Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 496 Departure, Destination: The Homeland of Yin Shang!
Liaodong Commandery, departing from the main camp.

"Chen Ping, what is your dream?"

Upon seeing Chen Ping, who had been specially sent to find him, Lin Dao was like the CEO of a pie-in-the-sky company, talking about dreams from the very beginning.

"This~"

Even with Chen Ping's eloquence, he was stunned by these words.

Lin Daoxiao asked, "Do you like valuables?"

Having grown up in poverty, Chen Ping instinctively responded to these words, "Of course I like it."

That makes sense; among all the powerful figures in the myriad realms, who doesn't like wealth?
After all, wealth can basically solve all the problems and troubles in life.

Lin Dao then asked, "So, do you like power?"

Chen Ping did not hesitate and returned the greeting with a bow.

"Of course I like it."

"In that case," Lin Daodong stepped forward and helped him up. "I have an opportunity to gain wealth and power. Are you willing to accept it?"

Chen Ping smiled bitterly to himself.

"My whole family has been arrested, so whatever you say goes."

'How could I dare utter a single word of dissent?'

Liu Ji had two great advisors, Zhang Liang and Chen Ping.

Zhang Liang has decided to restore the Shang dynasty in its former territory and then serve Liu Ji.

In the homeland of the Yin and Shang dynasties, one Zhang Liang was enough.

A few simple schemes would be enough to leave the natives who were still grinding obsidian dumbfounded.

In this way, there would be no need to arrange for Chen Ping to stay there.

Find him first, keep him by your side and teach him a lesson.

When you return and send Xiang Yu to conquer Europe, you can arrange for him to play an auxiliary role.

After all, the people of Europe are quite cunning.
“I have already sent someone to deliver money and goods to your brother Chen Bo.”

"Instruct the local authorities to take good care of it."

"You need not worry."

Chen Ping's family was poor, and he didn't work but still wanted to study.

It is common knowledge that you can go bankrupt from reading too much.

Chen Ping was able to complete his initial accumulation of knowledge entirely thanks to the care of his older brother, Uncle Chen.

Taking care of his brother, Uncle Chen, naturally put Chen An at ease.

At this time, Liaodong Commandery had already gathered a large population.

The number of people from Pei County was close to 100,000.

Those who remained in their hometown of Peixian were the elderly, along with their children who stayed behind to care for them.

Another group includes those with physical disabilities who are not suitable for long-distance travel.

Those who are in poor mental condition, and those who refuse to leave no matter what is said or done.

Since they are willing to stay, Lin Dao naturally won't force them.

There's no need for that.

Besides these, there were also remnants from other states besides Chu.

After Qin conquered the six states, most of the captured nobles from those states were relocated to Xianyang.

However, over the years, the number of nobles in various countries has increased significantly, and many of them have evaded capture by the Qin state and continue to roam around the country.

The vast majority of them later became important participants in the great uprising at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

This time, it was at Zhang Liang's urging and with the tacit approval of the Qin Dynasty that this was accomplished.

Driven by the desire to restore their kingdoms and regain power and wealth in a new world free from the oppression of the Qin Dynasty, they gathered here with their families, relatives, and retainers.

Throughout the journey, the Qin state granted the green light according to the First Emperor's orders, even canceling identity checks.

Finally, there were the death row inmates and sons-in-law sent from all over the country.

The message these people received was that they would be exiled.

Upon arrival at the place of exile, they were immediately pardoned and became commoners, and were also given land, tools, livestock and other supplies.

Among the departing camp were even various people who had secretly followed along the way after learning the news.

All things considered, the population numbered as high as tens or hundreds of thousands.

The First Emperor intended to send a Qin army to accompany him, but Lin Dao refused.

It wasn't that I was worried about what methods the First Emperor would use, but rather that, being thousands of miles away, a Qin army would inevitably be besieged after Lin Dao left.

As for armed protection, it benefits from the fact that everyone in this era is a soldier.

Almost every male in the family has received military training.

Lin Dao ignored the remnants of various ethnic groups and ordered Liu Ji to train the people, mainly the men of Pei County.

Distribute weapons, armor, and supplies, and organize them for drills along the way; this will be sufficient to handle any situation that arises along the route.

"Brother Zihou~"

Holding a thick stack of A4 paper, Zhang Liang approached Lin Dao and said, "The supplies we're carrying are far too few."

"The grains, salt, sauces, and the like are only enough for one month at most."

"We brought a lot of horses, cattle, sheep, and poultry. Surely we won't have to kill the livestock and eat the seeds later."

Since living creatures cannot be carried across the forest paths, livestock, animals, and even seeds were all prepared by the Qin Dynasty.

There are more females than males, which are selected from the strongest.

"No need to worry."

Lin Dao waved his hand, "Since I'm leading you on this journey, I will take good care of you. I will be responsible for providing all the supplies."

There was another reason for bringing only a month's worth of food.

That is, most people believe that the farthest place in the ancient land of Yin Shang is only a month away.

If you were told from the beginning that it was thousands of miles away, most people would probably choose to run away.

And once you've been gone for a month, if you want to come back then...
It’s as difficult as climbing to the sky!

With all preparations complete, Lin Dao immediately instructed them to set off.

Lin Dao did not want the Qin army, but he did want many artisans.

Of course, they were all craftsmen with families.

During the preparation phase, they received training from the forest road administration and received materials provided by the forest road administration, which enabled them to build thousands of new vehicles.

A vehicle equipped with a shock absorption system, using rubber tires, and pulled by livestock.

There were so many vehicles that you couldn't see the end of them at a glance.

If this were during the Spring and Autumn Period, such a large convoy would have been enough to overwhelm even the most powerful states, making them hegemons. Almost everyone set off in chariots, a grand procession heading northeast out of the Yan Great Wall under the watchful eyes of the Great Wall garrison.

At this time, the Northeast was almost entirely in a primitive state.

Forests and ponds are everywhere.

the way?

Yes, but it's a trail made by wild animals.

There were people too, but they were savages who followed a fishing and hunting route.

In this situation, even vehicles equipped with modern technology would be unable to move forward.

Lin Dao's solution was to personally lead the way in a specially ordered and modified special vehicle.

Amidst the roar of the engine, the super bulldozer led the way, dragging heavy vibratory wheels behind it as it crushed the ground.

Then, the villagers took turns laying the cut planks on the ground.

Bumps and undulations are inevitable, but at least the vehicle can pass by livestock.

During the day, the roar of vehicles is like thunder.

At night, countless lights, including searchlights, illuminated the long queue.

In addition, insect repellent powder was sprinkled, and isolation netting was set up.

Whether wild beasts or savages, they at most dare to peek from afar.

The drone hovered in the sky, searching for a suitable route.

Avoid dense forests and excessively large ponds if possible.

If there's really no way to avoid it, then we'll find the most suitable route to get through.

Despite the seemingly numerous tasks, the actual pace of progress is not slow.

When they encounter good terrain, they can travel over a hundred miles a day.

As the drivers trained in the forest road gradually graduated, he brought in more engineering vehicles, and the speed increased even further.

As we continued northward, the leaves of the trees along the way gradually became smaller, eventually forming sharp needles.

Animals and humans are both becoming increasingly rare.

However, the colorful tigers and bears still frequently appear.

However, these beasts are indeed dangerous when they face a lone person.

But facing thousands of people with ample supplies and equipment, anyone who dared to provoke them was put to death.

Lin Dao also gained a lot of skin, palms, bones, whips and the like.

Some were kept for personal use, while the majority were taken away and resold, with a small subsidy.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and inevitably some people began to panic.

But there was no other way; they had already come this far, and no one dared to turn back at this point.

We had no choice but to grit our teeth and continue following the main group.

The loudest voice was that of Hu Hai.

However, after being beaten by Fusu, he dared not mention going back again.

The weather is getting colder, and it has even started to snow.

Many times, after a heavy snowfall overnight, everything in sight is a vast expanse of white.

Lin Dao transported a sufficient quantity of warm military overcoats, gloves, hats, goggles, and other protective gear.

Even the livestock, such as cattle, sheep, horses, and donkeys, were wrapped in cotton-padded clothes.

Provide everyone with supplies rich in oils, spices, salt, and sugar.

They also instructed the artisans to guide the people in changing the wheels of the cart into sleds.

Continuing northeast, even the coniferous forests along the way gradually thinned out.

Apart from the occasional wild beast or bird, the surroundings were eerily desolate.

In this environment, past grudges become a joke.

Everyone huddled together for warmth, and before nightfall, convoys would form large formations of cars.

People and livestock eat, drink, and rest in the safe vehicle array, and their relationship with each other is becoming increasingly closer.

Even the descendants of various countries came to Fusu to drink and chat.

This would be unthinkable within the territory of the Qin Dynasty.

"I never imagined that the world was so big."

On this day, Fusu was drinking wine along the forest road when he said, "We've traveled more than three thousand miles along this journey, haven't we?"

"Ah."

Lin Dao raised his glass, took a sip, and replied with a smile, "It's always about four or five thousand miles."

"If it weren't for the immortal master using his magic to provide enough food and cloth," Fusu said again, "so many people would probably have already frozen and starved to death."

"Don't think so much."

Lin Dao laughed again, "If the Great Qin wants to replicate this route, it won't be able to do so in the short term without my help."

"Some things are better left unsaid; just think about them."

He understood Fusu's meaning; he was worried that these remnants of various countries would become too powerful in the future.

Thinking about the future, I wondered if I could send a large army along this road.

Lin Dao told him bluntly that without his help, they wouldn't have been able to travel these thousands of miles.

“What the immortal says is absolutely right.”

Fusu laughed and said, "If the Qin Dynasty can't get through, they can't come back either."

Thinking about it this way, both sides are actually safe.

"Immortal chief."

Fusu then asked, "The north is so bitterly cold, how will these people survive in the future?"

Don't be fooled by how well we live now; it's because the forest road provides us with ample supplies and medicine.

But Lin Dao couldn't stay with them forever.

Once I leave, how will I survive these bitter and cold days?

"Have you ever thought about that?" Lin Dao replied, "The further north you go, the colder the weather gets."

"What about going south?"

"Naturally, the temperature is rising."

"Not far ahead is the crucial strait."

"After that, we should turn south and head towards a truly warm new world!"

(End of this chapter)