Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 452 What's a little money if it's for the sake of restoring the Han Dynasty?
"The Qinggang Sword?"

Zhao Yun was somewhat at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

He had seen it in those magical artifacts, or rather, he had obtained it himself.

Lin Dao smiled and beckoned Zhao Yun to continue examining the armor.

"This is the Dragon Scale Cloud Pattern Armor."

Before he could ask, Lin Dao directly told him the name.

"It is named after the shape of the scales, which resemble dragon scales and are decorated with cloud patterns."

The tortoise shells from the Three Kingdoms period were usually long and narrow or square.

The armor plates used in this suit are large and angular, arranged in a tight net-like pattern.

It has a full hexagonal metallic luster, with vertical texture and pearlescent finish.

As for cloud patterns~
As long as the money is right, the machining factory can make not only cloud patterns, but even wrinkles.

"Huh~"

Zhao Yun, lifting the armor, looked puzzled. "This armor is so light?"

Upon closer inspection, a full set of iron armor must weigh several tens of kilograms.

Zhao Yun, who wore armor year-round, was very experienced in this.

But when I lifted this set of armor, it felt surprisingly light.

Lin Dao didn't explain what kind of alloy steel it was, and looked directly at Zhang Bao beside him.

"Xingguo, go get the gun and try it out."

Zhang Bao immediately smiled and ran back to retrieve his weapon.

When he returned with his spear, a wooden stake had already been erected there.

The dragon scale cloud pattern armor was already hanging on the wooden stake.

Hey!

Zhang Bao assumed a horse stance and gathered his strength. A moment later, he thrust his gun forward with both hands.

The spearhead immediately pierced the armor.

Everyone looked over at the same time, and saw a piece of armor plate on the iron armor that seemed to have a tiny bit of white on it.
Lin Dao stepped forward and reached out to wipe it.

"The paint's peeling."

He called out again, "Bring me bows and crossbows, and I need strong ones."

Only those crossbows with a tension of five stones or more are qualified to be called strong crossbows.

Its armor-piercing ability is undoubtedly strong.

"It doesn't need to be too far."

After the crossbow was brought over, Lin Dao said with a smile, "Twenty or twenty paces will do; anything further would be pointless."

Ma Su advised, "Zihou, this armor is so luxurious; it would be terrible if it were damaged."

A powerful crossbow with a range of five stones, covering a distance of a dozen paces.

You've pierced through all your armor.

It's such a pity that such beautiful armor has been lost.

Lin Dao smiled and waved his hand, indicating that they should continue.

Several crossbows fired at once, the arrows striking the armor plates with a dull thud.

In full view of everyone, it really didn't break through the armor!

“This, this, this~”

Everyone was stunned.

At such close range, even a powerful crossbow couldn't penetrate the armor?
“Remote immunity,” Lin Dao said with a smile. “Try cutting me with a knife again.”

“No need.” Zhao Yun shook his head and stepped forward to wipe the spot on the iron armor where he had been shot. “Even a powerful crossbow couldn’t break through it, so there’s no need to use a sword.”

Armor is essentially for protection against crossbow fire, sword cuts, and spear thrusts.

As for giant axes, heavy hammers, and maces, even if they can't break through armor, the shockwave alone can kill people.

To defend against heavy weapons, you need power armor.

Zhao Yun was very satisfied, but suddenly turned his head and looked at Lin Dao thoughtfully.

Lin Dao was completely puzzled by this.

What do you mean?
At this moment, Zhao Yun was thinking about the terrifying magical artifact that Lin Dao had used in the military camp outside Chengdu that day.

I wonder if this amazing armor can stop them.

Seeing that Zhao Yun had acquired a set of precious armor, a divine spear, and a treasured sword.

The onlookers all around were filled with envy.

They want it too!
Unfortunately, in Lin Dao's place, only Zhao Yun has this kind of face.

Upon learning of this, Prime Minister Zhuge smiled and instructed Yang Yi, "Please invite Zihou (Zihou) here."

When Lin Dao arrived, Prime Minister Zhuge spoke frankly.

"Zihou, the army is about to set out. When will you deliver what you promised?"

"tomorrow."

Lin Dao simply replied, "The goods will definitely arrive tomorrow."

"You have to trust me, trust my reputation in logistics!"

"I can guarantee that no one in the entire universe can surpass me in logistics."

Prime Minister Zhuge had never witnessed Lin Dao's powerful sales ability, so he still had a slight skepticism about it.

But at this point, doubting is useless.

"Prime Minister."

Lin Dao laughed and said, "That's a bit stingy."

"You've only ordered this much; it might affect the Northern Expedition."

Prime Minister Zhuge shook his head, "The amount of goods you mentioned has already emptied the national treasury."

"Gold, silver, jewelry, silk, medicine—anything of value was spent."

"Even if we wanted to, we Han people couldn't afford it."

Lin Dao simply sat down on the cushion. "Prime Minister, that's not right of you."

What is the Northern Expedition?

"The Northern Expedition is to restore the Han Dynasty!"

"What's a little money compared to restoring the Han Dynasty?"

"As long as we can win the Northern Expedition, we can make back whatever we spend."

"If we fail to win because we spent too little, then all the previous investment will have been wasted."

With Zhuge Liang's wisdom, he could see at a glance that Lin Dao was using words to intimidate and entice him to spend money. But the problem is, seeing it doesn't mean he wasn't worried.

This is war!

Who dares to say they're guaranteed to win?

Even if they knew what would happen next, they would have a plan to deal with it.

But there's another saying: man proposes, God disposes.
If something unexpected happens and the Northern Expedition fails, then that would be...
After all, Cao Wei's strength was undeniable.

The soldiers were brave and courageous, the generals were highly capable, and the emperor was wise and powerful.

Even the civil officials were all quite resourceful.

This opponent is really strong.

As the saying goes, caring leads to chaos.

Prime Minister Zhuge saw through Lin Dao's methods, but because he was too concerned about the success or failure of the Northern Expedition, he inevitably became anxious and uncertain.

He also wanted to buy more good things to increase the chances of a successful northern expedition.

But I'm short of money.

"I really have no money left." Prime Minister Zhuge shook his head helplessly. "You don't accept cash worth a hundred coins anyway."

It was acceptable for the people to be exploited with a hundred coins, because the people had little power to resist.

But this thing is useless against Lin Dao.

Not only were they not afraid, but they also dared to overturn the case and even carry out large-scale retaliation.

"Don't mention the hundred coins again."

Lin Dao smiled enigmatically, "Don't make things so complicated that you can't even be friends anymore."

"Not having money is not a problem; you can buy on credit."

Prime Minister Zhuge shook his head repeatedly, "Borrowing on credit requires repayment, and interest must be paid."

“I have also seen people who have been driven to desperation because they cannot pay their debts. No, no.”

This was not the modern world, where people borrowed as much as they could, and whether they could repay it was another matter.

People in this era still value credit.

If you borrow something, you have to pay it back. If you can't pay it back, it can really drive you crazy.

"How about this."

Lin Dao thought about it and realized that deception wouldn't work; he needed to give some direct benefits.

"I can waive interest."

One sentence was enough to make Prime Minister Zhuge's eyes light up.

"However," came the twist: "In exchange, I have the right of first refusal to select all the spoils of war from the Han army, and at a discounted price."

"Yes!" Prime Minister Zhuge agreed without hesitation.

What are the spoils of war?
Those are enemy property!
Using the resources of a future enemy to gain personal benefits is certainly acceptable.

If you lose, there's nothing more to say.

If you win, you can pay with the enemy's goods—it's a sure-fire way to make money.

"besides."

Before Lin Dao could finish speaking, he said, "I can give you a sum of money on credit, but this money can only be used to purchase the items I specify."

This is essentially designated aid in the modern world.

They don't give cash, they only give numbers.

Moreover, they could only buy their own products, which meant they went around in circles, boosted the economy, and even got the money back.

Guaranteed profit without loss.

Prime Minister Zhuge hesitated slightly, "May I ask what you're specifying?"

Lin Dao immediately responded, "The main focus will be on food, medicine, and supplementary supplies."

Previously, Prime Minister Zhuge purchased mostly armor and weapons of extremely high quality.

After all, these things can directly improve combat effectiveness and can play a role on the battlefield.

Other items were purchased in small quantities, and mainly given to Wei Yan's surprise attack legion.

Lin Dao could completely understand; after all, when funds are limited, they should naturally be used to quickly improve combat effectiveness.

But he couldn't accept it.

There haven't been any major battles in any of the different time periods recently.

It mainly involves construction and maintenance, such as building railways, highways, houses, water conservancy facilities, and so on.

Demand is primarily driven by industries such as steel and cement, which are the most prevalent in the industrial sector.

Meanwhile, the military supplies that Lin Dao had previously purchased in large quantities were piling up in the warehouse.

In addition, factories like Fuling pickled mustard tuber factory frequently call him, a major customer, hoping he can buy more products.

His main goal was to help domestic manufacturers increase their sales.

While I'm at it, I'll also take care of the various goods I bought that have filled the warehouse.

"An army marches on its stomach."

As expected, the first thing Lin Dao did was push grain up the road.

It's not rice or wheat flour, but instant noodles, self-heating hot pot, compressed biscuits, various canned goods, Fuling pickled mustard tuber, tea eggs, White Rabbit milk candy, and so on.

"Putting everything else aside, at least prepare three months' worth of dry rations for all the soldiers."

"Three months?!" Even the usually composed Prime Minister Zhuge's hand holding the feather fan trembled slightly.

According to Lin Dao.

Three meals a day require two packets of instant noodles, one self-heating hot pot, one compressed biscuit, one can of meat, one can of fruit, three packets of pickled vegetables, two tea eggs, two milk candies, and so on.

Tens of thousands of soldiers across the entire army, each serving three months according to this standard.
What's with the "north" part?

They could bankrupt a big man just by eating him!
"No, no, no."

Prime Minister Zhuge waved his hand repeatedly, "Too many."

These standards were actually the battlefield meals that Lin Dao provided to his soldiers when he led troops into battle.

He never hesitated to spend money on warriors who defended their country and expanded its territory.

However, since their identities are different in this time and space, they naturally won't insist.

After some discussion, it was finally decided to provide each of the tens of thousands of soldiers with a month's worth of 'standard' rations.

Prime Minister Zhuge, having signed and sealed a purchase order, closed his eyes.

Then he heard Lin Dao say...

"Now that we've solved the problem of food for people, we also need to make sure the horses have something to eat."

(End of this chapter)