Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 50 Bah!
The wheels rumbled, the horses neighed, and the army of thousands was defeated.

He wore a purple silk turban and brocade clothes.

Gold and silver woven belts, colorful woven shoes.

Holding feather instruments in hand, he played military music.

Thousands of female cavalrymen, like a beautiful landscape, came from the direction of Yecheng.

They were surrounded by a huge carriage with gold and silver edges, pearls and jade decorations, and silk curtains.

Shi Hu, the Heavenly King of Zhao, whose body was as fat as a wild boar king, sat in the carriage with his eyes closed to rest.

"King~~~"

Yan Sheng, the Imperial Court Assistant Minister, reported from outside the imperial carriage, "The Crown Prince and his generals are waiting to welcome you three miles away."

After a long while, Shi Hu's muffled response was heard from inside the carriage.

"Hmm~"

Shi Xuan and others came all the way and saluted in front of the carriage.

However, Shi Hu in the carriage ignored it and continued to move forward, heading straight for the camp.

The generals all looked a little ugly.

It was obvious that the king was dissatisfied with their performance.

Arriving at the army, Shi Hu took over Shi Xuan's tent without any hesitation.

Looking at the dense crowd of palace guards outside the tent, a gloomy look flashed across Shi Xuan's face.

The prince is, after all, just a prince.

"You guys fought well~~"

Shi Hu narrowed his eyes and glanced at the crowd. "Tens of thousands of people were killed or wounded, and they couldn't even reach the top of the city wall."

All the generals knew his brutal nature, and no one dared to defend him at this time. They all bowed their heads and apologized.

Shi Hu was a hero who emerged from the battlefield.

I know the importance of military power in troubled times.

With so many troops gathered here, how could he feel at ease handing them over to the prince?

After coming here, he first gave the enemy a beating to establish his own authority, and also took back the military power.

"A strong attack is difficult to succeed."

Seeing everyone bowing their heads, Shi Hu's tone slowed down slightly, "Have you ever thought of another way?"

General Yao Yizhong stepped out and said, "Please ask the Heavenly King for instructions."

"Have you tried to bribe the various garrisons in the city?" Shi Hu asked.

"Fame, wealth, and honor, gold, silver, and beautiful women are all acceptable."

"Don't those Han family aristocrats crave power in the court and land in the local areas?"

"You can promise me an official title in the court and a reward of ten thousand acres of fertile land in the countryside."

"If you want a higher official title or more land, we can discuss it."

"I'm not afraid of them putting forward conditions, as long as they are willing to put forward them."

"If there was an insider who opened the city gate, this battle wouldn't be so troublesome."

Bribery is always the most efficient and convenient way of action.

The barbarians of all dynasties have always been well aware of this.

These were all stolen things, so I don’t care how much I give away.

Anyway, once the matter is accomplished, there are plenty of ways to get back all the money with interest.

"King of Heaven."

General Zhang Chai stepped out and saluted. "There are no noble families among the soldiers begging for life in the city."

"Even those from humble families with small surnames are rare."

"Huh?" Shi Hu was surprised. "How is that possible?"

"Without the wealthy and powerful, how would the common people know how to fight?"

"Heavenly King." Fu Hong stepped out. "Indeed."

"These beggars all came from Guangzong County."

"We have already sent people to investigate. They split up after an internal conflict."

"All the prominent families stayed in Guangzong County."

"Those common people, led by Yu Qiren, rushed to Xiangguo City."

"He is quite capable." Shi Hu praised, "I admire him more and more now."

"Li Nong."

"Write a letter on my behalf, asking this man to surrender."

"As long as he is willing to submit, I will definitely make use of him!"

Li Nong felt bitter in his heart, but he had to step out and accept the order.

He had dealt with Lin Dao before and knew that this man had a sharp gaze and was naturally proud and confident. He was not someone who was willing to be inferior to others.

Persuade?

What a waste!

Shi Hu had not yet finished his instructions.

"If the city refuses to surrender, then we will find other ways to attack it."

"Building siege equipment is not easy, so select elite troops for a night attack."

He glanced at Fu Hong and Yao Yizhong, "I'll leave this matter to you."

The two of them felt a little nervous, but they accepted the order calmly.

Fu Hong was a Di people, and Yao Yi Zhong was a Qiang people.

The tribesmen under their command had a higher status in Shi Zhao than the Han people, but not as good as the legitimate nationals and Jie people.

Now when encountering dangerous situations, they will naturally go first.

Shi Hu picked another person, "Ji Nu."

Shi Min immediately stepped out.

"Go to Guangzong County," Shi Hu instructed, "and bring the remaining beggars here."

"If you don't obey, you will be destroyed!"

Li Nong quickly wrote a letter of surrender with sincere words and beautiful language.

It is naturally impossible to enter the city.

When the two sides were at war, important officials who served as envoys were either killed or taken hostage.

The ministers and emperors of the royal family during the Jingkang period had a deep understanding of this point.

The knights held white flags in their hands, rode their horses outside the city and shot the letters onto the top of the city walls.

Inside Xiangguo City.

Lin Dao was patrolling the city at this time.

He is the Lord Lang. Fighting hard on the city walls and working and settling people in various places in the city are not his jobs.

What he should do is to provide supplies, appease the military and civilians, and clearly enforce rewards and punishments to maintain stability everywhere.

Visit the wounded, inspect the city defenses, and check the clothes produced by the female workers.

We walked all the way to the largest labor camp.

The number of laborers in the labor camps throughout the city has greatly increased, reaching tens of thousands.

A large part of them were cannon fodder who had obediently hidden in the moat during the previous siege.

They were not born into a beggar army, so they needed more attention in terms of psychological massage and psychological construction. According to convention, the inspection was always carried out during meal times.

Provided that the food supply is good, the soothing effect will be doubled.

"Lord~~~"

The laborers, who had learned from the beatings that they had to queue up to get food, all saluted Lin Dao.

Lin Dao nodded in response, smiling caringly.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable living in the camp?"

"Have you ever skimped on food, clothing, or other necessities?"

"Take care of your body first. A healthy body is more important than anything else."

Walking to a stove, Lin Dao looked at the food in the big pot.

Inside the pot is feed that is slightly dark in color, in a paste-like state, and exudes the aroma of grain.

That's right, it's feed.

With so many people having to open their mouths to eat every day, it would really eat him up.

Lin Dao had no choice but to buy the cheapest food to fill his stomach.

There is no doubt that feed is the cheapest.

For example, the pig feed ordered by Lin Dao costs less than two thousand yuan per ton.

It is cheaper than corn which costs more than 2,000 yuan per ton.

Taking the big spoon from the cook's hand, Lin Dao stirred the pot with the spoon, scooped up a spoonful and looked closely.

"Corn kernels, cake residue, vinegar dregs, wine dregs, flour residue, tofu dregs, soy sauce residue~~~"

In fact, Lin Dao could only recognize the corn kernels, as well as the wheat bran and corn mixed in them.

Wheat bran and corn were both seized from Xiangguo City.

For other things, he would look at the ingredient list when buying feed.

After returning the spoon to the cook, Lin Dao asked the laborers waiting nearby, "Are these things edible?"

The man was obviously a little excited, his face flushed and his words stuttered, "Lord, Lord is our reborn parent~"

"We should have starved to death, but it was Master Lang who gave us food to keep us alive."

"I am willing to die for my lord!"

Lin Dao stood with his hands behind his back and nodded slightly. "You speak so nicely. Did you have any education before?"

"No, I haven't read it." The bent-over laborer shook his head repeatedly. "Wang Dalang taught us to say that."

"I said I met the Lord, and that's what I said."

Wang Meng, who was not far away, looked up at the sky speechlessly.

Some words and some things don’t need to be explained in such detail!
Lin Dao came here mainly for Wang Meng.

He had seen this name when he was looking up information in the modern world.

He is a truly powerful man who is both civil and military.

This time I came here just to confirm it.

Facing Lin Dao's half-smile, Wang Meng prepared himself mentally and stepped forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Master Lang."

"Wang Meng."

Lin Dao said with a smile, "I asked you to manage this civilian camp. Why don't you use your mind to do the right thing, but instead think about these flattering words?"

"My lord, you've misunderstood." Wang Meng said seriously, "I wasn't trying to flatter you."

"We are all grateful to the Master for saving our lives."

"My Lord, your kindness is beyond my comprehension. I am willing to die for you~"

The civilians around them all responded by shouting, "I am willing to die for my lord~~~"

If you feed them fodder every day, people will die for them.

This is the kind of slave worker that capitalists dream of.

Second only to the gods who work for a fee.

Lin Dao laughed and nodded.

When everyone quieted down, he looked at Wang Meng and said with a serious expression, "Do you think there is anything wrong with what I have done?"

"My dear." Wang Meng was a little hesitant when he heard this.

He understood that the master was testing him.

"My Lord, you have been too kind to everyone."

Lin Dao smiled and asked, "Isn't it good?"

"Good, and not good." Wang Meng responded seriously, "Good, it can quickly win people's hearts."

"No, it's just that I can't sustain it."

"If you give too much in the early stages, once you lose the ability to support it later, you will definitely suffer a backlash!"

He sees it clearly.

So many people in Xiangguo City rely on Langzhu for their livelihood.

The salary offered by the Lord is so high that once the food is eaten up, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Lin Dao would not tell others that he had a special source of information.

He continued to ask, "Anything else?"

"The Lord's side is maintained by his trusted followers." Wang Meng added, "When there are fewer people, it's no problem."

"But with more people and a larger territory, the disadvantages will become apparent."

"Master Lang needs a reliable administrative team to handle the affairs of the city."

Only then did Lin Daofang ask, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Ju County, Beihai Commandery, Qingzhou."

First test your ability, then ask for relevant information.

After comparing the two, it turned out to be that Wang Meng.

Don't believe unconditionally just because of a name.

Not to mention that people's hearts can change, even the records in history books are not necessarily true.

While they were talking, a soldier arrived and presented a letter.

"Lord, a letter has been sent from the Jiehu outside the city."

When I opened the letter, it was full of words of persuasion for surrender.

Lin Dao casually handed the letter to Wang Meng and said, "Please write a reply for me."

Wang Meng suddenly became energetic and said, "Here~~~"

I found pen, ink, paper and inkstone and prepared to write.

Wang Meng picked up his pen and looked up at Lin Dao, waiting for him to dictate his reply.

Lin Dao's mind wandered a little. "Just write one word in the reply letter."

"One word?" Wang Meng was surprised. "What word?"

He was surprised at which word could convey the meaning of consent or refusal.

Lin Dao breathed a sigh of relief.

"Pooh!"

PS: Thank you to book friend 12836160732260765184 for the 100-point reward support. I am very grateful. Thank you!
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(End of this chapter)