Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 147: Seventy Million Taels of Torture (Bonus Chapter by Silver Alliance Leader Nuanyang 1314)

"The commander-in-chief is recruiting soldiers!"

"Fifty taels of silver for settling down, ten shi of grain, and one shi of salt."

"Monthly salary: ten taels of silver, grain allowance: one shi (a unit of dry measure), one bolt of cloth, and one dou (a unit of dry measure) of salt."

Soldiers carrying loudspeakers shouted greetings in front of various villages.

"The resettlement allowance will be paid on the spot, and monthly salaries will never be delayed!"

"Those who wish to join the army, hurry up and sign up."

The men in the village gradually gathered together.

Holding various tools and weapons, they looked around warily.

In chaotic times, bandits and outlaws are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

Moreover, the clan feuds here are extremely brutal, and no one will easily trust outsiders.

The soldiers didn't hesitate either; they brought over carts and unloaded boxes of silver ingots, as well as mountains of grain, cloth, and salt.

It was simply shown to everyone directly.

In the era of small-scale peasant economy, grain, cloth, and salt were the most important necessities for survival.

With the money, the family will have everything they need.

An elder from the village stepped forward and asked, "May I ask you all, which king is recruiting soldiers?"

"My commander's surname is Lin, and his title is Commander Soaring to the Sky."

"Having heard that the soldiers of Yiwu are the bravest in the world, we have been specially ordered to come and recruit warriors."

"Those who are willing to join the army and serve my commander, come and register now to receive your resettlement allowance."

"The commander-in-chief loves his soldiers like his own children and will never treat you all unfairly."

Qi Jiguang's recruitment of soldiers happened several decades ago.

But the story from back then still circulates in villages and hamlets.

As everyone knows, the older generation received full pay and sent money home every year.

The lives of the mountain people are hard.

They toiled in the soil for a living, barely managing to feed themselves.

They either went into the mountains to mine, went out to trade, or recruited soldiers to fight.

If you stay at home tending to your small plot of land, your whole family will starve to death.

They are fierce and ruthless, and when they fight in villages, they fight to the death. They are not opposed to recruiting soldiers to fight.

It's just working hard, anyone can do that.

Of course, the prerequisite for risking one's life is that food and supplies are in place.

The silver, grain, salt, and cotton cloth here are enough to make them risk their lives.

After some discussion, the clan elders agreed that each family should leave their eldest son to guard the home.

The rest of the sons can apply.

Since Fan Zhongyan vigorously promoted clan property, the power of clans in local villages has gradually expanded.

The clan elders wield immense authority and influence in their respective villages.

They wouldn't allow it, so those who wanted to apply had to sneak off.

These days, it's the same everywhere: people are desperate to have sons.

There are many families with several sons.

The eldest son is responsible for maintaining the family business and taking care of his parents.

The other sons, after receiving resettlement allowances, went out to seek their fortunes.

Groups of young men, carrying meager belongings, were sent to military camps after their parents had collected and tallied their resettlement allowances.

Similar scenes have occurred not only in Yiwu, but also in places like Chuzhou, Taizhou, and Wenzhou.

These places are mostly inhabited by mountain people with a fierce and tough character, making them excellent sources of soldiers.

Lin Dao dispersed the new recruits from various places into different groups, not giving them the opportunity to stick together.

After a brief training, the rapidly expanding army marched north from Yanzhou Prefecture into Huizhou Prefecture (Huangshan), sweeping through Ningguo Prefecture, Chizhou Prefecture, and Taiping Prefecture before returning to Jinling City.

The massive military camps outside the city had already been built.

People from all walks of life took up their places there.

Soldiers were strictly forbidden from entering the city through the forest road.

Even during their days off, they could only participate in spontaneous market activities near the military camp.

The allure of the city of Jinling must not be allowed to taint the soldiers.

The erosion of morale is terrifying.

To prevent the soldiers from having too much energy and nowhere to vent it, thus causing trouble.

Lin Dao provided equipment such as soccer balls, basketballs, and rugby balls in the camp so that the soldiers could pass the time and energy.

"General~~~"

Upon returning to Jinling City, the locals who remained there all came out of the city to welcome him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group escorted Lin Dao all the way to the Imperial Palace in Jinling City.

Eager to prove himself, Zhao Zhilong reported first that "the extortion of tribute from various parts of Yingtian Prefecture has ended."

"A total of 70 million four million nine hundred and ninety-seven thousand taels of silver was obtained."

"Twenty-three thousand three hundred taels of gold."

"The estate has 1,314,000 mu of land."

"There are 2,718 residences and gardens."

"All kinds of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, spices and medicinal herbs, rare treasures, silks and satins, copper coins and furniture are all in huge quantities."

"They have already been registered and stored in various warehouses."

Lin Dao frowned. "Why is there so little gold and silver?"

The gentry and nobles of Jiangnan, after so many years of maritime trade and smuggling, have imported at least hundreds of millions of taels of silver.

Jinling City was also the place where the wealth of Jiangnan was most concentrated.

With such strict taxation, this is all you get?

His questioning gaze immediately turned to Zhao Zhilong.

"General~~~"

Zhao Zhilong's heart tightened, and he quickly explained.

“These thieves, once they have money, they like to buy land.”

“They have purchased estates in various places in Huguang and Jiangxi, and even in the Central Plains, Guanzhong and Beizhili.”

"Moreover, he enjoyed buying rare and exotic treasures and spending lavishly along the Qinhuai River."

In the agricultural era, land was the most important means of production.

Besides resorting to trickery and plunder, gentry and nobles would also spend money to buy land.

In addition, there was the luxurious lifestyle, the expenses of hundreds or even thousands of servants in the mansion, and so on.

A large portion of the money earned from smuggling has already been spent.

Another issue is that a large sum of money was lent out at exorbitant interest rates.

Lin Dao had already declared all usurious loans null and void.

The money, naturally, disappeared without a trace. "Hmm." Lin Dao nodded, accepting Zhao Zhilong's explanation. "Thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Zhilong was delighted, saying, "Serving the Commander-in-Chief is my duty."

This guy still doesn't understand that once the matter of extorting money is over, his usefulness will also disappear.

Next, it was his turn to be unlucky.

"Now that we've squeezed them dry, it's time to send them on their way."

Lin Dao smiled and looked at Zhao Zhilong, instructing him, "Lord Xincheng, I'll trouble you to do this."

“Yes.” Zhao Zhilong gritted his teeth and agreed.

Now that we're on board, there's only one way to go.

The commander-in-chief has already conquered most of Jiangnan, and it seems there is a great chance he will succeed.

At worst, they could manage to divide the country along the river and establish their own rule.

He felt incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to rise from the remnants of the previous dynasty and gain merit in the new one.

As for those former colleagues, well, they're just unlucky!

Ruan Dacheng stepped forward and reported, "General."

"I have heard that the Ming court has transferred Shi Kefa, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, to be the Governor of Anlu. He is currently gathering troops in Luzhou, seemingly with the intention of spying on Nanjing."

"Shi Kefa?"

Lin Dao was naturally familiar with this name.

In fact, many civil and military officials at the end of the Ming Dynasty, like Emperor Chongzhen, had flaws in their abilities and personalities.

However, his martyrdom directly overshadowed his past shortcomings and mistakes.

Shi Kefa was one of them.

Lin Dao's gaze inadvertently swept over Zhao Zhilong.

This is a good opportunity to send him to his death.

However, this will have to wait until Zhao Zhilong finishes sending his former colleagues off on their way.

"I already know about this."

"We'll talk about it after the intensive training exercise is over."

Lin Dao's gaze then turned to Qian Qianyi.

Qian Qianyi, looking somewhat dazed and clearly distracted, forced himself to step forward and bow, saying, "General, the land distribution in Yingtian Prefecture has been completed."

"Most of the land was distributed to the soldiers in the army."

"The registration and classification have been completed."

"Thank you all for your hard work." Lin Dao stood up. "That concludes today's event."

He did not stay in the palace, but went straight back to his own residence.

Arriving at the entrance to the backyard flower hall, one can hear continuous laughter and cheerful conversation coming from inside.

Stepping inside, one is greeted by a profusion of flowers.

Bian Sai, Bian Min, Chen Yuanyuan, Li Xiangjun, Dong Xiaowan, and Kou Mei were all present.

Apart from Ma Xianglan, who died young, Gu Hengbo, who went to the capital, and Liu Rushi.

The other members of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai were all here.

Lin Dao looked at Kou Mei with some surprise. Why hadn't she left?

It's understandable that they didn't leave.

Where could she go with her identity?
The Duke of Baoguo was imprisoned and subjected to severe torture every day.

As for the residence of the Duke of Baoguo, it was directly sealed off.

She can't possibly go back to the Qinhuai River.

Persuaded by Dong Xiaowan and others, Kou Mei, who had nowhere else to go, decided to stay.

The women stepped forward and bowed.

Compared to the cookie-cutter beauties on the internet in later generations, they are all charming and unique.

After sitting down in the chair, Lin Dao casually asked, "What's up? Why are you laughing so happily?"

The women were all suppressing their laughter, their expressions strange.

Dong Xiaowan took the initiative to speak up, saying, "Master, we sisters are saying that in the past, some busybodies named the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai. You are only missing Lady Hedong and Lady Hengbo."

“We’re betting on when Mr. Muzhai will send Hedong Jun over.”

Lin Dao frowned. "Don't talk nonsense."

"How could I have done such a thing!"

No wonder Qian Qianyi seemed so preoccupied before; it was all a misunderstanding.

All the women laughed.

Whether it is true or not, the time will tell.

That Mr. Muzhai is known for being pragmatic and shrewd.
Lin Dao didn't care about this; his mind was focused on training the troops.

With a large amount of wealth and resources, they now also have an army and manpower.

The next step is rigorous training to quickly build up combat capability.

When the time comes, the army will march out and end this damned chaos as soon as possible.

The city of Shenyang, a thousand miles away.

Almost every household in the city was draped in white, and cries of grief shook the heavens.

News of the annihilation of Abatai's army had already been relayed by the Mongol tribes who had fled beyond the Great Wall.

At first, nobody believed it.

If the Ming army had such fighting power, they would have driven the Eight Banners back to the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River to live like savages long ago.

However, the spies embedded within Ming territory sent messages one after another, confirming the Mongols' words.

When a small number of Eight Banner soldiers, who had gone through countless hardships to escape back to the border, returned, they finally confirmed this shocking news.

After the initial disbelief, shock, and anger, the whole city wept.

This time, almost every Niru (military unit) sent people, and almost every household had someone involved.

The vast majority of people didn't make it back, which is truly devastating. It's like cutting flesh and removing bones!

Upon confirming the news, Huang Taiji, who was already ill, immediately fainted.

The Later Jin dynasty only had such a small population.

The loss of more than 10,000 yuan for young and middle-aged men in one lump sum is too great.

The first thing Huang Taiji did after regaining his senses was to invite the princes of various Mongol tribes to a banquet.

For the Later Jin, stabilizing the various Mongol tribes and keeping them firmly tied to its war machine was always the most important diplomatic matter.

Next, they frantically inquired about information about Lin Dao.

As information from various sources gradually came into our possession.

Huang Taiji remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.

Then there was only one sentence.

"Is he sick?"

(End of this chapter)