Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 143 This world is just a giant makeshift operation.

On the Grand Canal, sails and masts are like clouds, and the boats stretch for thousands of miles.

The banks of the river were bustling with activity, a sea of ​​people.

Lin Dao led tens of thousands of men and women he had rescued from the Tartars, as well as many refugees he had taken in along the way, on a long and unbroken journey south.

The northern region suffered a severe drought, leaving the entire Shandong province barren and desolate.

Forget about grains, you can't even find tree bark or grass roots, only clay.

If Lin Daoruo didn't take in these skeleton-like refugees, their fate would be nothing more than collapsing on the road and becoming white flesh.

The massive caravan headed south.

When crossing the Yellow River's suspended river, Lin Dao once again used his divine skill, collecting the boats one by one, and releasing them again after crossing the river.

Those who witnessed this scene all knelt down and addressed the immortal master as "Here comes the immortal master."

Countless people, their eyes red with grief, cried out for a sage to save the world.

Lin Dao timely transferred the grain in public, resulting in a surge in loyalty.

It's not easy to perform miracles in front of others. After mobilizing so many resources, Lin Dao himself was exhausted.

He then traveled south, taking a boat the entire way.

Upon returning to Yangzhou Prefecture, the first thing he did was to summon the guards who had remained behind.

"Before I leave," Lin Dao said, taking out a thick stack of letters and placing them on the table. "I told them not to be swayed by the salt merchants' sweet talk."

He sat in a rosewood chair, his gaze sweeping over the group of guards in front of him. "I'll give you a chance."

"Those who have been bribed by the salt merchants should come forward and explain themselves. I might be lenient and leave them with a whole body."

Some of the guards were terrified, some were calm, some looked around anxiously, and some were indifferent.

However, no one stepped forward to confess.

"I suppose they were still clinging to a sliver of hope," Lin Dao said, taking a breath. "They thought they could fool me."

He had arranged for spies to secretly watch these young guards who had become captains, deputy captains, and even centurions at a young age.

These young guards had their every action meticulously recorded.

Lin Dao reached out and picked up a letter.

After opening it, it was read aloud to the public: "On the third day of the first month of the lunar calendar, Yao Wenlu, the captain of the second division of the third thousand headquarters of the Gengzi Battalion, was invited by salt merchant Liu Wenhai to go boating on the Slender West Lake."

"He stayed overnight at the pleasure boat and afterwards received three thousand taels of silver from Xiyucheng Money Shop."

Among the guards, a young man knelt down on the spot, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly.

"General, I was wrong~ I'm so sorry~~"

"You didn't let me down," Lin Dao shook his head. "You let yourself down."

"You're sixteen this year, right?"

"You're only sixteen, yet you've already become a captain leading several hundred soldiers."

Do you know how promising your future is?

"For the women on the pleasure boat, for a few thousand taels of silver, you gave up your future."

Reaching out, Lin Dao picked up several more letters and shook his head. "It's more than a few thousand taels."

"You also acquired a residence in Yangzhou and a garden by the Slender West Lake."

"There are several women living inside."

"The silver notes, silver and gold collected over the years are worth tens of thousands of taels."

Seeing this, Lin Dao laughed to himself, "These salt merchants really go all out to recruit people."

"He's just a captain in charge of a few hundred soldiers, yet he smashed so much."

"Wen Lu."

Lin Dao looked at the trembling young guard kneeling on the ground and asked, "Tell me, what are the salt merchants after, going to such lengths to win you over?"

"I'm after you because you're handsome, and I want to take you as my son-in-law."

"Is it because your weapon is big and powerful?"

"You." He pointed at the young guard. "Don't tell me you didn't know!"

What else could they possibly want? Of course, they want the soldiers he commands!
He accepted silver from the salt merchants and women as gifts from them.

When the salt merchant asks him to lead troops on business, how can he possibly refuse?
"You are in charge of the second division."

Lin Dao waved the letter in his hand, saying, "He neglected his training and idled away his days."

"More than half of the banner commanders and centurions accepted silver from the salt merchants."

“There are even people who resell weapons, armor, and military supplies.”

Suddenly, he threw the letter in his hand at Yao Wenlu. "Just a few months ago, you were a starving nobody!"

"Is this how you repay me?!"

It must be said that the salt merchants were truly shrewd.

The woman, along with her house and car, was infiltrated; the entire company of over 700 people was almost completely taken over.

Many of the fine armor and weapons brought by Lin Dao fell into the hands of salt merchants and were used to arm the salt workers.

Yao Wenlu didn't speak, but kept kowtowing and weeping.

Lin Dao waved his hand, and the armored soldiers stepped forward and dragged him away.

"General!" Yao Wenlu cried out with all his might, "Spare me! I'll never do it again!"

"Unrepentant to the end," Lin Dao spat.

I thought I could be more magnanimous and say something like, "General, I'm sorry, I'll be your servant in the next life."

Unexpectedly, all he did was beg for mercy.

"I had placed high hopes on you all in vain."

Lin Dao was too lazy to reveal any more information, so he simply waved his hand.

A group of armored soldiers stepped forward and took several more away.

They not only rotted themselves, but also caused their troops to rot as well.

In this situation, how could one possibly survive?

The guards who were taken away all pleaded, but Lin Dao wouldn't listen at all.

"You chose this path yourselves, so you should bear the consequences yourself."

As for why the guards who were taken away didn't resist or hold Lin Dao hostage to beg for a way out, that's another story.

When you come to see the commander-in-chief, you must not wear armor or carry weapons, and you will be searched.

Surrounded by armored soldiers, how could I possibly resist?

"As for you," Lin Dao looked at the guards who hadn't been defeated by the salt merchants and said with approval, "You did well and didn't disappoint me."

"Remember their story, and learn from it in the future."

He turned to Liu Sandao and instructed him, "The vacant position shall be filled by a sergeant who performed outstandingly in this operation."

After cleaning up the interior, Lin Dao planned to deal with the salt merchants.

The salt merchants were left behind to temporarily stabilize the salt supply in various parts of Jiangnan.

They're being eliminated now because the salt merchants are no longer of any use. Those guys are incredibly audacious, daring to even try and take advantage of the garrison.

The salt merchants initially didn't want to fall out with Lin Dao, but Lin Dao managed to take all the salt producers away.

Without salt producers, salt production in the Lianghuai salt fields plummeted.

This directly damaged the core interests of the salt merchants.

Moreover, Lin Dao's forceful confrontation and the forced conscription of a thousand salt laborers made the salt merchants feel the crisis.

Encouraged by scheming individuals from Suzhou, Hangzhou, and other places, the salt merchants who believed that Lin Dao would never return once he went north finally began to take action.

Unexpectedly, Lin Dao actually came back!
They were especially panicked when they learned that the officer they had bribed at great expense had been taken away and dealt with.

A group of salt merchants, large and small, gathered at the salt industry guild to discuss how to deal with the situation.

"At a time like this, what's there to think about?"

"Either you die or I die."

“Everyone should gather their men, storm the Salt Transport Office, and kill that rebel.”

This suggestion is too radical; it's clearly the work of a hot-blooded young person.

Someone immediately retorted, "Are you stupid?"

"Tens of thousands of soldiers are stationed inside and outside Yangzhou City."

"Even if we bring all the maids who carry chamber pots, we still won't have as many people as they do."

"You dare to charge at the Transport Commissioner's office? Are you looking for death?!"

The two sides immediately started arguing.

Ultimately, it was the head of the salt industry guild who made the final decision.

"Banquets, gift-giving, and ambushes with axemen in the corridor."

"Remember, you must capture them alive; only then will the enemy army hesitate to act rashly."

"Furthermore, send a messenger to Suzhou immediately, requesting the court to send troops as soon as possible."

The visiting card was delivered to Lindao.

Looking at the exquisitely crafted, gold-embossed invitation card in his hand, Lin Dao looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

"This world is just a giant makeshift operation."

"All emperors are fools. A bunch of pampered salt merchants, after reading a few chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, think they can come up with ingenious schemes?"

"That's true. Even the president of the United States is arrogant. It's not surprising that the salt merchants would do such a foolish thing."

This kind of tactic might work on people who are naive and inexperienced.

It's ineffective against time travelers.

These time travelers from the information explosion era are all incredibly cunning, even more so than monkeys.

They've seen and heard far too much.

"Given the hostility between the two sides, you're inviting me to a banquet?"

"Do they think everyone is a fool?"

Lin Dao then sent men to various salt merchants in the city to invite them to a banquet at the Transport Commissioner's Office.

The salt merchants were terrified.

He wanted to come over but didn't dare, yet he was afraid that Lin Dao would take the opportunity to lash out.

Most of them arrived hesitantly.

The rest, the smarter ones, wanted to leave the city.

However, they were stopped and captured by the soldiers guarding the city.

Those who aren't so clever just stay home and pretend to be sick, which is just trapping themselves in a cage.

Lin Dao simply smiled at this.

A group of salt merchants who enjoyed wealth and luxury based on blood ties had no real ability.

"Your Majesty~~~"

The salt merchants who came to the banquet presented their trump card.

"We are overjoyed to hear of Your Majesty's victorious return."

"The salt industry guild has raised 400,000 taels of silver and 10,000 shi of salt to supply the King's army."

"That's too little." Lin Dao didn't mince words and said bluntly, "This little bit of silver is barely enough to feed a beggar."

The salt merchants looked troubled.

The head of the entourage bowed again, saying, "So that Your Majesty may know, we have prepared another priceless treasure to present to Your Majesty."

Lin Dao toyed with the wine glass in his hand. "A priceless treasure?"

"Take it out and see."

Soon, the priceless treasure walked into the hall on its own.

"Hmm?" Lin Dao frowned slightly. The beautiful woman in front of him looked somewhat familiar.

"This humble woman, Bian Sai, greets Your Majesty."

"You—" Lin Dao stroked his chin, "Have we met before?"

The petite and charming Bian Sai, holding the hem of her pale yellow dress, stepped forward with a charming smile. "Your Majesty is truly forgetful. I once met Your Majesty in Xiao Wan's boudoir."

"Oh~~~"

Lin Dao remembered: Meixiang Pavilion in Jinling City, Dong Xiaowan's best friend.

"Why are you here?"

Faced with inquiries, Bian Sai stepped forward again amidst the expectant gazes of the salt merchants.

Bian Sai took a light breath as her beautiful eyes swept over the armored soldiers who were gripping the hilts of their swords.

"Your Majesty, these salt merchants have coerced this young woman into attempting to assassinate you!"

The salt merchants were shocked and quickly denied it three times.

Lin Dao looked at her calmly and said, "Explain yourself."

“My sister and I came to Yangzhou to visit friends, but we were coerced by salt merchants.”

“They threatened my sister’s life, forcing me to offer myself to the king so that he would assassinate me during our intimate moments.”

Lin Dao laughed again, "How to carry out the assassination?"

"Could it be poisoned?"

Bian Sai blushed slightly and knelt there with her head down. "I have a silver needle hidden in my hairpin, which is poisoned."

Lin Dao said with slight regret, "I thought it was over."

He raised his hand and smashed the wine glass on the ground.

The clanging sounds of armor plates clashing came in rapid succession as a large number of armored soldiers surged in.

"I can also use smashing a cup as a signal."

(End of this chapter)