Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 455 That bag of pickled vegetables is inedible!
"This is Jieting~"

"Truly, the place lives up to its name!"

"A street, at the end of which is a well, and a pavilion is built over the well."

Jieting, also known as Jiequanting, is commonly called Hanjiecheng.

This place is strategically located at the throat of the valley on the Bansu Road.

Upon arriving here, I realized that this place was actually just a simple village, with at most some fences, railings, and moats.

A somewhat dilapidated road runs through the entire town.

At the end of this dilapidated road is a spring with abundant water, covered by a pavilion whose wood has rotted away.

According to locals, this spring flows continuously regardless of winter or summer, and is known locally as the Dragon Spring.

"The mountains here are high and the valleys are deep, making the terrain treacherous."

Lin Dao looked around and said, "Moreover, because of the existence of the Guanlong Road to the south, this place is rarely used by anyone other than the barbarians during peacetime, and the population is sparse."

"No business travel means no income, and no income means no money."

"Without money, of course you can't build a city."

"That's not right either." Lin Dao walked around the town once.

It was eventually discovered that there were indeed remnants of a city wall surrounding the town.

After inquiring with the locals, we learned that this place used to be the county seat of Jiequan County.

But that was a story from the time of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, more than three hundred years ago.

Later, this place was renamed Lueyang County, and the county seat was moved to Lueyang.

As for the city wall here, there was indeed a ring of adobe bricks before.

However, over the years, it has been completely destroyed in the repeated and endless rebellions of the Qiang people.

Because of a lack of funds, the city walls could not be rebuilt, and they could only defend the city with palisades and moats.

Lin Dao looked up at the sky.

Gazing at the many clouds in the sky, he seemed lost in thought.

"Qiang people~"

Turning his gaze away, Lin Dao looked back at the mountains.

The raids by the Qiang people on the Central Plains did not begin during the Jin Dynasty.

In fact, as early as the Han Dynasty, the Qiang people had been constantly raiding the Central Plains.

It reached its peak during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling.

The Eastern Han Dynasty government launched military campaigns against the Qiang people almost every year, with military expenditures amounting to hundreds of millions.

This street pavilion is known locally as Han Street City, a place where Qiang people gather and a rare gathering place for Han people.

Therefore, whenever the Qiang people in the vicinity rebelled, Qiang people would always come to attack.

If this happens too often, the city will be destroyed.

"Ma Su went up the mountain, presumably because he felt that this dilapidated street on the main road could not withstand the impact of Cao Wei's elite cavalry."

"Thinking of taking advantage of the high ground, we should first disable the mobility of Cao Cao's cavalry, since we can't attack the mountains on horseback."

"Moreover, with the threat of a large army cutting off their supply lines, Cao Cao's army dared not charge directly."

After surveying his surroundings, Lin Dao made his own deductions.

As for whether it's really true, we'll talk to Ma Su about it after dinner tonight.

Ask him, 'If the Prime Minister appoints you as the commander-in-chief, leading 10,000 troops to garrison this place, how would you deal with an attack from Cao Cao's army?'

The Shu army set up camp, cut down trees, fetched water, and cooked.

Prime Minister Zhuge even sent away the already small number of townspeople, far from the battlefield.

After dinner, Prime Minister Zhuge borrowed a laptop, intending to take Jiang Wei to see the past and present lives.

Lin Dao then found Ma Su and asked him how to defend this place if he were the commander.

The laptop computer, which Prime Minister Zhuge Liang called the Kunlun Mirror, is not something that just anyone can access.

To this day, only the Prime Minister himself and Zhao Yun have seen it.

According to Prime Minister Zhuge, this is revealing a heavenly secret.

Unless one is a cultivator in the forest, others who see too much of this will surely have their lifespan shortened.

Lin Dao scoffed at this claim.

If that were the case, who in the modern world would dare to sell computers? Who would dare to produce TV dramas?
Ma Su's response was largely the same.

After all, Cao Cao's army was strong and well-equipped, and there were no natural defenses on this mountain valley road.

"A head-on confrontation is not a good approach; we must resort to unconventional strategies."

After listening to Ma Su's account, Lin Dao remained silent for a moment before looking at him and saying, "I love you."

There is no water on the mountain.

Ma Su, who had been full of confidence, fell silent instantly.

A person can go without food for a few days, but can't go without water for two or three days.

Ma Su frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "We can send someone down the mountain to fetch water."

As the saying goes, where there are mountains and valleys, there must be rivers.

Water flows downhill, and the water in the mountains gathers and flows into the valleys at lower elevations, forming rivers of varying sizes.

“If I were a general of Wei, seeing your main force stationed on the mountain, I would surely lead my army to swarm in, surround you from all sides, cut off your way down the mountain to fetch water, and trap you on the mountain.”

"At that time, you won't be using the mountain terrain to suppress the Wei cavalry's charge; instead, you'll have to brave a hail of arrows to rush out and grab the water."

After a moment of silence, Ma Su became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"Then what do you suggest we do? We can't win by fighting head-on!"

"What the Prime Minister means," Lin Dao carefully chose his words, "is fatigue, procrastination, obstruction, and stagnation, rather than a direct decisive battle."

"If it is to be a decisive battle, it will surely be like this, with the Prime Minister personally leading the main force."

"There is still a chance to stop the Wei army."

Lin Dao pointed to the mountains outside the tent. "First, you need to take advantage of the terrain."

"Taking advantage of the situation?"

Ma Su looked puzzled. "How can we leverage their influence, and whose influence should we leverage?"

Who are the most people around here?

"Of course they're Qiang people~ Oh~~"

Ma Su suddenly looked enlightened.

The Qiang people frequently caused trouble, both during the Han Dynasty and the Cao Wei period.

Moreover, Ma Chao has a lot of influence here. If he sends people to make contact, he should be able to bring in quite a few Qiang people.

“Promise them some benefits and distribute some food and weapons.”

Lin Dao chuckled and explained, "We'll have them advance along the valley, trying to delay Cao Cao's army along the way." "The Qiang people have lived in the mountains for many years; they have plenty of ways to deal with things."

He continued, "If you bring an army of ten thousand, you certainly can't just sit idle."

"The road in this valley is not wide."

"Arrange for people to dig up the road as fast as they can, dig ditches and horse traps, and ideally divert water from the nearby river into the trenches."

"They cut down trees from the mountain and pushed down boulders to block the road."

"Push the battle line forward as far as possible and deploy your forces in layers."

"For example, a team of one thousand men could use trenches, rocks, and trees to delay the Wei army, and then retreat to hand over the battle line to a second team of one thousand men."

"By continuing to obstruct you in this way, by the time Zhang He actually opens up this road, the Prime Minister will have had ample time to pacify the various prefectures of Longyou and bring a large army to support you."

Seeing Ma Su standing there in a daze, Lin Dao stood up, raised his hand, and patted him on the shoulder.

“You have a full ten thousand soldiers.”

"Moreover, the location and the people here are all in your favor. If there is a delay before a heavy rain, then the timing, location, and people will all be in your favor."

"If we make full use of everything, it is actually possible to defend Jieting."

Lin Dao had been gone for a long time when Ma Su, who was still deep in thought, suddenly smiled.

"Why think so much? The Prime Minister didn't send me to guard Jieting alone."

Early the next morning, many Qiang tribes arrived one after another with their families.

They were informed by the Prime Minister's envoy, coveted the Prime Minister's promises and supplies, and came to help fight the war with the intention of opposing Cao Wei and following in the footsteps of General Shenwei Tian.

Specifically, they are similar to mercenaries.

Lin Dao watched this with indifference.

He wanted to see how Prime Minister Zhuge would arrange things.

If we don't use these Qiang people and those southern barbarians as cannon fodder...

Lin Dao would rather fail the mission than betray his team and do it himself!

Fortunately, although the Prime Minister appeared kind and approachable, he enjoyed drinking and chatting with the heads of various departments and dignitaries, making everyone feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

They are very generous when making promises and providing material support.

The tasks that can be assigned are all deadly.

"Your troops will advance seventy li and ambush here."

"Your troops excel at mountain marches, hindering the Wei army along the way."

"Your unit has a lot of men, start digging trenches and horse traps from here!"

"Your unit is to dig the irrigation canal."

"Your unit went up the mountain to cut down trees~"

"Your unit is piling up huge rocks on the mountain~"

"Your department~~~"

None of the tasks assigned by Prime Minister Zhuge were simple.

They either risked their lives to fight Cao Wei's elite troops head-on, or they worked themselves to the bone.

The benefits of being a prime minister are not so easy to obtain.

Lin Dao felt that this was not enough, after all, there were just too many Qiang people.

He was thinking about how to attract more Qiang people out of the mountains.

Then I saw the cooks preparing the meal.

"We need to let them experience the benefits before we can encourage them to invite their friends and family to join us."

The leaders of each department received a warm welcome from Prime Minister Zhuge.

They were given instant noodles, pickled vegetables and tea eggs, and each person also received a box of luncheon meat.

These leaders have certainly broadened their horizons with their food, and Lin Dao here has also broadened his horizons with his own.

"There really are people who eat even the pickled mustard tuber bags?"

"That can is made of metal. You have really good teeth!"

These leaders even went so far as to scrutinize the packaging.

Fortunately, the nausea got the better of me, and I managed to vomit it all out.

Lin Dao looked at the towering mountains outside, and then at the Qiang people who looked like reincarnated starving ghosts, and he understood.

Actually, it's not complicated at all.

The mountains simply cannot support so many Qiang people.

Although the Qiang people are said to be a nomadic tribe, they have actually been farming for a long time.

But there's nowhere in the mountains for them to farm, and nomadic herding is also difficult.

It's important to understand that not every mountain is Tiger Head Mountain, capable of yielding a million pounds of meat in just two months.

In reality, the actual mountain peaks are quite barren.

Even if they manage to catch prey, it's usually thin and tough, making it difficult to swallow.

What to do when there's no food? The only option is to come down from the mountains and rob the Han people.

They didn't just want to steal grain; they wanted everything, especially the crucial salt.

The reason we eat pickled mustard tuber bags is because the mountains are severely lacking in salt.

Prime Minister Zhuge glanced at Lin Dao, who nodded in acknowledgment, and then greeted the tribal chiefs with a broad smile.

"Everyone."

"As long as they can make contributions in this battle."

"We have as many of these things as we want!"

"If any of you have relatives or friends nearby, call them to fight for the Han Dynasty. I will not hesitate to give them your help!"

The leaders' eyes turned red.

In the past, when they went down the mountain to rob the Han people of their grain, at most they could only steal some coarse wheat with bran and beans used to cook bean rice.

He ate too much bean rice and was constantly exhaling gas.

Eating bran and coarse wheat makes my throat feel rough.

The best grain is millet.

The food that was stolen was never enough to eat.

When many Qiang people ran out of food, they could only eat grass roots and tree bark.
Unlike now, everything here is the most delicious food imaginable.

After receiving a promise from Prime Minister Zhuge and a gift of food,

These Qiang people pounded their chests with tremendous force.

They all expressed their determination to bring out the Qiang people from the mountains to help the Prime Minister fight the war!

(End of this chapter)