Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 310 Gold Swords Medal of Honor
"Since ancient times, among the four great achievements, beheading a general is the foremost."

Lin Dao raised his hand to signal, and Lan Yu hurriedly pulled the cart over.

On the wheeled cart was a dazzling suit of armor supported by a frame.

"Special order from Zhongshan Precision".

Lin Dao gestured and introduced the armor: "It's made of titanium alloy, with laser-printed cloud patterns, and the design was optimized by an art student."

With the war over, the next phase of massing troops to seize territory is about to begin.

Those renowned generals who have proven themselves in history should be treated with generous rewards.

The most famous generals at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty were Wang Baobao and Boluo, the two pillars of the Yuan Empire.

On the Han side, it was naturally Xu Chang.

After the five great generals of the Warring States period came Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Han Yue, and Xu Chang.

Of course, Li Erfeng and her gang of Tang Dynasty monsters are not included in this list.

"This is your reward for your merit."

Chang Yuchun's gaze as he looked at the armor was practically dripping with sarcasm.

For a fierce general like him, top-tier armor held unparalleled appeal.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The audience below the stage were buzzing with discussion.

He was just a Yuan general who was killed, yet he was promoted to general, given rewards, and even personally presented with armor.

That's incredibly generous!
People like Feng Sheng, Geng Junyong, and Hu Dahai also had the merit of beheading generals.

Important figures were executed, including Yue Kuocha'er, the Privy Councilor of the Yuan Dynasty; Xue Xue, the Associate Privy Councilor; Gong Bo, the Councilor; and Hala Da, the Deputy General.

Many of them were of similar or even higher status than Bolotemur.

Even though Feng Sheng and others killed them, they were only promoted to commanders of a thousand households for accumulating merits.

Why did Chang Yuchun become a general so easily?

They acknowledged Xu Da's merits; after all, he had executed the prime minister!
But he often encounters spring~~~
Lin Dao raised his eyes and calmly swept his gaze over.

The commotion vanished instantly.

He strafed the Yuan army with machine guns, drove the Shilka River to break through the enemy camp, shattered the morale of the Yuan army, and defeated the Yuan navy.

It can be said that the reason why this battle was able to achieve a great victory over the Yuan army was due to Lin Dao's bravery and those powerful weapons that made people tremble.

Without Lin Dao, these people wouldn't have achieved any merit of slaying generals and capturing flags.

Faced with hundreds of thousands of Yuan troops, they didn't even have a chance to get close to the enemy general.

It was precisely because they knew these things that everyone in the army was sincerely convinced of the Ming King's power.

Following the King of Light, one is well-fed, well-clothed, and receives countless merits and rewards.

Soldiers are most willing to follow this kind of commander.

Given Lin Dao's prestige, no one dared to say a word when he endorsed Chang Yuchun.
"Xu Da, the centurion of the 10th squad of the Imperial Guard, slew the enemy chieftain, Prime Minister Tuotuo, and earned the merit of beheading a general."

"A reward of five thousand strings of cash, and nine promotions in military merit!"

Chang Yuchun, who had just gone down, clenched his fists.

He's actually a ninth-rank military meritorious officer!

I've been outdone by this person again!
That's really something!
Xu. Always pressing. Da~
Xu Da stepped forward and bowed to Lin Dao.

"Get up and talk."

With a smile on his face, Lin Dao reached into the box that Xu Guosheng was holding and took out the last gold medal.

Unlike the previous ones, this medal features two symmetrical silver swords.

"In view of your illustrious military achievements."

Lin Daowei pinned a medal on Xu Da, who stood tall and proud.

"You are hereby awarded the Gold Medal of Honor for Swords."

The crowd below the stage was filled with envy and their eyes burned with admiration.

Special treatment, huh?

Those who receive the gold medal only receive the gold medal of honor.

Xu Da's was unique in that he had an extra pair of swords, which immediately highlighted the difference.

"That's the Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty, so special treatment is only right."

"That's true. He's the number one person after the emperor. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to bestow a title upon him."

The whispers around him made Chang Yuchun close his eyes.

But his fists clenched tighter and tighter.

"I intend to form the Second Battalion of the Imperial Guard, and appoint you as its deputy general."

They also gifted a set of specially made armor identical to Chang Yuchun's.

This honorable reward was bestowed upon only Xu and Chang.

Lin Dao patted Xu Da on the shoulder, then looked at the crowd below the stage and announced loudly.

“Some of you have already earned enough merit to be ennobled.”

"But I have not yet established my own government, and I only have one prefecture and two sub-prefectures."

"If we were to bestow titles and ranks lavishly, it would be akin to a monkey wearing a crown."

"However, I will remember all your merits."

"When the day comes that we sweep across the world and accomplish our great task, we will not hesitate to bestow rewards upon you!"

Everyone raised their arms and shouted, their voices deafening.

They believed the promise of the enlightened king!
The subsequent battlefield cleanup and clearing work lasted for several days.

The captured prisoners were screened and cross-examined.

The vast majority of prisoners were civilian laborers and Han soldiers; there were almost no Mongol or Semu people.

The reason is simple: their heads are the reward money and the merits they deserve.

Lin Dao never mentioned that captured Mongols and Semu people could also receive rewards.

Therefore, the soldiers of the Red Turban Army usually handled things in their own way.

As for the laborers and the Han army.

Under interrogation, those who had previously participated in the massacres of cities like Xuzhou and Haozhou were dragged out and hung up.

The same approach was used to deal with atrocities that had occurred in various places.

Only those who steal, extort, and blackmail are qualified to survive and enter the labor camp.

They would serve a minimum of three years of forced labor in the coolie camps, with a maximum of twenty years. The hard labor involved included repairing city walls and roads, constructing irrigation systems, dredging waterways, building ports, and mining.

However, their first task at this time was to dig a big pit.

One large pit after another was used to bury the remains of the Yuan soldiers.

There were just too many corpses; the large pit wasn't enough, so they had to dig desperately.

This is also related to the local environment.

If you dig too deep, the groundwater will seep out, so you can only dig more pits.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the number of heads of Mongols and Semu people handed over for statistics alone exceeded 110,000.

For various other reasons, such as those sunk in Gaoyou Lake or submerged in numerous rivers, the number is at least in the tens of thousands.

In short, this battle dealt a heavy blow to the Yuan Dynasty, leaving it severely wounded.

As noon approached, the transport team composed of military dependents, under the protection of the soldiers, arrived at the construction site.

Wearing a commemorative medal for the support of the Battle of Gaoyou pinned to her clothes, Ma Xiuying led the group to properly place the numerous large aluminum barrels.

Lifting the pot lid releases a rich aroma of cooked food.

"Giving these guys such good food is such a waste." Lan Shi, who was practically inseparable from Ma Xiuying, stirred the food with a large spoon.

The laborers were fed the cheapest feed.

The laborers' meals consisted of a mixture of feed and old grain, along with some discarded rotten vegetable leaves and even wild vegetables from the army, a large amount of water, and a spoonful of salt.

This is how they are treated when they work.

If there was no work to do and they were locked up in the camp, they would only have thin porridge to drink twice a day.

In Lindao, there's no talk of moral persuasion.

Those who commit crimes must be punished, and if it is punishment, then it must look like punishment.

Eating and drinking are just the basics; there will be plenty of hard labor to do later, more than they can handle.

"It's pretty good."

Ma Xiuying also laughed, "This is even better than what ordinary people eat."

These days, people are still starving to death in many places.

Having something to eat is really quite good.

The laborers lined up, holding chipped earthenware bowls and grime-covered wooden bowls, waiting in line for their meals.

The soldiers in charge of guarding them watched them warily.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble will only have one fate: being thrown into the big pit dug by the laborers.

The soldiers wore medals for participating in the war, while the families of soldiers wore medals for their support.

These are all their honors.

Lin Dao gave the military exceptionally high treatment, and naturally received the military's full support in return.

The military dependents who also benefited were extremely loyal to the Ming King.

Just like Lan Shi, at this moment she wore a jade bracelet on one hand and a women's watch that Lin Daoyun had brought to sell and recycle.

She had a gold hairpin in her hair and earrings hanging from her ears.

Even so, she still actively participated in various tasks for military dependents.

"My master received many rewards this time."

While getting their meals, Lan Shi also chatted with Ma Xiuying.

"I bought a lot of canned fruit at the department store. When I get back, I'll give some to Brother Tianjue and Sister Guo'er to eat."

Guo Tianjue is still recovering from his injuries and has not yet joined the Red Turban Army, so he has no income.

Although she had received some financial aid before, Ma Xiuying was used to being frugal.

The family's standard of living was not high among military dependents.

Ma Xiuying didn't stand on ceremony and agreed with a smile, "Thank you, Sister Lan."

There's no need for such formalities between us.

"By the way," Lan said, looking at Ma Xiuying's bare wrist, "the women's watches in the department store are really nice, why don't you buy one too?"

Lin Dao opened a department store in Gaoyou City.

It mainly sells various small commodities imported from the modern world.

The market is overflowing with a wide variety of goods from Yiwu, including watches, toys, clothes, shoes, socks, snacks, candies, and daily necessities.

Although anyone with money can go in and buy things, at this time, the main consumers in Gaoyou City were still the military dependents.

Ma Xiuying, who had previously participated in logistical support work, also received a reward of several strings of cash.

Buying a small, exquisite watch is enough.

She just smiled, but had no intention of buying it.

"My master."

Lan continued chatting about everyday matters, saying, "He's busy in the camp all day long, and he doesn't even go home on his days off."

"The battle is over, why are we even busier now?"

“The military is undergoing a large-scale expansion.” Ma Xiuying, who delivers supplies and cooks for military camps across the country every day, has noticed something of this.

"General Chang must be very busy."

When the Red Turban Army was cleaning up the battlefield, they captured hundreds of thousands of civilian laborers.

Most of these laborers suffered from night blindness, and virtually none of them ran away on the night of the night raid.

After screening and interrogation, Lin Dao offered them two options.

One took the travel expenses and went home.

Another option was to join the Red Turban Army.

Most of the laborers from all over the country chose to join the Red Turban Army.

Many people believe that it is impossible for them to return to their hometown in this war-torn world.

Moreover, even if they go back, they will be forcibly conscripted again before long, and they will have to bring their own food.

Many laborers, already isolated individuals, joined the victorious Red Turban Army, which was better than serving the Yuan court, which treated them like dirt.

With enough manpower, the more than 20,000 Red Turban Army soldiers who had experienced the baptism of war could quickly form an army of 200,000.

At this time, the rapidly expanding units were all conducting intensive training exercises.

Once the training is over, it will be time for the army to launch attacks in all directions, conquering cities and seizing territory.

(End of this chapter)