Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 325 Times have changed!

Laughter and cheerful conversation filled the main room.

Lin Dao, who was sitting upright, gestured with his hand, "Please have some tea."

Shen Wansan and an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face next to him picked up their teacups and sipped tea.

"I have long admired the great name of Master Zhang."

"It is my good fortune to see you today."

It was rare to hear Lin Dao praise someone so highly; he hadn't even been this kind of nice to Li Erfeng.

"Your Majesty flatters me." The old Taoist priest was clearly very old, but he was still full of energy.

He put down his teacup, stroked his beard and smiled, “Upon hearing that the Ming King has raised the banner of righteousness to drive out the Tartars and restore the Central Plains, this old Taoist regrets that he cannot join the Ming King’s ranks and fight bravely against the enemy.”

“Age is never a problem.” Lin Dao nodded in agreement. “Having the will is the most important thing.”

"Even without going to the battlefield, the Taoist priest can still contribute to the well-being of the people."

"I intend to establish a cooperative association to govern all schools of cultivation throughout the world."

Lin Dao bluntly stated, "I would like to ask the Taoist priest to take charge of this matter."

This thing actually existed in every dynasty.

Like the administrators of a Buddhist temple, they are called the Grand Monk.

The leaders of Taoism are called Dao Kui, etc.

The difference is that each company manages its own affairs.

Lin Dao's intention here is to bring together all kinds of schools of thought from around the world into this cooperative association.

Shen Wansan, who was standing to the side, chimed in, "Master, the Ming King is doing this for the sake of all the people."

He also called himself the Taoist of the Three Mountains and was the introducer in this case.

The old Taoist priest beside him had once taught him the Tao, so it was not an exaggeration to call him master.

Shen Wansan brought his master along this time at Lin Dao's request.

"King Ming."

The old Taoist priest was slightly puzzled. "The Maitreya Sect, the Ming Sect, and the White Lotus Sect are also in the Cooperative Association?"

Having lived for so many years, he naturally knows that these are the very schools of thought that are currently causing turmoil in the world.

And the Ming King before them was the nominal leader of these schools of thought.

If these schools of thought were also brought under unified management, the significance would be quite different.

"Those who live outside the secular world should primarily focus on spiritual cultivation."

Lin Dao carefully chose his words: "However, cultivators also have nationalities~"

"Now the barbarians are rampant, and people all over the country are living in misery."

"In order to drive out the barbarians and restore a bright and clear world to the people, everyone must do their part."

“Those who cultivate themselves also cultivate themselves in the Central Plains, and should therefore contribute to the Central Plains.”

"This is not a matter of simply saying that those who live outside the secular world are detached from worldly affairs and can therefore absolve themselves of responsibility."

The old Taoist priest nodded in agreement, saying, "That's exactly right."

Lin Dao expressed satisfaction with his statement: "My idea is to establish a cooperative association of various schools of thought, so as to mobilize the strength of each school and jointly devote themselves to the cause of overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty."

"Master Zhang."

"Only your prestige can accomplish this."

Lin Dao has no shortage of supplies, but he needs people's support.

This is not the era when the "egg-giving cult" is most popular. There are many different schools of thought in various regions, and they have a strong influence among the people.

They could provide great assistance during the Northern Expedition.

“The poorer and more chaotic the times, the more people a sect can influence.”

Lin Dao is very experienced and knows a lot about these things.

"We need more support."

"Especially during the Northern Expedition."

Lin Dao spoke earnestly, "Master Zhang, in order for all the people of the world to be free from the oppression of the Mongol Yuan dynasty as soon as possible, please help me."

Master Zhang stood up and greeted him, saying, "This humble Taoist is willing."

Lin Dao asked again, "What do you need, Daoist Master? Please speak frankly."

"The Maitreya Cult, the Ming Cult, the White Lotus Cult, and other religious sects~"

“I’ll take care of them,” Lin Dao said decisively. “I’ll make the arrangements in the name of the Ming King.”

Master Zhang mentioned these schools of thought because they were the main force behind the anti-Yuan rebellion, and they all had troops.

If anyone disobeys, then they are naturally disobeying the King's command.

Therefore, there is a legitimate reason to send troops to wipe them out.

"That's it."

Master Zhang nodded in satisfaction. "That will make things easier for the other sects."

Lin Dao asked curiously, "Is it convenient for Buddhist monks too? Should I send troops to help?"

"Haha~~~"

Zhang Daozhang laughed loudly, "Buddhism?"

"It's not that I look down on them, but as long as they have no one in the court to support them, they are more obedient than anyone else."

Throughout history, Buddhism has always taken a high-end approach.

During the Tang Dynasty, he even climbed onto the beds of princesses and empresses.

They even managed to trick the emperor into selling himself multiple times to raise funds for Buddhism.

Many people believe that Buddhism is difficult to control because it has too many followers.

It's not wrong, but it's not comprehensive enough.

The difficulty in restraining Buddhism lies mainly in the fact that they have powerful figures above them.

At this moment, Lin Dao reassured Zhang Daoist, assuring him that with him, the Bright King, in charge within the Red Turban Army, no one would plead on Zhang Daoist's behalf.
"That's it."

Master Zhang stood up and said, "I'll go take care of it now."

Before leaving, Lin Dao asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"I have heard that the Taoist priest has many titles."

"May I ask your real name, Master?"

Master Zhang was deep in thought. "I've lived for almost a hundred years, but I've never dared to forget the name my parents gave me."

"The old Taoist's name is Zhang Junbao."

After seeing Zhang Junbao and his apprentice off, Lin Dao did not rest and continued to busy himself with military and political affairs.

The reason he lingered in the Suzhou and Hangzhou area for so long was to eliminate the influence of the local gentry in Jiangnan as much as possible.

The Ming Dynasty was brought to its demise by these gentry from Jiangnan.

Lin Dao was well aware of the destructive power of these Jiangnan gentry.

Taking advantage of the founding war, when military strength and rule are at their peak, we should suppress and eliminate them as much as possible. The first step is to kill as many people as possible.

This step is progressing smoothly. Every time we conquer various parts of Jiangnan, we carry out large-scale clean-up operations, and there are not many survivors left.

The second step is to eliminate their habitat.

Most importantly, the land annexation should be abolished, as this was the foundation of the gentry.

Next came the reorganization of trade routes and the re-establishment of commercial taxes.

In particular, a strong crackdown on smuggling.

Lin Dao had personally witnessed the smuggling skills of these Jiangnan gentry.

Finally, the plan was to recruit soldiers from all over the country to rekindle the fighting spirit of the people.

Instead of solely pursuing the path of a scholar.

The remaining wealthy merchants include Shen Wansan and the Xue family.

Lin Daohui will use them temporarily, but later he will split their families and send them to various parts of the world.

Even the power of clan-based alliances needs to be broken up and dismantled.

Now, the second step is proving extremely difficult.

The Red Turban Army's confiscation of land sparked fierce resistance in various regions.

"This is our family's field!"

An old man with white hair and beard led his clansmen, armed with knives, weapons, and bows and arrows, to block the ridge of the field and shout.

"These fields are the result of three generations of hard work and dedication. Why should you take them away from us?!"

Shi Nai'an responded with a cold laugh.

“Your Lei family is a prominent local family. You know perfectly well how you acquired your land.”

"The Lei family has served the Mongols like cattle and horses for three generations, taking on their taxes and grain duties."

"They use trickery and force to make farmers unable to pay taxes, and then they seize their land."

"Your family's thousands of acres of fertile land were earned through the hard work of three generations!"

He called out to the crowd of onlookers, shouting, "Your ancestors also owned fields and land!"

"But your family's land now belongs to the Lei family!"

"Now, the King of Light will uphold justice for you and return all the land that was taken from your ancestors to you!"

“The Lei family is now unwilling to return your land to you.”

"You yourselves, tell me, what should we do?!"

The people in the surrounding area had already learned about the Ming King's redistribution of land through proclamations and announcements.

For these people who had nowhere to stand, the Ming King was their savior!

Now that the Red Turban Army is bringing them to divide the land, the Lei family is unwilling.
The people were filled with righteous indignation, raising their hoes, pitchforks, and sticks, shouting and roaring for the land to be divided.

"Nonsense~ It's all utter nonsense~~"

The elder of the Lei family was so angry that his beard trembled. "Our Lei family has never had any dealings with the Mongols!"

"That's hilarious."

Shi Nai'an laughed without giving him any face, "You have two granddaughters, both of whom became concubines for the Mongols."

"The swords, spears, bows, and arrows in your hands were all obtained from the Mongols."

"Your family has always been responsible for all the taxes in this township."

"Now you're saying you have no contact with the Mongols?"

Do you think we're all fools?!

He took a breath and roared, "Put down your weapons and surrender on the spot!"

"Otherwise, they will be treated as Mongol troops!"

Holding sticks and pitchforks, they are at most considered rioters or mobs.

But if they're armed with swords, spears, bows, and arrows, then they're considered a chaotic army.

If someone is wearing armor, that's even more interesting; they're practically rebels!
Behind the excited crowd, the Red Turban Army, lined up in formation, advanced step by step, shields raised and weapons in hand, amidst the low growls of their officers.

Although there were only a hundred people, the sense of oppression they brought was devastating.

It was precisely because of the presence of the Red Turban Army that powerful local families like the Lei family were afraid of the common people.

Otherwise, the ringleaders would have been killed long ago.

Every year there are rioters, and every year they are killed.

In the past, the Yuan army stood behind them.

But now, the Yuan army has been wiped out, and the Red Turban Army stands behind the people.

"Old man."

Shi Nai'an proclaimed loudly, "Times have changed!"

The people shouted and surged forward, fighting with the Lei family's clansmen and disciples.

Those clan elders who used to marry eighteen-year-old concubines even at eighty years old, and who insisted on eating chicken tongues, now had their heads smashed by hoes, their bellies pierced by pitchforks, and their bodies trampled on by muddy feet as they lay on the ground.

All the past arrogance, bullying, and humiliation have been returned to them at this moment.

When the Red Turban Army soldiers, wearing red scarves on their helmets, entered the field, the one-sided battle quickly came to an end.

The anger of the people had been ignited, and they stormed into the Lei family's house, shouting.

Screams, pleas, and cries filled the air.

There were even flames and thick smoke rising up.

"This~~"

Liu Bowen, standing to the side, felt a pang of pity and thought, "Isn't this going too far?"

"What happened?"

"Do you know that these people grew up eating blood?"

"Since they have consumed the blood and flesh of the people, they should pay the price they deserve!"

Shi Nai'an looked at him with disappointment.

"You have never uttered a word about the suffering of countless ordinary people that you have witnessed along the way."

"What's the point of saying this now!"

The Han people at the end of the Yuan Dynasty lived an extremely miserable life.

People starving to death is a very common occurrence.

When you're sick, you can only tough it out.

Working day and night for wealthy families like the Lei family, the earnings were barely enough to make ends meet.

In many families, several members only had one pair of pants to wear.

Their suffering deserves to be spoken up for!
Shi Nai'an was flipping through the roster in his hand.

"Let's go to the next village; the next family is the Qian family, a wealthy local family~~~"

(End of this chapter)