Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 161 Lin Dao is indeed a man of real skill.

Lead-like clouds rolled in, and the sky darkened like ink.

The long-parched land of Qilu was blessed with a torrential downpour.

The Grand Canal was turbulent with strong winds and high waves, and the surging waters constantly pounded against the hull of the boat.

Lin Dao, holding an umbrella, stood on the deck gazing at the seamless blend of water and sky.

This is Jining Prefecture, which belongs to Yanzhou Prefecture.

Huang Taiji was waiting for him in the north with an army of 100,000.

"Huang Taiji is very intelligent."

"Strategically, we must resolutely strike at any force that dares to resist, and eliminate them at all costs."

Lin Dao's expression shifted slightly.

"His troops are coming for me this time."

"If they don't eliminate me, they'll never be able to enter the pass."

"He also knew that once the Central Plains were settled, given the manpower and resources available to the Central Plains, the Tartars would have no choice but to flee to the deep mountains and forests and live as savages."

Thinking of this, Lin Dao smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I came here for you too."

The cold wind, carrying raindrops, lashed against my body, quickly absorbing my heat.

Lin Dao tightened his clothes.

"Tactically, Huang Taiji's command of operations is flexible and versatile, and he can use both direct combat and ingenious strategies."

"Compared to him, Abatai is incomparable."

Although his experience was growing, Lin Dao was not so arrogant as to think that he could crush his opponents strategically and tactically.

He had specifically consulted Wang Meng.

This valiant man, skilled in both literature and martial arts, answered, "In war, the key is to leverage your own strengths and weaken the enemy's."

"Huang Taiji's advantage lies in his high prestige, which allows him to firmly control his troops."

"It's hard to say they're as responsive as an extension of one's own arm, but once a military order is given, the troops will carry it out resolutely."

"Furthermore, they have been fighting for many years and have extremely rich combat capabilities and experience."

The cold, icy rain slapped against his face, but Lin Dao's mind remained perfectly clear.

"My advantage comes from leading technology from the modern industrial era."

"And his troops are brave and well-equipped."

He paced back and forth on the deck, holding an umbrella, "to leverage our strengths and utilize the information dominance that comes with air superiority."

"Fully leverage the command advantages brought by walkie-talkie communication."

"And advantages in weaponry, equipment, and logistical supplies."

Lin Dao took out his phone and turned on the recording function.

"By controlling information, we located Huang Taiji's position immediately and deployed drones to carry out a decapitation strike."

"Without Huang Taiji, the Tartars probably won't be able to continue fighting."

This is about leveraging your own strengths to weaken the enemy's.

Of course we should use advanced technology to our advantage and disrupt the enemy's command and control.

Without Huang Taiji's prestige to suppress them, the Tatars and the Mongol tribes will surely descend into chaos.

"The Tartars have strong combat capabilities, so they can only rely on their superior equipment to crush their opponents."

"Firearms, cannons, fine weapons and armor, what else?"

The forest path, circling on the deck, always seemed to be plotting something big against the other side.

As the wind and rain subsided, Lin Dao, shivering, turned back into the cabin to rest.

Once this rain stops, we should head north and send troops to fight the Tartars.

"General~~~"

Liu Sandao boarded the ship and urgently reported, "Urgent report from Yanzhou City: The work team sent to Qufu has been attacked and suffered heavy casualties."

"The Tartars arrived so quickly." Lin Dao was surprised. "Is this a preemptive strike?"

He believed that Huang Taiji would wait patiently and wait for the opportune moment.
"They are not Tartars."

Liu Sandao reported, "It was the Kong family who did it."

"They were holding up a portrait of the Duke Yansheng and blocking the land reclamation."

"A conflict arose with the work team, which escalated to the point of armed confrontation."

"Their household servants surrounded and killed the work team."

"The work team was small and outnumbered, so only a few people escaped."

The cabin fell silent.

Lin Dao looked astonished, as if he had heard some incredible news.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Dao suddenly slammed his fist on the table.

"How dare you!?"

"A family that has cultivated the art of surrendering to the emperor for generations!"

"A servile wretch!"

"The Mongol barbarians are here, and they're kneeling down faster than anyone else!"

"How dare they! How dare they!"

Lin Dao's face was ashen, his eyes blazing with fury.

"They've been acting like local tyrants for too long, they don't know their own limitations."

"Liu Sandao".

"You will personally lead a battalion of soldiers there."

"Destroy them!"

Liu Sandao bowed and said, "I accept the order!"

This was an accident outside the battlefield.

Many things outside the battlefield can have unpredictable consequences for the battlefield.

Because of the matter at the Confucius Mansion, Lin Dao was delayed in Yanzhou for three days.

Huang Taiji was not idle during these three days.

He bribed General Liu Liangzuo, and with the help of both inside and outside forces, they captured Linqing Prefecture.

General Liu Zeqing and others bound Commander-in-Chief Shi Kefa and surrendered to the Tartars.

Shi Kefa, who had just been released from prison, was appointed as the commander-in-chief.

Leading troops from all over the country who came to the aid of the king, they followed Huang Taiji all the way to 'recover' lost territories.

Upon learning that Lin Dao's army had entered Yanzhou, Shi Kefa led the Ming army to garrison in Linqing Prefecture, which is close to Jinan Prefecture.

He wanted to see if the Jurchens and the Lin bandits would both suffer heavy losses.

Who knows, we might be able to reap the benefits then.

What he didn't know was that when the eldest and second eldest brothers fought, the third brother was the first to fall.

Linqing Prefecture is too close to the battlefield, and Huang Taiji will not allow such a threat to exist.

The ever-present Tartar spies reached an agreement with Liu Liangzuo in Linqing Prefecture.

This historically notorious murderer, who surrendered voluntarily, captured the Hongguang Emperor, and participated in the Battle of Jiangyin, almost without hesitation sided with the Tartars. The imperial court lacked funds and supplies, and saw no hope of victory.

Huang Taiji promised him many benefits, so Liu Liangzuo's betrayal was effortless.

As for Liu Zeqing and others, they became opportunists due to the prevailing circumstances.

"Commander-in-Chief Shi."

Inside the tent, Huang Taiji, who had been coughing for a while, covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and asked, "Are you willing to submit to the Great Qing?"

While bound, Shi Kefa's gaze swept over Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and the others.

Seeing them already impatiently getting their heads shaved, he showed a contemptuous look and said, "I am not one of these ungrateful people."

"I am a high-ranking official of the Celestial Empire. Today, we have suffered a defeat, lost our army, and disgraced our nation. How can I live a life of shame and dishonor!"

"I only wish for a swift death!"

Huang Taiji, who was seriously ill, carefully examined Shi Kefa.

He was skilled at judging people and could tell that Shi Kefa was not like Hong Chengchou, who was all talk and no action but was actually just trying to survive.

In the past, he would have had the time and inclination to slowly work out an ideal solution.

But with the great battle imminent, and his body nearing its end, he simply lacked the energy.

“Since you are a loyal subject,” Huang Taiji, his face pale, waved his hand, “then I will preserve your reputation.”

Armored soldiers stepped forward and dragged Shi Kefa out of the tent.

He didn't struggle or beg for mercy, but turned back and called out before leaving.

"You will all be defeated by Lin Dao!"

Hauge was furious. He rushed over, pushed Shi Kefa out, and personally killed him.

Lin Dao, who wiped out nearly 20,000 Manchu soldiers in one battle, is a taboo subject among them.

With a calm expression, Huang Taiji looked at Liu Liangzuo and the others and said gently, "When we engage in battle with the bandits of Lin, I will ask you all to fight with all your might."

"After the victory, I will not hesitate to bestow rewards."

He was always generous to those who surrendered, since they were all stolen goods and he didn't feel any pain in giving them away.

Liu Liangzuo and the others also knew that they were being used as cannon fodder.

But since his head had already been shaved, he had no other choice but to pat his chest and guarantee that he would serve the Qing Dynasty with utmost loyalty.

When Lin Dao received the news, he had already arrived in Dongping Prefecture.

Regarding Shi Kefa's death, he only had one sentence.

"A worthy death."

He was a true member of the Ming Dynasty, a hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He was a person who truly shared life and death with the Ming Dynasty and was willing to be buried with it.

He did indeed achieve it, and thus died a worthy death.

With the Ming soldiers who had been observing cleared out, it was time for Lin Dao to take the stage.

The massive convoy headed north, heading straight for Dongchang Prefecture.

Huang Taiji had already deployed a large army to wait there.

Dongchang Prefecture was known as Liaocheng during the Qin Dynasty.

This area has experienced multiple breaches of the Yellow River, and the silt brought by the Yellow River has formed a plain micro-landscape with alternating hills and depressions.

The 8th day of the 8th month of the 16th year of the Chongzhen reign.

It is auspicious for breaking ground, praying for blessings, opening toilets, and planting.

It is taboo to move to a new house, build a stove, or hold a sacrificial ceremony.

The Lin Dao troops, who had disembarked at Zhangqiu Town and traveled north along the west bank of the Grand Canal, advanced from the main camp to a point more than twenty li south of Dongchang Prefecture.

The Manchu-Mongol allied forces, personally led by Huang Taiji, also entered the battlefield almost simultaneously, with the two sides separated by several miles.

In a massive battle of this scale and magnitude, ordinary tactics are of little use.

Only a real, head-on confrontation will lead to the final outcome.

There were over ten thousand men and horses, and the scene seemed boundless and limitless.

Spreading out from the canal bank, the view was filled with people.

Anyone who can command a massive army of 100,000 is a renowned general at any time.

Lin Dao is still some distance from being a renowned athlete, and he relies on high technology to make up for it.

The drone hovered high in the sky, observing the entire battlefield.

He used walkie-talkies to direct each battalion commander to take their positions.

This feeling is like placing battle flags on a military map.

On a hilltop only twenty or thirty meters high opposite, Huang Taiji, observing with a monocular telescope, had a solemn expression.

"Lin Dao is truly capable of mobilizing troops with ease."

Throughout the morning, both sides were constantly deploying their troops.

When the sun was high in the sky, they almost simultaneously began to eat.

The Qing army mainly relied on dry rations.

They drank water, ate dry food, and some dried meat.

The main goal was to fill their stomachs and provide the energy needed for the subsequent battles.

On the forest road side, the soldiers had a much more abundant diet.

Each soldier is provided with a single self-heating ration.

Main dishes include green bean and beef fried rice, curry chicken fried rice, and carrot and chicken fried rice.

In order to better win this battle, Lin Dao gritted his teeth and bought enough food to feed the entire army for two meals.

The entire army ate lunch yesterday, mainly to familiarize themselves with how to use it.

Now, we're making final preparations for the battle to come.

Lin Dao also picked up a serving and started eating.

Open the packaging, remove the kettle, pour the water into the insulated bag, and it will heat up automatically.

Flip it over after five minutes, and repeat two or three times.

Tear open the bag and start eating; the aroma is irresistible.

In addition to the main course, there are side dishes, such as crisp cucumber and pork and egg rolls.

Each person is also given a can of luncheon meat, which will definitely make them feel full.

Today, a north wind was blowing, and the rich aroma of hot food wafted over, leaving the Qing soldiers dumbfounded.

How can we still have hot food at this hour, and it even tastes so good?

Who are those soldiers on the other side? They seem to be living such a good life!

"Sweat profusely."

Dodo stepped forward and suggested, "Why don't we take this opportunity to launch a counterattack?"

“They’re all taking turns eating.” Huang Taiji shook his head. “The army doesn’t move, but it forms a shape when gathered.”

"It's a waste of effort."

He never expected that before the two sides even engaged in battle, he would lose out on food first.

(End of this chapter)