Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 327 Asking the Right Question
On the banks of the Lingzhou River, the river flows swiftly.

The knife fish, which had become very rare and expensive in later generations, was coated in flour and deep-fried.

With nimble hands and feet, Ma Xiuying skillfully prepared each and every knife fish.

Not far away, Lin Dao, sitting on a stool, looked at the rolling river and turned his head to look at Zhu Sheng.

People always say that the Yellow River is turbulent and often floods, bringing great disasters to the people along its banks.

"But the floods in the Yangtze River are actually much greater than those in the Yellow River, so why is it rarely mentioned?"

This question made Zhu Sheng fall into deep thought.

After some thought, he finally replied, "It must be that the Yangtze River is too violent, not even giving us a chance to send a message, swallowing it all up."

Before the industrial age, the floods of the Yangtze River were truly more terrifying than those of the Yellow River.

The modern world is so stable because of the various water conservancy facilities built by industry.

For now, all Lin Dao can do is arrange for manpower to dredge the river and build river embankments.

People living in flood-prone areas along the riverbank were relocated, and the land was used as a flood discharge area.

"River management is a topic that can never be avoided."

Lin Dao looked at Zhu Sheng and said, "I want to appoint you as the river management supervisor."

"Taking full responsibility for the management of rivers of all sizes across the country."

"Of course, the most important are the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Huai River."

Zhu Sheng was lost in thought.

'Is the King of Light targeting me?'

'Or do you mean you really intend to give me an important position?'

'If I only focus on river maintenance at my age, will I still have a chance to enter the central government later?'

After all, he's a scholar, so it's normal for him to have many thoughts.

"Your Majesty commands, and I will obey!"

Lin Dao nodded, and then asked, "Tell me your suggestions in detail."

"Yes."

Zhu Sheng dared not be negligent and explained carefully.

"The Bright King is the incarnation of Maitreya, protected by celestial artifacts, and possesses unparalleled celestial magic."

"Such divine power should be known by more people, and the wider the better."

"The Red Turban Army will inevitably become more and more loyal."

"In places like the Yuan court, the soldiers have no will to fight, and the generals have no intention of fighting."

"This is the manifestation of divine power!"

If you have strength that surpasses your level, you must show it and severely damage your opponent's confidence and morale.

Lin Dao nodded. "Go on."

"Now that the Yuan court's main force in field battles has been wiped out, the forces that are being supported by the landlord militia that Richard Khan and his son have mobilized."

“But the Yuan court is not without capable soldiers.”

“From the vast grasslands, the Western Regions, and even the distant khanates, troops and soldiers could be continuously sent.”

"If we wait until Richard Khan and his son have integrated all the troops, then another fierce battle will be inevitable."

Zhu Sheng tried to explain his advice: "The Ming King should take advantage of the current weakness of the Yuan court and the absence of reinforcements from afar to quickly march north, recover the land of Hebei, capture Dadu, and keep the Yuan army outside the Great Wall."

Historically, he advised Zhu Yuanzhang to accumulate strength before launching an attack.

That was because the war to unify the country had taken too long, and the Yuan court had been continuously mobilizing supplies and troops.

Given the lack of strength, it was correct to advise Lao Zhu to be patient and develop his abilities.

The situation is different now.

The battle in the forest was too fierce, sweeping everything away like autumn leaves being swept away.

We should seize the opportunity to strike quickly and push the battle line to the Great Wall.

Since ancient times, the Great Wall has been enough to drive the nomadic tribes back to the grasslands.

Without the manpower, resources, and technological strength from the Central Plains, the barbarians who return to the grasslands will soon degenerate to the point of using wolf teeth as arrowheads.

Lin Dao did not express his opinion, but nodded again.

"Go on."

"Yes." Zhu Sheng took a breath. "Your Majesty."

"Nowadays, heroes are rising up all over the world, and many of them are named after the Red Turbans."

"The Ming King possesses the qualities of Maitreya and the White Lotus. As the leader of the Ming Cult, he should establish his righteous cause while the forces of various local heroes are still weak."

"In this way, with the support of the people, the process of unifying the country can be accelerated."

The Red Turban Rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty took about twenty years, from the emergence of the one-eyed stone man in the Yellow River to the Northern Expedition led by Xu Da and Chang Yuchun.

This is the span of a generation.

Outside of the Yuan court, figures like Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, Chen Youliang, and Ming Yuzhen were gradually gaining influence in various regions.

Someone like Chen Youliang could even mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops.

A large portion of the strength of the various rebel armies was wasted on internal strife.

At present, the Red Turban Rebellion has only been going on for less than two years.

The local warlords, lacking sufficient strength, continued to operate under the banner of the Red Turban Army.

If Lin Dao, as the leader of the Red Turban Army, forcibly establishes his title, he will then have the righteous cause to justify his future campaigns in various regions.

The importance of upholding righteousness and legitimacy should not be underestimated; they are indeed useful.

Lin Dao had his own thoughts on the three suggestions Zhu Sheng made.

I will consider it, but I will still proceed according to my established steps.

Seeing that Lin Dao had stopped talking, Ma Xiuying, who had already fried the fish, brought over the plate and placed it on the small table.

Take the seasonings, pour them into a dish, and arrange them neatly.

Reach out and pick up a fried fish, dip it in the sauce, and take a bite.

"tasty."

Upon hearing the praise, Ma Xiuying smiled.

One perk of being a time traveler is that many delicacies that are unavailable in the modern world are plentiful in other dimensions.

Just like the knife fish we're eating now, even farmed ones are quite valuable in the modern world, and wild ones are nowhere to be found.

But here, you can eat it on a plate.

"Eat them all."

Lin Dao gestured to everyone, "Don't be shy."

After the fried ribbonfish was finished, Ma Xiuying took the plate away to wash it.

Zhu Sheng then brought up the topic again: "The Ming King."

"Now, the area from Lianghuai in the north to Lingnan in the south is under our control."

"He is also the common leader of the Red Turban Army in various places, and has already conquered most of the country."

"Such a large territory and so many people require enough officials to govern it."

"My subordinates request that an imperial examination be held to select officials to fill positions in local government offices."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao's gaze turned cold.

He glanced at Zhu Sheng, who was bowing, and said, "No."

Zhu Sheng visibly trembled and pressed, "May I ask Your Majesty, why is this?"

I understand what you're thinking.

Lin Dao shook his head. "Before you, quite a few people had already proposed this."

"Some even suggested changing the content of the imperial examinations."

At this point, he chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate me."

“I understand your thoughts better than you do.”

“As long as I dare to open this breach, you have plenty of ways to tear it open like a river bursting its banks.”

"Therefore, I will not give you a chance to make an exception."

Zhu Sheng asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, without the imperial examination system, how can the talented people of the world be captured and brought into your fold?"

"The talent of a single county is enough to establish a nation." Lin Dao shook his head again. "Talent is not that scarce."

“I will not follow the old path of the Song Dynasty.”

"In my case, everything comes first, especially for the military."

He stared at Zhu Sheng and said, "Here, I follow the Qin and Han dynasty system of granting titles based on military merit."

"What I want is continuous innovation and progress, not the complacency of scholars and writers!"

“The vacancies in local government offices will be filled by soldiers who graduated from night school.”

"student?"

"If you want to become an official, you can do so first, but you must first make meritorious contributions in the army."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Sheng exclaimed in alarm, "Your Majesty!"

"Could it be that you are unaware of the chaos and turmoil caused by warlords at the end of the Tang Dynasty?!"

"I know." Lin Dao shook his neck. "So what?"

"These warriors, at least, won't be like Sima Guang, giving away territory for nothing!"

"Mr. Sushui, he..." Zhu Sheng wanted to say a few words in defense of Sima Guang.

But history books clearly state that it was this group of scholars who, with the blood and lives of soldiers, handed over the land to the enemy.

I want to wash it but I don't know how.

After holding it in for a while, all I could say in the end was a sentence.

He had his reasons.

Lin Dao smiled silently.

The lessons of the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties are there for all to see; he won't blindly follow them!

He would rather the warriors fight each other, because that way, military might could protect their homes.

They were unwilling to see a flourishing literary culture, yet they were as fierce as tigers when killing their own people, but as weak as mud when facing foreign enemies!

"I've made up my mind."

"There's no need to say more about the imperial examinations!"

Upon returning to Jinling City, Lin Dao worked overtime to prepare for the upcoming battle.

They raised various military supplies, trained new recruits from various parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and sent envoys to Huguang to contact the Tianwan generals who were dissatisfied with Chen Youliang's murder of his lord.

Chang Yuchun, who had been sidelined, has also found a new job.

He served as the chief instructor for training new recruits.

His expressionless face as he stood on the training field made many new recruits' legs tremble.

"The wise king will feed you well, give you new clothes, and provide you with generous salaries and rewards."

"Even if they get injured, disabled, or retired, they can still go back to their hometown and become a village head or inspector."

"Tell me yourselves, how will you repay the kindness of the Bright King?"

This isn't empty boasting; it's genuinely based on facts.

In the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities, let alone having good food, just having anything to eat is considered a blessing.

King Ming ate as much as he wanted.

Clothes are important family property and can be pawned for money.

Many families, lacking even basic clothing, only dared to work in the fields at night.

When the Ming King arrived, he immediately distributed complete sets of clothes.

Clothes are free!
As for the high salaries and rewards, it was like living in a dream, and there was no need to worry about anyone profiting from the soldiers' blood.

The new recruits received real benefits and were naturally extremely grateful to the Ming King.

"I am willing to die for the Wise King!"

In chaotic times, life is the least valuable thing.

The wise king treated them well, so they were naturally willing to risk their lives for him.

When Chang Yuchun returned to his residence, Lan Shi, who had prepared the meal, helped him wash up and change his clothes.

After he sat down, I poured him a drink.

"I'll go to the clinic tomorrow." Lan Shi smiled radiantly as she gently stroked her belly. "I think I might be pregnant."

Even Chang Yuchun smiled upon hearing this.

"Good, it must be a big, fat boy."

He doesn't have a son yet, so he's naturally eager to have one.

"I've already discussed this with Xiuying," said Madam Lan with a smug look on her face. "Let's arrange a marriage between our children."

At this time, Ma Xiuying was going through a painful period.

Lin Dao rarely gets to stay overnight, so Ma Xiuying arranged for the Xue sisters to serve him in bed.

Back in my room, lying down, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

When I woke up the next day, I already had dark circles under my eyes.

The spirited Lin Dao ordered the drums to be beaten and the troops to be assembled after breakfast.

He's about to send troops!
(End of this chapter)