Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 275 Recruiting Soldiers in Haozhou
Everyone says so.

The talent of one county is enough to govern the whole country.

The talents of Huaixi established the Ming Dynasty, and their abilities are evidenced by historical records.

People from the Zhizheng era may not know this, but Lin Dao, who comes from the modern world, is a household name.

Historical records prove that cultivating them is far more credible and useful than cultivating unknown figures.

"In the height of summer, July should be a time of sweltering heat."

Walking through the Huai River region, looking around at the desolate scenery, Lin Dao shook his head repeatedly, saying, "This place is indeed filled with a sinister aura."

"The Mongol Yuan dynasty was tyrannical and its killings were excessive."

Shi Nai'an responded with, "For a hundred miles, not a rooster crows; white bones are exposed in the wild."

"Fertile fields are turned into pastures, and the men are like cattle and sheep."

"These years, the Han people have had a terrible time."

The Mongol Yuan dynasty's tax system involved contracting out the tax revenue of a region to a single individual or a group of people.

The Yuan court has secured its wealth and provisions first. As for how the tax collectors make up for their expenses or even get rich, that's up to their own methods.

In this situation, even the Virgin Mary would have to fall into demonic ways.

In their quest to collect taxes, tax farmers resorted to all sorts of unscrupulous means, and countless families were ruined and destroyed as a result of being forced to pay taxes.

Many more people chose to flee.

He fled into the mountains and forests, becoming a savage bandit, preferring to be devoured by wild beasts rather than work for the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Moreover, the Mongol Yuan dynasty attached great importance to environmental protection and did a very good job in converting farmland back to grassland.

Vast tracts of fertile land were transformed into pastures, where the Mongols grazed their livestock.

Those Han Chinese who lost their land either starved to death, fled into the mountains, or became slaves to the large landowners.

The once bustling and densely populated Lianghuai region during the Tang and Song dynasties is now desolate and dilapidated.

"It's better here."

Shi Nai'an, who had traveled all over the world, was filled with emotion, saying, "The further north you go, the more dire the situation becomes."

“Especially in the areas directly under the jurisdiction of the Central Secretariat, there were Mongol horse ranches everywhere.”

"The local people usually eat grass and use manure as fuel to get by."

"It goes without saying that Dadu is even more so. Your Majesty, have you ever seen grain costing sixty catties of silver per shi? If you were to use paper money, it would cost five thousand guan!"

"That's terrible, it's really terrible."

The Mongols only cared about enjoying themselves, leaving all the work to the Semu people.

They viewed the world as a pasture and the Han people as cattle and horses, exploiting them relentlessly.

Those who are treated like cattle or horses live an extremely painful life.

"Hmm." Lin Dao took a breath. "It's alright, I've seen worse."

The situation at Yonghe Time and Space was actually even worse; just surviving was a luxury.

Today you're putting others on the chopping block, but tomorrow you might be the one on the chopping block.

Those barbarian people regarded the Han people as sheep.

Sheep usually have only one use.

Skin it and eat the meat!
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, things were only slightly better here.

It's the difference between cattle, horses, and sheep.

"You said."

Lin Dao joked, "If one day we've already reached the gates of Dadu (Beijing)..."

"But someone comes to you and says that we should live in harmony and become a loving family from now on."

How would you respond?

Shi Nai'an was stunned; he couldn't believe such a divine being existed in the world.

He did not respond verbally, but simply gripped his sword tightly.

"Walk."

Lin Dao laughed heartily, "Let's go to Haozhou!"

Haozhou was the ancient state of Zhongli.

Located south of Xuzhou and north of Luzhou, the prefecture administers three counties: Zhongli (Fengyang), Dingyuan, and Zhaoyi.

The army entered the country and successively captured county towns and prefectural cities.

After clearing out the remaining enemy officials and inventorying the captured supplies, Lin Dao did not rush to continue eastward. Instead, he divided his troops and sent them to various places to raise flags and recruit soldiers.

"It's about recruiting soldiers, gathering regular troops."

Lin Dao specifically instructed, "He is not to be cannon fodder who is swept away to serve as soldiers."

"Remember, you need to recruit truly strong individuals."

“For outstanding individuals, investigate their names and family backgrounds thoroughly and submit them to me for review.”

"Brother-in-law~ Brother-in-law~~"

The boy, whose voice was hoarse during puberty, ran from one end of the village to the other.

A boy of about twelve or thirteen years old pushed open the dilapidated courtyard gate and ran in, shouting, "Brother-in-law~~~"

"It's so hot today."

A burly man with long arms and a belt around his waist came out and said, "Why aren't you resting at home? What are you yelling about?"

The boy was somewhat afraid of his brother-in-law, and he lowered his head and hummed twice.

"Your little brother's here?"

The boy's older sister finished getting ready and came out of the house to the water tank. "Have a drink of water first."

The boy drank all the water in the wooden ladle in one gulp and breathed a sigh of relief.

The burly man, annoyed at being interrupted, found a stool and sat down. "Speak, what's the matter that's so urgent?"

"Brother-in-law."

The boy's face lit up with joy. "The Red Turban Army is recruiting!"

"oh?!"

The burly man suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with joy. "Really?"

"Really!" the boy exclaimed repeatedly. "It's right at the village entrance!"

"go!"

Without hesitation, the burly man immediately set off for the door.

"The seventh day!" The older sister stepped forward, grabbed the boy's arm, and asked with a worried expression, "Are you really going to join the Red Turban Army?"

"elder sister!"

The boy pushed her hand away. "When the Red Turban Army attacked Huaiyuan County, my brother-in-law wanted to join the army."

"Later, someone said that if you went to join them during a war, you would easily be mistaken for a spy and killed, so they didn't go."

“Now that the Red Turban Army is actively recruiting soldiers, my brother-in-law will definitely go.”

"He's skilled in martial arts and proficient in riding and archery; how could he possibly spend his whole life farming!"

At that moment, a burly man's shout came from outside the courtyard: "Lan Chuqi, let's go!"

"Here I come~~~"

The boy, Lan Chuqi, hurriedly ran out.

The two arrived at the edge of the village and saw a large crowd gathered there watching the commotion.

The burly man with a stern face pushed aside the person blocking his way with both hands.

The man who stumbled and fell was furious and turned around to yell at them. But when he saw who it was, he immediately fell silent.

The burly man had a bad temper and was someone no one in the village dared to mess with.

A group of Red Turban Army soldiers, wearing red headscarves and uniform grass-green military training shirts, are taking tests and registering.

Without hesitation, the burly man stepped forward.

When he arrived, the people who had been queuing back stepped back and made way for him.

There's no way around it, this guy is really good at fighting, and he has a bad temper.

First, there's a wooden pole with a white line drawn in the middle.

The Red Turban Army soldier, leaning on a wooden pole, shouted, "Anyone under five feet two inches tall, don't come!"

Recruiting soldiers is not about conscripting men or laborers.

This recruitment is for regular soldiers, soldiers with status and benefits, and they are given a resettlement allowance.

The requirements are strict, and not just anyone can apply.

The burly man was over six feet tall, so he easily passed the test.

A few steps further ahead, there are several stone locks.

"A 300-pound stone weight." The Red Turban soldier guarding it called out, "If you can lift it, you've passed the test."

Previously, those who lifted the stone weights used both hands together.

But the burly man simply lifted the stone lock with one hand, to everyone's astonishment.

They put down the stone lock and continued on their way.

This time, it was an old man with gray hair and beard who asked the burly man, "Do you have any serious illness?"

The burly man shook his head. "No, does foot odor count?"

The old man was a doctor who had been forced into military service. After examining the patient and confirming that he had no serious illness, he asked the strong man to register.

The clerk, sitting in the chair, nodded repeatedly upon seeing the man's imposing and robust physique.

That physique is good enough to join the Imperial Guard.

A form printed from the modern world by Lin Dao was spread out on the table.

"Name~"

"Chang Yuchun".

The clerk looked up, his gaze puzzled.

"I was born on the tenth day of the first lunar month, which coincided with the beginning of spring, hence my name Yuchun (meaning 'Encountering Spring')."

He explained why he didn't have a numeric name.

The clerk picked up his pen and wrote it down, then asked again.

"Age~"

"Twenty-two."

"Gender~"

Chang Yuchun: "~~~Huh?"

"It's about whether it's a man or a woman."

The clerk also found this kind of fill-in-the-blank exercise ridiculous, but since it was Shi Nai'an's instruction, he could only follow it.

After glancing at the document, Chang Yuchun reached out to undo his belt.

"look by youself!"

After all the commotion, the registration was finally completed.

A commotion came from the wooden pole.

Chang Yuchun turned his head and saw his brother-in-law arguing with the Red Turban Army again.

"I want to join the army, why don't they want me?!"

"You're so short, and you're joining the army? Come on, come on~~~"

"I'm just young now, but I'll definitely be taller than you when I grow up!"

"Lan Chuqi!" Chang Yuchun called out in a low voice, "Come here!"

Lan Chuqi, who had been making a lot of noise, immediately quieted down and ran to her brother-in-law's side.

With his arm around Lan Chuqi's shoulder, Chang Yuchun looked at the clerk and said, "This is my wife's younger brother. I'm going to take him with me to join the army."

"Soldiers may bring their families."

The document explains that "family members are all in the old camp."

Chang Yuchun frowned. "Can't he be a regular soldier?"

The clerk, seeing his imposing stature and great strength, unusually good-naturedly explained, "Look at his size, how could he possibly wear armor?"

"They're too young. Let's wait a couple of years before talking about it."

"Brother-in-law~~~" Lan Chuqi, who was eager to make a name for herself and stand out from the crowd, was so nervous that she was about to cry.

"Ok?"

Chang Yuchun glared at Lan Chuqi, and Lan Chuqi immediately became obedient.

"In that case, you will stay with your sister in the old camp."

"Let's talk about it after I've earned military merit and become a general."

"Here you go." The clerk gestured to a pile of copper coins. "Settlement fee. Come over and sign and affix your seal."

Similar scenes are playing out in various parts of Haozhou.

Inside Haozhou City, Lin Dao, who lives in the government office, is receiving guests.

"This humble man, Hu Siliu, pays his respects to the Ming King."

Lin Dao nodded. "Where are the things?"

Hu Siliu hurriedly took out a letter and handed it to Zheng Chenggong, who had stepped forward.

Zheng Chenggong tore off the sealing wax, took out the letter, and examined it carefully.

Only after confirming that it was safe was it handed over to Lin Dao.

This is a letter sent by Hasansha, a Semu person.

The message was simple: to inform Lin Dao that the Yuan court had taken notice of him.

Now a large army has been dispatched to conquer them.

Privy Councilor Hesi and Censor-in-Chief Tuchi led 6,000 Asu troops from Central Asia to Yingzhou to suppress the rebellion.

Accompanying them were several Han troops recruited from various places, numbering approximately 30,000.

Laborers and logistical support along the route will be conscripted separately.

The letter was first sent to Yingzhou, but upon learning that Lin Daodong had gone east, the messenger chased after him.

"I already know about this."

Lin Dao retrieved a new envelope.

Instead of writing a reply, he stuffed a thick stack of banknotes inside.

He sealed it with sealing wax and threw it to the messenger.

This information broker is still useful.

After the messenger left, Lin Dao crossed his legs and muttered to himself.

"We need to go back and print more banknotes, starting with a few million strings of cash."

(End of this chapter)