Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 285 Reading the Official Gazette, Knowing What Happens in the World

There is a saying: "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

The beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou is known throughout the world.

As he passed through the city gate, Lin Dao looked up and surveyed the scene.

Yanliu painted bridges, wind curtains and emerald screens, there are hundreds of thousands of homes.

As far as the eye can see, people come and go, shops abound, and the bustling scene reveals a prosperous atmosphere.

The streets were bustling with traffic and people.

The towering pavilions on both sides and the fluttering flags outside the rows of shops.

Everything here is so out of place compared to the apocalyptic scene in Jiangbei.

Outside the three-room house, many heavily made-up women waved enthusiastically.

"Singer girls know not the sorrow of a fallen nation."

Lin Dao lowered the carriage curtain and closed his eyes to rest. "People in Jiangnan live too comfortably."

This is actually a special environment.

The Han Chinese men in the countryside still lived a miserable life.

Shi Nai'an, who was riding in the same carriage, was concerned about something else entirely.

"King Ming."

"If we are away from the army for too long, something might happen."

“I’m waiting too.” Lin Dao opened his eyes, his expression calm. “I also want to see who will be unable to resist revealing their true colors while I’m away.”

Hu Weiyong arrived some time ago and worked alongside Li Shanchang to handle government affairs.

Lin Dao had always been wary of them, and this was a good opportunity to test them.

"As for the changes in the army, you're overthinking it." Lin Dao stretched out his legs comfortably. "Think carefully about the treatment I've given to the soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Shi Nai'an pondered for a moment, then his face immediately showed a look of realization.

The treatment Lin Dao offered to his soldiers was absolutely unparalleled in the world.

The Imperial Guards, in particular, enjoyed such high status that even the Mongol Kheshig army was not as well-treated.

They eat and drink their fill, and have meat every day.

They provided everything—food, clothing, and lodging—and their rewards were unparalleled in the world, never falling behind on their obligations.

The military pay was high and paid promptly, enough to allow the whole family to live a comfortable life.

With such high compensation, you'd have to offer even more to lure them away.

Otherwise, why would I give up a good life to suffer with you?

Without the supplies, money, and provisions provided by Lin Dao, this relatively small territory would absolutely not be able to support these troops.

This is the source of Lin Dao's confidence.

Want to recruit people?
Do you have that ability?
If you can't afford to support your army, it will turn around and devour you!

Moreover, Lin Dao is also surrounded by the halo of the descent of the Ming King.

In the face of miracles, any ambition will be considered thrice before it is put into practice.

The first thing to do upon entering Hangzhou was to find a place to stay.

Shi Nai'an once served as the magistrate of Qiantang County and was very familiar with the city of Hangzhou.

This is one of the reasons why Lin Dao brought him here.

He led the way and they found a house in the city.

The mansion was large, but it appeared somewhat desolate.

Inside, there were only some elderly and infirm people, who were busy packing and unpacking their belongings.

"Boss~"

Shi Nai'an whispered, "I have a past relationship with the owner of this house. When I was the magistrate of Qiantang County, I helped them with a fair trial."

"We have maintained correspondence over the years."

“Last year, a new Darughachi came to Hangzhou and took a liking to this silk business.”

"The Mongols coveted their property, and there was nothing they could do about it."

"The only option is to abandon the family business and return to my hometown."

This is the tragedy of colonies.

No matter how strong an individual's abilities are, if the nation's capabilities are insufficient, the result can only be tragedy.

Chen Liuzi of Dahua Factory has a deep understanding of this.

The Mongols, who were of the upper class, coveted the property of the fourth class.

They either hand it over voluntarily, or their families are destroyed and their property is stolen.

The only way to change all this is to eradicate the Mughals at their root.

Nowadays, almost everyone in the world thinks this way.

This is why the Red Turban Army's power expanded rapidly after the uprising.

This time, even if the Mongols wanted to return to the grasslands to graze their livestock, Lin Dao would not give them that opportunity.

“Father said,” the middle-aged man who stayed behind at the house bowed to Shi Nai’an, “the house is to be given to Uncle Shi, and you must not discuss any money or goods.”

Shi Nai'an subconsciously looked at Lin Dao.

But Lin Dao shook his head.

It was obvious that he was unwilling to accept this favor.

Favors are always easy to receive but difficult to repay.

Lin Dao doesn't lack this kind of money, so there's no need for him to do it.

After some polite refusals, Shi Nai'an took out a thick wad of banknotes and several hundred taels of silver to buy the house.

After all the people left behind by the original owner left, the hundreds of guards and personal soldiers who had accompanied him quickly filled the courtyard.

The first thing Lin Dao did upon arriving was to eat.

"Go to which restaurant in town is famous and order some food and drinks from them."

"Don't worry about the cost, just pick the good stuff, two dishes and a soup for each person."

"We need to hire some more cooks; we can't keep eating takeout."

After giving instructions to Shi Nai'an, Lin Dao looked at Lan Yu, who was excited to be entering such a bustling place for the first time.

He handed him a few banknotes and said, "Go and find some official gazettes from the Mongol Yuan dynasty."

Lan Yu was confused and went out to find her brother-in-law.

Chang Yuchun had no idea about this, so he caught up with Shi Nai'an and asked him.

"Just go directly to the government office."

Shi Nai'an, who once served as an official in the government, was very familiar with this.

“There are special agencies that sell official gazettes.”

The Imperial Gazette was an important tool for recording official documents and events of the imperial court and for disseminating them to local governments.

The people in the government offices, however, openly sold these items to the public for money.

This shows the extent to which the Mongol Yuan dynasty had already become corrupt.

The first to return was Lan Yu, who brought back a thick stack of official gazettes. "Your Majesty, I gave the paper money to the person who sells the gazettes, and he gave me this much."

Lin Dao casually flipped through the pages and found that there was even a gazette from the seventh year of the Zhizheng era, which made him chuckle.

"Next time you go to buy it, remember to make it clear that you want the latest edition of the official gazette."

"The extra banknotes were originally intended as a reward for you."

These words left Lan Yu, who was still catching her breath, completely stunned.

When I came to my senses, tears were almost streaming down my face.

How could I be so stupid as to not understand the King's meaning and miss such a good opportunity to make money?

She went to find her brother-in-law dejectedly and told him what had happened.

Chang Yuchun, however, did not reprimand him. Instead, he looked thoughtful and sized up his brother-in-law with a strange gaze.

"You boy."

"I didn't see anything special about him, and his martial arts skills were mediocre at best."

"What did the King of Ming see in you that made him cultivate you in such a way?"

Lan Yu was completely baffled. "King Ming, are you training me?"

"you still need to ask."

Chang Yuchun said irritably, "What are you?"

"And what am I, your brother-in-law?"

"Why should the King of Light explain so much to you? Do you really think the King of Light has nothing better to do all day?"

"Do you know that even among the imperial guards, being able to exchange a few words with the Ming King is a great honor?"

Lan Yu's mood immediately improved, and she felt delighted.

Lin Dao was looking through the latest official gazette to learn about major events in the country.

Liu Futong, Han Shantong, and others, who set out from Yingzhou, successively defeated the Yuan army that came to besiege them, and quickly expanded their ranks.

Especially after entering Henan, they successively captured prefectures and counties.

The once fertile Central Plains are now more than half turned into pastures for the Mongols.

The local Han Chinese sons lived extremely miserable lives.

Not only were they exploited by the Mongols and Semu people, but they were also forced to offer their brides to the Mongols for their enjoyment during their weddings.

This also gave rise to the custom of smashing the firstborn baby.

It goes without saying that the local people's hatred for the Mongol Yuan Dynasty had already reached its peak.

The arrival of Liu Futong and his group was met with enthusiastic support from all sides.

In a very short time, an army of 100,000 was assembled.

When Lin Dao attacked Gaoyou Prefecture, Liu Futong and others fought a decisive battle against the Yuan army on the banks of the Shahe River.

They successfully defeated the Yuan court, captured Zhuxian Town, and approached Bianliang City.

Judging by the time, if nothing unexpected happens, they should have already captured Bianliang City.

Historically, Liu Futong installed Han Lin'er as the emperor of the Han-Song dynasty.

However, in this space-time, they honestly use Lin Dao's Ming King banner.

In name only, the territory they conquered belonged to Lin Dao.

Then there was news about Guo Zixing.

Guo Zixing, who occupied Haozhou and Sizhou, first fought against various anti-Yuan rebel armies that rose up within the territory.

After annexing various forces, they marched south to attack Luzhou, besieging the city for over a month without success.

In order to quell the rising Red Turban Rebellion, the prime minister of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Toqto'a, personally led a large army south.

First, attack Xuzhou, a place of constant warfare.

Faced with the overwhelming Mongol army, Xuzhou fell.

The Mongol army massacred the entire city of Xuzhou, and the rebel leader, Sesame Li, disappeared without a trace.

Only a small number of people managed to break through the encirclement and escape to Haozhou.

According to the news in the official gazette, Tuotuo has already headed towards Haozhou.

"Tuotuo".

Lin Dao closed the gazette, raised his hand to rub his forehead, and said, "Chop it up and feed it to the dogs!"

Historically, Haozhou was defended for more than half a year, but it was only because a detachment of troops came.

Now that Toqto'a is personally leading the main force to attack, the outcome is hard to say.

Lin Dao decided that once the matter in Hangzhou was settled, he would lead his troops to cut off Toqto'a's supply lines.

A few months is enough.

He continued to peruse the official gazette.

The person mentioned most often in the official gazette was actually the Ming King, who was Lin Dao himself.

However, Lin Dao stopped paying attention to it after reading it.

It wasn't until news of Xu Shouhui caught his attention.

Xu Shouhui was chosen by the Maitreya sect and, together with monk Peng Yingyu and others, started an uprising.

Because the Red Turban Army had the most prestigious name, they also called themselves the Red Turban Army.

At the same time, they used the names of the White Lotus Sect and the Maitreya Sect.

They also widely publicized that "Maitreya Buddha has been born and will be the ruler of this world."

The people, who had long suffered oppression from the Yuan Dynasty, enthusiastically participated in the event.

Their military strength grew rapidly, and they captured places like Qishui and Huangzhou, but their territory was still smaller than that of Lindao.

With such a small territory, Xu Shouhui actually declared himself emperor!

The country's name was Tianwan.

Lin Dao shook his head repeatedly, saying, "They're too impatient."

“Even Yuan Gonglu knew that he could only become emperor after obtaining the Imperial Seal of the State.”

"What the hell do you have to say?"

The army numbered no more than tens of thousands, and the territory comprised no more than two prefectures.

With such limited strength, they rushed to declare themselves emperors and establish a nation.

They acted as if they'd never eaten anything delicious before, wolfing down the fruit as soon as it appeared.

"Idiot, what an idiot."

Moreover, although they were under the banner of the Red Turban Army, they did not take the Ming King seriously at all and declared themselves emperors.

Not only did he make himself a key target of the Yuan court, but he also broke with the real Red Turban Army.

That's understandable, after all, they're followers of the Maitreya sect.

“I am more than just the Bright King of the White Lotus Sect.”

"I am also the Bright King of the Maitreya sect."

"You have a way to die!"

(End of this chapter)