Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 117 Borrowing chickens to lay eggs
Jinling City, the Imperial Palace.

"I have long heard that Lord Han enjoys fine food."

Lin Dao pushed the sandalwood delicacy box in front of him towards Han Zanzhou, saying, "I have prepared a delicacy here. Please, Lord Han, taste it."

Sitting opposite him was Han Zanzhou, the eunuch in charge of Jinling, whose face remained calm and expressionless.

Many people used this tactic to give him gifts.

This was nothing new to him.

He calmly reached out and opened the box in front of him.

"Hiss~~~"

Han Zanzhou, who always claimed to be unfazed by honor or disgrace, changed color immediately upon seeing the contents of the box.

"This~"

Inside the box were thirty-six perfectly round and dazzling purple pearls!

Purple is considered the color of nobility, hence the imperial palace is called the Forbidden City.

Purple pearls have always been extremely rare.

In the past, finding even one was difficult, let alone thirty-six.

They are still so big and round, almost exactly the same size.

Its color is dazzling, a brilliant purple that is impossible to look away from.

Even though he was used to seeing rare and precious treasures, Han Zanzhou couldn't help but have his eyes light up.

This gift is absolutely priceless!
"Lord Han".

With a composed expression, Lin Dao smiled and asked, "Are you satisfied?"

He's not good at giving gifts, and he chose a gift worth a thousand yuan. He doesn't know if the garrison eunuch will even like it.

"Okay, okay~~~"

The vast majority of eunuchs were greedy and lustful.

In particular, they were greedy for money; the vast majority of eunuchs were the kind of people who would stop at nothing to get rich.

Upon seeing such a treasure, Han Zanzhou's eyes turned purple.

After observing it carefully for a while, I carefully closed the box and placed both hands on the lid.

"Lin Zihou, right?"

Han Zanzhou smiled broadly and asked, "Do you have any official rank or title?"

At this moment, Lin Dao wanted to laugh but couldn't.

When he was at Yonghe Time and Space, people often asked him about his family background.

When they arrived at the Chongzhen era, they started asking him if he had any official titles or honors.

Without a doubt, the question is about the most sought-after identity in this time and space, just like... ahem~
"Lord Han".

Lin Dao didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "I have come here today to ask you for a favor."

Han Zanzhou remained completely unmoved by this.

Sending such an expensive gift means they must want something from him.

Now it depends on what it is.

As long as it's possible, I'll agree for the sake of this box of beads.

"I, Lin, would like to find a job under Lord Han."

Hearing this, Han Zanzhou finally frowned. "You don't have any official rank, so it's difficult for our family. It's not like you're on a mission from the palace."

"If it's a task for the palace, I'll assign you a junior supervisor position."

"How about this, you go and buy the status of a student at the Imperial Academy first."

"We can help you out here; we can put in a bit of work and get you a job in Yingtian Prefecture."

"Lord Han has misunderstood." Lin Dao stirred his teacup. "I am seeking a post, not an official position."

Han Zanzhou seemed a little confused. "I'd like to hear the details."

"With Lord Han here in person, I will speak frankly and without reservation."

Lin Dao said calmly, "I would like to do a big business deal with Mr. Han."

"Organize and train the Nanjing Brave Guard Battalion."

The Brave Guard Battalion was originally a guard composed of elite soldiers selected from the Tengxiang Left and Right Guards and the Wuxiang Left and Right Guards under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Horse Supervision Bureau.

It was an army commanded by eunuchs, and also the military force that Emperor Chongzhen could truly and completely mobilize.

Because of ample supplies, the 6,000-strong Yongwei Battalion was the only one among the supposedly 200,000-strong Beijing Garrison that was truly capable of fighting.

Upon hearing this, Han Zanzhou frowned deeply.

You're aiming straight for military power right from the start, kid.
"The taxes from all the provinces south of the Yangtze River are sent to Jinling City." Lin Dao seemed oblivious to Han Zanzhou's change in expression and continued, "These riches, on the surface, still belong to the imperial court."

"If we could obtain an imperial decree to establish the Brave Guard Battalion, then we could legitimately use these taxes."

Upon hearing this, Han Zanzhou's expression gradually softened.

"Find some remote and desolate places, and build a few camps to serve as military camps."

"As for manpower," Lin Dao added, "all those refugees outside the city can be recruited into the Yongwei Camp."

A satisfied smile appeared on Han Zanzhou's face.

He understood what Lin Dao meant.

Under the guise of training the Jinling Brave Guards, they openly and legitimately used tax revenue stored in Jinling City.

Moreover, the Yongwei Battalion was an inner court force, and neither the civil officials, military generals, nor even the nobles were qualified to interfere.

If they find some refugees to fill the ranks, the military funds will go directly into their own pockets.

The wariness they had felt towards Lin Dao vanished instantly.

"Zihou~"

Han Zanzhou exclaimed in admiration, "What kind of shop do you run? You can't make much money that way."

"In this way, scheming to control the imperial court's taxes—that's the real big business!"

He was genuinely impressed; this person was truly a great talent.

Extremely courageous!

As for any disloyal intentions, what good would it do to gather a group of nearly collapsed refugees together?

Han Zanzhou's hands finally left the box of delicacies.

He first picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Then Wen Yan began, "There are two things to do now."

"The first thing is to get His Majesty's approval to establish the Yongwei Battalion in Nandu."

"The second thing is how to shut up all the lords in Jinling City."

Although at this time, the imperial edicts of Emperor Chongzhen would gradually lose their effectiveness as the distance increased after leaving the capital.

With an imperial edict, they could legitimately use the taxes from the provinces south of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, it still requires the emperor's name to carry out the task. "This matter is not difficult."

Lin Dao already had a plan: "Send a batch of treasures to the Emperor and persuade the officials in the palace to say a few good words."

"You gentlemen have your own explanations before the Emperor."

"As for the people in Jinling City..."

He lowered his voice, "This is something I can't keep to myself."

If you don't want people to expose you and cause trouble, you have to bring everyone in so you can all share the spoils.

Everyone ate the bread, and naturally, the world was at peace.

"Go to the Imperial Academy and donate money to become a student there." Han Zanzhou was very satisfied. "I will appoint you as an instructor in the Jinling Brave Guard Battalion and give you full authority to handle this matter."

If things go well, that would be ideal, as I could make a fortune.

It doesn't matter if it doesn't work out; I've already received the benefits.

Lin Dao was smiling, a serious smile.

They seized military power, took control of the troops, and captured Nanjing.

When the time comes, you'll have to vomit up everything you've eaten, and you'll have to pay interest with your entire fortune and life.

He had previously been at a soup kitchen outside the city, looking for refugees to form a group.

The scene of tens of thousands of people frantically begging Lin Dao to take their entire families as slaves caused real chaos.

For Lin Dao, of course, he can raise them all.

However, the area outside Jinling City was not a place of chaos.

The Ming Dynasty court was extremely strict in its defenses in all aspects.

Supporting tens of thousands of people?
The Earl of Xincheng's mansion would immediately be overjoyed and take the lead in swallowing up all of Lindao's business.

He turned to the all-knowing netizens for help, and a wise person came up with this idea: to use someone else's resources to achieve his own goals.

Now it seems, this person truly is a master, incredibly masterful!
Lin Dao forged a complete set of identity documents.

His hometown, in terms of identity, was completely wiped out when the bandit army captured Zhongdu.

He successfully entered the Imperial Academy in Nanjing through a donation and became a student there.

After finishing my business and receiving my student ID, I left the Imperial College.

Lin Dao took a breath and said, "If I had come two years later, I would have been Zheng Sen's classmate."

On this day, he came to Yonghe Time and Space to check in.

Wang Meng and the others had been waiting for quite some time.

"Zhang Liangzhou is dead."

Zhang Jun, the ruler of Former Liang, eventually died of a serious illness.

Lin Dao had previously tried to persuade Liangzhou to surrender, but Zhang Jun, who was loyal to the Eastern Jin court, refused outright.

He also incorporated many tribes, including the Di people led by Fu Hong, and adopted a posture of fighting Lin Dao to the death.

Lin Dao originally planned to send Li Nong, who was stationed in Guanzhong, to attack the Former Liang.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Jun was dead.

"Good thing."

Lin Dao nodded in agreement. "Liangzhou has just suffered a loss, and the people's hearts are unsettled. This is the perfect time to send troops."

Wang Meng, on the other hand, had a look of joy on his face. "My lord, after Zhang Chonghua, the heir apparent of Liangzhou, ascended the throne, he took advantage of the funeral to annihilate the Di people and other tribes, and sent envoys to surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao was taken aback.

The father resisted fiercely, but the son immediately threw the ball.
Are the father and son really that different in personality and decision-making?
He was somewhat suspicious that it was a delaying tactic. "Really?"

"real."

Wang Meng reiterated, "The heads of Fu Hong and other tribal leaders and dignitaries number over a thousand, and all have been examined."

"They really want to vote."

Liangzhou was a region inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples, and a large-scale campaign to exterminate the non-Han peoples would inevitably result in a significant loss of strength.

If this is a feint, then the losses could be enormous.

Lin Dao pondered for a moment, then said, “In that case, order Zhang Chonghua to send all the heads of the Hu people in the territory for inspection.”

"As for him personally, Liangzhou is unstable, so he needs to stay and oversee things."

"He was ordered to arrange for a trusted general to lead half of the Liangzhou troops south to Jingzhou."

Liangzhou is very important.

The Western Regions were recovered, a vital passage to Central Asia and India.

Since they are willing to surrender, Lin Dao is also willing to give them a chance.

"Li Nong can now enter Shu."

Tell Li Nong that there are no barbarians in Shu.

"As for Huan Wen's side, we will send troops before the autumn harvest."

Yonghe Timespace is gradually entering a stable period.

People in various places divided up their land and busied themselves with managing their own families.

After recovering Shu, Jingzhou, Lingnan, Jiaozhi and other places, the government continued to expand outwards based on the rate of population growth.

First, fill in all the existing land.

Once the population recovers, we will start taking over living space from outside.

Anyway, new barbarian tribes will always appear on the border.

As the fighting continued, land was acquired.

After discussing the important matter, Wang Meng then mentioned a minor one.

"The men Wang Xizhi and others whom the Lord instructed have all been found."

"They used to live in seclusion in the deep mountains and forests, building thatched huts to farm, fish, and hunt for a living."

"Many people did not know how to farm and survive, and suffered from hunger for a long time. Without the Five-Stone Powder, their bodies rotted and they died in agony."

The Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion is definitely lost.

Wang Xizhi and others did not commit any evil deeds.

But amidst their lavish banquets and revelry, countless commoners were wailing over their miserable lives.

Beneath the magnificent robes of aristocratic families, countless commoners, their bodies hunched over, were spinning their blood and sweat into the yarn.

These young masters from aristocratic families may not be inherently evil.

But what they consumed was the blood and tears of ordinary people.

Lin Dao thought for a moment and said, "How about this, the women stay, give each of them two hundred catties of feed, and send them back to the deep mountains and forests."

"From now on, you are not allowed to leave the mountain."

(End of this chapter)