Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 388 What did you say?

"We are the procurement and supply personnel of the Prince of Qin's residence."

At Shiyang Pass, Zhao Er's palms were sweating as he handed over the tokens and documents from the Qin King's Palace of Shu.

The commander said that these forgeries were even more real than the real thing, and that he had paid a lot of money to have them made by professionals.

However, Zhao Er remained skeptical.

After all, if they were exposed, the entire raiding team of over a hundred people would be wiped out.

The Shu soldiers guarding the pass went forward to inspect the goods but found nothing amiss.

Yang Ye, who was traveling with Zhao Er, subconsciously reached for his money, but Zhao Er quickly grabbed him.

After shaking his head slightly at him, Zhao Er impatiently shouted, "Hurry up! If you delay the King of Qin's affairs, you'll be in big trouble!"

Meng Xuanzhe, the King of Qin of Shu, was the eldest son of Meng Chang and was very likely to be made crown prince.

His household's purchases and supplies naturally did not require him to pay tribute to the local soldiers.

After the guards checked and found nothing wrong, they dared not offend the people from the Prince of Qin's residence and quickly decided to let them pass.

Only then did Zhao Er and Yang Ye both breathe a sigh of relief.

I thought I would be subjected to extremely strict scrutiny, but I never expected the Shu army's defenses to be so lax.

Besides the laxity, the most important factor was the prestige of the Prince of Qin's residence.

The garrison at Shiyang Pass naturally dared not obstruct the King of Qin's procurement.

After everyone had entered the pass, Zhao Er and Yang Ye exchanged a glance.

The two men drew their swords almost simultaneously and roared, "Kill!"

The hundreds of men who entered the pass with them drew their weapons and began to kill the surrounding guards, plunging the pass into chaos.

Seeing Yang Ye's killing spree, they charged and attacked without restraint.

Zhao Er hurriedly took out a firecracker given to him by Lin Dao, lit it, and held it high into the sky.

A deafening explosion echoed through the narrow valley.

The forest road, which was lying in ambush in the distance, immediately gave the order.

"Rush over!"

The danger of Shiyang Pass lies in the difficulty of traveling the roads.

However, with the narrow pass gate taken away, the natural barrier no longer existed.

The successful capture of Shiyang Pass effectively opened up the Ziwu Road.

Lin Dao didn't delay and led his troops to gallop along the Meridian Road.

"Gao Yingxiang had a bad fate."

Walking along the Meridian Road, Lin Dao looked up at the sky and said, "A torrential rain caused the road to be blocked, which led to the leak of intelligence and an ambush."

"This time, I'll just have to see how my luck goes."

"Commander-in-Chief!" Zhao Er hurriedly caught up. "We've interrogated the prisoners. They said it's currently the rainy season, and it rains several times a month."

"It could even bring torrential rain and flash floods."

"For this reason, the Shu Kingdom did not strengthen the defense of the Ziwu Road."

What if you encounter heavy rain on the way?

Lin Dao waved his hand.

"There is no turning back when the bow is drawn."

"We're already on the road, what's the point of saying all this now!"

He looked up at the sky.

"Let fate decide!"

The entire Qinling Mountains are in the rainy season.

In previous years, at the same time of year, there would always be several heavy rains in a month that could cause flash floods.

As for moderate to light rain, it was constant.

Lin Dao was naturally aware of these matters.

The reason for continuing the journey was partly because, given the severe weather conditions, the Shu Kingdom would likely neglect the defense of the Ziwu Road.

Another aspect is that his luck is getting better and better.

Lin Dao had a feeling that he was having a stroke of good luck.

Especially in terms of the weather, they were exceptionally lucky.

He didn't know why, but he was willing to enjoy this good fortune.

We traveled along the difficult Ziwu Road, crossed the Qinling Mountains, and continued southward through the towering peaks.

We finally arrived at Shiquan.

From here, the forest road travels westward along the Han River, eventually breaking through the mountains and reaching Yangxian County.

This place is on the edge of the Hanzhong Basin.

"Nine days! They actually arrived in Hanzhong in just nine days!"

"It didn't rain at all along the way, not even a drizzle!"

"Heaven bless us! This is Heaven's blessing for our meritorious service in destroying the nation!"

The cavalry soldiers, who had been traveling for nine days straight, were overjoyed to see the plains after leaving the mountains.

"Brothers~"

Lin Dao shouted to the ragged, smelly soldiers, "After we take Hanzhong, we'll drink fine wine and eat lots of meat!"

Running around in the mountains for nine days will leave everyone covered in a foul stench.

Aside from the forest path where you can take a bath in other dimensions every night.

The soldiers had been eating dry rations and drinking spring water all the way, which had already made them red with envy.

Now they only have one thought in mind: to have a good meal and then get a good night's sleep.

If I could also have a young woman in my arms, that would be even better.

The defenses in Hanzhong were extremely weak.

Most of the troops here were transferred to Qin and Feng to resist Zhao Kuangyin's offensive.

In addition, the defenses of several mountain roads connecting Guanzhong were strengthened, leaving only government officials, civilians, and a small number of soldiers in each city.

Lin Dao disregarded everything, ignoring the cities along the way, and marched straight towards Hanzhong City.

They believed they were in the rear of Hanzhong City, and that the city gates were not even closed.

The guards on the city wall watched in astonishment as a large number of cavalrymen roared past merchants and rushed into the city.

"Commander-in-Chief!"

With a beaming smile, Shi Shouxin ran over to report, "There are many military supplies and provisions from Shu Kingdom that are being transported to Qin and Feng, as well as wealth, rewards, and wine sent by the Shu Kingdom Emperor to the front lines."

"Distribute the goods and wealth now."

Without hesitation, Lin Dao ordered, "Distribute the drinks too!"

"Find cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs within the city so that the soldiers can eat, drink, and take a bath."

He didn't mention poultry.

Those who raise poultry within the city are mostly ordinary people, and Lin Dao tries his best to protect them. "Commander-in-Chief~"

Shi Shouxin didn't leave, and continued to suggest, "The soldiers have worked hard, and they all want to find some young ladies to relax."

Not to mention ancient times, even in modern America, the military forces sow seeds wherever they go.

The colonies, in particular, became their playground.

Forcibly stopping such things won't work; it will only embolden the soldiers to sneak around even more, and they might even try to silence witnesses.

"Tell the brothers."

Lin Dao decisively ordered, "The great achievement of destroying Shu is right before our eyes!"

"We must seize the passes of Qipan, Jiameng, and Jianmen before the news reaches Chengdu."

"Don't let something as trivial as what's in your crotch ruin your extraordinary achievement!"

"Once we've taken Chengdu, you can take any woman from Meng Chang's palace!"

The cavalry rested for a night, drinking wine from large bowls and eating large chunks of meat.

Not many people took showers; most were too tired to do anything but go straight to sleep.

"You two have made great contributions."

It was already late, and most of the soldiers in the Iron Cavalry had gone to sleep.

Lin Dao then summoned Zhao Er and Yang Ye.

"Now, there is an even greater credit waiting for someone to claim. Are you willing to do it?"

Zhao Er and Yang Ye exchanged a glance, then bowed in unison.

"I am willing to serve the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Very good." Lin Dao stood up, raised his hand and pointed south. "We have taken Hanzhong. Our army has exceeded its target in this battle."

"But for me, that's not enough!"

"We've already reached Hanzhong, so of course we should continue south and head straight for Chengdu!"

He took a breath and asked the two of them to sit down.

"There are still three challenges to overcome on the way to Chengdu."

"Qipan, Jiameng, Jianmen Pass."

"I intend for the two of you to lead eight hundred warriors and set off tonight."

"Before the news could get out, Kuangyi continued to pretend to be the Prince of Qin of Shu to buy supplies and deceive the pass, while Yang Ye led his troops to ambush from behind."

"I want you to capture these three passes as quickly as possible!"

Lin Dao then offered benefits: "If this succeeds, the greatest credit for destroying Shu will go to you!"

The journey is tiring, and the risks of being discovered are both significant.

The returns can be just as great.

The two of them can only be considered mid-level officers at this point.

To climb the ranks, you need to make contributions, and they have to be significant ones!

Now that a great opportunity has presented itself, there's not much more to say.

The two stood up and bowed to Lin Dao.

"I am willing to die for the Commander!"

Eight hundred carefully selected warriors set off overnight, heading south.

Lin Dao left Li Jixun with a portion of his troops to defend Hanzhong after daybreak.

He himself led the main force of the Iron Cavalry Army and quickly set off south.

Xiahou Yuan, a general of the Wei Kingdom at the end of the Han Dynasty, once commanded his cavalry to cover 500 li in three days and 1,000 li in six days.

Lin Dao spent three days traveling through Guangyuan, Zhaohua, Qipan, Jiameng, Jianmen and other places before finally arriving in Mianzhou.

No one along the way could have imagined that a cavalry force would break through the formidable mountains and penetrate deep into the heart of the Shu Kingdom.

With Zhao Er's help, Yang Ye tricked them into capturing the city gate.

The so-called insurmountable barrier has been completely shattered.

The news was only urgently sent out when the enemy troops were at the gates of Mianzhou.

"Don't worry about these cities."

Lin Dao rejected the proposal to attack the city, saying, "Once we take Chengdu, these places can be pacified with a simple proclamation."

Once his troops entered the rich plains of Sichuan, no one could stop Lin Dao from conquering Shu.

"Let's go, we only have one goal: Chengdu!"

Chengdu, the Imperial Palace.

"Mother, please rest assured."

Meng Chang, who was visiting Empress Dowager Li, personally took his mother's pulse.

He was relieved and said with a smile, "It's just a common cold. I'll just need a prescription and a few doses of medicine."

Meng Chang not only liked writing Spring Festival couplets, but also liked treating patients and writing prescriptions.

After appeasing Empress Dowager Li, he ordered people to prepare writing materials and personally wrote out the prescription.

"Your Majesty~ Your Majesty~"

A palace attendant rushed in, shouting, "Urgent military news!"

Meng Chang, busy writing prescriptions, didn't even look up and directly ordered, "Throw him out and give him twenty strokes of the cane."

The eunuch didn't even have a chance to report the urgent military situation before he was dragged out and flogged.

After twenty battles, he was already breathing less and exhaling more.

Meng Chang didn't care at all. He carefully considered and wrote down the prescription, then ordered someone to send it to the Imperial Hospital to get the medicine.

He found a chair and sat down before speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Bring him in for questioning."

The eunuch was dragged in, but he had already fainted and was in no condition to report anything.

Meng Chang frowned slightly and waved his hand, ordering his men to drag the person out again.

"It all boils down to the battle situation in Qinfeng and other places."

"Zhou Jun is like a mad dog, attacking relentlessly regardless of casualties. He's really sick."

The thought of Zhou Jun's overwhelming power, and the potential loss of the several prefectures of Qin Fengcheng that he had acquired in previous years, immediately filled him with anxiety.

When another eunuch rushed in to report urgent military news, Meng Chang leisurely picked up his teacup and asked, "Which state has been lost?"

"Your Majesty~ Your Majesty~"

"Something terrible has happened! Zhou's army has passed Mianzhou and is heading straight for Chengdu!"

The teacup in Meng Chang's hand fell to the ground and shattered.

He suddenly stood up, his voice shrill.

"What did you say?!"

(End of this chapter)