Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 359 Your name, Huo Qubing, is worth far more than ten thousand pieces of gold!
"Ten stones of salt?"

Upon hearing this, the young Huo Qubing was furious and shouted, "Don't talk nonsense!"

The horses carrying Lin Dao and the laborers only carried a few supplies; how could they possibly have ten bushels of salt?

Having a few bushels would be quite good.

Looking around, Lin Dao instructed them to wait.

The next moment, his figure disappeared.

Those who witnessed this scene were all terrified, and there was chaos with shouts and neighing.

"Where are they? Where did they go?!"

"Is it an illusion, a ghost, or a celestial being descending to earth?"

Even the resolute Huo Qubing instinctively stepped back and drew the precious sword given to him by Lin Dao.

Lin Dao reappeared, with ten burlap sacks beside him.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Huo Qubing, gripping his sword, looked wary.

The Han soldiers around them gradually closed in.

Everyone's expression was extremely complex and strange; some soldiers of Turkic origin were even bowing down in worship.

"I am a businessman."

Lin Daoyi was not afraid, "I was once fortunate enough to study under the Bodhi Patriarch at the Xieyue Sanxing Cave on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain."

"Although I am dull-witted, I have learned some basic techniques."

Trying to talk about science with people in this era is like talking to a brick wall.

The only thing I can understand is supernatural talk.

After telling the fabricated story so many times, Lin Dao himself began to believe it.

Even in my dreams, I have dreamt of listening to lectures in a temple.

I just couldn't hear what the white-bearded old Taoist priest said.

Of course, this didn't happen in the modern world when we were dreaming.

Huo Qubing's expression clearly softened.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the idea of ​​cultivating immortality was very popular, and even the First Emperor sent people to search for immortal mountains overseas.

Even during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the legends of witchcraft and sorcery were still deeply believed by some people.

"Bodhi Patriarch?"

Huo Qubing asked curiously, "Who is this immortal master? May I invite him to come and meet you?"

"I'm busy." Lin Dao simply changed the subject. "As long as the money and goods are in place, I will provide you with sufficient assistance."

Huo Qubing then asked, "What magic do you know?"

“The most commonly used tools are clairvoyance and clairaudience.” Lin Dao pointed to the Huns acting as scouts. “Even without these Huns familiar with the terrain, I can still find the tribes on the grasslands.”

"And then there is the law of creation."

"I can get anything you can think of."

Without a doubt, this is a very big statement.

Huo Qubing immediately asked, "Do you have any elixirs of immortality?"

Lin Dao was slightly taken aback by these words.

After a moment, he asked, "What did you just say?"

"I asked, is there an elixir of immortality?"

"It's not this sentence, it's the previous sentence."

The previous question was, "What magic do you know?"

"will not!"

When the burlap sack was opened, it was filled with pure white salt.

A Han soldier stepped forward, pinched off a small amount, put it in his mouth, and immediately closed his eyes and frowned.

"So salty!"

Huo Qubing hurriedly asked, "Is there any strange smell?"

He always ate only salt from wells and salt ponds.

It is large and bluish-white, hence the name "blue salt," and is even used for brushing teeth.

This is something that ordinary people can't afford.

They usually ate brine salt containing impurities.

"Let me see."

He reached out and took the salt block handed to him by the Han soldier, examining it carefully.

These halides resemble crystals, are generally yellowish, and also contain various colors such as blackish-purple.

Lin Daoke didn't lick it; he gave it to the Han soldiers instead.

He immediately guaranteed, "From now until you return to camp, I will provide all the salt you need."

Although his job was to help Huo Qubing, he also had to continue his business.

The operation has become too large, and several worlds are starving for food.

Previously, in various time periods, he would show off his abilities in front of people, take on a lot of responsibilities, and frantically launch various large-scale construction projects.

There's no way to slap myself in the face now, so I can only try to open up as many sources of income as possible to alleviate my predicament.

Eight hundred people, how much salt can they possibly consume?

Moreover, his salt costs almost nothing; he simply offers small discounts first in order to make big money later.

Huo Qubing had already made up his mind before embarking on his first expedition.

That is to sustain war through war.

In other words, the armor, weapons, horses, and other items that were damaged were plundered from the Xiongnu.

Food supplies along the way were also obtained through plunder.

Therefore, their packhorses mainly carried various military supplies, with very little food.

The only thing you really need to carry is salt.

People don't eat much; they can just carry it with them.

Horses, however, are different; they eat far more, consuming roughly ten times the energy of humans.

Especially during long-distance runs, horses sweat and need to replenish a lot of water and salt.

Salt is a scarce commodity on the grasslands.

Huo Qubing's eight hundred men, along with more than two thousand horses, numbered over 2,000.

The daily salt requirement is as high as several hundred kilograms.

This shows that Huo Qubing's blitzkrieg tactics were not unknown to others, but rather that no one believed he could pull it off!
The lack of any single resource could lead to a crushing defeat.

Huo Qubing was able to do it, so even a thousand years later, his fame is still passed down by word of mouth.

With Lin Dao's help now, there's no doubt they'll do even better.

"You are a Taoist priest," Huo Qubing asked again, "Why then do you still covet worldly wealth?"

"Let me correct you," Lin Dao said slowly. "It's a cultivator, a Taoist, not a sorcerer. Sorcerers are all frauds."

"And I am a genuine cultivator who knows magic."

"I need wealth for spiritual practice."

“I have a senior brother who is the Golden Dragon Ruyi Zhengyi Longhu Xuantan Zhenjun. My cultivation path is similar to his, and I need a lot of wealth.”

As soon as he finished speaking, some of the countless timelines immediately broke down, only to reconnect with other places again.

Interpersonal relationships and identities in many parts of the world have also undergone tremendous changes as a result.

Lin Dao, who was completely unaware of this, pointed to the Han army's mounts beside him.

"As long as the money and goods are in place, I can immediately enhance your unit's combat capabilities."

Huo Qubing wanted to say, "You're bragging!"
Many talented individuals want to improve the soldiers' combat effectiveness, but how many can actually do it?
But then he thought again, this person had personally demonstrated magic to his face.

He immediately nodded. "How much do you want?"

"One thousand gold coins." Lin Dao specifically instructed, "Not platinum, not pure gold, just gold."

The reason for this is that there were several types of gold during the Han Dynasty.

Besides gold, there is also platinum, which is silver, and red gold, which is copper.

The prices Lin Dao offered for these three types of minerals were vastly different.

Historical records indicate that Emperor Wu of Han frequently bestowed tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of gold coins upon his military generals.

The gifts included all three types of gold, as well as copper coins such as the Wuzhu coin, and supplies such as grain and cloth.

Gold means gold or gold as a general term for wealth.

It doesn't mean that the amount of gold bestowed is the same as the amount of gold itself.

Lin Dao had also considered exchanging large amounts of silver and copper for gold in the time-space world.

The problem is that, first of all, he is not a capitalist who manipulates finance.

Secondly, this kind of thing, which requires a very strong background, is not something that just anyone can do.

The ancients weren't stupid. If they had actually done such a thing, it wouldn't have taken long before it attracted terrifying hostile forces, which would have affected their important business.

He is a businessman.

"can."

Huo Qubing, a top-ranking nobleman, firmly believed that he would achieve a great victory in this military campaign and thus receive a reward from the emperor.

He could afford a thousand taels of gold.

"Can payment be made after we return to camp?"

Even when facing cultivators who had demonstrated their abilities, Huo Qubing, who had been pampered since childhood and personally taught by the emperor, still held his head high and said, "When going to war, who would carry a thousand pieces of gold with them?"

"Okay," Lin Dao agreed immediately, without any haggling.

Huo Qubing asked in surprise, "No need to write a written agreement?"

Lin Dao laughed at these words, "Your name, Huo Qubing, is worth far more than ten thousand pieces of gold!"

The young man, only seventeen years old, suddenly exuded a completely different aura.

They all look down on me, treating me like a spoiled brat from Chang'an!

"You think highly of me, so I'll accept you as a friend!"

The Book of Changes states, "A superior man learns and discusses with his friends."

The word "friend" actually appeared a long time ago.

Looking up at the sky, Lin Dao instructed, "It's getting late. You should set up camp and have a meal first. I'll go prepare some things."

What Lin Dao was going to bring was, of course, the cavalry three-piece set.

No need to make a special order; just find the inventory in any time and space.

When he returned, Huo Qubing had already set up camp there.

The cooks accompanying the army began boiling water and preparing meals.

Huo Qubing, on the other hand, was waiting for Lin Dao to return.

He is someone who likes fighting.

Because Emperor Wu of Han taught him to fight, to fight hard, and to crush the Xiongnu!
This is why he has an urgent desire for any advanced military equipment.

Lin Dao reappeared, bringing with him a mountain of things.

He hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting, "Brother Lin, what are all these things?"

"Bring your horse here," Lin Dao instructed, bending down to pick up a set of metal stirrups.

When Huo Qubing led his horse over, Lin Dao pointed to the cloth single stirrup on the horse's belly.

"Since you've thought of having a single-sided stirrup, why not consider having both sides?"

He shook the metal stirrup in his hand. "If you think of making it with cloth, why not think of making it with steel?"

"Here you go, install it yourself."

After Huo Qubing had put the stirrups on, Lin Dao had already handed over the Takahashi saddle.

"You knew to put a cloth under the horse's back and tie it under the horse's belly, but didn't you think of using something sturdier and more secure?"

As for the horseshoes, they were exchanged for the blacksmiths who accompanied the army to work on the spot.

Don't underestimate Huo Qubing just because he only had eight hundred men.

It can include skilled trades such as scouts, veterinarians, carpenters, and blacksmiths.

Installing horseshoes required starting a fire, and Lin Dao stepped in to help, providing a spray gun kit.

By the time everything was ready, the sun had already set.

"It doesn't matter."

Lin Dao brought out the camp lanterns, which surprised many of the Han soldiers who were watching the spectacle, causing them to bow down in worship.

There's no way around it, this thing is just too bright.

Huo Qubing personally mounted his horse using the double iron stirrups.

"You can control the horse with both legs, which means you can use weapons with both hands."

"This saddle has raised sections at the front and back, resembling an arched bridge, providing support at both ends, making it easier to ride and handle."

After experiencing the new equipment, Huo Qubing did not hesitate to ride around the temporary camp by the light of the camp lanterns and the stars.

The metal horseshoes made a crisp, clear sound when struck on the ground.

"Brother Lin, you have great talent."

Huo Qubing, returning on horseback, could not hide the joy on his face.

"None of us ever thought that if people can wear shoes, then of course horses can too."

"But you figured it out! You're truly a genius!"

Lin Dao nodded and smiled.

"That's right, I invented all of these things!"

(End of this chapter)