Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 399 Only the Monk is Missing

“Starting with the ten generals, all of them were executed.”

Curses and shouts rang out from among the prisoners, but many more breathed a sigh of relief.

Killing prisoners of war after the war is a tradition, and the scale depends on the people involved.

Encountering someone like Bai Qi was considered a recipe for disaster for the prisoners.

Lin Dao also considers people's character. People from the Central Plains generally don't kill prisoners unless they have committed heinous crimes.

If it were constantly being invaded by barbarian tribes from the outside, that would be a different story altogether.

“The prisoners from each unit were carefully identified.”

Lin Dao instructed Pan Mei, who had recently been promoted and was gradually gaining importance, to "distribute dry rations to the conscripted laborers and send them home."

“The rebel soldiers from each unit were sent to military camps in various places for imprisonment.”

"I have my own plans for these people."

In any era, soldiers have only the duty to obey orders and have no opportunity to express their true will.

Those who actually make the decisions and take action are the military officers.

The officers could not be spared, partly to avenge Chai Rong, which was a matter of great importance that had to be done.

On the other hand, these malignant legacies left by the late Tang dynasty's regional military governors cannot all be swallowed up and consumed by the central government, only to end up being laughed at in the end.

Lin Dao plans to send these malignant tumors overseas to various nearby countries, so that they can also taste the torment of these regional warlords.

To the northeast lies Goryeo, a country that had only been established for a few years, and across the sea lies Wa, a country in the Heian period.

Southeast of Luzon was still ruled by monkeys, while further south lay the Angkor Dynasty, with its numerous Buddhist temples.

The Pagan Kingdom and other places in the southwest, and even the Spice Islands and other islands further south.

Lin Daohui will send all the corrupt warlords and their families there.

Let those monkeys who have seized and occupied the land of China since ancient times truly experience the taste of swords and spears from the warlords.

Lin Dao strictly forbids the establishment of the Vegetable Division, but these martial artists can go to the barbarians' places.

Although at this time, the Tang, Chu, Southern Han, Wu and Yue kingdoms were still in power.

But Lin Dao's gaze had already turned to a much more distant place.

"I'll handle Dali, Liao, Khotan, Uyghur, and Tibetan affairs myself."

"Oh, right, there's also the area under the jurisdiction of the Jinghai Army Governor. This time, we must completely wipe out the rebellious Han forces there!"

"We must pull it up, roots and all, and burn it all!"

Jinghai Army refers to the land of Jiaozhi (Vietnam).

At this time, it belonged to the Southern Han regime, but it would betray it in the future, and from then on it gradually separated from the Central Plains, forming the regret of the Northern Mongols and Southern Yue for thousands of years.

Vietnam is Vietnam. Although they call themselves South Vietnam, they will not be recognized by China.

Since Nanyue encompassed a vast territory including Guangdong and Guangxi, the Central Plains would certainly not recognize it.

This concerns the legitimacy of the law, and the legitimacy of the law is the right to assert one's rights.

Lin Dao was determined not to give the monkeys a chance, and to strike at the source, the Jinghai Army, to completely eliminate the disloyal local forces.

"Your Majesty~"

After defeating the rebels, Lin Dao stayed behind to handle the post-war affairs.

Shi Shouxin and others, on the other hand, pursued and killed tens of thousands of Tang soldiers who were fleeing.

At this time, Shi Shouxin sent someone back to report that "the Tang army is surrounded and hopes to gain Your Majesty's understanding; otherwise, they would rather die than surrender."

Unsurprisingly, the Tang army, lacking cavalry, was quickly cut off from its retreat by the iron cavalry and then surrounded by the catching-up infantry.

When the Qin army threatened that the emperor would soon arrive on his magical artifacts and crush them all into mincemeat,

The Tang army, psychologically broken, chose to negotiate with the pursuing troops and demand a conditional surrender.

There was no other way; Lin Dao had been driving his Dayun heavy truck recklessly before, and the ride was like a roller coaster.

The terrifying giant ship was covered in blood and mud, and the front bumper was pushing against a mountain of human and horse carcasses.

This terrifying scene, beyond imagination, was deeply imprinted in the minds of the Tang soldiers watching the battle.

That is not something that should exist in this world!

The Tang army's morale collapsed at the thought of that colossal monster, whose body was comparable to a hill and whose speed was faster than a horse.

If they weren't afraid of being slaughtered or captured, they would have surrendered immediately.

Unlike the numerous regional warlords and rampant military men in the north, this place was different.

Although the southern states also evolved from vassal states, their military strength and willpower were far inferior to those of the northern vassal states.

In fact, as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the State of Chu in the south was very powerful.

If it weren't for the successive attacks from the State of Jin and the rise of the State of Qin, the State of Chu might have been the one to unify the world.

Xiang Yu, the King of Chu during the late Qin Dynasty, led his troops from Jiangdong to defeat the main force of the Qin state.

After the Battle of Julu, generals from various states came to pay their respects to Xiang Yu, all crawling on their knees into his camp.

The prevalence of martial arts in the South is evident from this.

However, ever since Sun Jierui emerged in Jiangdong, the once martial Jiangnan soldiers, who used to make others cower in fear, have gradually become synonymous with weakness and vulnerability.

In some places in particular, the executioners who once massacred the city are especially welcome to return.

The Tang army, which had planned to take advantage of the chaos, did not expect the powerful rebels to be defeated so quickly.

By the time they wanted to run, it was too late; they could only beg for a conditional surrender.

"Disarm and put under guard."

Lin Dao instructed, "Make them hand over the person who assassinated Emperor Zhou."

According to the rules of that era, the tens of thousands of Tang soldiers who attacked and killed Chai Rong should have all been executed.

Lin Dao did not do that; he only ordered them to hand over the Tang soldiers who participated in the attack for punishment.

In his eyes, these were all his own people.

It's acceptable for brothers to fight over family property, but it shouldn't come to the point of having to kill each other.

He only truly resorts to ruthless tactics when waging wars abroad and expanding territory.

The post-war cleanup took several days.

The prisoners of war were counted and escorted in batches.

The spoils of war were inventoried, the merits of each unit were tallied, and corresponding rewards were distributed.

And most importantly, to pay tribute to Chai Rong.

Among the rebel troops of the Imperial Guard, officers from the rank of ten and above. Among the Tang army, troops who participated in the night raid on Chai Rong.

They were all beheaded in front of the makeshift altar.

The soldiers and officers were all somewhat reluctant to leave.

Some people felt that not enough had been cut down, and that all the prisoners should have been killed to satisfy them.

If they were all cut down, it would be almost half of Bai Qi's achievement at Changping.

Bai Qi is known as the Butcher of Men. If Lin Dao had half of his achievements, what would he be called?
Is it a stroke or a dot?

Many soldiers felt that beheading alone was meaningless.

The various interesting punishments were not performed, leaving many people feeling unsatisfied.

Lin Daoquan ignored all of this, pretending not to hear it.

Having done all this, Lin Dao had essentially completed the process of avenging Chai Rong and had successfully inherited his legitimacy.

"Only the monks are missing."

The list of those who avenged Chai Rong now only includes the monks who were involved.

These wicked monks, of course, could not be let off the hook either.

Lin Dao did not retreat, but instead took advantage of the situation to move south.

They reclaimed the lost territories along the way, and then swept into the territory of the Southern Tang Dynasty, conquering all over the land.

When they reached Shouzhou City on the banks of the Huai River, Lin Dao made a special trip to Yuanguang Temple.

The imperial guards and Tang soldiers who died here that day have all been collected and taken away.

Throughout the temple, traces of the fire and fierce fighting are still faintly visible.

Stepping into the area, Lin Dao's expression turned grave. "Where are the monks here?"

Someone stepped forward and answered, "They all fled, they escaped across the Yangtze River to the south of the Yangtze."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao smiled and asked, "Why don't they flee overseas?"

"Send a message to Li Jing, and tell him to send all these monks back."

"If one is missing, their entire family's male members will be used as compensation after crossing the river. Ten male members will be equivalent to one monk!"

Tang Dynasty, Jiangning Prefecture.

Li Jing, who was constantly on edge, was most afraid of military reports from the front lines.

It was thought that by eliminating the wise and brave Chai Rong, Zhou would be plunged into internal strife and turmoil, and even fall into disintegration.

At that time, not only will Jiangnan be at peace, but we can also take the opportunity to reap benefits.

Unexpectedly, another muscular man appeared.

Not only did they quickly wipe out the rebels, but they also turned around and attacked back.

This time it was even more terrifying than Chai Rong's previous southward campaign.

Almost all areas north of the Yangtze River fell in a single battle.

In particular, Shouzhou City, which Chai Rong had besieged for over a month, was captured in a single day!
The military report stated that the Qin army attracted lightning that struck the city walls, causing them to fall.

Li Jing didn't believe it, but the fact that Shouzhou City was lost in just one day was undeniable.

The military reports he received every day were either about something being lost here or about troops being defeated there.

Because of his anxiety, he couldn't sleep all night, lost his appetite, and became extremely weak, which led to a serious illness.

Upon learning that Lin Dao was demanding the monks, Li Jing, who was on his sickbed, instructed Crown Prince Li Hongyi to capture the escaped monks from Yuanguang Temple.

At this time, Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was merely the sixth son of Li Jing and the Prince of Zheng, a prince of a small state.

Fearing the suspicion of Crown Prince Li Hongyi, Li Yu indulged in the beauty of nature and became a recluse.

At this time, the heir to the Southern Tang dynasty was Crown Prince Li Hongyi.

Upon receiving the order, Li Hongyi dared not delay. He personally led his troops into the temple and arrested all the monks of Yuanguang Temple who had come to seek refuge.

Buddhism wielded immense influence in Jiangnan.

They were very wealthy and owned a large amount of land and tenants.

In addition, the Buddhist community joined forces with local powerful families in Jiangnan to monopolize the private lending business in various regions.

The temple is magnificent and covers a large area. The bells, drums and Buddha statues inside are all made of bronze, which is extremely luxurious.

Some temples even employ skilled martial arts monks to guard their premises.

Upon learning that Li Hongyi had arrested people, the Buddhist community united to condemn him, and even sent people to the palace to see Li Jing and demand his release.

Buddhist sects have money, food, and manpower, and they can also incite public opinion.

Throughout history, rulers in the Jiangnan region have primarily employed a policy of appeasement and wining over their subjects.

But things are different now; Lin Dao has almost reached the other side of the river.

Li Jing, lying on his sickbed, didn't care about anything else and forcefully sent all the monks from Yuanguang Temple across the river.

Unexpectedly, an accident occurred while crossing the river, and the boat sank.

After that, they disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

Upon receiving the news, Li Jing was shocked and enraged, abruptly sitting up straight from his sickbed and roaring angrily.

"You bald monk, how dare you bully me?!"

This kind of thing can fool ignorant people.

For someone of Li Jing's stature, such low-level tricks are easily seen through.

Since Chai Rong's southern expedition began, his body and spirit, which had been steadily weakening, finally erupted at this moment.

Li Jing, who had fallen into a coma, recovered thanks to the emergency treatment provided by the imperial physicians.

During his final moments of lucidity, he instructed the Crown Prince to find those bald monks from Yuanguang Temple as soon as possible.

If they cannot be found, then the male members of the clan should be scattered to different places.

If things change, they won't be wiped out in one fell swoop.

After confessing, Li Jing soon died.

The Southern Tang Dynasty began to get busy.

To hold a funeral for the late emperor and prepare for the crown prince's ascension to the throne.

Various factions vied for power, with the crown prince's men starting to seize power, and so on.

The Southern Tang was in chaos, and many people even forgot that the forest road on the north bank of the Yangtze River was eyeing them covetously!

(End of this chapter)