Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 439: A fierce battle across thousands of miles, all so that you can stand tall and be respectable people!
"Kill them!"

Outside Gaochang City, the Hengshan Dangxiang people, their eyes bloodshot, roared and brandished their weapons, stubbornly resisting the city walls as arrows rained down upon them like ants.

The Hengshan Dangxiang people who attacked the city were fearless and undaunted.

The Western Uyghurs defending the city were equally determined to die.

"Great Emperor~"

He was wrapped in various silks and satins that he had plundered from the Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other non-Han peoples.

The Tangut tribal chiefs, who looked utterly comical at first glance, bowed to Lin Dao with beaming smiles.

"Our sons are willing to die for the Emperor. We beg the Emperor not to let them down."

Lin Dao, on horseback, merely glanced at them from the side.

With just one glance, these chieftains bowed deeply, their foreheads touching the ground.

Lin Dao, in his capacity as emperor, took steps to strengthen the nation and its people.

He has rendered great service to the public and to all people.

Personally, as a time traveler, I am willing to risk my life to save people from suffering.

He had a clear conscience and faced all difficulties with unwavering determination.

Millions of people across the world worship and pray for him with utmost sincerity.

The people's support and the hopes of all living beings are the true path of righteousness and integrity!

It can be described using idioms.

Awe-inspiring even without anger!
Just one glance was enough to make these tribal chiefs tremble as if Mount Tai were pressing down on them.

"I keep my word."

Turning his gaze away, Lin Dao calmly replied, "Whoever takes the head of a Uyghur soldier from Xizhou can be ranked as a laborer."

“Anyone who takes three or more heads of soldiers will be granted a place in the military.”

"Those who are the first to scale the walls and kill the Uyghur Khan can be admitted to the school and, after graduation, be assigned to local prefectures and counties."

"Since I've said it, I will definitely do it!"

"Are you all doubting my words?"

The surrounding generals all glared angrily.

Many had even drawn their swords, ready to kill these Dangxiang Qiang people at Lin Dao's command.

The Emperor's decree is as weighty as Mount Tai!
You barbarians, how dare you question the Holy Emperor?
Are you looking for death?
The chieftains were so frightened that they trembled and could barely speak, their foreheads touching the ground.

"No need to make a fuss here."

Lin Dao waved his hand and said, "Lead your people to war."

The chieftains, as if granted a pardon, kowtowed repeatedly as if pounding garlic, and crawled away on their knees.

This shows how demanding Lin Dao is.

Only by beheading an armored soldier can one have the opportunity to become a laborer.

Only those with the heads of three armored soldiers are eligible to participate in the lottery with the bachelors.

Only those who have made extraordinary contributions, such as being the first to behead the king, can obtain an official position in the local government; they still need to go to school first.

Even so, when Lin Dao made this demanding promise before attacking the city.

The Tanguts who had followed him from Hengshan all went mad.

I'm ecstatic.

Lin Dao was very generous; they had made great contributions in the previous battles and were now receiving generous rewards they had never dared to dream of before.

But when they saw the bachelors, they settled them down by drawing lots.

After acquiring vast tracts of land, cattle, sheep, horses, and local women.

No matter how much wealth you have, it will lose its appeal in an instant.

They were incredibly envious and wanted to have the same qualifications.

They couldn't wait to truly become subjects of the Great Emperor.

If it were someone else, they might have agreed in order to gain their loyalty.

But Lin Dao didn't buy into that at all.

Those who dared to cause trouble were hung up outside the military camp as a warning.

Moreover, Lin Dao directly ordered that anyone who was dissatisfied could go back to Hengshan.

This is the Western Regions~
From the Western Regions to Hengshan, it's more than a thousand miles!
Even if the Han army along the way doesn't make things difficult for them, how are they supposed to travel these desolate thousands of miles?
Are you going to carry your wealth and beg your way back?
Even begging requires someone to help you.

Moreover, everything they own belongs to the tribal chief.

Even if they return to their tribe, they will be instantly reduced to their original state, slaves who deserve nothing.

They had nowhere to go.

Fortunately, Lin Dao eventually gave them a chance.

If you perform well during the siege, you'll have the chance to change your identity and become a true citizen of the Central Plains!
This is why the Hengshan Dangxiang people who launched a fierce attack on Gaochang City were all fearless and undaunted.

Many of them had asked bachelors to help them choose Chinese names before going to the battlefield.

As long as you achieve meritorious service~
The war was extremely brutal.

The Western Uyghurs had previously gathered troops from all over the country, and fought a battle when Lin Dao's army marched over.

The Uyghurs fought desperately, but they were still defeated, and suffered a crushing defeat.

After all, the gap in equipment and tactics is simply too great.

After the remnants of the army retreated to Gaochang City, they sent envoys to Lin Dao to surrender.

Corinthian demanded their unconditional surrender, and the prisoners would be sent to mines and railway construction sites.

The Uyghurs could not accept this, and they chose to defend the city in despair.

When both sides are fighting to the death with the determination to die, the battlefield undoubtedly becomes a living hell.

Lin Dao, who was watching this scene, remained completely unmoved.

After all, it was the Tanguts who were attacking the city.

Although most of the Hengshan Dangxiang people were inclined towards the Central Plains, they were still Dangxiang people.

Giving them a chance is already an act of great mercy.

The fierce fighting lasted from noon until sunset.

Gaochang City finally fell under relentless attacks.

The Tangut people, who were already bloodthirsty, poured into the city and went on a killing spree, venting their anger indiscriminately.

They numbered in the tens of thousands when they left Hengshan.

After fighting their way through and capturing Gaochang City, only a few thousand men remained.

Such a devastating loss must be vented.

Forcibly obstructing them would either require offering substantial rewards to calm the soldiers down, or risking the lives of those in the city.

"Ignore them."

Lin Dao turned his horse around and returned to the military camp. "Sound the retreat when the sun rises tomorrow."

That night, the entire city of Gaochang was engulfed in a sea of ​​blood and fire.

Faint sounds of fighting and wailing drifted on the night wind into the various camps.

Lin Dao remained completely unmoved by this.

Two hundred years ago, when the ancestors of the Uyghurs plundered the two capitals, massacred the inhabitants, and arrested people, they did the same thing.

Lin Dao is merely making them repeat the evil their ancestors committed.

Moreover, how big is Gaochang City? How many people could there be?

Compared to the millions of people who died tragically or were enslaved in the two capitals, this is far from enough!

Lin Dao did not enter the city.

He announced outside the city that he would revert this basin to its Tang Dynasty name, Xizhou.

Subsequently, retired veterans were arranged to set up county and prefectural government offices here, and bachelors from all over the country were assigned land by drawing lots.

"I don't want to smoke anymore~"

Sitting on the ground, Chen Xiaoqi's gaze was unfocused, as if he had been greeted by a dozen burly men.

"I've tried so many times, but I've never won."

"I won't smoke anymore!"

Sitting to the side was Huang Dashan, who shared a similar plight.

He also had a dejected expression, and his whole demeanor was extremely颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, and apathy).

Without a doubt, staying in Gaochang this time was an opportunity for Xizhou, but he failed to seize it.

"Those from the same village have all been resettled in different places."

"Gou Youzhi and the others were also selected this time."

"We're the only two left from our hometown."

"I feel like I've traveled ten thousand miles, when will this end?"

Because the bachelors in Panyu County live too far from their hometowns, Lin Dao deliberately allocates more slots to them in each lottery.

The purpose is to allow them to be as close to home as possible.

Once the railway opens, it will be much more convenient to go home.

Chen Xiaoqi and Huang Dashan had been having bad luck. All their fellow villagers had already been settled along the way, leaving only the two of them.

Fortunately, there are still some single men in Panyu County, otherwise these two would probably be in even worse shape.

He sat listlessly on the ground for a while.

They waited until mealtime before finally getting up reluctantly and going to eat, looking utterly dejected.

It's quite noticeable that there are far fewer people eating here now.

At this point, there were only about a hundred unassigned bachelors left in the entire Panyu County.

These people are not in good mental condition.

While everyone was eating, they saw a large group of people walking towards them, which immediately caused a stir.

There were quite a few people, and the vast majority of them were Tangut people carrying various items and bags.

The constable hurriedly went to greet them and spoke with the officer in charge.

Soon the officers who brought the men left, and the hundred or so curious Tanguts, led by their captain, joined the ranks of bachelors from Panyu County.

"They all obtained the heads of three enemy soldiers during previous battles."

The head constable explained loudly, "His Majesty has shown mercy and allowed them to be naturalized as commoners, thus granting them the same status for resettlement."

"They've been assigned to our team; from now on, they're all on our side."

The single men eating, along with the single men from other states and counties who were watching the spectacle, were immediately thrown into an uproar.

Three enemy soldiers' heads!
On the battlefield, merit is determined by the number of heads taken.

Not just anyone's head will do.

As the name suggests, a soldier is someone who wears armor.

Whether wearing iron armor or leather armor, it was the treatment reserved for elite soldiers, or even lower-ranking officers.

Just imagine how difficult it would be to cut off their heads.

And there were three of them!

If these three soldiers were from the Imperial Guard or the Palace Guard, they would have been promoted to deputy commanders.

In addition, there are generous extra rewards of money and goods.

But in the Yokoyama Tangut region, it's only worth one chance to be a citizen.

This opportunity was hard-won.

"My dear brothers~"

The Tangut people, their robes still stained with blood, smiled and bowed to the bachelors, saying, "Please take care of us in the future!"

Their most important task along the way was not to fight, but to learn Chinese.

The tone was a bit strange, but at least it was understandable.

Looking at their kind smiles, the bachelors were also a little intimidated.

After all, the fire in Gaochang last night burned until dawn.

Everyone saw it.

At this moment, these Yokoyama Dangxiang people were smiling so warmly that the bachelors were momentarily dazed.

How did these horrific butchers become like this?
"Everyone, line up for food!"

The constable shouted loudly, waving his baton and urging the Tanguts to line up.

After they had arranged the order for serving the food, the head constable came to the bachelors to explain.

"Don't panic, it's nothing serious."

The captain looked indifferent. "Don't be fooled by their seemingly ruthless appearance. Last night, they even slaughtered the entire city of Gaochang."

"But in front of us, they are just sheep!"

"With the Holy Emperor here, and with our great army here, they are the most docile sheep!"

"Hold your head high and stand tall, show your strength, don't let others look down on you."

"The Holy Emperor traveled thousands of miles, fighting to the death, all so that you could stand tall and be respectable before the barbarians!"

(End of this chapter)