“General! There is an enemy attack!” The soldier rushed to Zhao Junyong with blood on his face.

Zhao Junyong sat on his horse, his lips pressed tightly: “Whose army?”

Soldier: “They didn’t fly a flag! Can’t be distinguished!”

Zhao Junyong gritted his teeth: “How many people are there?”

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Soldier: “Two teams of troops rushed in from the north and the south. They have sophisticated weapons. They are veteran soldiers at first glance. They are definitely not bandits and robbers, but the number is not large. There should be only 20,000 to 30,000.”

Zhao Junyong breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the number of soldiers. He had a strong army of 100,000. It was impossible he couldn’t kill a 20,000 army. He said sinisterly: “No matter who they are, they have to leave their lives behind for me today!”

As long as he found out whose soldiers they were at that time, it could be regarded as his own military merit. When facing Peng Da, he would be able to straighten his back and look at the other down his nose.

Zhao Junyong lead his soldiers to rush towards the rear.

Chen Baisong and Li Congrong each led ten thousand people. They were like a sharp knife, stabbing through their opponent’s formation. Zhao Junyong’s soldiers had never seen such a scene before. Each of these people wore breastplates and helmets, carried long knives and long spears that flashed with cold light. The cavalry rushed straight at them as if they were just passing through no man’s land.

Chen Baisong pulled up the reins and his horse immediately reared up, the horseshoes slamming hard against the enemy army in front of him.

He led five thousand cavalry, five thousand infantry, and while the cavalry charged into battle the infantry followed the path that the cavalry had opened.

“Take them down for me!” Zhao Junyong shouted loudly, cracked his riding whip fiercely, and rushed into the fray.

The Sun army heard their general’s voice and found their pillar. They took up the weapons in their hands and rushed towards Chen Baisong and Li Congrong.

Chen Baisong shouted: “Withdraw!”

Li Congrong followed closely behind, the two turned their horses, and the soldiers followed them as they rushed out again.

Zhao Junyong sneered and said, “You dare to touch the tiger’s whiskers, chase after them!”

There were only so many people and they retreated as soon as they saw him. No matter how small the mosquito was, it was also a military merit.

The soldier next to him said cautiously: “General, they say not to pursue a desperate foe, maybe it is a scheme.”

Zhao Junyong: “Timid and fearful! My army is 100,000 strong, they are not our opponents even if they come with another 20,000 or 30,000 people!”

The soldier took a deep breath: “They act quite well-organized and have sophisticated weapons, so there may be…..”

Zhao Junyong was not a fool either, but his thoughts turned and he said with a smile: “The people here now have all come for Hanyang. Nowadays, those who have the troops to fight war, either it is Xiao Ming Emperor or the Southern King. They are not as close to Hanyang as we are. Even if they rushed over when they heard the news they couldn’t have gotten as far as here.”

“If this is the case, those people should only be family soldiers nearby.” Zhao Junyong smiled with a triumphant smile on his face, “It’s just worms shaking the tree.”

The soldier had a suddenly enlightened expression: “As expected of General! General has great wisdom!”

Zhao Junyong glanced at the soldier proudly.

He didn’t know that Lin Yuan had a golden finger and already knew the time in advance, and as a result he had set off long ago.

If Lin Yuan did not have a golden finger, then his inference was correct, and he would not fall into a deathly trap.

Zhao Junyong took the lead and rushed forward. They were not familiar with the terrain here. Even if there were scouts to clear the way, they would not be able to explore too far. The soldier persuaded, “General, the scouts haven’t visited that side.”

Zhao Junyong wanted to choke this talky little soldier to death, but thinking of how many things this little soldier had given him back at home, he could only bear his presence. With blue veins popping on his forehead, he said in a bad tone: “The road is dead, but people are alive. Do you have any flexibility at all?”

The soldier still wanted to speak, but Zhao Junyong had already rushed out.

Zhu Yuanzhang was on the slope of the canyon with a device of clairvoyance in his hand——a telescope. This thing was reconstructed by Lin Yuan, but the material used to make the lens was not glass, but high-transparency crystal. After the craftsmen were told to polish it according to Lin Yuan’s requirements they were all crying as they polished. The cost was very high, but in Lin Yuan’s view, it was very worthwhile.

However, it could not be mass-produced. Lin Yuan sometimes even thought, if God could send him an engineer transmigrator, he was very willing to lift him in on a pedestal as high as the sky and give him whatever he wanted.

Even if the other only knew theoretical knowledge, they would still be better than him who could barely even reconstruct a telescope.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s personal guard looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with envy. This clairvoyance device was bestowed by the South Bodhisattva to their general. Everyone in the barracks knew that this clairvoyance device could see far away objects that everyone couldn’t see. As long as this device was used, one could clearly see everything the other person was wearing. Apart from letting them look at it when he first got it, their general never let them touch it again.

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and saw the expression of his personal guard, and found that this man was practically salivating, almost drooling in front of him. He chuckled and handed his clairvoyance device to his personal guard: “Take a look.”

The personal guard took the clairvoyance device with both hands. He treated it very preciously. Although no one knew how the clairvoyance device was made, everyone thought it was a method of the gods. Only the South Bodhisattva could make it. There were so many capable people and geniuses in the world but none of them could make it, only the South Bodhisattva could make it. Didn’t this prove once again that the South Bodhisattva was extraordinary?

The enemy had not arrived yet.

The personal guard looked at the woods in the distance with relish: “This clairvoyance device is really good. The gods in the sky all use this too? Therefore they can see things happening in the mortal world.”

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while: “Perhaps.”

He also felt that Lin Yuan was extraordinary.

The longer he stayed under Lin Yuan’s command, the deeper the feeling.

Other than not knowing how to fight, Lin Yuan was practically omnipotent.

Even the milk tofu that everyone ate in the military camp was something Lin Yuan had people make. It was a bit sour and very hard, but it was filling, and one could feel full just from eating a small piece. Marching soldiers all loved to eat this, although not everyone was used to the flavor, the fact that it was filling was enough.

“Have you seen enough? Give it back to me.” Zhu Yuanzhang said with exasperation while watching his personal guard look like he had become stuck to the clairvoyance device.

The personal guard handed the clairvoyance device back to Zhu Yuanzhang reluctantly: “General, you say, will South Bodhisattva allocate one for each of us in the future?”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, “Such transparent crystal is not common, and South Bodhisattva also got it by accident.”

The personal guard sighed and decided to work hard to climb up the ladder. If one day he became a general, the South Bodhisattva would definitely give him one.

If he could get a clairvoyance device of his own, wouldn’t that be blissful.

Just when the personal guard was daydreaming, Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression became serious, and he put down his clairvoyance device: “They’ve come, get ready!”

The personal guard quickly came back to his senses.

Chen Baisong and Li Congrong led their troops through the canyon. After the last one passed, Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order: “Set fire!”

The grass balls were ignited by fire and rolled down the hillside. In addition to the grass balls, there were huge boulders rolling down together as well.

Two ranks of archers were also at the ready. The accuracy of their crossbows was much better than that of traditional bows and arrows. There were no shortcomings except that the cost to produce them was too high. Lin Yuan was a person who did not indulge in pleasure and was willing to spend money on weapons. So all the archers were equipped with one.

Zhao Junyong had already noticed something wrong when he saw the two troops rushing into the canyon. He was about to shout to retreat when a rain of arrows fell down from the canyon above along with the huge fireballs and boulders. The soldiers were completely unprepared and did not hear an order from their superior in time so they were instantly thrown into chaos.

Under the huge roaring crashes, Zhao Junyong’s command was not heard by anyone but the people closest around him.

Just before Zhao Junyong had his subordinate wave the flag of retreat, Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Baisong had already led their troops down.

The canyon was narrow in front and wide in the back so it was impossible to retreat in the front. And with the giant boulders and rain of arrows in the front, while the enemy rushed in from the rear. The formation of this army had already dispersed, and the soldiers had lost their fighting spirit. Even with weapons in their hands, they posed no threat.

A hundred thousand army, when the military order could not be conveyed properly, it would become a mass of scattered sand, which resulted in a more deadly disadvantage than a small army.

The military orders of a big army were generally conveyed by flags, and different flags had different meanings.

Offense had a flag, and retreat had a flag.

Changing the formation was another flag.

But now, even if Zhao Junyong held up the flag, the people behind couldn’t see it anymore.

Zhao Junyong was able to flee with his personal guards, but he couldn’t run. Where would he go if he ran away? As an army deserter, unless he changed his identity and became a commoner, he would never be able to regain his seat as a general in this life.

“Kill!” Zhao Junyong raised his spear, “Kill and charge out with me!”

At this time, they could only fight to the death.

The personal guards followed him, and he had to fight head-on, even if the soldiers could not see his military orders.

When Zhao Junyong was riding through the crowd, the soldiers finally saw their general and found their pillar. The scattered sand reunited, and they regained their combat effectiveness, as if they were reborn.

Zhao Junyong held a crossbow in his hand. His martial arts skills were extraordinary, and none of his moves were for show, practically every one was a killing blow.

Chen Baisong raised his eyes and rushed over with his troops.

He must kill Zhao Junyong. If this person was still alive, they would not necessarily win. Even if they won, they would definitely win with terrible casualties.

In order to capture the thieves, one must capture the king first. So long as this person died, the enemy army would disperse.

“Brother Chen, be careful!” Zhu Yuanzhang shouted and led his troops to chase over.

When two armies face each other, one step wrong means tens of thousands of lives.

Li Congrong spit out a wad of blood onto the ground: “Fuck, brothers! Follow me! Go back alive and rise up the ranks!”

There were clear rewards for military merits.

Awarding land——the land was owned by the state, it was just that no taxes would be collected.

Awarding house, awarding money.

If the merit was too great, official titles and aristocratic titles would be conferred.

Sure enough, when Li Congrong said this, the soldiers beside him all shouted loudly.

Those farther away who could not hear him also shouted out loudly after being infected with the emotions of the crowd. Their morale was high, and none of them flinched.

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These soldiers were all organized troops. They had been trained for at least two years, and every one of them was in their prime.

On the other hand, 30% of Zhao Junyong’s army consisted of the young and old. And although 70% were made up of men in their prime, their physical fitness was not comparable to that of Lin Yuan’s soldiers.

Their desperate struggle only let them catch a brief breath.

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Ni Wenjun was in the back of the army. In front were the generals and soldiers who charged into battle. He was sitting on the chariot behind, stretching his neck to watch the battle in front of him. He gained his position from fighting wars and became a marshal by virtue of his military merits. But now, he was unwilling to step on the battlefield——that was the job of the general, not the emperor.

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Since ancient times, when the imperial presence led the expedition, few emperors actually fought on the battlefield. They only needed to drink tea in a safe place, and then wait for the news of victory to come.

Now Ni Wenjun felt that his identity had changed, and naturally he could no longer be the same as before.

But what he didn’t expect was that the enemy he had thought would be easily defeated now showed an extremely tough side. Zhao Pusheng personally led his troops to the forefront, fought a blood-soaked struggle, and turned the original disadvantage into an evenly matched battle.

Ni Wenjun was so angry that he almost gritted cracks into his own teeth.

Wasn’t he more worthy of following than Xu Shouhui? Wasn’t he smarter and greater than Xu Shouhui?

Were these people blind?

When he won, Zhao Pusheng’s head must be cut off! Let everyone see that this would be the fate of resisting him!

Compared with Ni Wenjun, the situation on Lin Yuan’s side was much better.

Sun Deya’s general obviously didn’t expect to encounter obstacles. The general sent by Sun Deya was Zhao Junyong. He was originally the military commander of Xuzhou. Later, together with Peng Da, he led his soldiers and subordinates to follow under Guo Zixing. That Sun Deya could replace Guo Zixing and take over his power was in large part due to the two of them.

Both of them had their own strengths and their own shortcomings.

But there was one thing the two of them were similar in——both were full of ambition, and their hearts were loftier than the sky.

Peng Da was more calm and steady, while Zhao Junyong was more temperamental. In other words, he was very easy to be irritated, was prideful and arrogant, and couldn’t stand any doubt against him.

In the historical records absent of Lin Yuan’s presence, Zhao Junyong betrayed Guo Zixing by just a little urging from Sun Deya.

Then he and Peng Da became emperors when Guo Zixing and Sun Deya were still marshals.

It was just that this time the two of them were for some reason won over by Sun Deya, and they became generals under the latter’s command.

However, according to Lin Yuan’s experience, although they did not establish themselves as emperors, their personalities should still remain the same.

Lin Yuan said to Luo Ben: “I also need to ask the military strategist to go to the front.”

Luo Ben got up and bowed: “I will not disappoint.”

Lin Yuan reminded: “Zhao Junyong, this person, is proud and arrogant. It might be more appropriate to lure the enemy into a trap.”

Luo Ben was stunned. He looked at Lin Yuan, and suddenly felt that there was nothing in this world that Lin Yuan did not know, and there was no one who Lin Yuan did not understand. The gaze he looked at Lin Yuan with increased in respect that even he hadn’t even noticed.

Perhaps…..there was a reason for the people to call Lin Yuan the South Bodhisattva.

At least Luo Ben had never seen someone like Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan watched Luo Ben leave on horseback. For scholars like Luo Ben, riding a horse was a form of torture.

After all, even if they could ride a horse, they didn’t ride it often. Once the skin on your thighs was rubbed bloody, that kind of feeling was very indescribable and could make a normal man waddle like a “duck”.

Lin Yuan thought to himself, if Luo Ben didn’t feel tortured riding a horse, then he would really be jealous of him.

After all, Lin Yuan also felt riding a horse was very handsome, but it was too painful to ride for a long time. If possible, he hoped that he could ride for a long time like Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang.

The scouts also went with Luo Ben as he had to continue to keep watch on the battle ahead, and then make reports to Lin Yuan.

In the woods ahead, it was rare for Chen Baisong to stand with Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Congrong on the same battlefield. Although the three of them were important generals, they were stationed in different places. Except for the first few years, there was basically no contact among them and they also had not collaborated much either.

It was Li Congrong who spoke first. He was born with this temper, and he didn’t become more steady when he became a general. He opened his mouth and said, “I will take people and close in from the south, Bai Song can take people and attack from the north and then pretend to be repelled. Lead them to the canyon to the north, where it will be up to Yuan Zhang.”

Li Congrong then asked Luo Ben after the allocation was completed: “Is this possible?”

Luo Ben looked at the expressions of Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang, and found that neither of them had any displeased expressions. Then he said, “General Li is wise and resourceful.”

Li Congrong proudly said: “Alright already, you don’t need to say something that everyone knows.”

The other three people: “…..”

However, Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t latch onto Luo Ben and insist on swearing brotherhood.

Li Congrong also sighed: “I have not seen second brother for a long time. It would be great if he could come this time as well.” (TN: second brother=Yang Zi’an

Did this person think of fighting wars as a spring outing?

Luo Ben was somewhat speechless.

However, Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him, and each went off to direct their troops.

Zhu Yuanzhang took away 50,000 people, Chen Baisong and Li Congrong each took 10,000 people. After all, their main task was to harass. Once Zhao Junyong’s fighting intent was provoked, their task would be completed. Besides, leading too many people would become a hassle when retreating,

Both Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang wore a full set of armor. They also wore a helmet that Lin Yuan had specially made for them. It was even uglier than the helmets worn by the soldiers and looked a bit like a medieval European helmet, but it didn’t cover the cheeks. It just covered the forehead, back of the head and the sides of the head, allowing the face to be exposed.

After wearing it, people would look a little humorous, and no matter how handsome the facial features, it would give one the appearance of a marinated egg head.

In private, many people call it a marinated egg hat.

Chen Bosong and Zhu Yuanzhang also called this strange helmet that way as well.

Although they have to admit that it was really effective, it was just a bit ugly.

Only Lin Yuan did not think it was ugly, in fact he felt that it was quite artistic as well as practical.

Of course, this helmet was heavier than the helmets worn by the soldiers. As soon as Chen Baisong put it on, he felt that his feet were even sinking a little into the mud.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled at Chen Baisong next to him: “Your head looks like an overcooked tea egg.”

Li Congrong responded on the side, “Don’t mention him, do you think you look any better?”

Li Congrong put on his helmet and said, “This thing might be ugly, but I don’t know how many times it saved my life. Let me tell you, if we can give a marinated egg hat for every soldier in the future, maybe the casualties in battle can even be reduced by half.”

Chen Baisong said: “We can sell you to see if it will raise up enough money.”

Li Congrong laughed and said, “I am very popular now.”

Then Li Congrong said in a lower voice: “Don’t tell my wife.”

Li Congrong looked rough and careless, but after getting married, he became a severe hen-pecked husband. His wife was from a small modest household, but somehow she had a big temper. Lin Yuan had heard that he went to battle wine-drinking with others only to have the wine table be flipped over by his angry wife. He could also really put aside his dignity and plead and beg for mercy with his wife. After that, he only dared to hide from his wife or find someone to cover him whenever he wanted to go drinking.

When he got drunk, he would sleep over in someone else’s house, and only dared to go home when the smell of alcohol disappeared from his person.

It was Jiang Gui who was often the reluctant host of such sleepovers. Jiang Gui was nearly annoyed to death by him. He complained about it several times when he wrote private letters to Lin Yuan.

According to Jiang Gui, how could a grown man be controlled by women. Men manage outside affairs while women manage inside affairs. Each had their own place and shouldn’t overly interfere with each other’s affairs.

Li Congrong and Jiang Gui were two completely different models of men.

Jiang Gui completely ignored the internal house affairs, and his wife could manage it however she wanted.

But if his wife tried to manage his outside affairs, he would feel that his territory had been invaded. He had found respective places for himself and his wife and delineated their responsibilities and role.

So he hoped that his wife would be like him and would do things in the prescribed position, and don’t step over the boundary.

Lin Yuan didn’t know whether he should be called a male chauvinist or an excessively disciplined person.

Li Congrong was completely different. His wife could manage him, his money, his daily life, and his socializing outside. He didn’t consider it a pain, but instead took pleasure in it. He once wrote to Lin Yuan: “When she manages me, it gives me the feeling of a family and home.” Lin Yuan felt that this had something to do with their different family backgrounds.

Jiang Gui was born in a complete family structure. His parents were an old-fashioned husband and wife couple, so he would use his parents’ behavior with each other to demand the same of himself and his wife.

Li Congrong was a person whose parents passed when he was still young. He didn’t know what an ordinary husband and wife relationship was like, or what a husband and wife relationship that met the requirements of this era was like. He thought that it was enough if someone managed and cared about him, so his wife could do whatever and he would be tolerant and didn’t feel offended at all.

Lin Yuan once thought about whether he would be like Jiang Gui or Li Congrong if he married.

But he couldn’t imagine himself acting like either of them. After all, for ancient women, there should be a small number of women who dared to control someone in his position. If he happened to come across one, then given his status, this woman should also be a person with an extreme desire for power. This was not a good thing.

But if he married a wife who had no mind of her own, it might be difficult for him to even communicate with her. Getting married would then become nothing but an action just to continue the blood line, which was too boring. He couldn’t even find a place to rest and heal from a day’s hard work.

After Li Congrong finished speaking, the three of them drank a bowl of wine together. After drinking, Li Congrong said with a face of enjoyment: “When we win, let’s find time to drink a pot. I will get both of you drunk!”

Zhu Yuanzhang: “Just bluster away, you will fall down before you even reach ten bowls.”

Chen Baisong was expressionless: “You were drunk last time and vomited all over me.”

Li Congrong: “…..You are talking about four years ago, right? I am no longer that person!”

“You just wait!” Li Congrong mounted his horse, “After victory, I will get you both so drunk you won’t even be able to distinguish between day and night!”

Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang also mounted their horses one after another.

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and said: “If you have the ability then go get the South Bodhisattva drunk.”

Li Congrong cowered in a very righteous manner: “If you want to go, then you go, don’t think you will succeed by goading me.”

Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Baisong both laughed.

After that the three people led their respective troops in different directions.

Only Luo Ben was left alone in a cold sweat.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Why did he feel that after these generals got together, they all seemed so unreliable?

He felt that he might have to ask for forgiveness from the South Bodhisattva.

Luo Ben looked at the almost disappearing horse asses in the distance, his face smiling, but inside…..

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The September of the seventeenth year of Yuan Shun.

Lin Yuan went out with the army. This was his first attack against an armed force aside from the imperial court. This was also a war of great significance for Lin Yuan. A total of three generals, including Chen Baisong, led the expedition.

Chen Baisong, Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Congrong.

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Each of them led an army of 100,000, and this time a total of 300,000 soldiers went on the expedition.

Lin Yuan sat in a carriage——his thighs have not yet grown calluses and riding a horse would only make his thighs become bloody. So Lin Yuan chose the latter between “the dignity of a man” and “to not walk like a duck”.

Fortunately, according to his status now, no one would laugh at him.

The three generals must lead soldiers in front, and must ride horses. Song Shizhao and Luo Ben also sat in Lin Yuan’s carriage.

The dirt road was not smooth. Although the roads in the territories under Lin Yuan’s rule were all undergoing road construction, the road they were passing through had clearly yet to be included in the road plan as the manpower was still too limited.

Lin Yuan still remembered the propaganda “Many people meant great power”, so people desperately had children, and added to the fact that there was a traditional belief that more children was a sign of prosperity, the population began to explode. Because at that time there was a shortage of labor and many technical talents, but this also brought along a huge problem.

The problem was in fact these people who were born in the same era. Once they entered old age, society would passively enter an aging society.

The employment outlets for young people would decrease, and the pressures of life for the elderly would increase.

Therefore, encouraging population growth was a double-edged sword.

Lin Yuan sighed.

He had not found a solution yet.

“I wonder what’s the situation in Hanyang now.” Song Shizhao looked at the news that the spies passed back, saying that Ni Wenjun had rebelled, but what was specifically happening between Xu Shouhui and Ni Wenjun now was not clear to them.

Song Shizhao said: “Ni Wenjun should be able to get what he wants. Xu Shouhui does not have many people he can use, and he is not an outstanding emperor in any case.”

Luo Ben said at this time: “Although Xu Shouhui is not capable, he still has four great heavenly kings under his command, Taishi Zou Pusheng, and generals besides Ni Wenjun such as Zhao Pusheng and Fu Youde. These three are not idiots. Ni Wenjun rebelled openly so naturally these three people will fight back desperately, and it is not yet known who will win in the end.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said: “Guanzhong’s statement makes sense.”

As Lin Yuan had spoken, Song Shizhao could only say obediently: “I am ill-informed and narrow-minded.”

Lin Yuan comforted him: “It cannot be blamed on Mister, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, if you can know the world, then you are not a mortal, but a god.”

Song Shizhao lowered his head, looking very ashamed.

After leaving Lin Yuan’s territory, the roadside scenery quickly changed.

All over was desolate land with no life to be seen. The people seemed to have never returned after abandoning their homes. There were still corpses dragged out by wild dogs laying on the roadside, and some even have only skeletons left.

Nowadays the world is like this. The big cities might fare better, at least there were armed soldiers in the city, and the big households would not let the bandits enter the city. In any case, they would be united at the time and the common people could also benefit from this.

But rural farmers did not have such conditions, no one would protect them, and the bandits paid the least price when attacking them, so they were more likely to be harmed.

Lin Yuan thought of the secret letter Jiang Guang sent to him, and knew that Jiang Guang had not tampered with food at this time. Therefore, Ni Wenjun was now strong in military power, and his spirit was at its best. If they go now to attack them, it was very possible Lin Yuan would be facing a situation of being attacked by the enemy on both the front and rear sides.

The best situation would be when they arrived in Hanyang, the soldiers and horses of Xu Shouhui and Ni Wenjun were already in the most exhausted state.

At that time, if they join in the fight, their own consumption would be reduced to a minimum.

They have been on the road for nearly two months.

In ancient times when there were no cars and highways, the cavalry had horses but more soldiers were infantry. They could only advance on their two legs. In addition to the infantry, there were logistics soldiers who had to transport food and grass rations, and behind them were the army doctors and nurses.

Being a nurse was a new occupation, but there were not many women who were willing to become nurses and receive training.

Because nurses meant that when there was war, they must be called up and go to the battlefield. Although they were in the rear, if their side lost, then they definitely won’t be able to escape. But if they could go back alive, they would be promoted and have their monthly salary increase.

Therefore, women who generally chose to become nurses were mostly alone or from extremely poor families.

Logistic troops were made up of more physically strong men. If they lacked troops on the battlefield, they would also pick up arms and step onto the battlefield.

The soldiers were all very tired. They had to march every day while wearing helmets made of heavy iron. Although it protected their vital points, it also brought more burdens to the soldiers. It was September, and the autumn sun was strong, especially at noon, so during the noon period, Lin Yuan was worried that the soldiers would become dehydrated. As a result, every time they stopped to set up camp, he would first send someone to find a source of water.

Lin Yuan jumped out of the carriage as soon as the carriage stopped. Once halted marching, the temperature inside the carriage was higher than that outside. After all, there was still some breeze to be had outside.

But Song Shizhao was reluctant to come down, saying that he was old and he was not afraid of heat.

Lin Yuan didn’t force the issue either. Sometimes he didn’t know what Song Shizhao was thinking.

Luo Ben told him: “He just sweated a lot, and the reason he doesn’t want to come down is probably that we will be able to smell it when the wind blows.”

Lin Yuan: “…..Wouldn’t the smell of sweat be stronger in the carriage?”

Luo Ben: “When people get older, sometimes they are a little bit…..”

Lin Yuan pondered for a while, and he suspected that Song Shizhao might get Alzheimer’s when he got even older.

It seemed that in the future, he should find more work for Song Shizhao to do. Perhaps maintaining frequent mental activities might be effective in preventing Alzheimer’s disease?

A soldier brought two wicker stools over for Lin Yuan and Luo Ben, and they could be sat on directly after being put down on the open space. The principle was similar to the portable stool carried around during fishing. The soldier looked at Lin Yuan with reverence and some fanaticism, but Lin Yuan could now take these looks in stride.

Luo Ben went out for a while and brought back two cups of tea. Lin Yuan also looked around. The soldiers all took off their helmets one after another and looked for a shaded area to rest in. There were some who had better energy and sat together to chat and drink and eat something. They were all assigned dried meat rations when they set off on the expedition which was very chewy, and the more they chewed, the more fragrant the meat became. Although it was not flavored with any spices, the taste of the meat was enough to conquer their stomachs.

As for Chen Baisong and the others, they rested in a position further ahead. The soldiers they led were cavalry and a small section of infantry with better physique. They had to distinguish the directions along the way, find an open space suitable for camping, and patrol the vicinity of the camps to check whether there were any common people or bandits around.

This was supposed to be the work of the scout, but this time because Lin Yuan personally went out on the expedition, their reaction was a little big.

Lin Yuan also persuaded them, but they insisted, so Lin Yuan didn’t waste his breath on this anymore.

Both Luo Ben and Lin Yuan sat on the wicker stools, and because the ground was uneven, it was a little shaky when they sat down.

Lin Yuan felt like he was sitting on a rocking chair. He said to Luo Ben: “Who do you think will win, Xu Shouhui or Ni Wenjun?”

Luo Ben replied seriously: “Xu Shouhui.”

Lin Yuan smiled and asked, “Why?”

Luo Ben: “Ni Wenjun’s rebellion is not righteous, even the soldiers he has under his command might not obey him sincerely. In contrast, Xu Shouhui is the emperor and has righteousness on his side. Moreover, he has not committed any large mistakes since ascending the throne. Ni Wenjun is also not the only general underneath him. With Ni Wenjun gone, the others will be able to climb up the ladder. What’s more, the conceited troops will lose, while the troops burning with righteous indignation will win.”

It looked like Xu Shouhui was at a disadvantage. Ni Wenjun was strong with military power, and he also understood the distribution of forces in Xu Shouhui’s hands. He seemed to have a better chance of winning than Xu Shouhui.

Lin Yuan looked in the direction of Hanyang, and seemed to see Hanyang through numerous obstacles and the long distance.

He was already thinking about what to do after he captured Hanyang.

Just like what he did in Gaoyou and Taizhou, he first broke up the original political system, disrupted the official cliques and planted his own people.

What he was going to do next was even simpler.

Lin Yuan smiled and shook his head, he also felt like he had become a little conceited.

Luo Ben also saw Lin Yuan’s smile and said strangely: “My Lord, this is…..”

Lin Yuan: “I’m just thinking, maybe one day, I will become a person you can’t make sense of.”

Luo Ben: “Why does my Lord say this?”

Lin Yuan laughed self-deprecatingly: “It’s nothing.”

Sometimes he feels that he thinks too much. If he thought less, he would be more relaxed.

The soldiers lay on the ground with limbs sprawled, but even so, they all kept a hold of their weapons in their hands. This was a habit left to them by countless battles. Their sleep would not be very deep and if they felt a threat, even the eyes would not necessarily have to open, and instead just directly pierce their enemy with their weapons.

“Killing in a dream” was very possible on the battlefield. People’s minds were in a state of high tension especially when their consciousness was not awake enough. Instinct would take over the nerve response, and the survival instinct would control their behavior.

“There is a horse ahead!”

“There is a flag! It is our own soldier!”

A black horse was carrying a short man, and the man was holding a small flag to avoid accidental injury.

He jumped off his horse and ran to Lin Yuan in large strides: “Reporting to the South Bodhisattva! We have encountered a large army that is also heading to Hanyang! South Bodhisattva, please make a decision!”

Lin Yuan pursed his lips: “Whose army?”

Man: “The name Sun is written on the flag, it should be Sun Deya’s army.”

Lin Yuan: “How many soldiers?”

Man: “Roughly speaking, it should be 100,000.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Nowadays Sun Deya had already replaced Guo Zixing and took over Guo Zixing’s power. His personality was completely different from Guo Zixing’s, so him coveting Hanyang was actually not all that surprising. He was a greedy person, and greedy people would never complain of the land and power in their hands having increased.

Lin Yuan: “Tell them to use Sun Deya’s soldiers for a training session, and reinforcements will be there soon so they must defeat them for me.”

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There was no starlight that night. As soon as the sky darkened, the Empress invited Han Lin’er over. After all, she was the Empress and her father and brother were both important figures in court. Liu Futong was also willing to entrust important affairs to them, otherwise the Empress would not be able to break through the siege and become the “mother of a nation”. Therefore, no matter what Han Lin’er had to give his wife a little face.

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Han Lin’er just came out of the study, with a smile on his face, and he seemed to be in a good mood. Recently, Liu Futong had become a bit more “tolerant” towards him, and his occasional ideas could also be supported by Liu Futong.

Even Han Lin’er felt that while he hated Liu Futong he also couldn’t do without him.

He still needed to accumulate strength. Before that, he could not show his claws to Liu Futong.

So even if he didn’t want to see the Empress, he still came after the palace maid came to report to him.

The Empress probably didn’t expect Han Lin’er to actually come. In the past, when she sent someone to invite him, that side always said that the Emperor was too busy with government affairs and asked the Empress to rest earlier. Having heard this a lot, the Empress herself didn’t hold any more hope. If the Emperor was indeed busy with government affairs, how come he still had the time to pamper Consort Li?

When Han Lin’er stepped over the threshold, the Empress greeted with ceremony, and all the palace maids knelt down and waited for Han Lin’er to let them get up.

Han Lin’er supported the Empress up. He was about the same age as the Empress. If one didn’t look at the face and only looked at the figure and back, they appeared like a match made in heaven, but if one looked at the face, the two appeared very mismatched.

Han Lin’er’s face was as fair as jade, his figure tall and straight. Having been an emperor for so many years, it had also brought him a unique aura. He could even be called to have the grace of dragons and phoenixes. He had elegant features and though they could not be said to be compellingly handsome, they were still more handsome than ordinary people’s

In contrast, the Empress was far inferior in appearance.

“Empress does not need to be so courteous.” Han Lin’er lifted the Empress up with a smile on his face.

His movements had never been so soft, and his expression had never been so gentle. The Empress was momentarily dazed. She was a woman who regarded her husband as her life. Facing such a Han Lin’er, she almost lost her reasoning, but she soon quickly returned back to her senses.

His love did not belong to her, and would never belong to her. Even though he occasionally showed tenderness, she was only occasionally brushed by it, and his tenderness was never something that showed up because of her.

The Empress stood up straight, and the maids behind her also stood up after thanking the Emperor for his grace.

Han Lin’er didn’t love his Empress. After he married her, he felt an unprecedented humiliation. Such an ugly empress was not even as good as a mediocre looking empress. What was more, this ugly empress was chosen by Liu Futong for him, and he didn’t even have the power to refuse.

He didn’t love Li shi either, but when he found that the more he pampered Li shi, the more those of the Li family with official positions in court would listen to him. In this way he found the use of the harem.

He could at least gain the loyalty of the Li family when he pampered Li shi, but doting on the Empress? That would only make the people of the Empress’s family follow Liu Futong more loyally.

The imperial court has been putting pressure on him, admonishing him to give birth to a child as soon as possible. Saying that without a crown prince, the country would become unstable. Their meaning was too obvious, they just wanted him to give birth to the eldest son with the empress. The weight of the words “eldest son of the official wife” was not light at all.

As a result, Han Lin’er thought vengefully, “If you want a child, then I will let Li shi give birth to one, the eldest son of a concubine.”

Now that the news of Li shi’s pregnancy had spread throughout the imperial court and the harem, so long as Li shi gave birth to a son, this child was highly likely to be conferred the title of crown prince, and Li shi would also be conferred the title of Noble Consort. At that time, this child would also be raised in Li shi’s palace.

“Your Majesty takes care of mamy affairs every day, and you have to take care of your health. Chen qie is stupid and can’t share the worries for Your Majesty.” The Empress lowered her head and tried her best not to let Han Lin’er see her face. She lowered her head and revealed a jade-like neck.

Han Lin’er’s Adam’s apple moved, and he chuckled softly: “Serve the meal.”

The big palace maif hurriedly curtsied and retreated, calling the people behind to serve the food.

There wrre all kinds of dishes on the Empress’s dining table, lest it didn’t suit Han Lin’er’s taste.

Han Lin’er didn’t eat many bites, and then asked, “Does Empress have any wine here?”

The Empress said warmly: “Chen qie got a good bottle of mulberry a few days ago.”

Han Lin’er: “Serve it up.”

The wine was placed on a wooden tray by the maid. Han Lin’er was a glutton for wine. Rather than say he was a glutton for wine, it was more appropriate to it was because he was going to sleep with the Empress tonight, therefore he had to drink a few more cups so that he could carry out the bed affairs drunk so as not to wilt when seeing the Empress’s face. This was a method he thought of himself, and he was quite a bit proud of it.

Han Lin’er looked over. He did not notice the wine, but noticed the maid serving the wine instead.

This palace maid wore the clothes of a maid in the palace. She had her head lowered so he could not see her face. However, in addition to the beauty of the face, women also had the beauty of their posture and figure. When she walked here, every step was very graceful and light, as if she was walking on the clouds. Her waist also appeared very soft, and the hairpin on the bun she combed seemed to shake slightly when she walked.

Han Lin’er had never seen such a woman before.

Most of the women in the palace were practically carved out of the same mold.

Liu Futong also selected ladies of affluent and aristocratic families for him as well. They received the same education, and there was almost no difference in what they said and did. When they entered the palace, they all seemed to have become kind-eyed and benevolent women who practiced buddhism, holding Buddhist beads in their hands and copying scriptures. Whether they were ugly or beautiful, they could no longer bring any novelty to Han Lin’er.

Hong Xiu walked to the table and quietly put the wine bottle and cups on the table. She seemed to be full of curiosity about everything, and because Han Lin’er was sitting, so her eyes moved to Han Lin’er’s face, and Han Lin’er happened to also be looking at her and the two eyes met at this moment.

But the two quickly looked away, as if nothing happened just now.

Han Lin’er felt his mouth become dry because of that brief eye contact.

Sitting across from him is his Empress and his wife, and he was exchanging glances with her palace maid right in front of her. This feeling of excitement was even greater than that of his covetous desire for the palace maid.

“Chen qie salutes Your Majesty.” The Empress raised her cup and Han Lin’er also drank his refreshingly.

Han Lin’er didn’t eat much during this dinner and only drank a lot of wine.

After drinking three rounds, Han Lin’er was completely tipsy and wanted to go to bed.

The Empress had the maids serve him in washing and undressing, and then asked him: “Does Your Majesty need to go to the restroom?”

Han Lin’er was already a little muddleheaded, and he nodded and said: “Zhen…..shall go first.”

The Empress gestured at her big palace maid, and the big palace maid lowered her eyes knowingly and helped Han Lin’er out with a eunuch. When they passed a corner, the sound of crying came from a house.

The crying was neither miserable nor shrill. On the contrary, just by listening to it, one could imagine an affection invoking beauty crying alone by the bed. Han Lin’er stopped and asked with a drunken hiccup: “Who is…..hic…..crying here?”

The eunuch was about to admonish, but the big palace maid said first: “Answering Your Majesty, this is the place where the maids rest. I imagine that one of the maids is crying because of missing her family.”

Han Lin’er wasn’t angry either, just squinted and said, “This is how it is for people with emotions.”

The eunuch closed his mouth, there was no place for him to speak here.

Just when Han Lin’er was about to continue walking, the door beside him suddenly opened. The woman inside the door had her head lowered and did not look ahead, and ended up knocking into his shoulder. The eunuch wanted to open his mouth again but found that His Majesty the Emperor was currently staring at the woman without blinking at all.

Hong Xiu red eyes and tears in the corners of her eyes, but this didn’t lessen her beauty in the slightest.

Han Lin’er suddenly said, “Are you the maid who served the wine?”

Hong Xiu seemed to realize that she had run into the emperor. She knelt down quickly and looked very flustered. Her hair was messy and she did not look as meticulous as she did at dinner. Her voice was choked as she said: “Answering Your Majesty, it’s this slave.”

Han Lin’er asked her again: “Why are you crying?”

Hong Xiu: “This slave remembered this slave’s father.”

Han Lin’er seemed to be interested suddenly: “Your father?”

Hong Xiu nodded: “This servant girl is Daddy’s youngest daughter and has been favored by Daddy since childhood. Three years ago, Daddy died in an armed confrontation. This servant girl misses him day and night. After leaving home, I always think of Daddy and am often sad that this world no longer has someone who loves this servant girl like Daddy does.”

Han Lin’er didn’t speak. He thought of his own father, perhaps he should be called the late emperor——but Han Shantong did not ascend the throne, he had just raised the flag of rebellion when he died.

He never knew what his father thought of him. Did he think of him when he died? Would he feel uneasy about handing everything over to this son?

In Han Lin’er’s memory, there were always strangers of all kinds visiting his family house. These people were neither servants of the family nor friends of his father. Some of them came often, some not so frequent, and there were often new people showing up as well.

After Han Lin’er understood the matter, he realized that his father, who he had thought was just an ordinary person, was actually the leader of the White Lotus Sect.

He lived under the expectations of many people.

Whether it was when he was young or now, everyone hoped that he could guide and lead everyone like his father did.

Perhaps Liu Futong also had this kind of expectation once, but it was just that he gave up when he found that Han Lin’er was no match for his father no matter what. So instead of handing over the power to Han Lin’er, he might as well hold onto it tightly.

Han Lin’er also didn’t know the difference between himself and his father until he became the emperor.

When his father was alive, Liu Futong never dared to face his father coldly. He was always humble and gentle mannered, and would not oppose any decision made by his father.

But when he became the emperor, Liu Futong changed into a different person, and his eyes revealed his disappointment and contempt for him.

What did his father think of him? If he was looking at him up in heaven, would he be proud of this son, or think that this son was a useless waste?

Han Lin’er was lost in his thoughts for a while.

“Come with Zhen.” Han Lin’er no longer had the urge to go to the toilet. After he said this to Hong Xiu, his steps changed direction.

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Hong Xiu wiped away the tears, and quietly followed behind the eunuch.

The eunuch who tried to speak several times but couldn’t in the end, turned his head and glanced at her.

Perhaps in the imperial palace, there would finally be a figure that could rival Consort Li.

TN: Some important announcements

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The munitions were collected in just three months. Now Lin Yuan had people in his hands who possessed an unprecedented execution power. Everyone believed that Lin Yuan would lead them to a better life. There was plenty of food rations and weapons. Not only that, the weapons could also be called sophisticated.

Lin Yuan had weapons armories and factories built in every city. The daily work of the blacksmiths was to build weapons and the better the quality of the weapons, the more monthly payment they could get. The quality represented their pay, so even if the blacksmiths didn’t eat or drink, they would still also be thinking about how to make the weapons sharper, more resilient, and not easy to break.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Looking at the long knives in front of him, Lin Yuan thought of the enemy weapons collected in several battles. Before the troubled times, in the peaceful era, the number of weapons was almost nearly counted for. No one would just commission bows and arrows or knives for fun. If they did then arrest would probably greet them at their front doors.

So in the troubled times, when the weapon armories were opened, most of the weapons had already become rusty. And because of technical limitations, there were many long knives that, while still sharp, easily broke when just a bit of force was used on them.

It was like modern utility knives. If it was not sharp anymore, just smash and break off that section with a stone and continue using the new sharpened part.

The consumption and wear of weapons was huge, and the costs to be invested were equally as astronomical.

Lin Yuan sometimes even regretted that he didn’t major in science and engineering. He really didn’t know how to make steel.

Now except for Lin Yuan, the weapons of the several rebel factions were not very good. The cost of building weapons was too high so for them it was better to fight more battles and seize more weapons, which was a much more convenient and cheap way to obtain more weapons stock.

Anyway, the battles definitely must be fought, and if they could come away with a satisfying amount of spoils in weapons then that would just be an unexpected benefit.

After Lin Yuan inspected this batch of weapons he had Chen Baisong call someone to carry it away.

These knives would still shatter, but they were much better than what they used before. In fact, sometimes Lin Yuan felt that people degenerate in certain aspects, such as the forging craftsmanship of the Bronze Age. The toughness of the bronze weapons dug up during modern archaeological digs could even equal that of the weapons manufactured in modern times and even surpass the weapons created in Europe in the Middle Ages by more than a star and a half.

Many of the swords used by Europeans in the Middle Ages were directly created from pig iron, and they would break with a little effort.

This kind of situation was maintained for a very long period of time.

However, the forging technology of bronze had not been passed down, and the forging of weapons had fallen stagnant.

Lin Yuan picked up the long jian that the blacksmiths carefully crafted for him——the jian was not very practical on the battlefield, it was easy to break and was not easy to use or operate, so the jian was generally a symbol of status, and could be taken as ancient men’s “luxury” good.

Since the artisans dared to send it to Lin Yuan, it proved that this was their most proud work.

Lin Yuan first picked up the long jian and tested the weight, then lifted the jian and slashed it towards the wooden table next to him. This was not easy, but in the end he cut off a corner of the wooden table. Lin Yuan turned the tip of the sword to the ground and slowly pressed down on it.

The jian’s body bent, becoming more and more curved, and when it reached less than half of its original height, the sword broke.

“Let them try again.” Lin Yuan said to Chen Baisong, “It could be better.”

Chen Baisong had no expression on his face, but his heart was dripping blood. Such a fine jian…..

Lin Yuan sighed. He didn’t notice the regret in Chen Baisong’s eyes: “Did Song Shizhao and Luo Ben arrive yet?”

Chen Baisong: “They should be on the way.”

Lin Yuan nodded and said, “When they come, I can relax.”

At first, Lin Yuan was worried that Song Shizhao and Luo Ben would not get along, but in fact their relationship was quite good. This caused Lin Yuan to be a little surprised. After all, Song Shizhao was even cautious of those who had no real talents, let alone someone like Luo Ben who did have real talent.

Although they could not be called very good friends, on the surface, the relationship was well maintained and amicable. He heard that if they had the opportunity they would meet up for a chat and drink together. Song Shizhao pretended to be drunk and didn’t pay the bill. And Luo Ben had thought it would be Song Shizhao’s treat so he did not bring money with him. So in the end he could only call someone over to save the awkward situation. 

Chen Baisong was also aware of how busy Lin Yuan had been recently, and that Lin Yuan hardly had much time to sleep. He accompanied Lin Yuan during this period and had also developed black eye bags.

Lin Yuan yawned. While he felt that he should take a nap, his brain was a little too stimulated to sleep.

Lin Yuan said softly, “I wonder how Ni Wenjun is doing.”

Ni Wenjun, who was far away in Hanyang, sneezed. The advisor next to him was taken aback and quickly expressed concern: “There was a cool wind last night. General must take care of your health.”

Ni Wenjun waved his hand. He was born tall and big, with a muscular physique, a square face, big eyes, and had a loyal, righteous appearance. He said to the people around him: “It’s nothing serious, but a little cool breeze, what can it do to me?”

The advisor saw that there was nothing wrong with Ni Wenjun, so his worries settled.

Ni Wenjun asked: “What happened to the grain and grass rations?”

The advisor said: “It is all prepared.”

Although there were many old and rotten grains, they could still be considered as grain and could fill the stomach.

Ni Wenjun asked again: “And the weapons?”

The advisor had a smile on his face. He had been busy with this recently. As the saying went, a workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well. Although food and grass rations were important things, what couldn’t soldiers eat? So long as whatever went down the stomach would not poison and could prevent starvation then it was fine. But weapons were a different matter. He felt that he had done a good job, and the pride could not help but show up on his face: “Previously, many of the weapons we seized were too worn down, so this subordinate sent someone to buy a new batch. They are all peerlessly sharp and they will surely make the soldiers indomitable.”

Ni Wenjun was about to praise him, but the servants outside the house reported: “General, Imperial Supervisor Zhou asks to see you.”

The imperial supervisor was the person sent by the emperor to monitor in the military barracks, but now that the government was under the control of Ni Wenjun, the imperial supervisor naturally lost its original function.

“Zihao is here.” Ni Wenjun showed a smile on his face, “Call him in.”

Zhou Zihao’s given name was Zhou Zheng while his courtesy name was Zihao. He had the appearance of a scholar and looked like a modest gentleman. Ni Wenjun considered himself to be someone suited to being the emperor and weren’t the officials around the emperor all such literati? Therefore, he had always treated Zhou Zihao with respect.

The advisor standing on the side saw Zhou Zihao and wanted nothing more than to kick him out.

All those who followed Ni Wenjun wanted to get Ni Wenjun’s fan and regard.

Ni Wenjun was only one person and the seats around him were limited. People like them were all pursuing greater interests. They wanted to occupy a place beside Ni Wenjun and become the person Ni Wenjun valued ​​most. Even if they were asked to kill off their colleagues in order to climb up, they would still raise butcher knives at each other without hesitation.

Ni Wenjun himself was born in a fisherman family and had no education. Most of his advisors began learning halfway through and did not come from any scholarly families. This gave Zhou Zihao a chance to come forward.

But Zhou Zihao’s face was black when he came in, and one could tell at a glance that his mood was not very happy at the moment.

Ni Wenjun himself was in a good mood and asked, “What’s wrong, Zihao? Did you meet something unhappy?”

Zhou Zihao snorted coldly. He had always been like this in front of Ni Wenjun. He knew that Ni Wenjun advocated the noble character of the literati, so no matter whether he possessed this thing or not, he must have it in front of Ni Wenjun. He said with a swipe of his sleeves: “General, why not ask what ridiculous things brother Wu did? Where does he put General’s great cause? Is he anxious for General, or is he trying to secretly plot against General!”

This accusation was too serious. Advisor Wu flushed red and furiously said: “You, you are slandering me! You take advantage of General’s favor and spout lies! You are trying to sow discord! General! Don’t listen to this person’s nonsense!”

Zhou Zihao turned around and said coldly, “Brother Wu, please don’t speak anymore! Zhou doesn’t want to interact with a jackal like you!”

“Ai.” Ni Wenjun stepped in to smooth the edgy atmosphere, “What is this? It’s just a matter of discussion, but it’s more fierce than fighting in a battle. Didn’t Zihao tell me last time that it is good for colleagues to be in harmony?”

Only then did Zhou Zihao reeled in his temper and calmly said to Ni Wenjun: “General, he replaced the fine grains with old grains in order to have enough grain and grass rations. It was only reported this morning. Those old grains hands are old enough they can turn to ashes. General, if the soldiers eat this kind of food, can they still even fight? Since ancient times, the food and grass rations have always been transported first before soldiers and horses even set off. Without the grain and grass rations, how can the soldiers and horses move?”

Ni Wenjun was taken aback, he turned his head and looked at Advisor Wu: “Didn’t you just say…..”

Advisor Wu gritted his teeth: “Zhou Zheng! You are exaggerating. Although it is old grain, it will not turn into ashes. Where can there be any fine grains now in war? If fine grains were available, they would have been bought out by the big households long ago. Even if we force them to hand it over it still won’t be enough to feed the whole army!”

Ni Wenjun nodded: “It makes sense, Zihao, the output in the farm fields is not very good nowadays…..”

Zhou Zihao said to Ni Wenjun: “General, I know he must be cunning and shrewd, so I brought the grain he put in the granary. Please have a look.”

He took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, and when the cloth bag was opened, a musty smell came out and filled the room.

Even Ni Wenjun couldn’t help holding his breath. This kind of old grains…..how many years has it been?

Ni Wenjun had also lived through hard days, but no matter how hard off he was, he had never eaten chaff that would become ashes with just a pinch.

Zhou Zihao clenched his fists and applied a little force. The chaff instantly turned into ashes. As soon as he let go, the ashes scattered into the air.

Floating slowly in the air, and then falling to the ground.

Ni Wenjun’s face turned black. He turned to ask the advisor, “This is what you give to this general’s soldiers to eat? Even your horse doesn’t eat this, right? The soldiers are putting their lives on the line for this general, but you are trying to kill them!”

The advisor didn’t dare to quibble at this time. He knelt down and said tremblingly: “General, there is not enough money! Weapons are made of fine iron. If we don’t have weapons, how can we kill the enemy in battle? General! This subordinate is doing this for you!”

Ni Wenjun also knew that there was not enough money. Although he had some money, what was the price of weapons nowadays?

Weapons were too expensive, so the food rations would naturally take a back seat.

Zhou Zihao sneered and said: “I knew you would say that, brother Wu. General is a talented person, and all people of insight in the world are willing to support General. A couple days ago a merchant came to my door, willing to send food rations to General. Why, brother Wu, you actually never thought of this? Or is it that you want credit, so you don’t care?”

Ni Wenjun: “Wait, you said that a merchant wants to send food to this general?”

Zhou Zihao only then knelt down: “The general is destined by the heavens! Even merchants will naturally submit to the general.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Although he promised Jiang Guang he would buy his food rations, he did not promise how much money he would pay Jiang Guang.

He was just a merchant, it was not like he could go up against power after all.

AN: Jiang Guang: F**k! He wants to dig a pit for me!

Fortunately, I definitely dug a bigger pit for him ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Hanyang County.

Jiang Guang was boasting with others. He had grown a goatee, and his small eyes revealed shrewdness, but this shrewdness was on the surface. It always made people think that this person was not shrewd, and with a little effort they could make him fall into a trap. According to Jiang Guang’s words: “You can’t do business with a face that looks simple and honest. This type is what makes people feel uneasy. If you really are a simple and honest person, can you still become a merchant? At most, you will just deceive the little common people.”

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Although he worked under Lin Yuan early, he had been wandering between the capitals, making friends, and smashing open the doors of many officials with money. Merchant Jiang’s name was also considered to have some fame among the merchants, after all, there were not many people as rich as him, often spending a lot of money to buy things. Even if the thing he bought was a simple looking little trinket that he probably rewarded to his servant right after he bought it.

Jiang Guang was drinking with his new friend, and he was very attentive to this new friend. The friend was Ni Wenjun’s confidant, although he couldn’t be called the right arm, but he did have Ni Wenjun’s favor.

Jiang Guang used countless gold and silver and jewelry to make this friend.

Although this friend didn’t think much of him, and although the Yuan Dynasty gave importance to business, the long-standing tradition still made many people think that merchants and businessmen were an inferior class.

“Brother Zhou, please use it.” Jiang Guang poured a cup of wine for his friend. This wine was rice wine. People called it sweet water. It didn’t cause drunkenness very much, and it also had a bit of alcohol flavor when drinking it. This friend loved this, and preferred drinking this instead of strong alcohol.

Brother Zhou drank a cup of rice wine. Everyone liked to be praised and treated with importance, especially by Jiang Guang. Jiang Guang was very clever and talented in flattering others. He not only made people feel pleased, but also did not make people feel that he was exaggerating or that his intention was sinister. Moreover, Jiang Guang’s flattering was not just verbal flattering, he appeared to sincerely intend to do anything for the other party.

When being flattered to the extreme, few people would refuse and dislike it.

Brother Zhou said rather tipsily: “If Merchant Jiang has a request, if Zhou can do it, Zhou will not refuse.”

Jiang Guang smiled: “I admire brother Zhou’s integrity. Brother Zhou, look at me, I have no family or relatives and friends. I have been busy for most of my life, out in the wind and rain. I earned myself a small fortune but I myself do not even have time to enjoy it. Even my servants have a better life than me.”

Brother Zhou also seemed to feel that this was reasonable and sighed: “Who says this is not true? I am similar to Merchant Jiang.”

The two chatted and talked about the current grain output. Jiang Guang inadvertently revealed: “It was said that the world will be in upheaval so Jiang stored a lot of grain to wait for the world to be in upheaval and sell it at a good price. But as I waited I ended up forgetting and the grain has become old grain. If it is sold at a low price, I will feel reluctant. If it is sold at a high price, the common people cannot afford it. It seems that it is a loss this time…..”

Brother Zhou’s eyes brightened, but he quickly restrained himself: “How much food do you have?”

Jiang Guang looked around, seeming to be afraid of being seen by others, and he also didn’t dare to say it out loud. He just made a gesture.

Brother Zhou understood, and the smile on his face became more sincere: “Merchant Jiang, don’t treat me so courteously. Friends should help each other. I have a way to deal with this food.”

Jiang Guang looked very excited: “What way? Brother Zhou, for the sake of this food, I have been so worried that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep.”

This brother Zhou had always suspected that Jiang Guang approached him out of ulterior motives. After all, Jiang Guang had never asked for anything from him before. For merchants, their requests were just the familiar few. If one wants to do business, one must be backed by someone. As they say, the strong dragon couldn’t beat the local snake, but Jiang Guang didn’t mention it at all this whole time, so he also pretended to be stupid the whole time as well. Anyway, there was no lack of benefits he got from the other. The gold and silver wares at home and the jewelry on his wife and daughter were all sent by Jiang Guang. In any case, he did not lose out, rather he had gotten many benefits for free.

Now he knows Jiang Guang was not completely without motive or desire for nothing. The money he wanted for that supply of food was much more than the gold and silver that Jiang Guang gave him. If this business was done successfully, Jiang Guang would not have to go out to do business anymore for the rest of his life.

That Jiang Guang had desires and motives, brother Zhou was relieved instead.

“I will give you an answer in three days.” Brother Zhou himself was not sure whether to receive the food or not.

Although he was Ni Wenjun’s confidant, it was not like Ni Wenjun told him everything. He knew that Ni Wenjun had the idea of ​​rebelling and overthrowing Xu Shouhui, but he didn’t know when Ni Wenjun was going to raise up in arms and whether the food rations had already been resolved or not. If he rashly promised Jiang Guang and it did not work out, wouldn’t this be a slap to his own face?

Face was still very important when a person lived in this world.

Jiang Guang felt that this matter was already in the bag.

He and brother Zhou parted ways in front of the restaurant, and each got into their respective carriages. Jiang Guang’s old servant helped Jiang Guang get into the carriage. After Jiang Guang sat down, the carriage slowly moved forward. The old servant handed Jiang Guang a bowl of sober soup and he swallowed it in one gulp. Sweet water might not have much alcohol content, but it was not small either.

The old servant asked in a low voice: “Has my lord succeeded?”

Jiang Guang smiled and said, “What difficulty is this?”

If the talk was successful, he would add some medicine to the grain and grass as soon as the war began. There was a common herbal medicine, when grounded into powder and mixed into food, that could make people have a terrible case of diarrhea.

When the soldiers were all clutching their stomachs with the need to go to the toilet, would they still have any power to fight?

But it could only be mixed into the food when Lin Yuan’s army arrived.

When Ni Wenjun was fighting Xu Shouhui, the food must still be without problem.

Jiang Guang revealed a satisfied smile on his face.

He was a businessman, and what he wanted was very simple, that was, profit and money.

So long as he could make money, he was even willing to abandon his ancestors and change his name.

But this also required gambling, and Jiang Guang felt that his gambling luck had always been very good.

Jiang Guang wanted to sell his food supply, but on this side Lin Yuan received food from many people. The food would be sampled and eaten by the animals first and if the animals had no problem it would naturally be added to the army rations. If the animals did have a problem then those who sent the food would be met with great misfortune.

Those who had a large amount of food supply in their hands during these troubled times were all wealthy merchants and thus were difficult to impersonate. Therefore, there was a clear record of who sent each batch of food, including name, characteristics, and age.

Lin Yuan glanced around and saw a familiar name on the list——Shen Fu.

When he was a teenager, he watched a TV series about Shen Wansan, and he knew that Shen Wansan’s real name was Shen Fu and his courtesy name was Zhongrong.

Wan San was just a respectful name given to him by society.

Although Shen Fu was a wealthy merchant at this time, he was not considered hugelu wealthy, nor could he be as wealthy as a country.

Lin Yuan took a look at the remarks from the officials below, mainly describing that the food sent by Shen Fu included both coarse and fine, and that the coarse grains were of a good weight, and the fine grains were all new grains. To sum up, this person was very generous and the quality was also very good.

So Lin Yuan had someone bring Shen Fu to him. He also wanted to know what the most famous richest man in history looked like, was it a fat head with big ears, or a simple and honest appearance?

As a result, Lin Yuan was dumbfounded when the person finally arrived.

This was an old man. He was well maintained and dressed in silk satin, but these couldn’t conceal his old age. He looked kind and gentle and although he was old, his back was very straight. When he saw Lin Yuan, he knelt and bowed. Lin Yuan was dazed for a few seconds before calling him up.

“How old is elder now?” Lin Yuan felt strange. Shen Fu looked almost 70 already. If he followed the historical clues he knew, then Shen Wansan would have been over a hundred years old when he was exiled. Would Zhu Yuanzhang exile an old man over a hundred years old? It didn’t conform to the bottom line of social tradition. After all, the tradition of “respecting the elderly” had always existed since ancient times.

Shen Fu’s voice also sounded very old, and there was some hoarseness as well. He seemed to be an old man very past his prime, with the kindness that the years have bestowed on him. He said: “This caomin only celebrated my 60th birthday last year.”

At the age of sixty, one would be considered to have lived a long life, and no matter where he should be treated as a distinguished guest.

Lin Yuan stood up and said with a smile: “Elder, please sit.”

Regarding Shen Fu’s exile by Zhu Yuanzhang, was it a folklore or a historical record? Lin Yuan was sure that what he knew should be the official history. There were records in the history books, so Zhu Yuanzhang exiled a more than 100-year-old man?

Shen Fu did not appear nervous when facing Lin Yuan. He first said his intention: “To share the worries for the South Bodhisattva.”

Then he threw out his own son: “This caomin has a son, named Rong. Although he is not talented, he is also honest and willing to work. He will not complain about doing anything.”

In the end, he stated his position: “Only to be at the beck and call for the South Bodhisattva, using one’s limited power.”

Lin Yuan smiled at him and said: “Elder’s sincerity is clear to Yuan. Since elder is here, you don’t need to hurry to leave. Stay here for a while first. Ru Ning is a long way from Suzhou, and the travel is tiring. I wonder if elder’s son has followed you over? “

Shen Fu had a gray beard, and he smiled at Lin Yuan: “Naturally, my son is a natural fool, he only knows to be obedient and never has his own ideas. If I leave him alone at home, I am afraid that he will cause a lot of trouble.”

At this time, Shen Fu was not yet the richest man in Suzhou, he could only be regarded as one of the big three merchants in the area.

He was now looking for a big tree to shelter himself from wind and rain and earn more wealth.

“If this is the case, I will see you tomorrow.” Lin Yuan asked, “What does elder think?”

Shen Fu lowered his head and bowed respectfully: “I listen to South Bodhisattva’s instructions.”

When the servant led Shen Fu to leave, Lin Yuan opened the list and continued to look at it. There were many people who came to show goodwill, but most of them didn’t give too much food. It was just that the grain was not old, which was enough to see that they attached great importance to Lin Yuan, but this kind of importance was not yet to the point where one could go all the way.

Compared with them, Shen Fu was indeed generous. Unlike those people, Shen Fu was confident in himself. He believed in his own vision and his choices.

So he brought all the food he could take out, and also his son, leaving only his confidant and grandson at home.

Lin Yuan was about to say something, but saw Chen Baisong arrive with an expression of joy. This joy was so obvious that people could know his mood at a glance.

Lin Yuan teased him: “What’s this? Did you pick up money?”

Chen Baisong pursed his lips, but his eyebrows were flying with joy. He smiled and said: “The other day I said that the rations were tight. Li Congrong, that fellow, asked me to borrow food. He borrowed yet didn’t return any of it. I sent someone to ask him for it but he always says he will pay it back in time, but I am also squeezed here, this time it is a relief to my urgent needs.”

Lin Yuan thought of the consumption of food by Li Congrong’s army barracks, and he also felt a little overwhelmed.

Li Congrong was rather thickheaded, and the military strategist couldn’t win against him. When he had food, he would eat and drink with the soldiers, and when there was no food he would go hungry with them as well.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Among the generals, there was not one who he did not borrow food from.

Lin Yuan: “Don’t lend it to him next time, you tell him, if he doesn’t do well, let him come back and serve me as an ink rubbing manservant. I won’t complain.”

This person just needed a beating.

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