Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 625 Planting Ginseng

“For a single-person pit like this, you don’t need to dig it too deep.”

At the mass grave outside Guilin, Lin Dao instructed the Taiping Army auxiliary soldiers who were busy digging pits, "You can go and demonstrate; usually, it's enough to go up to the neck."

The auxiliary soldiers followed Lin Dao's finger and looked into the distance, where groups of Qing officials were bound together.

They readily accepted the order and stepped forward to measure the height of each person.

There are no fools among officials or clerks.

The Taiping army dragged them to a mass grave and dug pits in the ground.

Anyone with a sound mind would know what this is about to do.

They wept, they pleaded, they kowtowed repeatedly.

But no one stood up to resist.
Although they were tied up, it didn't shut them up.

If you can't use your fists, you can still bite with your teeth.

Unfortunately, these people who have knelt their whole lives can no longer straighten their backs.

The so-called measurement certainly didn't involve any tools like rulers; the auxiliary soldiers simply used their own belts to roughly measure.

After that, they returned to the place where they had dug the hole, picked up the entrenching tool provided by the forest road, and worked hard.

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

The prisoners, bowing and pleading repeatedly before Lin Dao, cried, "We are willing to serve Your Majesty!"

Lin Dao simply ignored such words, letting them pass through his ears.

However, a voice that was different from pleading soon caught his attention.

"Your Majesty!"

"If Your Majesty is a bandit, then just kill us."

"In any case, the bandits will never amount to anything."

“If Your Majesty has the heart to rule the world, you should treat those of us who are willing to surrender well.”

“We are not individuals; we all have our own families and clans, with money, provisions, people, connections, and power.”

"With the help of scholars like us, we can conquer the world, Your Majesty!"

The Qing court had a better understanding of the Heaven and Earth Society, but was completely ignorant of the God Worshipping Society.

They addressed Lin Dao as "King" or even called him "Great King".

The forest road here has finally started to move.

He strode up to the person who had called out and looked down at him.

"You are~"

"This humble official is Zheng Zushen, the Governor of Guangxi."

"Oh." Lin Dao nodded. "So it was Governor Zheng in person. My apologies for my disrespect."

"I dare not, I dare not." Zheng Zushen, looking disheveled, knelt on the ground and raised his head with difficulty. "Your Majesty should have lofty ambitions and take it upon yourself to seize the world and restore the Han dynasty."

"In that case, scholars should be treated with great respect."

"With the support of scholars, and by raising the banner of expelling the Tartars and restoring China, and sharing some benefits with the common people, we can accomplish great things."

Faced with life and death, Zheng Zushen had completely abandoned all pretense of dignity.

"The King's treatment of us scholars may bring him temporary pleasure, but it will only push all the scholars in the world to the side of the Manchus."

"No one will surrender again."

"Even if Your Majesty attacks a village or town, you will encounter the fiercest resistance, a fight to the death."

"On the contrary, as long as Your Majesty is willing to accept scholars, our money, grain, and manpower can all be used by Your Majesty, and we can also govern the region for Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, you don't really want these warriors to become officials and govern the region, do you?"

Zheng Zushen previously believed that he would be loyal to the Qing Dynasty and die cursing the enemy.

Later, I also thought that if all else failed, I would just live a life of ignominy, with my body in Cao Cao's camp but my heart in Han's camp.

But when he was brought here bound and about to be buried, his inner desire to live completely overwhelmed everything.

Go to hell and be loyal to the Qing Dynasty!

Being alive is more important than anything else!

Looking down at Zheng Zushen's expectant gaze, Lin Dao slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“Normally, what you said is correct.”

"If someone were to transmigrate here with nothing, they would inevitably receive support from landlords and gentry."

"Money, food, people, and monopolized knowledge."

"It's really, really difficult for time travelers to go it alone without this support."

In an era where the vast majority of people are illiterate, even time travelers have to rely on local forces to focus their attention on the Manchus.

The reason is simple: those scholars—or rather, the landlord and gentry class represented by scholars.

They control most of the society's resources and also monopolize knowledge.

Money, grain, population, various networks of relationships, etc., these are the foundation for the struggle for power.

By winning over scholars, they could gain substantial support in terms of manpower and resources, thus providing the means to fight against the mite-infested organisms.

Moreover, once a territory is conquered, it cannot be left unattended; governance is still necessary.

It's unrealistic to expect illiterate people who can't read a single character to govern a region.

This is why ordinary time travelers have to win over this class to maintain their rule.

Unfortunately.

"But~"

Lin Dao changed the subject abruptly, "I am not an ordinary transmigrator."

"I have a cheat code~"

The biggest difference between him and ordinary time travelers is that he possesses a portal to another time.

They possessed an almost inexhaustible supply of industrial products, money, food, supplies, and military equipment.

This single point almost completely negates the advantages and appeal of the gentry and scholar class.

As for governing local areas.

Others might not understand, but Lin Dao understood it all too well.

In places governed by gentry, there has always been only one pattern: to exploit the people.

It's a form of slavery practiced in a veiled way. If Lin Dao only wanted to conquer the world and enjoy life with fine wine and beautiful women...

That's no problem at all, relying on what we took back from the Manchus, the population lost in the war, and the perspective of a time traveler.

Maintaining a strong position for one or two hundred years, or even expanding territory, is not something that cannot be done.

Yes~
How is this different from previous dynasties?

The common people were still serfs, while the gentry were still the true masters.

As for the time travelers and the families they established, they were merely the largest representatives.

Local areas cannot be entrusted to scholars for governance; Lin Dao has never trusted them.

Even though many scholars came from poor families, as Runtu aptly put it, "Your position determines your perspective."

Once one escapes poverty and becomes an official, it's like changing one's life; it becomes impossible to speak up for the poor anymore.

Without a doubt, there are definitely some people who insist on being good people.

Just like Bao Zheng and Hai Rui.

But as Zhou Shuren (Lu Xun) said, "There are only people who betray their class, not classes that betray their class."

The persistence of a few is actually meaningless in the context of the vast majority of people.

Because its essence cannot be changed.

As a transmigrator with special abilities, Lin Dao's actions were no different from before. He continued to promote literacy in the army and open night schools to popularize knowledge.

By training military personnel, they aim to replace scholars in their position.

To put it simply, it means governing the world with military law.

Perhaps there will be problems in the future, but it is at least a hundred times better than handing it over to the gentry class directly.

Because everyone had witnessed and experienced firsthand how the gentry behaved.

Since the gentry could provide something that Lin Dao could find substitutes for, they became useless.

Zheng Zushen's expectant gaze gradually dimmed.

His round, fleshy face was also clearly ashen and trembling.

Although I didn't quite understand some of the words, I could understand the meaning.

They weren't bandits, but they didn't intend to use the gentry either!
This means he's definitely going to die today!
"Big, big king~"

Zheng Zushen, trembling all over, kowtowed heavily to the ground.

"Have mercy!"

There was nothing else this Guangxi governor could do but beg for mercy.

"do not do that."

Lin Dao smiled and waved his hand, "I still prefer the way you argued your case and tried your best to survive before."

"Your Majesty, I am the governor! I am useful, truly useful!"

"Don't be like this." Lin Daowen comforted Zheng Zushen, who was crying. "You've lived for decades, and you've enjoyed everything you should and shouldn't have enjoyed."

"At your age, you've already made a fortune, so you're not at a loss."

"In the final days, leave yourself some dignity so that history books won't say anything too harsh about you."

This attempt at comfort had no effect.

Zheng Zushen was still crying uncontrollably.

Forget about the integrity of scholars; get as far away from me as possible.

Having experienced the best of human life, Zheng Zushen was extremely reluctant to leave this world.

Seeing him in such a wretched state, Lin Dao shook his head.

He turned and left, quietly watching the auxiliary soldiers digging the pit with great enthusiasm.

One radish, one hole; no one more, no one less.

All the officials of Guilin were dragged over and each was placed in a pit.

The pits were all about the same height, roughly up to the neck.

"look."

Lin Dao joked, "Doesn't this look like growing ginseng?"

Yang Xiuqing, standing to the side, smiled respectfully and said, "It does look very similar."

Let alone planting ginseng, even if Lin Dao said he was planting foxtail grass, Yang Xiuqing would agree.

He came from a poor background; he was malnourished and emaciated; he was blind in one eye; he...
But Yang Xiuqing has a heart that strives for progress!
He saw it clearly: the only one who could give him a chance was Chairman Lin.

Therefore, he would do his best to complete any task assigned by Lin Dao without hesitation.

Besides, seeing those old men who used to exploit him so ruthlessly now buried in the ground, he couldn't stop smiling.

Lin Dao smiled, took two steps back, and waited to see what would happen.

Yang Xiuqing, meanwhile, jogged along to attract a large number of people from both inside and outside Guilin City.

"Dear fellow villagers~"

"When these corrupt officials were collecting grain..."

"Who hasn't owed them interest?"

"Gathering cattle to eat at the restaurant~"

"They went into the city, were taxed, had their things stolen, and were even beaten up!"

"Every family has loved ones, who died unjustly at the hands of these jailers."

"Those carrying the yellow book and fish-scale book~"

"After a year of hard work farming, they steal all the grain we harvest. We can only eat wild red vegetables, and we even end up in debt!"

After some encouragement, the people who had just had a good meal outside the military camp were quickly mobilized.

They grabbed entrenching tools, shouted, and swarmed forward to fill in the soil and plant ginseng.

Lin Dao, with his arms still crossed over his chest, looked northward.

"Once things are settled in Guangxi, it's time for the Northern Expedition."

"The Eight Banners?"

"Are you ready?"

"I am coming!"

(End of this chapter)