and apply fertilizer, carefully tending to these fields that do not belong to them.

This has drawn the attention of many local farmers. After all, even they would not go to the barren land by the Qishui River to till and fertilize at this time. First, the original owners of these lands fled to Huainan to escape the war, and according to Tang Dynasty law, these lands should belong to the imperial court. Even if they force themselves to cultivate them, the fields will not be registered in their names. Second, it is too late to plant millet at this time; even if they turn the soil and apply fertilizer, sowing can only wait until next year. So what good would it be even if the land were given to them?

Most importantly, those doing this agricultural work are the very merchants who previously only cared about profit. Instead of staying in their shops in the city, why go to the wasteland just to make a fuss? Do they have no better things to do?

Word spread quickly that these merchants were collectively tilling the fields, and more and more nearby farmers gathered by the Qishui River to witness this once-in-a-century sight. Yet the merchants seemed utterly unconcerned by the farmers’ gaze, continuing to work the land and apply fertilizer with their laborers.

What’s more, when the merchants’ enthusiasm faded, General Li, the governor of the Tangzhou region, personally arrived with his troops to turn over the soil and apply fertilizer, working tirelessly. Some curious villagers approached to ask questions and learned that the general had already issued new land policies in the city, planning to distribute all the land along the Qishui River and the barren land behind Baiyangyuan to the local people.

This news caused a huge stir among the farmers, with praises for General Li as a living bodhisattva echoing everywhere. The reason they had shown no interest in those barren lands before was twofold: first, the imperial court had clear regulations stating that uncultivated land belonged to the government, and no one dared to claim it; second, rebel forces were increasingly advancing toward Tangzhou, and it was uncertain whether they could even keep their own fields. Who had the heart to worry about others’ lands when they were already concerned about their own?

But now things were different. It was said that a lowly soldier under the rebel general Sun Xiaozhe attempted to attack Tangzhou City, recklessly leading 5,000 cavalry to assault the city. General Li defeated them with just 3,000 cavalry, killing over 1,000 enemies and capturing more than 500.

That scoundrel fled back to Dengfeng in a hurry, praising General Li as if he were a god. From then on, the rebels never dared to provoke Tangzhou again. But General Li wasn’t satisfied with that. Taking advantage of the rebels’ fear, he captured Nanyang and Fangcheng, forming a triangular area under his control. With such a formidable army guarding their homeland, why should they worry about the rebels? General Li had declared that they wouldn’t fall until their last drop of blood was shed! As for the former issue, there was no need to worry at all. Now even the emperor and the crown prince were fleeing in panic, and Chang’an had been captured by the rebels. With the imperial court nearly gone, what use were any rules? In these times, whoever had the strongest fist determined the rules. And in Tangzhou, who had the strongest fist? Of course, it was General Li! Other places may be different, but in this territory of Tangzhou, his words were like imperial edicts! Since he said everyone was eligible to receive a plot of wasteland, why not apply? As peasants, who ever cared about having more land? With this mindset, more and more farmers went to the county office, gratefully receiving land deeds from the officers of the Jianghuai Militia. From then on, each of them was allocated twenty mu of wasteland, and the government only took 20% as tax each year. As long as there wasn’t a poor harvest, they could live comfortably and even save some grain. Once people have a goal, they strive harder—for their youth, for their livelihood. Some observant villagers even heard that the county office was recruiting local fighters. After learning about the benefits, some young men became eager to sign up. Though most of them scratched their heads after discussing it with their wives and dropped the idea, there were still some bold men who registered as required and went to the county office on the designated date. After months of training, aside from slight fatigue, these farmers didn’t experience any negative effects. Besides free meals once a day, they each received varying amounts of land based on their performance in training, ranging from five to twenty mu. This was excellent news—joining the local fighters not only provided free food but also unexpected rewards in the form of land. As for the training, the peasants saw it as a way to strengthen their bodies. They weren’t worried about fighting in battle at all—with so many regular soldiers taking the brunt of the fight, it was unlikely they’d have to wield swords and spears and fight to the death.

In other words, if things really escalated to the point where all ten thousand Jianghuai militia soldiers were killed, no one could just sit idly by; they had to fight against the rebels for a while at least. From any perspective, this was a sure thing with only benefits on their side—being idle would be foolish!

Those peasants who received land as rewards inevitably discussed it with their wives when they returned home, and women tend to be talkative. As these women chatted in the villages and alleys, all the women in the village soon knew about it. How could they keep such good news hidden? They eagerly told their husbands about it. After hearing their wives’ chatter, those men who had initially dismissed the idea of joining the local militia grew jealous.

At this point, the women would encourage their men, saying things like “It’s not about fighting for bread, but for pride.” Which man of working age in the village wasn’t full of vigor? Encouraged by their wives, the men went to the county office the next day to sign up. By the end of August, Li Kuo had gathered over five thousand local militia soldiers in the three areas. Including the ten thousand Jianghuai militia soldiers, the total number of troops under Li Kuo’s command exceeded fifteen thousand.

The rebel generals, who already distrusted Li Kuo, grew even more concerned after learning of his recruitment efforts and dared not think about attacking Tangzhou City anymore.

As days passed, the local militia soldiers had nothing to do after harvesting the wheat. With their consent, Li Kuo decided to change their training from half a day to a full day. Although the intensity of their training couldn’t compare to that of a regular army, the content remained the same—horseback archery, foot archery, close-quarters combat with weapons, and formation drills. In Li Kuo’s eyes, none of these could be omitted!

After all, though they were currently local militia soldiers, they would one day have to don armor and take up arms to defend their homes and loved ones, fighting to the death against the rebels. This was a man’s responsibility!