Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 427 Goryeo has only 300,000 troops, while our army has a full 10,000!
"oath?"

"The most ridiculous thing in this world is a vow."

"Sima Yi even swore an oath by the Luo River, yet he still broke his promise. Why don't you go find him?"

Lin Dao dreamed again of a man and a woman who resembled the gods of heaven and earth coming to find him. His anger surged, and he shouted indignantly.

"His Majesty?"

Startled, Zhou Ehuang cautiously asked, "What is it?"

"You bully the weak and fear the strong." Lin Dao, looking annoyed, threw back the thin blanket and got up. "Just because I'm being reasonable doesn't mean I'm easy to bully?"

"Come find me if you have nothing to do, come find me if you have nothing to do~"

Do you think I'm easy to bully?

Lin Dao, wearing a silk nightgown, came outside the large tent to catch his breath.

The guards outside the tent, who had been listless from their night shift, suddenly straightened their backs and displayed their energy and spirit.

"When the people of the Central Plains were treated like livestock, you did not come out to relieve their suffering."

"I merely eliminated some butchers' descendants and ancestors. Why do you come looking for me every now and then? What kind of deities are you?"

The moonlight was soft in the night sky.

The warm moonlight of the full moon shone down, but it still failed to quell Lin Dao's anger.

Lin Dao grew angrier the more he muttered to himself, so he simply instructed the Imperial Guards on duty.

"Call Zhao Pu here!"

"Call Pan Meilai~"

"Call Yang Ye here!"

"Summon all commanders and above, come over for a meeting!"

It's the middle of the night, and everyone except those on night shift is sleeping in.

Being woken up at this time, one can imagine the anger one feels.

But if the emperor calls, even if you're sleeping, or even if you're driving piles, you have to finish your work and rush over immediately.

The crowd hurriedly gathered inside the tent, looking at Lin Dao with puzzled expressions.

Nobody knew what urgent matter had prompted them to come over so late.

"I thought about it carefully."

Sitting in a chair, Lin Dao rubbed his forehead and said, "I've made arrangements for the grasslands, as well as the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River."

"Protectorates were no longer established in various regions; instead, they were all converted into prefectures and counties."

His voice was like a thunderclap, deciding the fate of everyone on millions of square kilometers of land.

"Veterans aged 35 and above in the military can be given priority to retire and serve as officials in various prefectures and counties."

"Of course, the premise is that you must at least graduate from the first phase of night school."

"If you can't even do the most basic reading, listening, writing, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, you should stay in the army and train harder."

His gaze fell on Zhao Pu, who was listening intently. "You will arrange the specific divisions, the specific personnel arrangements, and the specific establishment of government offices at all levels."

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail your trust!"

This is just an appetizer; the main event is yet to come.

“The Khitans, the Xi people, and other tribes that can be clearly identified as remnants of the Xianbei people.”

“All Jurchen tribes, whether they are the civilized Jurchen or the wild Jurchen living in the mountains and forests.”

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Dao's eyes.

"Dispose of them all!"

"In particular, the remnants of the Xianbei Murong tribe and the Xianbei Yuwen tribe must not be let go."

"As for the other tribes."

"They were dispersed and settled in various prefectures and counties, and were prohibited from nomadic movement."

"The male members of the clan were selected and sent to work in mines in various places at a ratio of one in three."

Working in a mine naturally doesn't mean having children and old men.

However, when it came to the one-in-three selection, the total number of men was used as the standard.

It essentially drained the young and middle-aged population.

What's even more terrifying is that this practice of conscripting men has to be done every year.

Over the years, only the old and the young remained in the tribe.

At that time, the people who migrated from the interior of China could naturally step forward to receive them.

It is as if it has contributed value before being forgotten.

That's what assimilation is all about.

The Confucian concept of assimilation is simply laughable.

"And Goryeo."

Lin Dao had absolutely no liking for those Koreans who, after engaging in fighting, fraud, and other crimes, would lie and claim to be from the Central Plains.

Rather than leaving them to disgust future generations, it's better to cut them off at the source now.

His gaze swept across the faces of all the generals.

"Who among you is willing to go and destroy Goryeo? Upon your return, you will be granted the title of Duke."

His contribution to the destruction of Goryeo only earned him the title of Duke, not even a Prince.

"His Majesty!"

The quick-witted Shi Shouxin was the first to jump out, "Your subject is willing to lead 50,000 troops to wipe out Goguryeo!"

"His Majesty!"

Cao Bin, who followed, said, "I only need 30,000 soldiers."

"His Majesty."

Pan Meilai, eager to claim credit, declared, "I only need 20,000 troops!"

"His Majesty!"

Finally regaining his senses, Yang Ye stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, I need only ten thousand soldiers to destroy Goguryeo!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals turned their heads in surprise.

Ten thousand?
You're treating Koreans like pigs.

"Think it through," Lin Dao said with a smile. "Goryeo is known for having an army of 300,000."

"Goryeo has only a mere 300,000 useless soldiers, but I have a full 10,000 elite troops!"

"Your subject is willing to sign a military pledge!"

Yang Ye successfully made Lin Dao laugh.

Ten thousand men are enough to destroy a country, a country that boasts a vast territory spanning three thousand miles, millions of people, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Who else but Lin Dao could do this?

"Good!" Lin Dao, who had been feeling down, burst into laughter. "Commendable courage, very good."

"We men of the Central Plains must possess this kind of martial spirit!"

"Therefore, the credit for destroying Goryeo is entrusted to you."

Seeing the beaming faces of Lin Dao and Yang Ye, the generals were at a loss for words.

They tried to persuade him, saying that sending 10,000 people to fight against 300,000 was too exaggerated.

Since joining the army, Kelindao has always been invincible, conquering every country he has ever fought, and destroying every country he has ever fought!

Since he said he could win, no one else could voice their objections.

That's how it is in the military. As long as you keep winning, people will believe you even if you say your army can wipe out the entire Ultraman family.

Fortunately, he was extremely experienced in forest warfare and was not a commander who surrounded a village with a million troops.

Before the main force of the army returned south, they left Yang Ye with a 10,000-strong army by having soldiers volunteer.

Those who voluntarily stayed behind to fight Goryeo were all hoping to gain greater military merit and rewards.

Lin Dao offered the Goryeo soldiers a reward of thirty strings of cash per head, plus twenty bolts of silk.

This is the treatment given to armored soldiers.

Ordinary soldiers received only three to five strings of cash.

As for cannon fodder and civilian laborers, they didn't receive a single penny.

The reward for beheading was usually given to enemy soldiers.

Ordinary soldiers could also be considered as having leftovers; it was not the case that as long as they were enemy soldiers, they could just cut off their heads and receive a lot of rewards and military merits.

Their equipment didn't need to be replaced; it was all provided by Lin Dao—weapons and armor made of high-quality steel from the modern world.

The sturdiness of its armor and the sharpness of its weapons far surpassed those of similar products of that era.

After all, the quality difference between machine-made and handcrafted items is not even in the same league.

"I will not be accompanying the army in this battle."

Lin Dao brought Yang Ye to see the logistical supplies he had prepared for him.

"Logistics is the most important aspect."

"The Koreans will inevitably adopt a scorched-earth tactic, and food and water will be necessities."

"These are compressed biscuits, the ones you've eaten."

"One piece will last you a day. I've prepared a three-month supply for you."

Unbranded compressed biscuits, genuine military grade.

"Rich in fat, sugar, and oil, it is sufficient to meet the needs of high-intensity marching and combat."

"These cardboard boxes contain sugar cubes." Lin Dao picked up a sugar cube and weighed it in his hand, then picked up a large bag of White Rabbit candies. "These are milk candies."

"Based on the standard of one person eating two pieces a day, it took three months to prepare for 10,000 people."

"Compressed biscuits and sugar are both emergency foods, necessities when staple foods are exhausted, and can also be used as daily supplements."

"His Majesty."

Yang Ye searched with his eyes, "Do you have Master Kong instant noodles?"

"I find it extremely delicious, the kind of food you can't get enough of."

“That thing takes up too much space.” Lin Dao shook his head. “I’m not traveling with the army. Your limited carrying quotas must be for small-volume food that can provide enough calories.”

"I've prepared this for you."

He gestured to the piles of small boxes stacked like small mountains, saying, "24-hour individual rations from South Africa."

Picking up a rectangular cardboard box about the size of his palm, Lin Dao took out a dagger and slashed it open.

"This is a match."

"You can start a fire by taking out a wooden stick."

"This is a high-energy, instant strawberry-flavored porridge~"

"This is a nutritional milkshake~"

"This is a tropical-flavored electrolyte sports drink; just add water!"

"This is a fruit roll~"

"This is jam, this is a vegetable packet, this is a biscuit, this is creamer, this is tea, cheese sauce, energy bars, coffee, sugar packets, hard candy, fuel packets, and the main dish is stewed lamb~"

He spread out dozens of different sizes of plastic bags on the box and explained them one by one.

"Even in the Immortal Realm, martial artists are treated very well."

"After all, without the protection of martial artists, everyone would become easy prey."

“These,” Lin Dao gestured to the piles of individual rations, “are also a three-month supply.”

"The water must be boiled, and we use our helmets to boil it, along with water purification tablets."

"A first-aid kit for everyone."

Rain gear, flashlight, spare batteries, rubber boots, toiletries~

Ten thousand people doesn't sound like a lot.

The logistical supplies prepared for them were truly piled up like mountains.

Because Lin Dao did not provide them with laborers, but instead provided each person with three horses.

They don't all need to be cavalrymen; anyone who knows how to ride a horse will suffice.

Yang Ye was dazzled by what he saw.

He never imagined that fighting a war would require so many things.

"His Majesty."

Yang Ye asked, puzzled, "Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Many?" Lin Dao frowned and looked at him. "Don't get me wrong. I sent you to lead troops to destroy a country, not to exchange the blood of soldiers for merit and titles."

"If you suffer too much loss, I won't let you off the hook!"

"Yes, yes," Yang Ye replied sternly.

Although he is a bit muddle-headed about small things, he is quite clear-headed about important matters.

It was obvious that Lin Dao was telling him this very seriously.

If the losses are truly severe, they will definitely not fare well.

Let alone being granted the title of Duke, the very survival of his entire family was in question.

Do you know why we only prepared three months' worth of supplies for you?

"Understood!" Yang Ye replied loudly, head held high. "A swift attack! Conquer Goryeo within three months!"

"If it takes more than three months, I will personally lead troops to rescue you."

Lin Dao patted Yang Ye on the shoulder and gave him instructions.

"Don't let me down, Yang Wudi!"

(End of this chapter)