Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 392 Chengdu, I'm leaving!

"General."

Lady Huarui smiled sweetly and served the dishes she had carefully prepared.

"This thing is called Scarlet Sheep's Head, also known as Wine Bone Dregs."

"First clean the white sheep's head, then boil it with red ginger."

“Then roll it up tightly, press it down with a stone, soak it in wine so that the wine flavor penetrates into the bone, and then cut it as thin as paper.”

She picked up a piece of mutton head meat with her chopsticks, held it to Lin Dao's lips, and called out sweetly, "General~"

Lin Dao ate the piece of mutton head meat, chewed it for a while, and nodded slightly.

"It certainly has a unique flavor."

Lady Huarui was overjoyed.

He then brought out another plate of potato medicine.

The medicinal herb is not made from sweet potatoes; it hadn't been introduced to China at that time.

This is yam, the kind used in cooking.

"General~"

This dish is called "Moon Plate".

“Slice the yam, mix it with lotus powder, and add five flavors.”

"It has a pleasant fragrance and a crisp and crunchy taste."

"Its shape is as white as silver, and it looks like the moon."

She picked up a piece with her chopsticks, held it to Lin Dao's lips, and called out coquettishly, "General~"

It must be said that serving these stunningly beautiful women with all their heart is truly a pleasure.

Men strive and work hard precisely for this kind of enjoyment.
Otherwise, what's the point of working yourself to the bone?

Lady Huarui sat beside Lin Dao, pouring him wine and serving him food.

Occasionally, he would glance at Li Yanniang dancing not far away.

A mocking glint flashed in his bright eyes.

'In the end, she's still just a dancer~'

'You still want to compete with me?'

'dream!'

The two had been rivals before, when they were in Meng Chang's palace.

The story, of course, ended with Lady Flower's overwhelming victory.

Now, Lin Dao has chosen these two from among tens of thousands of palace servants.

Undoubtedly, the competition concerning face and the future has begun again.

They all made full use of their strengths to win Lin Dao's favor.

Lady Ru was renowned for her talent, excelling in poetry and painting.

Ke Lindao was not particularly interested in reciting poetry on ordinary days; he preferred to have talented women recite poems during piling activities.

It truly has a unique charm.

Lady Flower changed her strategy here, instead showcasing her culinary skills, hoping to win over the heart through the stomach.

At the same time, she acts coquettishly and affectionately, using her charming and innocent demeanor to win people's favor.

So far, the effect is pretty good.

She could personally feel that every time she was driving piles, Lin Dao would be even more courageous and forward, charging forward like a warrior in battle, relentlessly fighting.

Li Yanniang, who was also dancing, was not to be outdone.

We never argued before, so why can't we argue now?
Li Yanniang, who exudes a cool and elegant aura, wore a light blue gossamer blouse and, in response to the sounds of string and bamboo instruments, fully displayed her graceful figure.

She skipped and twirled until she reached Lin Dao's side.

With a tactical lean back, the light and delicate Li Yanniang nestled directly into Lin Dao's arms.

Her delicate cherry lips parted slightly, and her bright, clear eyes gazed tenderly up at the forest path.

Without a doubt, Lin Dao understood what she meant.

He picked up his glass, took a sip, and then bent down to feed the wine to the person who had been drinking it.

Lady Huarui, who was standing to the side, turned pale upon seeing this scene, and clenched her teeth.

'Vixen!'

I've never seen you work this hard before!

'Vixen!'

'hateful!'

Lin Dao conquered Shu almost ten years ahead of schedule. At this time, Lady Huarui and Li Yanniang were only in their early twenties, a time when they were young, impetuous, and easily angered.

Under Lin Dao's deliberate manipulation, the two women engaged in open and covert struggles, each trying to curry favor with him.

Without a doubt, Lin Dao was the most pleased.

After downing a glass of wine, he saw the beauty in his arms with her fair skin, delicate features, and cherry lips, looking exceptionally beautiful and captivating.

Beneath the sheer gauze dress, the gold embroidery is faintly visible.
Lin Dao was an expert at cotton carding.

Although Li Yanniang's cotton was fine-grained, it was as smooth and lustrous as jade.

After the cotton was carded, they began weaving. The shuttle went back and forth repeatedly, constantly weaving the silk threads, making them increasingly tight and sticky.

After Li Yanniang finished weaving her cloth, Lady Huarui was not to be outdone.

She took out her own pure white cotton and asked Lin Dao to help her weave a piece of cloth as well.

Lin Dao looked a little tired, so he simply took Lady Huarui in his arms and taught her how to weave.

The loom swayed incessantly, the shuttle moving back and forth repeatedly.

After knitting for a while, Lady Huarui said that she was too weak and had no strength left, and begged Lin Dao for help again.

Having no other choice, Lin Dao had to weave the cloth himself.

He flicked the snow-white cotton with both hands, and the shuttle went back and forth again.

By the time the fabric was finished, Lady Huarui was exhausted and collapsed onto the table.

The forest path has entered a period of leisure.

Sitting in the chair, casually fiddling with the resilient cotton, he was thinking about his next move.

"Less than a century has passed since the end of the Tang Dynasty, yet the world has undergone countless changes, and all sorts of things have happened."

'When a warrior gains prestige and merit, ambition breeds, leading to various internal conflicts and bloodshed.'

'Father and son turned against each other, brothers killed each other, the adoptive father was torn apart by chariots.'

'Chai Rong will certainly not give me another chance to make meritorious contributions.'

"Once the situation in Shu is stabilized and the dispatched civil and military officials arrive, I must return to Bianjing (Kaifeng)."

"The only change now is that Chai Rong will wait until I return to Bianjing before relieving me of my military command and then sending troops."

"He didn't even wait for me to return before leading his troops south to start the war." "Given his somewhat impetuous and impatient nature, and the large amount of money, food, and supplies I helped him obtain for his anti-Buddhist campaign..."

'It seems they should directly send troops south to attack the Southern Tang.'

'He will leave Zhao Kuangyin to watch over me.'

Lin Dao had a general idea of ​​Chai Rong's next move.

As for himself, he had planted the seeds of trouble long ago.

Next, we'll see how Chai Rong's campaign against the Southern Tang progresses.

'If you don't wait for me to return, you'll only be leading a demoralized Imperial Guard into battle.'

'These military leaders whose interests have been harmed won't let you come back alive.'

Lin Dao banned Buddhism and plundered a large amount of wealth and provisions, enough for Chai Rong to launch a war to destroy the country.

This was the momentum he created first.

Afterwards, the Imperial Guard was reorganized, and those military leaders were vehemently excluded, and they were concentrated in the Imperial Guard to languish.

Chai Rong thought the same way, so he supported Lin Dao in doing so.

But nowadays, this is a chaotic era where martial arts masters hold sway.

Those military leaders suffered losses, such as troop reductions, cuts in supplies, a decline in status, and loss of influence.

The military leaders, accustomed to their wild ways, would not easily swallow their anger.

Then came Lin Dao's campaign to conquer Shu.

By using the achievement of destroying a country, he forced Chai Rong to demonstrate even greater merit.

For Chai Rong, the only option was to send a large army south to destroy the Southern Tang.

With an impatient nature and ample supplies, he couldn't wait for the Palace Guard to return, so he could only lead the demoralized Imperial Guard south.

The crisis will naturally pass.

Zhao Er's act of presenting the Bright Moon Pearl to Chai Rong was merely an unplanned side effect.

The real Achilles' heel had already been planted long ago.

Lin Dao's current dissolute behavior is intended to lower Chai Rong's guard, allowing him to confidently lead the various Imperial Guards south to fight.

Thinking of this, Lin Dao simply got up, hoisted the two boneless women onto his shoulders, and strode into the house.

He wanted to continue carding cotton and weaving cloth.

'This is all for the sake of the people!'

'This is so that China will never again fall into the hands of a weak Song Dynasty, lest it suffer a thousand years of shame!'

'It's just a bit of a hardship for my second brother!'

'But it's alright, my second brother is invincible!'

Civil and military officials and garrison troops from Bianjing and other places gradually arrived in Shu.

Along with it came Chai Rong's imperial edict of bestowal and rewards, as well as an imperial edict ordering Lin Dao to lead the Iron Cavalry back to Bianliang City.

Chai Rong also issued an additional order requiring Lin Dao to reorganize the Shu army, eliminate the old and weak, and retain about 30,000 elite Shu soldiers, and take them back to Bianjing City.

The Shu army cannot be left behind, otherwise, if those with ulterior motives incite them, it could lead to a major disaster.

However, the Shu army of over 100,000 was too large, and Chai Rong was unwilling to support so many people, so he only kept 30,000.

He planned to use these Shu troops as reserves for a northern expedition after the south was pacified.

For Lin Dao, this was a legitimate opportunity to win over his troops.

Having captured these 30,000 Shu troops, he would have enough strength to operate in Bianjing City.

As for how to defeat these 30,000 Shu troops, that was the standard practice of the time.

Throw money!

Chai Rong knew this, but he wasn't worried.

Because the wealth and goods from all over Shu will be sealed and stored in the warehouse.

The spoils captured by the Iron Cavalry had already been divided among the soldiers.

Lin Dao must have received a considerable share, but it was still insufficient to bribe the 30,000-strong army.

You should know that the martial artists of this era had huge appetites.

That is why Chai Rong felt at ease entrusting the 30,000 Shu troops to Lin Dao to take back to Bianliang City.

He had already arranged a new commander for this Shu army, Fu Yanqing, their mutual father-in-law.

Chai Rong has already considered everything that needs to be considered.

What he didn't consider was that Lin Dao had enough wealth to bribe 30,000 troops!

Among the more than 100,000 Shu soldiers, who could retain their status as warriors instead of being sent home to farm was entirely up to Lin Dao.

Lin Dao did not waste this convenience.

He first made the selected Shu soldiers feel grateful to him during the selection phase.

Of course, that's not enough.

Afterwards, Lin Dao distributed a large amount of rewards to the 30,000 Shu soldiers.

He also promised that as long as they worked for him, they would receive a high monthly salary and bonuses.

If you don't believe me, just ask the Iron Cavalry.

These actions, of course, could not be hidden from the soldiers of the Iron Cavalry.

But they didn't say much.

The vast majority of the Iron Cavalry were new recruits, all recruited by Lin Dao, and many of them were even brought back by Lin Dao from Jinyang and other places.

They were not fond of the aloof Chai Rong, but they greatly admired Lin Dao, who led them to victory in every battle and bestowed generous rewards upon them.

Furthermore, Lin Dao promoted many soldiers with military achievements to serve as officers in the Shu army.

In this situation, no one would criticize Lin Dao's actions.

As long as the commander can lead them to victory and keep delivering on the promised treatment and rewards.

Whatever he decides to do, the soldiers will follow him!

And this is the most simple and honest way of thinking among martial artists in this era.

If the offer is good and the conditions are right, then I'll work with you.

We'd even attack the Heavenly Court!
The troops set off northward in turn, passing through Hanzhong into Guanzhong, and then heading to Bianjing (Kaifeng).

Lin Dao, who stayed in Chengdu, was the last to set off.

After bidding farewell to the civil and military officials from various government offices dispatched by Bianjing City, Lin Dao mounted his horse.

Not far away was a rather simple carriage, in which Lady Huarui and Li Yanniang were.

They were also among the spoils of Lin Dao's conquest of Shu.

Lin Dao gazed deeply at the beautiful hibiscus flowers on the city wall and nodded.

"Chengdu, I'm leaving!"

(End of this chapter)