Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 423 Are there still good people in this world?
"Ouch~"

"It hurts~"

Am I going to die?

In a spacious courtyard in the southern part of the city, lay wounded soldiers from various Jurchen tribes.

They cried, shouted, and struggled in agony, a far cry from their heroic demeanor before the war.

The guards, their faces full of fierce expressions, impatiently held down the barbarians and bandaged their wounds.

Those who are brought here are naturally not seriously injured and do not necessarily die; those who are seriously injured are simply killed with a single blow.

There were no minor injuries either; those with minor injuries wouldn't be qualified to come to the guard barracks.

It is unclear why the emperor would waste precious medicines to treat these Jurchen barbarians.

But the guards still treated their wounds as instructed.

The use of precious wound medicines, especially those in glass bottles that looked extremely valuable, to the worthless Jurchen people, caused discontent among many soldiers.

The prevailing rule in this era is that good things are bound to be scarce.

Those precious medicines in the glass bottles were incredibly valuable.

In the previous battles, as well as illnesses caused by unfamiliar water and soil, many wounded and sick soldiers were brought back to life by using these drugs.

Now they're actually using it on the Jurchens!
Could it be that His Majesty also desires to become the Khan?
"What a load of bull!"

Faced with the generals' questions, Lin Dao laughed and scolded, "I am the emperor of the Central Plains, how could I possibly become the Khan of the barbarians? I am not a benevolent person."

"There are reasons why they were given the medication."

After careful consideration, Lin Dao revealed a little information.

"The great minds who created these medicines have continuously developed many new drugs."

"However, these drugs need to undergo clinical trials."

"Through clinical trials, we can obtain first-hand data and feedback."

“This matter is dangerous, so I took it on and used the Jurchens to test the medicine.”

"They were just unlucky that something went wrong during the drug trial."

Even if you survive, there will be long-term effects.

"It is difficult to survive in the area between the white mountains and black waters."

"As for those who were successfully cured," Lin Dao, sitting on a stool, chuckled, "we'll just send them back to attack the city."

He's a good person.
However, the good side is only given to the people of the Central Plains.

The attack on the Imperial Palace in Shangjing is still ongoing.

The Khitans inside the palace couldn't believe they had held out for so long.

They not only successfully held out for several days, but also inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy troops who came to attack the city.

However, nobody was happy about it.

After all, those who came to attack the city were former vassals and barbarians.

The real enemy forces, at this moment, remained like crouching tigers, observing coldly from the sidelines.

On this day, the attacking force was finally replaced by the Xi people.

The Xi people were a nomadic tribe that lived in the Raole River area.

His ancestors were also of Donghu origin.

When the Xiongnu were the dominant people, their ancestors, the Xianbei, were still slaves to the Xiongnu.

Like the Khitans, the Xi people also originated from the Xianbei Yuwen tribe and were one of the vassal tribes under the Yuwen tribe.

After the decline of the Yuwen clan, the Xi people and the Khitan people rose together and gradually became the powerful forces on the grasslands.

At its peak, it had hundreds of thousands of followers.

Later, he fought against the Khitans but was defeated by Yelü Abaoji.

After the two groups merged, Yelü Abaoji bestowed upon them the surname Xiao. From then on, apart from Empress Zhen, the wife of Emperor Shizong of Liao, who was from the Central Plains, all the other empresses of the Liao Dynasty were of the Xiao clan.

In other words, in the Liao Dynasty, the Khitans were emperors and the Xi were empresses.

Similar to a dual-rule system, the Xi people held an extremely high status in the Liao Dynasty.

Of course, in Lindao, they all belong to the remnants of the Xianbei who must be eliminated.

At this moment, when the Xi people began their attack on the Shangjing Imperial Palace, both sides still had some emotions.

Although betrayal on the grasslands is as common as morning dew.

However, given their close cooperation before, the fact that they have now turned against each other and started fighting means that their attacks are not as fierce as when the Jurchens launched their initial offensive.

Lin Dao, who was watching the match from a stool, couldn't stop sneering.

"You're putting on an act for me, aren't you?"

"Do you really think I'm some kind of outwardly virtuous but inwardly wise ruler?"

"Pan Mei," Lin Dao called out, "go to the King of Xi and tell him that if he fails to breach the palace before nightfall, he should hand over twenty heads of nobles."

"If there aren't enough, then make him come to me with his own head to beg for forgiveness!"

Pan Mei accepted the order, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

A real threat, indeed, is effective.

The previous siege was only intense but not fierce, but not long after Pan Mei returned to report, the intensity of the battle suddenly increased.

The Xi people, their eyes bloodshot, launched a frenzied attack on the palace.

Ordinary herders die and that's it, but the lives of nobles are precious.

Although they had a good relationship with the Khitans, it wasn't to the point of risking their lives for them.

From the spectator's perspective, the Xi people in the distance swarmed towards the city like ants, and the area beneath the palace walls was densely packed with people.

The Yelu soldiers guarding the city could easily hit people by throwing down wooden beams or stones.

The pouring of the golden liquid caused even greater chaos.

Lin Dao refused to help provide siege equipment, only giving them long ladders.

Relying on this to attack a city will only result in death.

In the fierce battle, countless lives were being lost every moment.

Former partners are now locked in a fierce battle.

Meanwhile, their former true rivals are now sitting at a distance, watching the spectacle unfold.

The threat from the forest road was effective.

Before nightfall, a group of Xi people finally stormed into the palace. Just as they were about to seize the palace, the Khitan defenders mobilized their reserves and launched a desperate counterattack, driving them out once again.

Seeing Xi people fleeing in disarray from the palace in the distance, Lin Dao nodded and gave instructions.

"Ming Jin retreats the troops."

At night, the large tent in the forest was brightly lit.

The leaders of various departments, filled with trepidation, were invited to attend the banquet.

Lin Dao, on the other hand, changed his previous cold expression and greeted everyone with a smile, holding a wine glass.

After several rounds of drinks, he gestured to the King of Xi, "Although we were driven out, we did manage to enter the city, so we have completed my mission."

King Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Dao gestured to Pan Mei with his eyes.

Pan Mei immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Reward King Xiao of Xi with 50,000 strings of cash, 20,000 bolts of silk, 3,000 bottles of wine, 400 catties of spices, and 100 iron pots."

"The King of Xi was granted the surname Zhao and the name Gou."

During the Tang Dynasty, the leader of the five Xi tribes alliance married a Tang princess and was given the surname Li.

He later joined Yelü Abaoji's forces and was granted the surname Xiao.

Now, Lin Dao has bestowed surnames upon them and even given a name to King Xiao.

However, the leaders were puzzled. According to the tradition of the Central Plains, shouldn't they be given the surname Lin?

What is the meaning of the surname Zhao?

Moreover, he even bestowed a name upon him. What did Zhao Gou mean by this?
The newly appointed Zhao Gou was also puzzled, but he quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Thank you, Your Majesty~"

"I intend to re-establish the Raole Governor's Office." With a beaming smile, Lin Dao declared, "I hereby swear to Heaven and Earth that whoever can capture the Imperial Palace in the capital will be the Grand Governor of the Raole Governor's Office!"

The tribal chiefs' eyes turned red with envy.

The Former Tang Dynasty is not that far removed from the present day. They had all heard the stories of how those Grand Commanders used the power and influence of the Tang Dynasty to gradually grow stronger!

That's why, with such a great opportunity right in front of them, the eyes of all the chieftains turned red with envy.

If I become the Grand Commander, I can revitalize the tribe and become the next Khitan!
No matter how powerful the Han people are, they will eventually have to leave the grasslands and return to the south.

When the time comes, I will still be the one to call the shots on this vast grassland!
Lin Dao's gaze swept across the crowd, taking in everyone's reactions.

He looked again at the newly appointed Zhao Gou, saying, "The Xi tribe has been attacking for days and must be exhausted."

How about making a substitution tomorrow?

Zhao Gou immediately straightened his chest and clapped his hands repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, our Xi warriors will surely conquer the Shangjing Palace and present Yelü before Your Majesty!"

"Good~"

Lin Dao, raising his glass, laughed and nodded, "Come, let's drink to celebrate the victory!"

Inside the large tent, laughter and chatter filled the air as people enjoyed themselves and drank.

In each camp, there was an abundance of wine, meat, and food; once you were full, you could sleep.

The only ones who were truly miserable were the Khitans inside the palace.

Even with the entire population mobilized for war, the number of soldiers capable of fighting would only reach around ten thousand after continuous battles.

Moreover, there was a lack of medicine for the wounded and sick, insufficient food supplies, nowhere to replace damaged weapons and armor, and even the defensive equipment was almost exhausted.

It could be said that before Lin Dao even made a move, the Khitans were already on the verge of collapse.

They would have surrendered long ago if they had no other choice.

"We don't have much food left." Yelü Xiezhen chewed on the dry rations that felt like stones. "We can only eat for three more days at most."

After the young emperor died, the Yelü clan members became too lazy to come again.

At this time, Yelü Xiezhen and Yelü Xiuge were in charge.

The two men, dressed in tattered armor, sat together discussing their next move.

Yelü Xiuge, who was also munching on his dry rations, replied without looking up, "Then kill the horse."

"They're already killing them."

Yelü Xiezhen smiled bitterly, "Otherwise, why would I say we could last three days?"

"More than 10,000 mouths need to eat and drink every day."

"Moreover, strength is quickly depleted during battles, and if you don't eat enough, where will you find the strength to fight?"

Water is easy to deal with.

Although the river flowing into the palace has been cut off.

However, there were plenty of wells in the palace, which was enough.

The problem is, there's no food!

The palace didn't have much food stored up to begin with, and the large number of people who fled in would only bring more weapons, armor, and arrows.

If it weren't for slaughtering horses to provide sustenance, we would have run out of food by now.

"Then kill women for provisions." Yelü Xiuge's eyes reddened. "Keeping them is just a waste of food."

Yelü Xiezhen opened his mouth, wanting to say that women were still somewhat useful, at least they could help the warriors relax after a fierce battle.

Grain~
"Generals!" A centurion on night duty came to report, "There's movement outside the city!"

The two hurriedly set off to investigate, thinking it was a night attack from outside.

As they reached the top of the city wall, the firelight faintly revealed rustling sounds coming from afar outside the city.

Arrows are precious, and it's not good to waste them at this time.

The guards kept a close eye on them.

After a while, someone rode up on horseback.

The visitor claimed to be a Xi person, and expressed his disapproval of the Xi king's betrayal of his allies by serving the Han emperor.

So they sent supplies to the garrison, which have been placed outside the city for the garrison to retrieve.

After saying that, he spurred his horse and rode away.

On the city wall, Yelü Xiezhen and Yelü Xiuge looked at each other in bewilderment.

They couldn't believe it either.

Are there still good people in this world?

(End of this chapter)