Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 353 Twin Swords, Almond Leaf, Diamond-Inlaid Gold Medal of Honor
"These are the Three Divine Artifacts?"

He examined the short-handled bronze sword, the Mosuo bronze mirror, and the hook-shaped piece of green jade in front of him.

Lin Dao reached out and picked up the bronze sword, then brandished it for a moment.

"This is a bronze sword from the Wu and Yue states during the Warring States period. It is somewhat similar to the Yue King's sword, but not as exquisite."

He put down the bronze sword, then picked up the bronze mirror and examined it from both sides, even stroking it with his hand.

"It's just a bronze mirror, the kind that's been around for a while, nothing special."

Finally, he picked up the magatama.

"The jade quality is okay, but the workmanship is so-so, that's about it."

Lin Dao shook his head. "The Three Divine Artifacts?"

"I didn't see God anywhere."

If there were truly gods, they should have intervened to stop the Ming army when it stormed the capital.

If the gods dare to show themselves, Lin Dao will immediately run away and never come back in this lifetime.

Walking through this royal treasury of Japan, I looked through those so-called treasures.

For someone like Lin Dao, who is used to seeing all kinds of treasures, this really held no appeal.

"Pack."

Lin Dao instructed Lan Yu, "Take them all with you."

Although I don't really like them, I have to take them all with me.

In the future, all the countries and civilizations conquered by the Ming army will bring back their treasures and display them in the Ming National Museum.

We must ensure that future generations remember the illustrious military achievements of our ancestors.

Looking at treasures was merely a pastime for Lin Dao.

He has a lot of work and is very busy.

Just like now, in front of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Japan, he was awarding medals and rewards to those who had contributed to the war against Goryeo and Japan.

There were too many people who had earned merits in battle, and those whose merits were not high enough had already been awarded medals and rewards in their respective camps.

Those who can come here now and receive awards personally from Lin Dao must have at least achieved the third rank in military merit.

Among them, Zhu Wenzheng, who won several heads in his first battle and even killed the Japanese general while pursuing the enemy on horseback, was awarded a special reward by Lin Dao for his meritorious service in killing a general.

"You are awarded this double-sword almond leaf gold medal in recognition of your bravery and merits."

Lin Dao personally pinned the medal on Zhu Wenzheng's neck, then patted him on the shoulder, asking, "I heard you do very well in your academic subjects?"

Zhu Wenzheng, head held high and chest out, responded loudly with his neck stiff.

"In my graduation exam, I ranked seventh out of 3,192 students in my class!"

"very good."

Lin Dao patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "You have achieved merit by slaying a general. You are promoted to the rank of Qianzong and placed under Xu Da's command."

"In addition," he picked up a modern, custom-made sword and handed it over, "I hereby bestow upon you a sword."

Zhu Wenzheng was so excited that he trembled. He respectfully accepted the sword with both hands, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears of excitement.

Lin Dao was never stingy when it came to rewards.

However, he rarely personally bestowed weapons and armor upon the recipients.

It seems that only Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, as well as Chen Youliang during the western expedition, have ever received it.

For Zhu Wenzheng, this was the greatest honor.

Lin Dao was very generous with money and goods, but he rarely received gifts from the emperor.

In particular, they never granted any imperial edicts or certificates of merit.

There was nothing Lin Dao could do; Old Zhu had already ruined the imperial edict, and he didn't want to use it again.

In addition to medals, there were also rewards such as wealth to match the merits of the battle.

Below the reviewing stand, many Ming soldiers watched with envy.

There's nothing I can do but be envious.

Why did the glory of beheading the general not fall on my head?

Afterwards, one by one, the meritorious individuals went up on stage to receive medals and various rewards from Lin Dao.

The last one to step onto the stage was Xu Da, whom the generals referred to as the emperor's deputy general.

"well done."

Lin Dao knew that Xu Da was depressed because he couldn't go to fight on the grasslands.

However, his only defeat in history when he went to fight on the grasslands serves as a cautionary tale.

They simply replaced him with Chang Yuchun to fight on the grasslands, while Lin Dao led Xu Da to sweep up the outskirts.

"You are awarded this gold medal of honor, featuring two swords and apricot leaves inlaid with diamonds, in recognition of your outstanding performance and achievements in the war against Goryeo and Japan."

The edges of the gold medal are symmetrical ginkgo leaves.

Inside the apricot leaves on both sides are swords with the same countermeasure.

A dazzling diamond has been added to the center of the pair of swords.

Under the sunlight, it shimmered with iridescent light.

This diamond is very large, exceeding three carats.

Fortunately, the cost wasn't too high, since it was done manually.

Lin Dao ordered many of these coins at once, intending to use them to commend the meritorious officials who had rendered great service in destroying the country.

If nothing unexpected happens, Chang Yuchun and Chen Youliang will also receive one.

Following the awarding of medals, a banquet is traditionally held.

Except for the sergeants on duty, everyone else received a sufficient amount of meat and alcohol.

The large kegs of beer that Lin Dao brought were very popular.

He buys directly from the manufacturer, so the price is very cheap.

Fruit wine is also quite popular, and many people drink it.

But not many people drink baijiu (Chinese white liquor).

In the words of Geng Bingwen and others, "When you're poor, you have no choice but to drink these things."

"Now that life is better, of course we want to drink better things!"

As for meat, due to the lack of cold chain preservation capabilities, it is naturally impossible to transport it from the Central Plains.

However, the local meat supply in Japan is simply not enough to satisfy their hunger.

Both involve Lin Dao making purchases in the modern world.

Outside Kyoto, Japan, a banquet was being held in the barracks of the Goryeo security forces to celebrate.

However, their treatment was incomparable to that of the Ming army.

Alcohol was rationed, with only one bottle per person. Meat was also rationed, and there was very little beef or mutton; it was all horse meat from those that had died or been too badly wounded to be saved during the previous war.

Because there were so many people, each person didn't actually get much horse meat.

Even so, they still ate with great relish.

Many of the Goryeo security forces never ate real meat in their entire lives.

Meanwhile, the senior generals of the Ming army and the Goryeo security forces gathered in the Japanese imperial palace for a drinking party.

There were also captured Japanese noblewomen performing songs and dances.

However, Lin Dao couldn't stand their singing and dancing.

Moreover, his face, covered in powder and deathly pale, his teeth blackened, his eyebrows shaved off, and his short stature all made Lin Dao shake his head.

He didn't want any of these noble ladies; the military officers took them all in.

Yi Seong-gye was assigned two women, and he indulged in drinking and debauchery, embracing one on each side.

"She's young, but her acting is quite good."

Lin Dao smiled upon seeing this.

The founding king of Joseon Dynasty in history was no ordinary man.

This is a deliberate attempt to tarnish one's own image, striving to portray oneself as a good-for-nothing who only knows how to charge into battle bravely.

After the banquet ended, the military officers each took a Japanese noblewoman with them and left.

Tonight is a night of celebration, and they are granted a special privilege to indulge themselves for the night.

"Your Majesty~"

Xu Da and others voluntarily stayed behind to discuss the matter.

"The operation to hunt down Japanese people in various places is not progressing so smoothly."

"The resistance from the Japanese was extremely fierce."

"Moreover, they know they can't win in a direct confrontation, so they rely more on intrigue and trickery."

"They dug traps, poisoned everywhere, and were even willing to perish together with their soldiers."

"The teams clearing out the Japanese in various places suffered considerable losses."

Lin Dao, holding a wine glass, didn't seem to care at all. "Isn't there the Goryeo Security Force?"

"Let them go."

"Your Majesty," Xu Da earnestly advised, "the Goryeo security forces are very weak. Many of them have been ambushed and routed, losing their weapons and armor, which in turn has armed the Japanese."

"Moreover, they frequently called for our army to come to their aid, but the Japanese seized the opportunity to ambush our soldiers."

"Japan has too many mountains, which greatly affects the combat effectiveness of our army."

Setting down his wine glass, Lin Dao frowned. "Is it that same old surrender tactic again?"

"I said we can't let the Japanese get away with this."

"Your Majesty," Xu Da earnestly advised, "I have thought about it carefully."

"The current strategy of eliminating everything directly is provoking too much resistance."

"Japan has at least several million men, and the pressure is too great."

"My intention is to allow them to surrender under certain conditions."

"They demanded ransoms ranging from tens to hundreds of strings of cash from them."

Lin Dao laughed at these words, saying, "The people here are all poorer than the last. They can't even come up with a hundred coins, let alone a hundred strings of cash."

"Yes."

Xu Da replied, "That's why we told them they could work to pay off their debts."

"Work in various mines, and set a standard of three to five years to redeem yourself from slavery."

"I believe that the work in the mines should be made more arduous and the food and treatment should be worse."

"In that case, I doubt many people will live to be three to five years old."

Mining in ancient times was an extremely dangerous job.

Basically, it involves using miners' lives to obtain various minerals.

The combination of high-intensity work and extremely low pay means that those who survive for three to five years are all exceptionally fortunate.

"What if someone actually comes out alive?" Lin Dao frowned. "Will we break our promise then?"

“No need for such trouble.” Xu Da bowed respectfully. “If they arrive beforehand, let them go. We can arrange for the security forces to disguise themselves as bandits and ambush them on the way.”

"In this way, it is more efficient and solves more problems faster than simply disposing of them."

He did not want to go against the emperor's will, nor did he sympathize with the Japanese.

It's purely from a practical perspective, presenting my own viewpoint.

After all, Japan has millions of men, and most of its territory is rugged mountainous terrain.

The losses and logistical burdens incurred by the large-scale military campaign were completely disproportionate to the results achieved.

If there is a more convenient way, why not use it?

After all, it was really unnecessary to leave a large army here to carry out inefficient counterinsurgency operations.

As for the Goryeo security forces, Xu Da didn't even consider them worthy of his attention.

Faced with a threat to their survival, millions of Japanese men are not helpless logs that can be chopped down at will.

They will learn and improve, and they will resist with the determination to die.

Lin Dao was silent.

He remained true to his original intention, but he was unwilling to carelessly shed the lives and blood of his soldiers.

Counterinsurgency, or mountain counterinsurgency.

When the Korean cannon fodder lacked the ability, they had to make some adjustments.

"His Majesty."

Seeing the change in Lin Dao's expression, Xu Da advised again, "Now that the overall situation is settled, only the follow-up cleanup work remains."

"Your Majesty should return to your country, and leave the rest to us."

"Once His Majesty returns to the country, we can issue a decree of forgiveness, so as not to affect His Majesty's prestige."

Seeing that all the generals shared this view, Lin Dao thought it over and over again before finally nodding in agreement.

However, the necessary instructions should still be given.

"At most three years. After three years, there can be no more traces of Japanese men on this island."

The generals, who were unwilling to fight a counterinsurgency war, all saluted.

"I will take your orders!"

(End of this chapter)