Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 398 Go talk to my bumper
Wang Chongzhi, the Minister of Rites of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was filled with resentment.

He had thought that he was here as an envoy to enjoy the glory of the victor.

Unexpectedly, after entering the city, not only did I find that my words had no effect, but I was also placed under house arrest in the post station.

For several days in a row, Wang Chongzhi began to suspect that he had lost the battle and had come to beg for peace.

Today, he was finally taken away to the main hall to discuss important matters between the two countries.

We arrived at the main hall of the palace.

Dressed in magnificent robes, Wang Chongzhi bowed deeply as he entered the hall, then respectfully greeted the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, saying, "Wang Chongzhi, Minister of Rites of the Great Tang Dynasty, by order of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, pays his respects to the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

From a etiquette standpoint, at this point, the proper response would be, "No need for such formalities, Your Excellency."

Then both sides began to follow the procedures.

Wang Chongzhi, who was bowing respectfully, did not hear these words, but instead heard a burst of laughter.

He was puzzled and felt contemptuous.

'Northerners are uncouth!'

Then a loud voice rang out, "Your Excellency has misspoke."

Wang Chongzhi finally couldn't hold back any longer and raised his head.

He looked up and saw the figure on the dragon throne, and was immediately horrified.

Sitting on the dragon throne was a tall and imposing figure!

"You~you~"

This isn't right.

Chai Rong is dead; it should be his youngest son who ascends the throne.

How old is his son?!

"This is not the Great Zhou Dynasty, but the Great Qin Dynasty."

Lin Dao, sitting on the dragon throne, bluntly stated, "The Great Zhou has no heir, and the Great Qin will inherit the legal line."

"Your Excellency, please do not make another mistake."

Lin Dao then looked at Feng Dao and asked, "Lord Feng, did you not inform the envoy?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, Feng Dao bowed slightly to the side. "This old minister is getting on in years and has been too busy these days. I forgot to inform the Tang envoy. My apologies!"

At this moment, Wang Chongzhi finally came to his senses: "Where is the son of the Zhou Emperor?"

"Some time ago, someone plotted a rebellion in Bianjing City, but unfortunately, they were killed."

"If you have any business now, just speak with the Qin people."

Finally, Wang Chongzhi understood.

These northern warriors have fallen back into their old habits.

He composed himself and reorganized his thoughts.

"This humble subject is here on orders to return the body of Emperor Zhou."

"I am aware of this matter." Lin Dao nodded. "I will remember this kindness."

Wang Chongzhi hurriedly said, "Our Great Tang is willing to make peace with Great Qin, only if Great Qin cedes the prefectures of Chen, Xu, and Hai."

"Has Your Excellency been drinking?"

Lin Dao interrupted him, asking a question that startled Wang Chongzhi: "I haven't drunk any alcohol."

"Since you didn't drink."

Lin Dao sneered, "Why are you only spouting drunken nonsense?"

Laughter erupted again inside the hall.

"Surrender? Ceding territory?"

Do you think I'm... am... a fool?

I almost shouted out the Song and Qing dynasties, but they don't exist in this timeline, and probably never will.

Lin Dao simply stood up and said, "In this battle, you have resorted to all sorts of underhanded tactics."

"They colluded with traitors and evil Buddhist monks to murder Emperor Zhou and kill my soldiers."

"I was just preparing for my revenge, and you all dare to cede territory?"

"Go back and tell Li Jing to return the favor to Emperor Zhou, and I will repay him accordingly."

"When the Tang Dynasty is destroyed, leave him with a whole corpse!"

Lin Dao turned around and waved his sleeve.

The imperial guards stepped forward and took Wang Chongzhi away, who still wanted to speak.

"Your Majesty~"

With an air of composure, Feng Dao cupped his hands in greeting and said, "If not peace, then war is the only option."

"Then fight!"

Returning to his throne, Lin Dao's gaze swept over the crowd. "A country that dares not fight has no future."

"Only by winning can we gain a foothold!"

"All troops, prepare for battle! Follow me to meet the rebels!"

The Imperial Guard was a large and diverse organization.

It encompassed almost all the large and small warlords in the north since the late Tang Dynasty.

In reality, very few people actually launched a rebellion.

However, Chai Rong was killed in battle, the camp was destroyed, and food supplies were cut off.

This left the various troops leaderless, and they either fled, joined the rebels, were wiped out, or were forced to submit.

Lin Dao forced the soldiers who escaped back to retire.

Those who were among the rebels were not so easily spared.

Lin Dao was determined to eradicate these malignant tumors that had plagued the world since the late Tang Dynasty.

Thirty thousand Shu soldiers were scattered and joined the Palace Guard.

He also sent out orders to various places, summoning local garrison troops to join the Palace Guard in Bianliang City.

After this expansion, the total number of the Iron Cavalry and Crane Control Army under the Palace Guard has exceeded 100,000.

These are the elite field armies of the Great Qin Dynasty.

Lin Dao led them south to confront the combined forces of the rebel army and the Tang army that were advancing north.

"His Majesty."

Pan Mei, who was recruited from Shanzhou, bowed to Lin Dao and said, "The rebels are entrenched in Song and Xu and other places, recruiting and forcibly confiscating grain, grass and horses."

"With the addition of tens of thousands of Tang soldiers, the total number has reached as high as 200,000."

"Such a large number of troops may be difficult to deal with."

Lin Dao smiled casually, "They're nothing but a rabble."

"You think they stopped to recruit soldiers and gather provisions, but actually they're about to have internal strife."

“These rebel leaders were all unwilling to be subordinate to anyone and all wanted to be the boss.” “As a result, they fought each other and even broke out into gunfights.”

“If I don’t go, they will surely fall apart in a few months at the latest.”

When they were dealing with Chai Rong's suppression and weakening, they worked together in unity.

But after the deed was done, the spoils were divided unfairly, and neither side was willing to concede to the other.

The rebel army, which was originally supposed to head north quickly and head straight for Bianliang City, was delayed due to internal strife and eventually stopped in Songzhou and other places.

No wonder Lin Dao called them a rabble.

"In this battle, we only need to send a detachment to keep an eye on the Tang army; they won't come to fight to the death."

"After we defeat the rebels, we'll go after them."

Although the rebels were called a rabble, their actual fighting strength was not bad; on the contrary, they were quite capable.

After all, they were elite troops from various regional military governorships, with a long tradition dating back to the late Tang Dynasty; they were all true professional warriors.

When they dare to fight, they are truly capable of fighting!
As for how to defeat the rebels, Lin Dao simply lied and said, "Emperor Zhou has already ascended to the ranks of immortals."

"To lend me a hand, they have specially sent me a magical artifact."

"This magical artifact is called Great Fortune!"

Songzhou was the ancient Liangzhou, and later Shangqiu.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, this was the seat of Xuanwu Army.

Later, Xuanwu Army was renamed Guide Army, and this place remained its administrative center.

Historically, Zhao Kuangyin served as the military governor of Guide Army in Songzhou, and he named his state Song after this place.

Located in the heart of the eastern Henan Plain, this area is dominated by vast plains, making it extremely suitable for cavalry warfare.

Lin Dao led his army south and made contact with the rebels in Songcheng County.

Both sides were eager to fight to the death.

Lin Dao intends to eliminate these malignant military men in one battle and completely end the malignant tumor of regional military governors since the end of the Tang Dynasty.

The rebels, on the other hand, were vying for credit in this battle to determine who would become their leader.

The Tang army, numbering approximately 40,000, voluntarily withdrew to the edge of the battlefield.

Their thinking was simple: if the rebels won, they would take the opportunity to gain some benefits.

If the rebels are defeated, the Qin army will likely suffer heavy losses and should retreat slowly, taking their troops back with them.

These Tang soldiers would not risk their lives for the rebels.

Before the war officially began, the rebels returned Empress Fu.

Empress Fu was captured when the camp was breached, but fortunately the rebels did not make things difficult for her.

It wasn't because of her status as Empress, but to give Fu Yanqing face.

Fu Yanqing came from a military family; his father, Fu Cunshen, was the adopted son of Li Keyong.

Their family is also a military family, and they wield considerable power.

The rebels released Empress Fu mainly to cause trouble for Lin Dao.

After all, Empress Fu has lost her status as empress, so naturally she's going to cause trouble.

Unexpectedly, Lin Dao didn't even see him and sent someone directly back to Bianjing City.

As for the families of the rebels~
Those who were scheming had made arrangements before setting out, agreeing on a time for their core family members to quietly leave Bianjing City.

Even if they don't leave, it doesn't matter.

Guo Wei and Chai Rong were stationed in the countryside during the Later Han Dynasty.

Their families were also in Bianjing (Kaifeng), and although they were all killed, they still became emperors.

Such things are commonplace in this era.

"The infantry will advance in large formation and entangle the enemy."

"Cavalry, prepare for battle, heed my command."

Before the battle began, Lin Dao promised generous rewards, which boosted the morale of the troops.

Although they were mostly new recruits and surrendered soldiers, Lin Dao equipped them with superior gear.

In addition, with generous rewards, their combat strength is by no means inferior.

Military rewards are a practice that continues even in the modern world.

It's just called a stipend, albeit in a different way.

Lin Daoxian launched an attack with a large infantry formation. One after another, massive infantry battle formations spread across the vast plain like a surging tide.

They were entangled with the main rebel force, fighting each other fiercely.

The key to victory lay with the cavalry.

Lin Dao concentrated his main cavalry force, primarily composed of the Iron Cavalry, on the left flank.

After the infantry on both sides finished fighting, he sat in the driver's seat of the modified transport vehicle.

I leaned out of the car window and glanced at the sky.

The sun was high in the sky, blazing like fire.

Looking at the land before me, I saw that after several days of scorching heat, the soil was dry, cracked, and hard.

They sat back down and raised the added bulletproof glass.

As Lin Dao started the Dayun heavy truck, the roar of the engine seemed to drown out the sounds of a fierce battle in the distance.

The Dayun heavy truck moved slowly forward, followed by a surging tide of more than 10,000 cavalrymen.

The rebel cavalry opposite them clearly became agitated.

The massive size of the Universiade was extremely imposing.

The rebel cavalry, who had never seen such a monster before, were clearly somewhat panicked.

Only after being reprimanded and shouted by military officers at all levels, and promised a great reward, did they reluctantly step forward to fight.

The rebels aren't stupid.

The massive size of the Dayun heavy truck makes it seem difficult to handle.

They made the choice, without hesitation, to bypass the enemy lines and charge at the cavalry.

At this moment, Lin Dao, who had been keeping a low speed, suddenly stepped on the gas and began to accelerate.

With such a massive body, it could run even faster than cavalry.

Like a giant elephant charging into a flock of sheep, it scattered the rebel cavalry.

The Iron Cavalry followed up, expanding their gains and continuously crushing the demoralized rebel cavalry.

The ride inside the cab was quite bumpy. Lin Dao gripped the steering wheel tightly, pressing the accelerator, and charged back and forth, completely scattering the rebel cavalry.

As for those unlucky souls who were hit and run over, will they have any complaints or grievances?
For example, how could something like this appear here?

Go talk to my bumper and tires then~
Once the cavalry threat was eliminated, Lin Dao turned his carriage around and headed straight for the rebel infantry formation.

(End of this chapter)