Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 443 The Romance of Shu Han
"Finally back~"

Looking at the increasingly prosperous and bustling Bianjing city before him, Lin Dao even felt as if he had been transported to another world.

This journey to reclaim the Western Regions, though thousands of miles away, was not fraught with difficulties as the enemy was not strong.

But the journey was too long, it felt like a pilgrimage to the West.

This is mainly because the military brought too many military dependents and bachelors with them.

The speed difference between this and the previous Lin Dao style of leading a large army in a rapid assault without logistics is too great.

Fortunately, this was still Bianjing, the city he was loyal to.

Dozens of miles outside the city, crowds of people gathered to welcome them.

Lin Dao quelled the war, abolished exorbitant taxes, and distributed benefits to the people.

The people are not blind; they can see it all.

That is why, even if there is a telegram in advance requesting that no large-scale welcoming ceremony be held.

Once the people heard the news, they spontaneously came to welcome them, making it difficult to stop them.

Lin Dao, riding a horse and escorted by the imperial guards, passed through the common people.

He smiled and waved continuously.

"Long live~"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

Cheers rose and fell, never ceasing.

This wasn't something I bought with my own money; it was something I genuinely earned by benefiting the people.

They arrived at the city gate and there they saw Fu Yanqing leading his officials, who were waiting for them.

Yang Ye, Cao Bin, Zhao Pu, and others had already returned ahead of schedule.

"I don't want to travel this far again in the future."

Lin Dao rode his horse into the city, thinking it best to arrange for someone to handle such expeditions in the future.

It was too far, and I was too exhausted.

I wasn't physically tired, but I did feel a sense of relaxation.

The welcoming banquet held in the palace also ended hastily.

Back in his palace, Lin Dao had a wonderful sleep.

He slept until the afternoon of the next day, breaking his long-standing habit of waking up early in the military.

The internal strife was quelled, and the external barbarians were destroyed.

The former territories of the Han and Tang dynasties were restored, the people lived in peace and prosperity, and the country's strength increased day by day.

For the time being, there wasn't much for him to do.

He began to retreat into seclusion, reducing the time he spent in this space-time continuum.

On this day, Lin Dao arrived at the warehouse, ready to send away a batch of drugs for treating schistosomiasis and other parasitic infections.

But there was another portal to the time and space before them.

As always, it appeared abruptly without prior notice.

Lin Dao had gotten used to this kind of thing after it happened so many times.

Somewhat surprisingly, what appeared this time was a portal radiating a pale yellow glow.

"The second yellow light teleportation portal."

Lin Dao stepped forward to take a look, and sure enough, there were several lines of slowly undulating golden characters.

The high-speed rail ticket price from Chengdu to Xi'an is 263 yuan.

The Shu Han dynasty fell in 263 AD.

'Prime Minister Zhuge's lifelong wish was to complete this 1,300-li journey.'

He walked this road for seven years, and finally collapsed on the way.

'Are you willing to assist the Prime Minister in fulfilling his long-cherished wish?'

'Are you willing to fulfill the romantic ideals of Shu Han?'

"The romance of Shu Han is unique in that it is abandoning the country for the sake of brothers~" Lin Dao said thoughtfully. "However, we can help with the Prime Minister's long-cherished wish."

There are many famous figures in Chinese history.

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang is undoubtedly among the top tier of celebrities.

What's even more remarkable is that almost everyone who knows him has a positive impression of him.

A model of a loyal subject~
He possessed the power of a powerful minister, yet did not commit the evils of one.

For the sake of promises and ideals, they were willing to dedicate themselves to the cause until their dying breath.

Undoubtedly, Prime Minister Zhuge's regret is also very famous in later generations.

Many people expressed their support for the prime minister online.

Some say they'll send a million college students there~
Some say they offer Longjiang braised pork knuckle rice~
Some say there's plenty of steamed buns and pickled vegetables~
Some people are saying they'll ask Ultraman for help~
wait wait~
"I can help Prime Minister Zhuge."

Lin Dao raised his hands and snapped his fingers, his expression gradually changing and becoming somewhat fierce.

"If the Prime Minister is here, that means..."

"Both Tsukatora and Sun Jerry are alive!"

"One is the source of harm to millions of people!"

"One of them is a scoundrel who caused Jiangdong's reputation to deteriorate!"

"I've been looking for you guys for a while now, and it's like finding a needle in a haystack!"

"Helping the Prime Minister is just a side benefit; dealing with the two of you is the real focus this time!"

Lin Dao did not rush to set off.

He first sent over piles of medicines, as disease prevention and control were certainly more important.

He explained how to use the selected apprentices and then set them off to work.

After finishing all that, I went to different places and time zones to clock in again.

After arranging everything that needed to be done, I changed into my new equipment and set off into the new time portal.

In the fifth year of Jianxing, in Chengdu, at the Prime Minister's residence.

"The late emperor passed away before completing his great undertaking, and now the empire is divided into three, with Yizhou exhausted. This is truly a critical moment of survival."

"I was originally a commoner, tilling the fields in Nanyang, merely trying to preserve my life in this chaotic world, not seeking fame or fortune among the lords."

"Since receiving this commission, I have been constantly worried and anxious, fearing that I might fail in my duty and thus tarnish the late emperor's wisdom. Therefore, in May I crossed the Lu River and ventured deep into the barren lands."

"Your Majesty has entrusted me with the task of suppressing the rebels and restoring the dynasty. If I fail, then punish me to appease the spirit of the late Emperor."

Now that I am about to depart, tears stream down my face as I write this, and I know not what to say.

Inside the study, the slender-faced Prime Minister Zhuge was writing furiously at his desk.

At the beginning of the year, he led his troops south.

By adopting Ma Su's strategy of "attacking cities is secondary, winning hearts and minds is paramount," they successfully subdued the rebellion of Meng Huo and other southern barbarian tribes.

He not only successfully stabilized the rear, but also accumulated a large amount of resources. After the deaths of famous generals such as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong, the exhausted Shu Kingdom finally stood up again under his rule, and its national strength was growing day by day.

It's time for a northern expedition.

If we don't launch a northern expedition soon, the people's hearts will be scattered.

Although the Han Dynasty appears to be thriving, its internal troubles are becoming increasingly severe.

The local powerful families of Yizhou have never wholeheartedly devoted themselves to serving the state.

If instead of launching a northern expedition, the emperor chose to establish a precarious peace in the south, these powerful clans of Yizhou would inevitably waver and might even side with Cao Wei.

The Jingzhou group, which followed the late emperor to Yizhou, and even the ministers who followed him further afield, were even more eager for a northern expedition.

If they choose to remain in a precarious state instead of launching a northern expedition, these people will inevitably scatter and leave.

Their ideal and pursuit was to launch a northern expedition to restore the Han Dynasty.

If we don't do that, then there's no need for us to stay.

Therefore, regardless of victory or defeat, the Northern Expedition was a must.

At least we can unite people's hearts first.

But the strength of Cao Wei...
Of the ten parts of the empire, Cao Wei controlled seven!
Winning is really too difficult.

After finishing his "Memorial on Dispatching the Troops," Prime Minister Zhuge coughed twice, dried the ink, and solemnly put it away, preparing to present it to the emperor at court in a few days.

Although the emperor addresses himself as his prime minister, the etiquette of a subject must never be transgressed.

"Prime Minister~"

Upon leaving the study, he saw Ma Su waiting outside.

Prime Minister Zhuge had high hopes for this young leader of the Jingzhou Group.

"Youchang has arrived."

Prime Minister Zhuge smiled and said, "Perfect, have a few drinks with me!"

In ancient times, alcoholic beverages typically had an alcohol content of only a few degrees to over ten degrees and were often regarded as soft drinks.

Drinking alcohol at every meal is a common occurrence for him.

Ma Su's expression was somewhat strange.

"Prime Minister."

"A new tavern has opened in town, how about we go there for a drink?"

"Oh?" Prime Minister Zhuge looked puzzled. Ma Youchang was not such a frivolous person.
After a moment's thought, he nodded.

"can."

As the de facto ruler of the Han Dynasty at that time, if Prime Minister Zhuge were to travel, he would inevitably be surrounded by a large entourage, with the streets cleared and the roads emptied.

But in doing so, it loses its meaning.

Under Ma Su's arrangement, a hundred or so soldiers, dressed in civilian clothes, escorted the carriage all the way to the most prosperous place in the city.

"Huh~"

This place is close to the imperial palace, and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang often passed by here.

After getting off the carriage, he looked curiously at a grand tavern located at the intersection not far away.

"Here~"

“This used to be the grain store of the Marquis of Hanxing,” Ma Su explained with a smile. “Some time ago, a very wealthy man bought this grain store for a large sum of money and converted it into a tavern.”

The Marquis of Hanxing refers to Li Hui.

He is one of the representative figures of a prominent local clan in Yizhou.

He was known for his integrity and erudition, and was indeed an honest official who did not embezzle.

However, Li Hui's lack of greed was based on the premise that his family was extremely wealthy.

His family was a typical aristocratic family, albeit a small one, incomparable to the Yuan or Yang families.

Li Hui's ancestors were officials for generations, and for seven consecutive generations, they were all high-ranking officials with a salary of over two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

It should be noted that in the Han Dynasty, a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) was usually the starting salary for a prefect.

Those claims about passing down the torch through three generations are far from accurate.

Only families where seven generations have served as high-ranking officials can barely be called powerful clans.

Historically, when Cao Wei conquered Shu Han, records indicate that it gained 280,000 households and 940,000 people.

This is not an actual number, but rather refers to groups such as self-sufficient farmers, small landowners, and urban artisans.

Many other people were serfs or slaves who were dependent on local powerful families and aristocratic clans, and they were not included in the count.

Li Hui's family was one of them.

"Hmm~"

Prime Minister Zhuge remained calm and stepped forward, saying, "Let's go in and take a look."

He used a combination of suppression and appeasement towards the powerful local clans of Yizhou.

The suppression was because Prime Minister Zhuge and his associates were outsiders, and it was necessary to suppress the local natives.

The purpose of winning them over is to leverage the power of these powerful clans and get them to contribute their strength to help.

Li Hui had been taken to the south by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and was even granted a title for his merits.

Although he was only a pavilion marquis, a pavilion marquis is still a marquis.
Upon entering the tavern, the first thing that caught my eye was its spacious and bright hall.

This is completely different from the previous ones, which were small and dark.

Deep inside the hall was a platform, surrounded by many beautiful flowers.

Outside were a dozen or so tables, which were already full of people.

Ma Su led the way to a table.

The person sitting there immediately stood up and bowed to the Prime Minister.

"It's Lord Wei, please have a seat."

Prime Minister Zhuge invited Ma Su and Yang Yi to sit down, while a group of strong, vigilant soldiers stood in formation around them.

Prime Minister Zhuge did not ask, because he knew that he needed to see and hear for himself what was to come.

Soon a waiter came over and brought tea and snacks.

"This tea~"

Looking at the exquisite porcelain cup in front of me, a few tender green tea leaves floated up and down, emitting a delicate fragrance.

Prime Minister Zhuge was greatly surprised: "It can actually be cooked like this?"

"It wasn't boiled," Ma Su said with a laugh. "It was brewed with hot water."

The mainstream way of drinking tea in this era is to add various things.

Spices such as scallions, ginger, garlic, etc.
The taste was truly indescribable.

"Prime Minister, please observe this further."

Yang Yi also laughed, "This place is quite interesting!"

(End of this chapter)