Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 357 The Sixth Year of Yuanshuo
"Is this a redesign?"

Inside the warehouse filled with stacked cement sleepers in a grid pattern, Lin Dao stared blankly at the drastically different time portal before him.

Another new time portal has appeared. This is not surprising, as we've experienced it several times before.

The problem is that this time portal is different from the previous ones.

The previous time portals all gradually changed from light green to dark green.

But the newly appeared time portal is actually pale yellow!
Coming to his senses, Lin Dao chuckled, "Are you playing the traffic light game with me? Will we have to create red portals in the future?"

The pale yellow portal is noticeably different from the previous ones.

It wasn't color, but rather two lines of text formed by fluctuating energy on the portal.

'To help Huo Qubing reach the pinnacle.'

A reward will be given upon completion.

Lin Dao rubbed his chin, carefully examining the several time portals in front of him.

"Are these green ones in front for me to practice on, or for me to use as a logistics base?"

"Starting with the yellow ones, there are specific arrangements?"

"Huo Qubing~"

This name is known to every man in the Central Plains.

"He's already at the peak of his military career, and you still want to help him reach the top?"

"What, sealing the wolf's lair wasn't enough, so you just blew up the mountain?"

"A reward? What kind of reward? Wealth, power, or beautiful women and jewels?"

Lin Dao has too many questions and misunderstandings.

I thought I knew enough about time portals, but now it seems I'm still far from it.

"Never mind, we'll know when we get there."

Lin Dao set off, first delivering all the cement sleepers piled up in the warehouse to the storage base in the Zhizheng Time and Space.

Afterwards, he rode back into the city, handled some affairs, and gave instructions and arrangements for various tasks.

After making preparations and settling in, he then announced that he would be going into seclusion for a period of time to travel in spirit to the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Xieyue Sanxing Cave to listen to his teacher's teachings.

Zheng Chenggong personally led a large number of palace guards to strictly guard the secluded retreat along the forest road in shifts.

After arranging all this, he led Ma Xiuying and a group of palace women to return to the modern world with the embroidery and other handicrafts they had made.

The products were handed over to company employees for distribution through various channels, while relevant information was reviewed.

In recent times, he has made many capable business friends in the modern world.

These friends are very warm and helpful; they'll help you with anything you need just by asking.

For example, regarding distribution channels nationwide, whether online or offline, Lin Dao simply made a suggestion, and his powerful friends actually got it done for him.

Without a doubt, these friends are truly capable.

As is customary, I visit various locations in different time periods to mark my arrival, signifying that I am going into seclusion for a while.

After finishing all that, he stepped into the newly appeared pale yellow portal.

Blue sky, white clouds.

Looking around, one sees endless mountains and hills, with rivers flowing through them.

Further away, there was a flat area.

Looking down at my feet, I saw clumps of tender grass struggling to break through the ground and growing vigorously.

"This environment is somewhat like the edge of a grassland."

Lin Dao took out the thermometer. "Sixteen degrees?"

I looked up at the position of the sunlight; it was high in the sky.

"A high of 16 degrees Celsius, is this early spring?"

After confirming once again that there was no one around, Lin Dao put down his travel bag and took out a small drone to assemble.

After installing the battery and adjusting it to make sure everything was working properly, I tossed it away.

With a buzzing sound, the drone flew into the distance.

The surrounding area is very open, consisting of mountains, hills, grasslands, and rivers.

We did see some wild animals, such as gazelles.

After flying for a while, we finally saw dozens of tents haphazardly placed on the bank of a small river behind a series of hills.

On both sides of the river, herds of cattle, sheep and horses are grazing and drinking water.

People fetching water from the river are looking up at the sky with curiosity.

Lin Dao manipulated the drone to slowly descend, wanting to get a clear look at the people below's attire and faces.

If nothing unexpected happens, they should be the Xiongnu, but this needs to be confirmed.

The next moment, the drone suddenly flipped over.

The camera spun rapidly and fell, eventually crashing to the ground.

Before long, several weathered faces gathered in front of the camera and peered out.

The screen jittered, and the signal was cut off.

"Although it's not that expensive, it's still my asset."

Lin Dao packed his things and returned to the warehouse in the modern city.

When they reappeared, they were already sitting in a modified all-terrain vehicle.

With a roar from the engine, the massive tires spun and propelled the drone toward the spot where it had crashed.

The road was rugged and difficult to travel; in fact, there was no road at all, just a vast wilderness with at most animal tracks left by herds of livestock.

Despite the enhanced shock absorption system, the all-terrain vehicle still experiences a strong sense of bumpiness while driving.

There are many small rivers here, but none of them are deep.

The huge tires drove directly through the water.

After crossing the hills, we finally came to the settlement of the Xiongnu people.

There were only about twenty or thirty tents. Such a small scale could not possibly be a tribe; it must have been a small settlement.

The roar of the engine startled the Huns.

They hurriedly donned leather armor, mounted their horses, grabbed bows and spears, and charged forward shouting.

I stopped the car on the forest road and carefully observed it through the bulletproof glass.

Without stopping, he loaded the guns and prepared for battle.

'Whoosh whoosh~'

Dozens of Xiongnu cavalrymen rode up and circled the all-terrain vehicle.

He fired arrows in succession, which struck the carriage with a dull thud.

"Iron arrowheads?"

Lin Dao stared at the Xiongnu people and said, "Their weapons are also made of iron. Is the Xiongnu's technology that advanced?"

It was not because the Xiongnu people had advanced technology.

In reality, the northern nomadic tribes had little technological sophistication beyond horseback warfare. They lacked smelting technology, and the grasslands also lacked sufficient fuel.

Although there are abundant mineral resources buried underground, even if you live on a treasure mountain, you wouldn't know how to use them.

These Xiongnu people were able to use iron tools thanks to Xiang Yu's help.

Like Lin Dao, Qin Shi Huang liked to settle people in the border regions.

When the Great Wall army marched north to expand their territory, many old Qin people were relocated there, including many blacksmiths.

Later, when the Qin Dynasty fell into chaos, the Great Wall army marched south to quell the rebellion, but suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Julu at the hands of Xiang Yu and never returned.

The Xiongnu, who had been driven away by the Great Wall army, returned and occupied the Qin lands.

The people and blacksmiths of Qin also fell into the hands of the Xiongnu.

This is why they were able to equip themselves with iron tools on a large scale.

"Observation complete."

Lin Dao, wearing protective clothing, pulled down his face shield, cocked his rifle, pushed open the door, and got out of the vehicle. "Catch the prisoners!"

'Put-put-put~'

The hail of bullets from the gun muzzles felled the Huns and their horses.

The arrows fired by the Huns in retaliation were of little use when they landed on the protective suit.

Warriors charged forward wielding iron swords and short spears to fight, but all beings are equal under the gun barrel.

While Lin Dao was changing his magazine, the surviving Xiongnu cavalrymen turned their horses around and fled.

He fired steadily, shooting them down one after another.

The fastest riders had already crossed a small hill in the distance and reached the other side.

Lin Dao sheathed his gun, ready to clean up the battlefield.

The next moment, the few Xiongnu cavalrymen who had escaped over the hill returned.

"Is it so fierce?"

Lin Dao was slightly surprised. "No wonder he was able to fight against the Han army for so many years. His bravery is beyond question."

The sound of rapid hoofbeats approached.

Before long, a large number of cavalrymen surged over from the hillside.

These cavalrymen wore armor made of rectangular iron plates woven together. The plates were jet black and strung together with red ribbons, so it must have been Xuanjia (玄甲).

The armor consisted only of breastplates, backplates, and shoulder guards; the lower body was covered with trousers, which were essentially tight-fitting pants.

They carried bows and crossbows on their backs, halberds and spears on their horses, and wooden or leather shields. Holding daggers with loopholes in their hands, they charged forward, shouting and chasing after the few Xiongnu cavalrymen.

This kind of attire, along with the flags they carry, all demonstrate their identity.

Han cavalry.

This group of Han soldiers numbered over a hundred cavalry.

After killing the last few Xiongnu cavalrymen, the main force charged toward the group of tents on the riverbank.

Another troop of cavalrymen, shouting, came rushing towards the forest road.

Lin Dao quickly changed the magazine, and the muzzle of the gun drooped slightly.

He knew the army of the agricultural era all too well, so there was no way he could relax in the slightest.

"Who are you?!"

The squad leader reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the Xiongnu soldiers who had been knocked down by Lin Dao. "Did you kill all these barbarians?"

Lin Dao, wearing a protective mask, spoke in a muffled voice.

"Yes."

Cries and pleas for mercy could be heard coming from the cluster of tents along the riverbank.

Having lost its adult men, the camp, now only populated by the elderly, women, and children, was utterly powerless against the cavalry.

Lin Dao glanced at it once and then paid no more attention.

This kind of thing is perfectly normal.

When nomadic tribes raid and slaughter southwards, they become even more ruthless.

The squad leader sized up Lin Dao, then dismounted.

He gripped the dagger and stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"His surname is Lin and his given name is Dao."

"A businessman."

"A merchant?" The squad leader clearly didn't believe it.

He looked at the all-terrain vehicle and asked, "Where did you get this armored vehicle?"

The Wu Gang Chariot was made by Wei Qing.

The body is made of Mengniu leather and has a rhinoceros horn-shaped frame, with a contradiction embedded in it.

It serves as both a mobile fortress and a supply transport facility.

With numerous vehicles surrounding it, it formed a mobile camp, effectively countering attacks from the Xiongnu.

"This is not a Wugang chariot."

Lin Dao waved his hand and said, "Don't say such useless things. I have no ill intentions. I just want to do business with you."

At this moment, a Han cavalryman who was examining the corpses of Xiongnu soldiers and horses called out, "Squad leader, come and take a look."

The squad leader ran over to look, but saw no wounds from knives, spears, bows, or crossbows.

These people and horses had only blood-soaked holes in their bodies.

When he got up and turned around, Lin Dao had already gotten into the car.

He rolled down the car window and waved to the bewildered squad leader.

What is the reign title of the current emperor?

"It is now the ninth day of the fourth month of the sixth year of Yuanshuo."

Lin Dao suddenly realized and asked again.

"Do you have a captain in your army named Huo Qubing?"

The sergeant was astonished. "You recognize Captain Yao?"

"Captain Yao?" Lin Dao pondered the information he had reviewed. "Is this Dingxiang?"

The squad leader cautiously did not respond, but Lin Dao had already confirmed that this was the battlefield of the Battle of Dingxiang.

Judging by the timeline, the war must have just begun not long ago.

"Give."

Lin Dao took out a glass ball and threw it over, saying, "Pass a message to Captain Yao, tell him I want to do business with him."

"This is the delivery fee."

The squad leader exclaimed in surprise as he stared at the glass ball in his hand.

"A glass ball?!"

(End of this chapter)