Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 453 Boyue, I intend to take you as my disciple!

The Shu Kingdom lacked horses, and so did the Wu Kingdom.

The horse farms of the Han Dynasty were mostly located in the north and were controlled by Cao Wei.

The absence of horses does not mean there are no horses at all.

In reality, the Shu Kingdom also had a considerable number of horses.

Just like this Northern Expedition, there were more than three thousand horses, and of course, quite a few healthy oxen.

After all, in the Central Plains, things like lack, scarcity, and insufficiency are measured in terms of the entire Central Plains.

In Europe, no number of small countries combined could compare.

A small portion of these horses were warhorses, but the majority were pack animals used for hauling goods.

The livestock used for hauling goods mainly eat grass and fodder.

Reserved hay, fresh grass gathered on the spot, etc.

Only warhorses are entitled to eat this kind of feed.

"Prime Minister, you must not favor one over the other."

Lin Dao suggested, "The oxen and horses are carrying so much cargo, traveling thousands of miles. They should be fed well. They can't just eat hay and fodder all day long. They're getting thin."

Prime Minister Zhuge could only smile helplessly, "Zihou, you don't seem like a Taoist cultivator, you look more like a white-robed monk."

During the Three Kingdoms period, white-clad people usually referred to merchants.

Back then, Lü Meng pulled off a surprise attack by crossing the river in disguise, which resulted in strict control over the movements of merchants and earned him a bad reputation.

"I don't want to go through all that trouble, but I just have so many things at home."

Lin Dao waved his hand, "Then it's ten thousand shi of bean cakes. Don't worry about this little bit."

What could Prime Minister Zhuge say but laugh silently?

"After eating, it's time for drinking!"

"Your honey water." This time, Prime Minister Zhuge firmly refused, "I really don't need it."

"I've never heard of soldiers drinking honey water while fighting."

For the prime minister, this was far too exaggerated.

Do you need to drink honey water when you're fighting a war?
Is this still a soldier?
Next, shall we have to drink some more alcohol?

"Alright." Lin Dao rarely gave in like this. "I don't need soda, but you still need water purification tablets."

"At least one box per person."

"After all, illness can enter through the mouth."

After eating and drinking, it's time for utensils.

"The Longyou region is rich in water and grass. Where does this richness of water and grass come from? Of course, it comes from rain."

"Rain gear is essential."

"Moreover, good rain gear can effectively prevent you from getting sick from the rain and avoid physical exhaustion caused by the cold wind, so it is very important."

The late Eastern Han Dynasty coincided with the Little Ice Age.

Not only is there drought, but also locust plagues caused by the drought, and floods.

Most of the time, floods are caused by localized rainfall.

Therefore, rain gear is still necessary.

The rain gear provided by the forest road is certainly better than raincoats and oil-paper umbrellas.

It's still much stronger.

Hooded full-coverage rubber raincoats, high-top rain boots, portable umbrellas, and large three-color striped waterproof plastic sheets for protecting vehicles and livestock.

These things are produced in great quantities in the Central Plains, so much so that they could be said to be inexhaustible.

We'll sell as many as we can.

Of course, the price offered is also quite favorable.

Prime Minister Zhuge didn't say much and agreed.

Another signed and sealed purchase contract.

"As for weapons and armor, the Prime Minister has already purchased quite a lot, so I won't try to sell them to him."

"No!" Prime Minister Zhuge was both amused and exasperated. "Why won't you give me what I want most? No, no, I still need to buy some more."

Without a doubt, these things that can directly enhance combat power are what the Prime Minister desires most.

As for the other things, to be honest, in the Prime Minister's eyes they were nothing more than icing on the cake.

Having it is better, but not having it won't have a big impact.

We were still fighting before we had these things.

"Three thousand sets of iron armor?"

"Prime Minister, you're not such a petty person, are you?"

"Minimum order of 30,000 units, I'll give you a 1% discount."

"Swords, spears, halberds~"

"Shield and Arrows~"

"Oh, right, I also have a set of horse armor and a three-piece set of warhorse armor. You don't have many cavalrymen, so bring me a set of everything."

In fact, what Prime Minister Zhuge really wanted was the deadly weapon that Lin Dao had displayed in the military camp that day.

Unfortunately, Lin Dao has made it clear that there are no extra of these things.

Later, Lin Dao also promoted rubber tires for large vehicles, as well as for wheelbarrows.

A Phoenix Forever 28-inch bicycle, the kind with a rack.

And of course, there are clothes, from underwear to training uniforms to work shoes.

As for drones, walkie-talkies, and telegraphs, Lin Dao did not provide them.

To reiterate, since it's not a spacetime he completely controls, there's no need to provide these high-tech products.

The things Lin Dao provided at this time were enough to win the Northern Expedition.

Zhao Yun was the first to lead the troops.

He had several hundred cavalrymen under his command, all of whom were upgraded from muskets to cannons before setting off.

Not only were the warhorses and packhorses equipped with the three-piece cavalry uniform, but the warhorses also received a set of horse armor.

Moreover, each cavalryman was equipped with a set of iron armor, as well as brand-new bows and crossbows, and both long and short weapons.

The infantrymen were also given a lot of iron armor. In the words of Prime Minister Zhuge, since it was a feint, it had to look like a feint.

If they don't appear elite and powerful enough, how can they lure the enemy's main force into a trap?

They carried large quantities of supplies and countless flags, heading towards Jigu. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led tens of thousands of Shu troops to Longyou.

Lin Dao set off with Prime Minister Zhuge, enjoying the scenery along the way.

As expected, when news of Zhao Yun's army appearing in Jigu arrived, the unprepared Cao army was greatly alarmed.

Xiahou Mao hurriedly dispatched troops to intercept them at Baoxie Road, and at the same time sent the message to Cao Rui by fast horse.

Cao Rui was also very surprised, not expecting that the crippled Shu Kingdom would dare to launch an attack.

He quickly ordered Cao Zhen to be appointed as the commander-in-chief of all military affairs, both inside and outside the capital, and to lead Cao Wei's mobile army to Guanzhong for rescue.

Cao Rui originally intended to lead the expedition in person, or at least remain in Chang'an to oversee the campaign.

However, news of Meng Da's rebellion in Xincheng County and other unusual activities in Eastern Wu prompted Cao Rui to cancel his trip.

He ordered Sima Yi to lead troops to quell Meng Da's rebellion, while he himself kept an eye on Eastern Wu.

When Cao Zhen led his army into Guanzhong at breakneck speed, he received news that the Shu army had split into two routes.

We set off along the Baoxie Road, and saw that the banner bore the name Zhao Yun.

Another route was to leave Wudu County, pass Qishan, and enter Longyou, with Zhuge Liang as their banner.

Cao Zhen was greatly troubled.

He concluded that given the strength of the Shu Kingdom, one of these routes must be a feint.

The problem is, he can't tell which side is the feint.

There was no other way but to ask Xiahou Mao.

"Zhao Yun's troops who marched out of Baoxie Road were all elite soldiers, and everyone was wearing iron armor."

"Zhao Yun led thousands of iron cavalry across the land, invincible in every direction."

"Many of my generals were killed by him."

Cao Zhen glared at Xiahou Mao, his eyes filled with a look that seemed to want to slap him with a stun gun.

What? Everyone's wearing iron armor? Do you think iron armor grows out of the ground?
And led thousands of cavalry across vast territories?
Think carefully before you speak. How many thousand cavalrymen could the entire Shu Kingdom possibly have?
This kind of fool has utterly disgraced the Xiahou family!
"Go back and stay in Chang'an!"

Cao Zhen waved his hand, telling Xiahou Mao to get lost.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and would actually beat him up.

After the flustered Xiahou Mao retreated, Cao Zhen looked at General Zhang He and asked, "Junyi, what do you think?"

'Me? I'll just sit and watch!'

Zhang He wanted to roll his eyes, but he managed to hold back. "Grand Commander, this humble general believes we should divide our forces."

“The Baoxie Road is rugged and difficult to traverse, making it unsuitable for cavalry maneuvering.”

"This humble general is willing to lead the cavalry to Longyou to provide relief."

From a geographical perspective, Zhang He's proposal was perfectly sound.

However, he had a thought in his mind that he couldn't voice.

That is, Zhao Yun was on the Baoxie Road.
That's Zhao Yun. Zhang He had witnessed Zhao Yun's martial prowess decades ago.

Gao Lan, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei who was once as famous as Zhang He, was stabbed off his horse by Zhao Yun with a single spear thrust when he encountered Zhao Yun.

Zhang He witnessed it firsthand!

Although Zhao Yun is getting old, Zhang He himself is also quite old.

He genuinely didn't want to get involved with Zhao Yun.

Zhang He's reasons were irrefutable.

After all, cavalry mobility is naturally more suitable for Longyou, even though Longyou has quite a few mountains.
After a moment's thought, Cao Zhen still felt that Zhao Yun was more like a feint.

However, they still had to divide their forces eventually.

He nodded and said, "The situation in Longyou is chaotic now, and many places have surrendered to Shu."

"Only Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, is still holding out in Shanggui, awaiting reinforcements."

"You should quickly pass through Chencang and enter Anding County, then enter Longyou from Jieting to provide relief."

“I personally led my troops south to the Baoxie Road to block Zhao Yun’s forces.”

Zhang He immediately bowed in respect.

"The last general takes command!"

Cao Zhen was confident that his strength was sufficient to withstand the Shu army, even if he divided his forces.

There's nothing wrong with the arrangement.

The only thing I didn't pay attention to was sending that idiot Xiahou Mao to guard Chang'an.

Because he felt that these two Shu armies were all the forces he had, he didn't even consider that someone was planning to take the Ziwu Valley and cut off their retreat.

Tianshui Prefecture, outside Ji County.

"This humble general, Jiang Wei, pays his respects to the Prime Minister!"

Inside the Shu army camp, the young Jiang Wei bowed to Prime Minister Zhuge.

He was originally a physician in Tianshui County.

Jiang Jiong, the father of the governor, was once a county official. When the Qiang and Rong tribes rebelled, Jiang Jiong stepped forward to protect the governor and died on the battlefield. He can be called the descendant of a hero.

Previously, Jiang Wei accompanied Ma Zun, the prefect of Tianshui, and Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou, on an inspection tour of various places.

Upon learning that the Shu army had entered Longyou, Guo Huai was the first to flee, escaping into Shanggui.

Jiang Wei and others tried to persuade Prefect Ma Zun to return to Tianshui County, but Ma Zun scolded them, saying, "You people cannot be trusted; you are all thieves." Then Ma Zun ran away.

Left with no other option, Jiang Wei and his men had to return to Ji County, the seat of Tianshui Commandery.

They can't not come back; this is their hometown, where their parents, wives, children, and families are all.

Upon returning, they found that Ji County had already surrendered.

Under such circumstances, Jiang Wei had no choice but to surrender.

Unexpectedly, so many people surrendered, yet it was he, a young man, who was summoned by Prime Minister Zhuge.

He was also uneasy, not understanding why.

Sitting behind his desk, Prime Minister Zhuge silently watched the young man not far away, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Your Majesty has a plan. I hope Your Majesty will endure this humiliation for a few days, so that the nation may be restored from peril, and the sun and moon may shine again from darkness."

My plan failed; it is fate.

Tears welled up in Prime Minister Zhuge's eyes.

Your Majesty, you have failed such a loyal and righteous man!
He got up and went to Jiang Wei, helping him up.

"Boyue, I intend to take you as my disciple!"

(End of this chapter)