Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 271 The Red Scarf Annihilates the Yuan Dynasty
"Liu Futong".

"You will lead two thousand men as the vanguard, carrying large carts and tools ahead."

"When encountering mountains, open roads; when encountering rivers, build bridges; set up camps every thirty li and build stoves to prepare food, water, and firewood."

Lin Dao pointed at Shi Nai'an and said, "Shi Er, find the clerks and desks on the construction site, organize the river garrison, and form teams of 100 men each."

"Each person was given three days' worth of dry rations, and they set off in turn."

"Han Shantong." His gaze fell upon the Holy Son of the White Lotus Sect. "You and the White Lotus Sect members will form the rear guard and organize the camp's supplies and equipment."

"To lead the army with the elderly and weak, and to gather up straggling soldiers."

His final instruction was, "Zheng Twenty-Seven, go and select eight hundred able-bodied men."

"Those who are strong and healthy will be given priority. No more than ten people from the same village will be allowed to form a thousand households and follow me."

"Remember, everyone, we need nothing that is too heavy and slows down our march."

"We will not enter any cities or disturb any villages along the way."

"Those who can do the work should do it now, and those who can't should speak up, and I'll find someone else."

This rather simple arrangement left everyone stunned.

The most excited was Shi Nai'an.

He was thrilled that the Ming king actually understood military strategy!
The so-called military strategy is not just about arranging troops before battle and commanding the fighting.

The true art of war is about marching and fighting.

They march first, then fight later.

The real skill lies in being able to lead tens of thousands of people from one place to a place hundreds of miles away.

Although Lin Dao's instructions were general, they were well-organized and included all the key points.

The more capable the Ming king was, the greater the chance of success in his plan to overthrow the Yuan dynasty.

Having lived a wasted life, I have finally seen the dawn of the overthrow of the Yuan dynasty.

The people of the land have suffered under the tyranny of the Yuan dynasty for far too long.
Liu Futong was very angry because he had been assigned hard and tiring work.

But one glance at the infantry fighting vehicle was enough to quell his anger.

'We cannot defeat them by force; we must outsmart them.'

'I refuse to believe you're without desires!'

With clear orders in place, everyone acted swiftly.

Those river workers and garrison soldiers who were willing to follow the forest road began to line up and set off in order.

Those who were unwilling to follow received provisions and left to return to their hometowns.

The vast majority of those who left had families.

Once a person has something to care about, it's really hard for them to risk their life without considering the consequences.

“Ming King!” Liu Futong stepped forward and said, “Now we should gather manpower to increase our strength.”

"Don't let them go. Treat them as soldiers and bring them all under your command."

In the era of cold weapons, having a large population was the greatest advantage.

Traditional thinking suggests that the more people, the better.

"These people."

Watching the river garrison soldiers gradually disperse into the distance, Lin Dao sighed slightly and stuffed a large stack of banknotes into his hand, saying, "These are all propaganda materials for the event."

“When they returned to their hometowns, as well as to the towns and villages they passed through along the way, they would hear the news of the descent of the Bright King.”

"The effect of this kind of publicity far exceeds the number of people involved."

"You must observe military discipline and not disrupt the local area or damage my reputation. These precious notes should be used to purchase supplies along the way."

"Yes." Liu Futong, with mixed feelings, bowed and said, "It was my shortsightedness that led me to this."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao narrowed his eyes. "I am?"

"Your humble servant!" Liu Futong quickly corrected himself, "Your humble servant has learned a great deal!"

One group of people after another set off, and Han Shantong, who was in charge of logistics and supplies, came to find Lindao again.

“Myo-wang, that stone figure is too heavy to carry.”

The stone figure is still useful; it can be brought out every now and then to put on a light show, so it definitely can't be discarded.

Lin Dao walked to the stone figure and saw it off in full view of everyone.

The stone figure was sent back to the modern world, where workers were invited to make some modifications.

Change the spotlights to have four colors: purple, white, gold, and blue.

The vast procession began its journey.

The garrison troops were better off; at least they had received training.

The river workers were a complete mob, barely able to keep up with the march only because they were temporarily promoted to the positions of 10-man and 50-man garrison commanders and subjected to their scolding and beatings.

military discipline?

There is no such thing.

A group of strong men gathered together, and when they started to rebel, their audacity was extraordinary.

Not to mention petty theft, even if there are bushes along the way, you'll get kicked a few times.

This is also why forest roads are not allowed to enter cities and villages.

These river workers are not yet considered soldiers; at most, they are bandits.

Lin Dao descended as the Ming King to restore the sun and moon and expel the Tartars, not to compete with the Mongol Yuan dynasty to see who could harm the people more.

The group consisted of several hundred Mongols and Semu people.

They were captured prisoners of war, now bound by reins, struggling to pull the cart forward.

Only one Semu person was not forced to work like a slave; instead, he was dragged to Lin Dao's presence.

With a beaming smile, Lin Dao looked at him and asked, "Still want to make money?"

"think."

Hassan bowed and said, "This is the time of my life when I am most motivated to make money."

"Most of my assets have been invested in this massive river repair project, and I'm about to go bankrupt."

The Mongol Yuan dynasty adopted a tax-farming system.

With enough money, you can contract almost anything.

Hassansa poured most of her savings into the logistics of this massive river repair project.

Now that Lin Dao has taken over this source of income, all the supplies have become his spoils.

Hassansa truly lost everything, even her principal.

Nowadays, as long as Lin Dao pays the right price, he'd even dare to assassinate the emperor.

Lin Dao took out a stack of banknotes, patted them in his hand, and handed them to Hassansa.

"What do you want me to do?" Hassansha quickly took the banknotes and carefully counted them. "This money isn't enough to buy my life to become an assassin."

"Your life will be spared for now."

Upon hearing his words, Lin Dao couldn't help but laugh, "I'm giving you money to buy you to be my intelligence supplier."

"If there's any news or activity from the Mongol Yuan side, you can let me know."

"Payment is based on the number of times you use the service."

"The price is based on the importance of the intelligence, with a minimum of 100 coins and no upper limit."

Hassan, whose eyes gleamed with shrewdness, chuckled dryly, "Can I take my people with me?" "Yes."

Lin Dao glanced at him sideways and said, "When we arrive in Yingzhou, we will hold an altar to worship the flag."

"After they leave, you go to Yingzhou to offer sacrifices to the flag."

“I’m getting old.” Hassan nodded and replied seriously, “An old man raising the flag isn’t impressive enough. Let the young people do it.”

He carefully put away the banknotes, nimbly mounted his horse, and galloped away.

"King Ming."

Zheng Twenty-Seven came over and asked, "This man is cunning and treacherous; is he trustworthy?"

"Even if one were willing to relay messages to the Wing King, how would one find him?"

“If he wants to make money, he’ll definitely be able to find me.” Lin Dao smiled in response.

“From now on, we’re against the Yuan dynasty.” Looking at the man in front of him, Lin Daozhi smiled and said, “Give yourself a proper name, and don’t use numbers anymore.”

During the Yuan Dynasty, ordinary people usually used numbers as their names.

For example, May 4th, the first day of the lunar month, the 49th, the 30th, the 27th, etc.

The reason is also very simple.

As fourth-class citizens, they basically had no status or position to speak of.

The Mongol Yuan dynasty stipulated that Han Chinese commoners who had not received education or held official positions were not allowed to have formal names.

Only numerical designations are permitted for use in household registration and tax collection.

People like Shi Nai'an, who had studied, passed the imperial examinations, and served as officials, were able to have a formal name and pen name.

This kind of suppression is almost the same as "keeping the head but not the hair".

Now that they have rebelled against the Yuan dynasty, they no longer need to abide by the Yuan court's previous rules.

Zheng Twenty-Seven wasn't stupid; he immediately bowed.

"I beg the King of Light to bestow a name upon me!"

The Ming king ordered him to select eight hundred elite soldiers to follow the central army, which made them his trusted confidants.

He was also extremely grateful.

"We who oppose the Yuan dynasty should pray for a good omen and hope that our great cause can be accomplished in one fell swoop."

"In that case, you shall be called Zheng Chenggong."

Zheng Ershiqi kowtowed deeply, "Thank you, King Ming, for bestowing this name upon me!"

Lin Dao, his face dark and solemn, stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and gave him earnest advice.

"You must perform well and bravely and resolutely oppose the Yuan Dynasty."

"No matter what, we must not dishonor the name of this hero."

Zheng Twenty-Seven was clearly stunned.

The name Zheng Chenggong doesn't sound particularly special.
He bowed again.

"Leader!"

It took them more than ten days to travel a distance of three or four hundred miles.

Lin Dao expressed his satisfaction with this.

After all, it was a motley crew mainly composed of river workers; the fact that they managed to bring the vast majority of them intact was already a success.

Yingshang County, Yingzhou, Jieshou Bailuzhuang.

Tens of thousands of people gathered here, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

"The white horse has been found!"

"We have black bulls too."

"The Mongols and Semu people are all tied up."

"Where is the Bright King?"

The flag-raising ceremony, in which we swear an oath to heaven and earth, is almost ready.

At this critical moment, the King of Light was nowhere to be found.

Liu Futong and the others scratched their heads vigorously, searching around.

The news of the birth of the Ming King had already spread.

Countless people from the oppressed region flocked to the capital, but the Wise King did not appear at this crucial moment.
If it's just a puppet, then it doesn't matter; someone else can impersonate it.

But Lin Dao is not a puppet, so who would dare to impersonate him?

Putting everything else aside, Zheng Chenggong, who commanded eight hundred elite troops, had to take the initiative to kill people first.

Fortunately, Lin Dao managed to return just before the ceremony began.

Come on~~~

Lin Dao gestured to the boxes he had brought, saying, "One for each person, distribute them and tie them to their heads."

These were red scarves he ordered in the modern world under the guise of exporting to Africa.

It's the right size and of excellent quality.

This time, it brought in hundreds of thousands of entries.

A large number of red scarves were distributed, and everyone tied them to their foreheads.

Everything in sight was red.

Lin Dao nodded repeatedly, looking quite pleased.

“Your Majesty,” Liu Futong stepped forward quickly, “it’s all ready.”

"Then let's begin." Lin Dao took out the sacrificial prayer text written by Zong Ze and stepped onto the altar.

He stood beneath the one-eyed stone statue illuminated by colorful lights and read aloud.

"Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother~"

"The Mongol Yuan dynasty was tyrannical."

"Rise up in desperation!"

"Expel the Tartars!"

"Reclaim the Central Plains!"

He held the sacrificial prayer to the heavens towards the brazier, and it quickly caught fire after being ignited.

Liu Futong and the others below the altar waved to them.

Soon, the white horse and black ox, along with the previously captured Mongol and Semu people, were brought up.

The white horse neighs, the black ox sheds tears.

The Mongols and Semu people struggled desperately and cried out in agony.

They all knew what their fate would be.

The gleaming steel knife was raised high.

Tens of thousands of rebels, their heads wrapped in red turbans, raised their arms and shouted.

"The Red Turbans will destroy the Yuan Dynasty!"

"The Red Turbans will destroy the Yuan Dynasty!!"

"The Red Turbans will destroy the Yuan Dynasty!!!"

(End of this chapter)