Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 584 These are hand grenades, kept for your defense.

"Trading heads for food."

"One head can be exchanged for three bushels of wheat."

"There are so many inside and outside the city, finding one is a bonus."

“Clean up the corpses, throw one into the pit, and you can get three bushels of grain.”

"Limited opportunities, first come, first served!"

Outside the ruins of the collapsed city walls of Khotan, Lin Dao sat leisurely in a chair, sipping his cha-cha.

On the table in front of me is an electric loudspeaker that plays music on a loop automatically.

An elderly wounded soldier, whose condition had improved, stood by while receiving an IV drip, responsible for registering and distributing grain.

Those who brought the heads of the Tibetans and other barbarians were all local people from Khotan.

After examining and registering the wounded old man Su Xin, he instructed the Khotanese to gather all the heads in an open area not far away.

Afterwards, it will be cast into a mound of skulls.

Further away, many locals were dragging corpses into large pits dug by the prisoners.

A corpse can be exchanged for three bushels of wheat with its head, and the body can be exchanged for three bushels of grain.

For the locals, earning an income by doing some physical labor is something they are happy about.

The remaining white-haired soldiers were busy searching the city for any surviving comrades.

Lin Dao was unfamiliar with the city, and the city was in chaos after the previous bombardment, so he simply decided not to enter it.

"Immortal chief."

With his complexion improving, Su Xin brought over the records and said, "The current count of Tibetan heads is approximately 2,700."

"In addition, there are various tribes and other non-Han people, totaling about 1,800 people."

"It's less than five thousand in total?" Lin Dao frowned as he spat out the sunflower seed shells. "That's far too little."

Actually, it's not a small amount.

After all, the total number of those attacking the city was only over ten thousand. If we include the losses from the previous sieges, the total number would probably be seven or eight thousand.

Su Xin turned his head to look at the armored vehicle parked not far away, especially the four-tube long tubes on the roof.

Previously, this steel behemoth, under the immortal's control, charged around like a dragon entering the sea, relentlessly pursuing and killing the fleeing soldiers.

Amidst the terrifying 'rat-a-tat-tat-tat' sounds, countless enemy soldiers, men and horses alike, fell to the ground.

He withdrew his gaze, his expression becoming even more respectful. "The main problem is that the Tibetan troops are numerous and have scattered too much."

Lin Dao's pursuit lasted for nearly half an hour.

Finally, after running out of ammunition, and with the Tibetans and various Hu peoples frantically fleeing on horseback, they were too scattered to continue the fight.

These people aren't NPCs; they're not going to just sit around like idiots and wait to be mowed down.

"A lot."

Su Xin bowed respectfully. "This Tibetan force has already been defeated by the Immortal Master."

"Without food and livestock, even fewer will be able to return to the mountains alive."

"Immortal Master, divine might! Divine might!"

"Grandpa," Lin Dao said with a smile, "you must be sixty years old, right?"

"No need to be so polite."

In ancient times, when the average lifespan was not high, people over sixty were considered elderly.

Lin Dao wouldn't make an old soldier bow down to him.

"It should."

Su Xin responded solemnly, "Immortal, avenge our comrades and recover the lost territories of the Tang Dynasty."

"This kindness deserves full respect."

As they were talking, the white-haired soldier who had entered the city earlier to search for his surviving comrades ran over, shouting joyfully, "There are still some of our own alive!"

After years of fighting and the deaths from old age and illness, the remaining Anxi army in Khotan had dwindled to less than a thousand men.

During the previous attack by the Tibetans, most of the Anxi army had already been killed in battle.

A small number of people managed to break through, but most of the remaining personnel were wounded or sick.

They were abandoned by the Tibetans in a temple and left to fend for themselves.

There were about a hundred people.

Lin Dao, carrying a medical kit, followed them to the temple to treat the wounded and sick.

While his medical skills might not be considered exceptionally advanced, he was certainly highly experienced in treating external injuries.

After a series of procedures, including cleaning wounds, bandaging, applying medication, giving injections, and administering IV drips, most of the wounded and sick began to recover.

Lin Dao was helpless when it came to those injuries that were too severe to treat.

The white-haired soldiers felt only gratitude and had no complaints.

"The garrison commander and the deputy military governor have both died for their country."

"Their heads were all cut off by the Tibetans."

The Anxi Army consisted of four major garrisons, each with its own garrison commander.

At this time, the garrison commander of Khotan was Zheng Ju.

The deputy military governor and the governor-general are the same as the deputy military governor.

Throughout history, the kings of Khotan have all served as deputy military governors. The current king of Khotan is Yuchi Yao.

These two were the true military and political leaders of Khotan, but unfortunately they died in battle.

The Tang Dynasty's organizational structure in the Western Regions, from largest to smallest, consisted of military units, garrisons, watchtowers, beacon towers, and outposts.

The army refers to the Anxi Army and the Beiting Army.

A town is an important military town in various places, such as Khotan Town.

A garrison is similar to a branch city, like Shenshan Fort, where Han Wang served as the escort officer; it was a garrison.

"Feng" refers to a beacon tower.

"Shu" refers to soldiers stationed for farming.

When the Tibetan army attacked, the garrison commander Zheng Ju withdrew all the local troops to the capital for defense.

After a major battle, the entire army was almost wiped out.

The highest-ranking official present is Han Wang, who serves as the escort officer.

The Anxi Army was a regular field army, and there were other troops as well.

For example, the garrison troops stationed in castles, beacon towers, and agricultural settlements were mostly recruited farmers, military dependents, retired veterans, exiled prisoners, or even locals.

Han Wang was part of the regular army of the Anxi Army, but he didn't have many regular soldiers under his command.

In addition, under the Tang Dynasty's policy of indirect rule, the fifty-seven kingdoms of the Western Regions and the Ten Tribes of the Turks were all legally part of the Tang army.

However, when these small countries and various tribes betrayed the Tang Dynasty and joined Tibet, the weakness of the Anxi army's insufficient manpower became immediately apparent.

"The entire Xuanwei Army (the garrison in Yutian Town)."

Han Wang shed tears, "Now there are only these people left." Including the five of them, the total number is less than one hundred.

And most of them were elderly people with full heads of white hair.

Like the Tang Dynasty at sunset, it evokes a sense of melancholy.

The An Lushan Rebellion completely shattered the backbone of the Tang Dynasty.

"you."

After everyone had vented their emotions, Lin Dao asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

The Anxi soldiers remained silent for a moment before beginning to discuss among themselves.

After the clamor of debate, two opinions emerged.

One option was to abandon Khotan, head north to Kucha, and seek out Guo Xin, the military governor of the four garrisons and deputy protector-general of Anxi, to follow his superior's instructions.

Another point is that they were ordered to garrison Khotan, and even though there were less than a hundred men left, they were determined to hold their ground.

After some debate, everyone finally agreed that Han Wang, who currently holds the highest rank in the Xuanwei Army, should make the decision.

"We are ordered to defend the city."

Han Wang took a breath and said, "Now that the city has not fallen, how can we lightly abandon our territory!"

"We will defend the city, we will defend it until we die!"

Without a doubt, the willpower and conviction of the Tang soldiers were truly admirable.

With fewer than a hundred men defending the city, what will happen when the Tibetans come again?
There is no doubt that he will die.

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to Lin Dao.

If the immortal is willing to stay and help, we will not be afraid of any number of Tibetans.

"I can't stay here for long."

Lin Dao simply shook his head, and the white-haired soldiers around him immediately looked gloomy.

Fortunately, Lin Dao then said, "I'm going to see Guo Xin and persuade him to send troops to completely annihilate the Tibetans."

Lin Dao is very strong, but he is all alone.

Just like when they were chasing down the fleeing Tibetan soldiers, if they had troops to assist in the pursuit, they could have almost completely annihilated the Tibetan army.

However, his previous approach of raising his own flag and gathering troops would not work in the Western Regions.

There are many people from the Western Regions, but not many from the Central Plains.

Moreover, they are all people from the Tang Dynasty, so basically no one will follow him.

Therefore, obtaining assistance from the Anxi Army and even the Beiting Army is extremely important.

Lin Dao already understood his mission in this world.

That is to help the Anxi Army, which fought bravely and died in the historical battle for fifty-two years and was eventually wiped out.

If that's the case, then there's no need to go it alone.

"I will leave you some weapons; they will be very useful for defending the city."

Lin Dao wasn't lying; he really did leave these white-haired soldiers thousands of boxes of wooden-handled grenades.

Using this thing requires very little skill; you can learn it in a few simple steps.

"Here's the lid, unscrew it."

On a city wall in Yutian Town, Lin Dao is teaching white-haired soldiers how to use hand grenades.

"This rope is the fuse; just pull it like this!"

'Sizzle sizzle sizzle~~~'

White smoke billowed from beneath the wooden handle, accompanied by a piercing sound.

"It will explode in about two breaths."

Lin Dao casually threw the wooden-handled grenade off the city wall.

Soon, a loud bang was heard, followed by bursts of fire and smoke erupting beneath the city walls.

"Don't throw it away too early, otherwise it might be picked up and thrown back."

"You can't throw it too late, or you'll blow yourself up."

"Come."

Lin Dao picked up a wooden-handled grenade and gestured, "You all come and practice."

Several days were spent treating the wounded soldiers and teaching them how to use grenades.

They mobilized the people of Khotan, both inside and outside the city, to repair the city walls, bury the corpses, clean up the battlefield, and build mounds of skulls, among other things.

After finishing all that, Lin Dao set off for Kucha Town.

Before leaving, in addition to thousands of boxes of grenades, he also left the white-haired soldiers a large amount of food and various military supplies.

Han Wang arranged for Su Xin, whose injuries were recovering quickly, to accompany Lin Dao on the journey.

Yes, it's "on the road," not "walking."

Boarding a Cessna light aircraft, amidst the farewells of white-haired soldiers and the kneeling worship of the local Khotanese, it soared into the sky and headed straight north.

Without satellite or radio navigation, Lin Dao had to rely on his own experience and observe ground landmarks to determine his course.

As for maps, modern world maps are often inaccurate when used from over a thousand years ago.

The most prominent landmark near Khotan is, of course, the Khotan River.

The so-called Yutian River is actually the Hotan River.

This river is famous for its Hetian jade.

Before setting off, Lin Dao used supplies to buy up a large quantity of Hetian jade from the locals.

They could make a small profit by shipping them back to the modern world and selling them.

At least we can make back the money for fuel, artillery shells, and grenades.

Heading north along the winding Khotan River, we ventured deep into the desert.

However, in the latter half, the river gradually dried up and disappeared.

In the vast desert, you can only fly by feeling.

The speakers were playing Wild Wolf Disco, downloaded via USB.
Lin Dao, who was piloting the plane with one hand, tilted it at intervals as he drank and looked out the window to observe the ground.

As far as the eye can see, there is only yellow sand and Gobi desert.

You can't stare at it for too long; after a few minutes, you have to look away and relax.

At this point, it was Su Xin's turn to look at the ground.

Just as Su Xin finished his bottle of Lei Bi and was about to grab a new one, he suddenly shouted.

"There are people down below, it looks like a fight is taking place!"

After discarding the bottle and confirming through observation that there were indeed two groups of people fighting, Lin Dao immediately circled and lowered his altitude.

Choose a suitable Gobi Desert area to prepare for landing.

Asking someone for directions to Kucha is definitely better than trying to fly blindly on your own.

(End of this chapter)