*Edited by LazyCat

Don’t know if Jia Fuqing was too stupid, or Hong Xiu had too much skills, but after Jia Fuqing passed the news to the court, the court did not act at all for more than half a year. But Lin Yuan also knew that this calm was only temporary. If he didn’t expand his territory further then the game of chess with the court would become more difficult for him.

Unless there was someone who stole the limelight, and was even more conspicuous than them.

However, it seemed that Lin Yuan would be the most conspicuous person for the time being.

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

Fang Guozhen would no longer rebel after he accepted the court’s recruitment. He was a standard vile character who liked to speculate. Wherever the wind blew, then that would be the direction he would go. He had no righteousness in his heart, no care for the people, only his own personal interests.

And he was a duplicitous two-face. Historically, he accepted Zhu Yuanzhang’s offer of recruitment and at the same time accepted a position as an official from the imperial court.

He would not offend either party, but would find a way to protect himself as the powers competed against each other. His ambition was not big enough, his actions timid and cautious, therefore he lived to see the very end. Although he died of illness, but, he died in the seventh year of Hongwu. Although he had no real power, but, he was still an official. (TN: Hongwu was the reign name of first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang)

Lin Yuan sometimes felt that Fang Guozhen was not suitable to be a leader of an uprising. If he was a businessman, he might be more successful than Chen Wansan.

But the most superfluous thing in this world were speculators, such as the rats that were now mixed in among the people of Gaoyou.

“Why are you arresting me!” The man who was dragged in by his arms cried out with an indignant expression, “Even if you want to torture me, you have to say what my crimes are! Isn’t it said that the South Bodhisattva has the heart of a Buddha? Is it just an act done for the world to see?”

“You are right.” Lin Yuan walked out of the back room with a smile on his face. The servants tied the man to the chair with a rope before leaving the room.

The man stared at Lin Yuan. He probably had guessed who Lin Yuan was. His eyes flickered and decided to be straightforward with Lin Yuan. He said, “You are the South Bodhisattva?”

Lin Yuan sat on the chair opposite the man, and the two faced each other. But one was neatly dressed and the other was disheveled and tied up.

“Can I ask, why did South Bodhisattva bring a small fry like me here?” The man looked indignant.

Lin Yuan still had a smile on his face: “An Laosi, what’s your real name?”

The man snorted coldly: “A man never changes his name wherever he goes, nor his surname whenever he sits. My name is An Laosi, no matter how many times you ask me, I only have this name.”

Lin Yuan nodded: “Okay, An Laosi, the reason for inviting you to come is that you and your friends have been too eye-catching recently. Originally, I looked the other way no matter what you inquired about. We make it easy for each other, right?”

An Laosi stared into Lin Yuan’s eyes: “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“To put it another way.” Lin Yuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, “Let me guess who sent you here.”

“Fang Guozhen?”

“Liu Futong?”

Lin Yuan looked at his face: “I didn’t expect provincial governor Fang to be this idle. I heard that he is doing well now and that the court values ​​him very much. It is a pity though, the court offered me the title of a Wanhu, which is quite higher than a provincial governor, am I right?”

An Laosi was practically gritting his teeth as he looked at Lin Yuan and said, “I don’t understand what you are talking about. What provincial governor?”

Lin Yuan asked him: “Are you thirsty?”

An Laosi was arrested two days ago, and he was detained in a prison for the whole of these past two days. He had not been offered any water or food. Currently, his lips were dry and peeled, his complexion sallow. Only his pair of eyes appeared bright and alert.

This person was quite good, and Lin Yuan felt some pity. If this was his subordinate, how good it would be.

Daring and loyal.

So long as he had some smarts, then he would be of great use.

“I changed my mind.” Lin Yuan said suddenly.

An Laosi didn’t understand, so he stared at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “I no longer want you to die.”

An Laosi looked at Lin Yuan. He thought that if he was discovered by Lin Yuan, he would die without question. After all, he was inquiring about the weapons armory. As long as it had something to do with the weapons armory, no matter who it was, they would definitely not let him go.

“Isn’t it strange, you obviously have done enough to make me chop your head off hundreds of times.” Lin Yuan had a smile on his face, and he really did look like a merciful Buddha, making people think he was sincere and trustworthy, with a bit of intelligence as well.

An Laosi swallowed: “What do you want to do?”

“Come in,” Lin Yuan shouted towards the door.

The servants outside the door walked in.

Lin Yuan: “Bring An Gongzi away, and make sure to serve him well.”

The servants dragged An Laosi away.

Song Shizhao, who was in the back room the whole time, only walked out now. He sat on the chair next to Lin Yuan. It was the first seat on the right hand side of Lin Yuan. Song Shizhao asked, “Boss thinks this person is still useful?”

Lin Yuan: “Everyone is useful.”

Song Shizhao stroked his beard: “But he looks rather tight-lipped and uncooperative.”

Lin Yuan smiled: “The people in this world all like three things—— money, power, and beauties. He will not be an exception.”

“No matter how much Fang Guozhen can give him, I can give more.” Lin Yuan smiled and said, “You give him a sum of money and a cart of food, and then send someone to escort him back to Fang Guozhen.”

Song Shizhao was taken aback: “Isn’t this sending him to die?”

Lin Yuan: “If he can escape alive, then I will definitely use him.”

——

An Laosi had yet to understand what had happened. When he finally realized, he had already moved from the cold, damp and dark prison to his current house. Every day he ate exquisite delicacies, and there would always be beautiful women who approached him at night. While he was vigilant, he couldn’t help but develop an illusion——that it would be great if such days could be longer.

The longer the time had passed, the more he felt at ease. He believed that this South Bodhisattva must have a use for him. Maybe he wanted to find out the provincial governor’s information. So long as he could hold out, he would get even greater benefits. Maybe he could even succeed in finding out what the provincial governor had tasked him to inquire about.

And when he returned to Huizhou at that time, he would be able to get the glory and wealth that he didn’t even dare to think of before.

He was one of the few thousands of people who rebelled alongside Fang Guozhen back then. He was willing to follow Fang Guozhen because he had had enough of living the hard days.

He wanted money, power, and beauties.

He was very vigilant, no matter how gentle the beauties were in bed or how delicious the food was, he knew that this must be an elaborate conspiracy.

After enjoying in Gaoyou for nearly two months, An Laosi was pulled up from the bed one morning, a curvaceous beauty still lying in his arms, slender arms still around his neck. The weather was already cold and the people had already begun putting on cotton layers. After being dragged from the warmth of the bed, An Laosi shivered at the chill.

“An Gongzi, South Bodhisattva was afraid that you are not happy living in Gaoyou, and therefore has ordered us to send you back to Huizhou.” The person who would be escorting An Laosi back was Li Da, who now managed thousands of people under his command. He was not very smart, but he was loyal to Lin Yuan, and sincerely believed that Lin Yuan was a god descended from the heavens.

Li Da looked at the stunned expression of An Laosi and said amiably, “I imagine An Gongzi also misses your parents? I wonder how your wife is doing?”

An Laosi: ​​”What are you planning to do?!”

Were they really going to send him back to Huizhou? For what purpose? He had been here living the good life for so long, was this just to ingratiate themselves to the provincial governor?

After he was put on the carriage, An Laosi was finally sure that this was not a trick of letting him loose in order to capture him. They really wanted to send him back to Huizhou.

The woman who had been accompanying An Laosi during this period was called Tian Xiang. She was a very ample and curvaceous beauty. She sat beside Lin Yuan, her fingers white like onions, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. Her tea-pouring movements were also extremely elegant and her voice was like a songbird’s: “He’s smart. This slave asked everything according to your instructions, but he didn’t say anything. Not even anything about taking this slave as a concubine. It can be clearly seen that he is a heartless man.”

Tian Xiang covered her mouth and smiled: “Sister Hong Xiu was at least promised a concubine position. Ai, this slave’s heart is as if it had been clawed by an eagle, so painful.”

Lin Yuan drank a sip of tea that Tian Xiang brewed and patted her hand: “You have suffered a grievance.”

Tian Xiang smiled and slipped into Lin Yuan’s arms, and said with a sweet smile: “Not aggrieved, he is great in bed, and this slave was satisfied.”

Lin Yuan: “Then treat it as if it was just visits to a free male prostitute.”

The corners of Tian Xiang’s eyes curved from her smiles: “You said before you would give it to me……”

Lin Yuan lightly tapped the tip of her nose: “I remembered, go to your sister Hong Xiu to ask for it. The wardrobe of the provincial governor’s lady is all yours.”

Tian Xiang: “You are so generous to me. What did you promise sister Hong Xiu?”

Lin Yuan shook his head and said: “Nothing at all.”

Tian Xiang held Lin Yuan’s hand and played with Lin Yuan’s fingers. She said coquettishly: “This slave doesn’t believe it.”

Lin Yuan bowed his head and said in Tian Xiang’s ear: “Your sister Hong Xiu said that she wants to sleep with me for one night.”

Tian Xiang widened her eyes, mouth also opened in surprise: “This is, this is really……”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “But I refused. It can be seen that your sister Hong Xiu is sincere towards me.”

Tian Xiang became anxious: “This slave is also sincere towards you, this slave does not want that wardrobe anymore.”

“It’s alright, I am just playing with you.” Lin Yuan, “silly girl, you must learn to be more mature, otherwise you will suffer a loss. Don’t tell me you want to do this business for a lifetime?”

Tian Xiang sighed: “This slave doesn’t know how to do anything else. My fate is to serve men. What can I do if I don’t do this? Like those women, marry a husband and become a housewife? It’s much easier like this. With money in my hands, isn’t it better than to lean on a man?”

Lin Yuan also understood the thoughts of these women. They have been practically serving men since they were young. They have seen all kinds of men in this world, and they knew the way men thought and acted, so they believed in money more than men.

And the reason why they even think about giving up the job was because they knew that they would get old one day, and before that, they needed to find a way out.

From the perspective of a modern man, this was to find and settle down with an honest life partner when one got tired of playing around.

But from the perspective of ancient men, these women were lucky to be even accepted as concubines, and those who were not lucky could only be a kept female entertainer. Both kept female entertainers and concubines could be sold and exchanged like slaves.

For example, Bai Juyi once wrote, “Ten springs of nightingale song, thrice the old and ugly have been exchanged for the young and beautiful.” (TN: Bai Juyi is a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as governor of three different provinces)

Essentially, it meant that my kept song girls will get old and ugly soon. I have changed three times in the past ten years and replaced them with new beauties.

At that time, Bai Juyi was already one foot in the grave.

Except for the wife, if a concubine was a gift from an important or influential person or had a good background herself, they may be able to escape the fate of being sold away.

However, most concubines were bought. Although they could be called half mistresses, they must be favored by the master in order to receive any respect from the servants in the manor.

Concubines could be exchanged as gifts, not to mention kept song girls who had no status at all.

In a patriarchal society, women do not have a say, to the extent that the vast majority of women could not control their own destiny. They follow the society’s trend throughout their lives and have no choice in much of anything.

Lin Yuan lifted Tian Xiang’s chin: “As you like, with me here, I can at least guarantee the peace and safety of you and your sisters.”

Tian Xiang became happy, and kissed Lin Yuan on the cheek: “You are a good man, all the men in this world cannot even compare to your little finger.”

“Yes, yes, you praise me some more and I’ll really get a swelled head.” Lin Yuan said to her, “Go to your sister Hong Xiu.”

Only then did Tian Xiang reluctantly leave.

After leaving the room, she said to herself: “I wonder who will be lucky enough to snag such a good man.”

If South Bodhisattva hadn’t explicitly rejected them, she would have climbed into his bed already.

Tian Xiang sighed.

——

After traveling on the road for more than a month, the closer An Laosi approached Huizhou, the more anxious he got.

The people who escorted him back to Huizhou left him at the gate of the city and then left. An Laosi could only enter the city alone. He first went home to see his old parents and his wife. As for the money and food, he was reluctant to throw it outside so he could only find a porter to pull it all the way back to his house.

His wife and parents hadn’t seen An Laosi for a long time. When An Laosi came back, they were all overjoyed and prepared a table of good wine and food to celebrate his homecoming.

He didn’t know why, but An Laosi did not go to see Fang Guozhen immediately.

He stayed in the room with his wife at night. His wife, a daughter from a landowner’s family, asked him: “Why do you have such a troubled look? What happened?”

An Laosi told his wife his experience of being arrested and then released in Gaoyou.

He also asked: “Say, what does that South Bodhisattva mean? If he wants to recruit me, why did he send me back?”

But his wife had on a complicated expression: “Let me ask you, if you go to see the provincial governor, and the provincial governor asks you why South Bodhisattva treated you like this, what would you say?”

An Laosi: “I don’t know, maybe he has a problem with his brain?”

His wife sneered: “You made the trip there and didn’t find out anything. Then the South Bodhisattva gave you food and money. Even if you had ten mouths can you explain your innocence? Or do you think that South Bodhisattva is interested in men and fell in love with you?”

An Laosi did not speak.

His wife: “Besides, even if he really is interested in men, that would not explain why he sent you back.”

An Laosi had originally felt that something was off, and so when his wife said this, he finally understood.

The South Bodhisattva wanted to kill him using the provincial governor’s hand.

An Laosi pursed his lips: “I’m going to see the provincial governor, and explain this clearly.”

His wife said coldly: “Pack up the things.”

An Laosi looked at her.

His wife: “While no one has yet to notice you have come back, we will leave overnight. You know the soldiers guarding the city. We go out after the curfew, and you think up an excuse.”

An Laosi was speechless: “Had it already reached this point?”

His wife had already begun to pack up her baggage: “Since the South Bodhisattva has bothered to go through so much effort, then when we go over, it will only be better than here.”

An Laosi sometimes really did not understand his wife’s thinking process.

The family packed their luggage and slipped out of the city in the middle of the night.

They didn’t ride in a carriage. Lady An was very calm, but An Laosi was anxious: “We don’t even have a horse. Don’t tell me we’ll be walking over on our legs? It might not affect the two of us, but what about my parents?”

Lady An sighed: “You are usually smart, so why are you suddenly so slow.”

They waited for more than an hour in the place where the An Laosi was dropped off before they saw someone coming with a carriage not far away.

An Laosi looked at Li Da and the others with wide eyes.

This group of people stayed here for a day and haven’t left yet?

Li Da had on a different face this time, and said respectfully to An Laosi: “An Gongzi, Lady An, please get in the carriage.”

An Laosi looked at his wife: “You already thought of this.”

Lady An has already helped her parents-in-law get into the carriage. She said to her husband: “Hurry and get on.”

Li Da drove the carriage, and the people who came with him followed behind on horseback.

Li Da said to An Laosi in the carriage, “An Gongzi, South Bodhisattva said, this is your only choice, and you don’t have to be angry. What the South Bodhisattva says is never wrong.”

An Laosi finally accepted that he had been tricked completely.

If he wanted to continue living, he could only go to Lin Yuan, and he could only recognize Lin Yuan as his new Lord.

There was no other choice.

——

Lin Yuan smiled when he learned from the person who hurried back first that An Laosi was already on his way back. Song Shizhao laid on the flattery next to Lin Yuan: “Boss has made a really beautiful calculation.”

“Unfortunately, there are no more people like this.” Lin Yuan shook his head with regret.

After having caught so many “rats”, only this one was not bad.

The others were all fools. After some threatening and temptation for a period of time, they all revealed everything. Just with a glance, he knew that they had not been trained for their job. With some of them, torture didn’t even have to be used. When they heard the screams from the cell next to them, they were so scared that they revealed everything, hoping to save their life through betraying their masters.

These people were all beheaded in the end. After the people of Gaoyou learned that they were here to spy on Gaoyou, they all felt that these people deserved it.

Song Shizhao smiled and said, “But there is good news.”

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows: “Since it is the good news from Mr. Song, I am afraid it is not a trivial matter at all?”

“There is a family surnamed Wu here to support Boss.” Song Shizhao said, “This family’s ancestor had been a Grand Master of Remonstrance.”

Lin Yuan: “An official of the Song Dynasty.”

Song Shizhao nodded: “Exactly, I think they also have some skills, so I settled them here privately to wait for news.”

“He really must be extraordinary to get Mr. Song to say such a thing.” Lin Yuan, “I happen to be free, so I will go see him with you.”

Song Shizhao smiled and said, “I can’t ask for more.”

Wu Changqing had settled and lived in the house arranged by manager Song for nearly half a year. At the beginning he was very confident, often sending gifts to Song Shizhao. But while Song Shizhao accepted the gifts he did not express anything else. Now the confidence had turned into uneasiness, and it only took half a year.

He understood what Song Shizhao was thinking. Song Shizhao was afraid that he would shake Song Shizhao’s current position and status.

But Wu Changqing could only bear it.

He originally thought about joining the Red Turban Army, but the Red Turban Army of now could only hole up in a corner.

In desperation, he chose Gaoyou.

After all, in his opinion, Taizhou produced salt and Gaoyou was the land of fish and rice. Having captured these two places, it would not be difficult to cultivate elite soldiers and subordinates. What worry was there about the great cause not succeeding.

He was full of ambitions, believing that he would become the second Wolong or the second Fengchu. (TN: nicknames for Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong respectively that literally mean hidden dragon (wolong) and phoenix fledgling (fengchu), which are used to describe hidden geniuses)

But reality gave him a slap.

He believed in his intelligence and talents in strategizing, but he was not regarded in any significance by anyone at all.

Just when Wu Changqing was about to send someone to invite Song Shizhao, Song Shizhao suddenly came by himself. Not only did he come, but he also brought a young man with him.

“They have been here for half a year, and you just leave him hanging like this?” Lin Yuan asked Song Shizhao on the way.

Song Shizhao said: “This person does have some abilities, but he is also arrogant. This subordinate was afraid that he will be disobedient and unruly so I left him hanging for half a year. It shall be very simple for Boss to recruit him at this time.”

Lin Yuan glanced at Song Shizhao. He knew Song Shizhao’s real intentions for leaving the newcomer hanging but didn’t point it out bluntly.

In addition to this given reason, the reasons why Song Shizhao did not introduce him in half a year, definitely included Song Shizhao’s own scheming.

But forget it, there was no need to make a fuss on this.

Lin Yuan: “Received a lot of benefits?”

Song Shizhao smiled cunningly: “This subordinate practically emptied his pockets.”

Lin Yuan sighed: “Truly an old fox.”

Song Shizhao: “Boss is praises me too much.”

Lin Yuan held out a hand.

Song Shizhao coughed slightly: “All things have already been handed to manager Jiang to take inventory.”

Lin Yuan nodded: “That’s more like it.”

The lean camel is still bigger than the horse. With a background like the Wu family, even if the money was not much left, they would still definitely not be lacking in valuable things.

Despite this, Song Shizhao was able to practically empty the other’s pockets. Lin Yuan had to sigh at what a wily old fox he was.

Wu Changqing walked quickly to the door. He rushed out when he heard from his old servant that manager Song had arrived. He had a lot to say, but when he saw the young man next to manager Song, he didn’t want to say any of it anymore.

The young man dressed simply, without any silk or expensive fabrics on his body, but still his whole appearance was extraordinary. And when walking he had a different presence from others, casual and relaxed, with a smile on his lips.

Wu Changqing’s eyes lit up.

After sitting on the bench for so long, spring had finally reached him.

He would definitely not let go of this opportunity to show his loyalty. If he missed this time, he did not know when the next time would come.

“Manager Song!” Wu Changqing walked down the stone steps.

Song Shizhao nodded at Wu Changqing, and said, “This is my Boss.”

Lin Yuan smiled at Wu Changqing and said, “Wu Laoye.”

Wu Changqing tried his best not to beam with joy, and in a restrained manner he invited the two of them in, saying to the old servant: “Tell the madam and young master not to go to my study.”

The old servant answered affirmatively.

Wu Changqing walked in with suppressed excitement.

His fingers were shaking uncontrollably.

Others study to pass the imperial examinations, become an official and live a good life, but Wu Changqing’s ambitions went far beyond that.

The realm has talented people with knowledge and experience, and who among them did not cheer for the troubled times.

As long as one could stir the clouds and wind in the realm, any fame, fortune, money and beauty could be forgotten. (TN: expression for influencing the state of affairs in the midst of unrest and turbulence)

Wu Changqing dusted his robe, put on a smiling face, and took a step forward.

He, Wu Changqing, had always been smarter than ordinary people since he was a child, and he believed that he was not at all lacking when compared with the advisors and strategists in history.

On the contrary, he felt that he was stronger than them.

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

Compared with them, he only lacked a little luck, and a Lord worthy of allegiance.

Wu Changqing pushed open the door to the study, and as he looked at Lin Yuan’s smiling face, his heart was full of lofty ambition.

One day, he would be known to everyone in the world.

Not as the oldest son of the Wu family.

But as Wu Changqing.

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*Edited by LazyCat

Jia Fuqing settled temporarily in Gaoyou.

He always remembered his mission, but every time he brought it up, Song Shizhao would have countless excuses for him to wait.

“These days Gaoyou and Taizhou are both busy with the autumn harvest.” Song Shizhao sat in Jia Fuqing’s room, calm and composed as he poured a cup of tea for Jia Fuqing and himself. He was wearing a scholar’s robe and a cloth hat on his head, which gave Jia Fuqing a favorable impression and made him feel closer to the other.

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

Jia Fuqing sighed: “Manager Song, we are all scholars. You should also persuade Lin Gongzi. Why give up a good life and instead live such an uneasy life? Is the imperial court so easy to provoke? The court is just overlooking it for now. But if the court really sends troops over, what are your chances of winning?”

“Yan Zi once said, ‘A person who knows the current affairs is a brilliant man, and he who knows how to adapt to the times is a hero.’ If Lin Gongzi accepts the court’s recruitment, the benefits will not be small.”

Song Shizhao shifted the subject and asked: “When is Lord Jia born?”

Jia Fuqing: “I was born in the first year of Yanyou.” (TN: the Yanyou era (1314 – 1320), a Chinese era name for Emperor Renzong of Yuan)

Song Shizhao smiled and said, “Thirty-five years old?”

Jia Fuqing nodded, and after a sip of tea, he finally felt that his throat was not so dry.

Song Shizhao asked: “Don’t know who is your respectful father?”

Jia Fuqing: “The former magistrate of Kaizhou Prefecture.”

Song Shizhao: “It turns out that Lord Jia comes from such an esteemed family background.”

Jia Fuqing raised his hand to make a humble gesture and said, “No, no, Manager Song you praise me too highly, Jia is just working for the court.”

Two generations of his family worked for the court of the Yuan Dynasty and were loyal to the court therefore they were able to live a good life. This was the education he received since childhood.

But after being a dog for too long, one could forget how to be a person.

Song Shizhao calmly, and without Jia Fuqing being aware of it, gathered all the information that Jia Fuqing knew. After Song Shizhao left the room, only then did Jia Fuqing realized that he had told a lot of truths. His original plan was to speak half-truths and half-lies, and meanwhile successfully persuade Song Shizhao, who looked like just a stuffy scholar, to his side.

Jia Fuqing drank a cup of cold tea regretfully, and said to himself: “I have made a bad move.”

On the other side, Song Shizhao told Lin Yuan everything Jia Fuqing had revealed.

Lin Yuan learned that Jia Fuqing was just a frontline scout. If they did not accept the court’s recruitment, the court would directly send troops to attack them by surprise.

To be precise, Jia Fuqing was just an expendable pawn, but he didn’t know it.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “Isn’t this a good thing?”

“Whether he wants to or not, Lord Jia must get on our thief ship.”

Song Shizhao shook his head and said, “It’s hard to say. Looking at his appearance, I’m afraid he will prefer to die for the dog court.”

Lin Yuan: “This I’m not afraid of.”

People who were not afraid of death did not know how terrible death could be.

Lin Yuan said to Song Shizhao: “Before the banquet tonight, take Lord Jia to see the execution ground.”

Some people with conclusive evidence against them were sentenced to death. And in this time, the death penalty was decapitation, which was slightly less horrifying than to chop in half at the waist, but it was not much better. Lin Yuan said: “Have him see it all clearly.”

Song Shizhao understood: “I will definitely carry it out properly.”

So before Jia Fuqing could get over his slip, Song Shizhao once again showed up to take him out of the government office. He didn’t know where he was going and he was afraid that Song Shizhao would use torture against him, so he whispered, “Where are we going?”

Song Shizhao’s attitude was very friendly: “Today there are death row prisoners to be executed, and I was just thinking of taking you to have a look.”

Jia Fuqing wanted to say, “Isn’t it just people dying? What’s to see?” But after all, he was in someone else’s territory, and he was not so confident in speaking his mind. He could only nod his head to show that he was full of curiosity.

Jia Fuqing was given special treatment and was arranged to watch from the front row seat.

Apart from the executioner, he was the closest to the prisoner.

Although he thought that dead people were common and there was nothing to fuss about, but, as a scholar and an official, Jia Fuqing had lived this many years but he really had never seen such a bloody scene before. What he saw was just a person being beat with a wooden board and then dragged away. When the news of their death came the next day, he would just nod, not affected at all.

But now, he actually saw death happening in the form of a human head landing on the floor in front of his eyes. The decapitated head rolled a few times and rolled to his feet, the blood spurting all over the floor. He looked down and found that the human head still had an opened mouth, as if he wanted to say something, or just wanted to plead for mercy.

Jia Fuqing stood there, motionless, as if someone had fixed him to the spot. He wanted to move, but couldn’t control his body, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. The sky was blue and bright, but he felt that it was darker and more frightening than the darkest night.

Song Shizhao looked at him not far away with a smile on his lips.

Birds who lived in captivity were bound to be at a loss when they encountered unexpected circumstances.

“Lord Jia.” Song Shizhao walked to Jia Fuqing again and said softly, “Have you been frightened?”

Jia Fuqing denied it, unwilling to show his timidity: “How can this frighten me? The dead I have seen……”

“I don’t know how the imperial court carries out executions.” Song Shizhao said, “Is it decapitation or chopping in half at the waist? The decapitation is better, but it also depends on the executioner’s skills. If the executioner’s skills are clean and agile then just one cut is enough. If it is a newbie executioner then that’s very unfortunate. If a person’s head could not be cut with a single stroke, there would need a second and a third stroke. Imagine how painful that would be.”

“The waist cut is even more miserable right? Your upper and lower bodies are separated, but the person will not die immediately, it’s possible they can live for another hour.”

Jia Fuqing shuddered. He did not speak, his courage was already frightened away.

When had he seen such a gruesome scene?

Song Shizhao asked: “When will Lord Jia communicate with the court?”

Jia Fuqing might be afraid, but he was still vigilant, he kept his mouth closed and refused to answer Song Shizhao’s question.

Song Shizhao also said: “I don’t know if the court cannot get Lord Jia’s reply, or if they think that our Boss has rebellious intentions, will they directly attack here? When that time comes I’m afraid Lord Jia will not be able to escape either, yes?”

“I wonder if Lord Jia will be beheaded or separated at the midsection? Or hanged?”

Jia Fuqing couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

He said with a trembling voice: “Of course the court will not……”

Song Shizhao interrupted him and said meaningfully: “What happens with the court depends on what you will do, Lord Jia.”

Jia Fuqing lowered his head along the way back. He appeared calm, but his trembling fingers gave him away.

He cherished his life and did not want to die.

At the evening banquet, Jia Fuqing sat in the seat under Lin Yuan. The table in front of him was filled with snacks and fruits. The courtesans also surrounded him. These women were all women from the brothels in Gaoyou City. Selling their bodies was the only livelihood they had for survival. Even if Lin Yuan told them before that they could survive without having to prostitute themselves any more, but they still refused.

Unlike the women who were rescued from the bandit den before, they have long been accustomed to this kind of life. They have been living in brothels since childhood. The brothels and their clients were the only components of their world. In this world, they felt at ease.

They have been taught by the teachers hired by the old brothel keeper since they were young. They must not only learn about the ways of the bedroom, but also learn poetry, song, music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Lin Yuan even thought that their level of education was probably the highest in Gaoyou.

Unfortunately, what they learned had nothing to do with philosophical thinking.

They have never learned Confucianism and never heard of Mencius.

The knowledge they learned was not for themselves, but for men.

Lin Yuan also knew that even if he forced them to leave the brothel, it would be difficult for them to integrate into society.

So Lin Yuan transformed the brothel into a high-end clubhouse.

It was now a place for chatting and discussing things. The courtesans have also become waitresses. They could still entertain guests, but they could not engage in transactions of the more intimate nature with the guests. This meant the brothel had become a place to just accompany guests in eating, drinking, and playing.

The courtesans have adapted well, and even felt that this could better reflect their charm. Under the premise that they wouldn’t be sleeping with guests, they competed with each other to attract customers, and the club’s turnover was actually even increasing.

However, because of Lin Yuan’s restrictions, there won’t be any more newcomers.

When these courtesans get old and could no longer work the trade, they could change their careers as well.

In this way the brothel would transition into a proper club.

These things had Lin Yuan extremely busy and hard pressed for time.

Now the courtesans were to serve Jia Fuqing. These courtesans may not be very beautiful, but they definetely possessed high emotional intelligence. They knew how to play and manipulate men. Once they understood the key points, they could strike up a conversation with ease, chatting with Jia Fuqing and constantly persuading him to drink.

One of the courtesans was called Hong Xiu. She was from the south of the Yangtze River and was sold to Gaoyou since she was a child. She was a classic beauty, with a small cherry mouth, elegant willow leaf brows, hair like a waterfall of ink, thin waist, oval face and even her breath smelled sweet. Her body also emitted a slight fragrance that tempted the senses. She leaned on Jia Fuqing, holding the wine cup with her pale and slender fingers to Jia Fuqing’s lips, and gently persuaded: “Lord Jia, have another cup.”

Jia Fuqing was surrounded by warm jade and fragrant scents. He was a normal man and had the common problems of all men. At first, he was worried that Lin Yuan would find fault with him so he did not dare to do anything. But seeing that Lin Yuan was not paying attention to him, he put his arms around Hong Xiu’s waist, and said: “Be good, feed it to this lord.”

Hong Xiu took a sip of wine and fed him mouth to mouth. Her face was blushed and her eyes were misted. Jia Fuqing’s mouth went dry.

If it weren’t for this being a public place, and Jia Fuqing still had some shame, it was likely he might have thrown himself at Hong Xiu.

Starting from this day, Jia Fuqing would visit Hong Xiu at the clubhouse whenever he had the time.

Hong Xiu chatted with him but also flirted with other guests at the same time. She flitted among the men, seeming to love Jia Fuqing deeply, but also seeming to disregard Jia Fuqing.

Jia Fuqing was completely bewitched by her.

Hong Xiu sat in the room, and while she was brushing her hair and putting on makeup, she complained in a soft and gentle voice: “He smells bad.”

Lin Yuan sat on a chair beside her, peeling melon seeds in his hand, and smiled at Hong Xiu: “Then you can block your nose next time?”

Hong Xiu covered her mouth and smiled: “That’s not elegant at all.”

Hong Xiu pursed her painted lips and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She touched her face and sighed: “Why does Boss care about that kind of person, and making this slave always see his ugly face.”

Lin Yuan: “You have suffered a grievance, what compensation do you want?”

Hong Xiu walked to Lin Yuan’s side, leaned her head on Lin Yuan’s shoulder, and hooked a finger in Lin Yuan’s belt. She said softly, “Will Boss stay with this slave for one night?”

With a beauty at your side, it would be false to say that he was not tempted, but Lin Yuan said: “Except me, you can choose whoever.”

Hong Xiu pursed her lips: “Forget it.”

Hong Xiu understood men. While they call her a slut in private, in front of her they still fawned on her and tried to ingratiate themselves with her. Sometimes they say “I will definitely marry you” but then soon after pulling on their pants they completely deny any responsibility. They praise her as this world’s most beautiful woman, but also call her a slut who would spread her legs for anyone.

The men speak honeyed words that were also laced through with poison.

While the thirteen-year-old Hong Xiu was always in tears, the sixteen-year-old Hong Xiu could sit beside different men with a smile that appeared sincere. Her lips had kissed countless men, and her bed had seen countless men.

Hong Xiu leaned on Lin Yuan’s shoulder and did not move, her eyes closed.

Lin Yuan didn’t move either. Hong Xiu looked more like a little girl in his eyes. She was only sixteen years old. She was only one and a half meters tall. Although she was no longer childish and full of feminine charm, he could not think of her as a woman.

Sometimes Lin Yuan himself felt that perhaps because there were too many people calling him the South Bodhisattva, he actually even developed a heart of a bodhisattva.

The room was quiet for a long time before Hong Xiu said softly: “Boss, do you want Jia Fuqing’s life?”

Lin Yuan shook his head and explained the matter to Hong Xiu in detail.

Hong Xiu nodded and said: “This slave understands.”

Jia Fuqing went to the club again at night. He eagerly chose Hong Xiu’s name and even when a beautiful woman brought in tea, he didn’t look at the other at all. He felt that he was in love with Hong Xiu. She was different from all the women he had seen before. She was prideful, beautiful, and sometimes full of smiles and affection. He felt that he could take Hong Xiu away and have Hong Xiu be his concubine. He could also enjoy the happy fate of the man from Qi. (TN: story of a man who had a wife and concubine and is an expression used to refer ironically to the joy of having several partners)

Probably because Hong Xiu had yet to arrive, his heart felt like it was being tickled by a cat.

“Jia lang.” Hong Xiu came late. She seemed to have just experienced something, her clothes were messy, and her face was flushed. (TN: lang was a familiar and affectionate way of calling a man that could be a lover or husband)

When Jia Fuqing saw her appearance, he couldn’t help becoming angry, and slapped the table, attempting to rush out: “Who touched you! I’ll kill him!”

Hong Xiu stopped him, sat down with her arms hugging his own, and said with tears: “What kind of person is this slave? How do I deserve for Jia lang to treat me this well? This slave is no longer chaste, and would be better off dead. But that I still linger in this world is just so I can look at Jia lang some more.”

Jia Fuqing’s ego was stroked so much by her words that he grabbed her waist and said: “When the South Bodhisattva accept the court’s recruitment, I will take you back to Kaizhou and take you as a concubine so that you can live a good life.”

Hong Xiu smiled and said, “Jia lang, this slave is afraid of the court.”

“If the court sent troops to attack here, wouldn’t we……”

Hong Xiu: “This slave is not afraid of death, but this slave does not want Jia lang to also……”

Jia Fuqing said: “What’s to worry, I am an official of Yuan, I will definitely be fine.”

Hong Xiu frowned: “But the weapons have no eyes on the battlefield. Those who serve as soldiers are bloodthirsty people. How do they know that you are Lord Jia?”

Jia Fuqing was taken aback for a moment, he himself did not expect this.

The people he brought were taken away by Lin Yuan, and he didn’t know where they were now. If the soldiers from the court really attacked here, he really couldn’t prove his identity, and he didn’t know how to stop those soldiers.

Moreover, he had no sway over the Mongolian generals at all.

Jia Fuqing swallowed, and comforted: “Be good, there’s nothing to fear, I will definitely protect you.”

Hong Xiu threw herself in Jia Fuqing’s arms, seeming to be deeply frightened. She whispered her fears and spoke of her past, and the more she talked the more tenderness and sympathy Jia Fuqing felt.

——

Chen Baisong was talking to Lin Yuan about the people of Gaoyou at this time.

Gaoyou had stabilized by now, and the people supported them sincerely. What the people wanted was simple. To be able to fill their stomachs and to not be mistreated.

The businessmen and merchants also reopened their businesses. Probably because too many big landowners were killed, the merchants became less daring. Their past shady business methods of cheating customers were no longer used, and when facing the poor they must also put on smiles and be cordial.

Gaoyou had become more harmonious than ever before.

Chen Bosong was now not only in charge of the military camp, but also more than one hundred bailiffs.

These bailiffs were all chosen from the soldiers. When they just learned that they were going to become bailiffs, they were so happy that they almost forgot their own surname.

After all, serving as a soldier their life was not guaranteed, but as a bailiff, that was a good job that many people could not even wish for.

Maybe Chen Baisong didn’t know how to be a government official or how to manage the people, but he definitely knew how to manage the soldiers. When the bailiffs under him were disobedient, and he learned about it, he would investigate and find out the problem. Once the reported bailiff was confirmed to have done something wrong then he would be punished.

Chen Baisong now had a bit of popularity and prestige, and all his subordinates obeyed him.

Lin Yuan leaned on the chair, holding a cup of tea, and said leisurely: “What are you worried about?”

Chen Baisong frowned and said: “Why doesn’t the young master directly claim kingship?”

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and looked at Chen Baisong: “Who told you to ask this?”

He did not think that Chen Baisong himself could think of this issue. Chen Baisong had a brain that belonged to the battlefield, but he was not blessed with other skills.

Chen Baisong did not conceal it from Lin Yuan: “The people outside say so.”

Lin Yuan smiled: “Don’t worry about them.”

Those who want Lin Yuan to be king were actually speculators. They believed themselves to know Lin Yuan, so they came up with this method to ingratiate themselves to Lin Yuan.

After all, in their eyes, the people above must be unwilling to admit their ambitions, and had to pretend at humility.

For example, Zhao Kuangyin, did he not want to be emperor? But still he had to make repeated refusals, and even cry a bit when the imperial yellow robe was worn on his body, as if he was so aggrieved that everyone was forcing him to be the emperor.

But in his heart he was definitely euphoric and overjoyed, and might even be thinking “you ignorants do have tact and intelligence.”

They felt that Lin Yuan was probably also the same. The reason why he did not become king was because no one was there to give him an excuse.

As long as the voice calling for his kingship had become louder, Lin Yuan would naturally become king, and they would be regarded as people who had done a great service for Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan looked at Chen Baisong and asked, “How many new people have arrived in Gaoyou?”

After all, the city gate was still open. As long as there was no enemy attack, it would not be closed. People from many nearby villages and towns would come to Gaoyou. Some of them came after seeing that life in Gaoyou had improved, while some were refugees that had left their hometowns. No matter how many people came, Lin Yuan accepted them all.

There would never be too many people. Young and strong men could serve as soldiers, the old, weak and sick as logistics, while the women could farm and weave.

Of course, when the harvest period was busy, the soldiers also had to roll up their trousers and go to the fields.

Otherwise, there would not be enough manpower.

Many new granary cellars have also been constructed.

Lin Yuan was almost stunned by the amount of grain in Gaoyou and Taizhou after he no longer had to deliver grain to the court.

After all, Taizhou was known for its salt and infertile land, so if there was low grain output that would be expected. But Lin Yuan was surprised to see that the output was much better than he had thought.

As for Gaoyou, the land of fish and rice, enough said.

The farmers here have been serving the crops for a lifetime.

After Lin Yuan took 50% of the crops as tax, the farmers were still left enough grain to eat for more than a year, and it was without having to tighten their belts.

The more food there was, the more secure Lin Yuan felt.

However, there were also many new troublemakers in the city. Many of these people had regional accents from other places, pretending to be businessmen, or commoners living nearby. They were not necessarily all sent by the court, as some may also come from other parties.

The rumors about Lin Yuan’s claim to kingship were probably contributed by them.

Lin Yuan said to Chen Baisong: “Do you think there are benefits for me to claim kingship?”

Chen Baisong used the thinking of this era and said: “Naturally, that way your rule would be justified.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “What then?”

Chen Baisong did not understand: “What do you mean what then?”

Lin Yuan said: “After I have claimed kingship, the court will certainly not let me go, and what I have is still just Taizhou and Gaoyou. There are only disadvantages and no benefits. Why should I claim kingship?”

Chen Baisong was taken aback, having seemed to just discover this.

Lin Yuan sighed.

Chen Baisong was loyal and a natural war machine, but other than that, he seemed a bit guileless.

Lin Yuan said to him: “You don’t have to listen to what the outsiders say. When the rumors outside reach your ears, first think about who these people are. What do they plan to do with these words, what could be the intentions behind these words, who are they trying to incite? And who is their intended audience.”

Chen Baisong sat on the side, his posture casual as he said: “I listen to the young master.”

Lin Yuan felt helpless.

Chen Baisong also said: “Do you need me to deal with those people?”

Lin Yuan shook his head: “No, it would be alerting them in advance if we move now. Wait for a while to see what they are going to do.”

It wasn’t as if they just came to watch the excitement?

Lin Yuan even felt that some of the people who came over belonged to Fang Guozhen and Liu Futong.

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

Their purpose was still unknown, but they would naturally appear in front of him when it was time for them to emerge.

“The letters Jia Fuqing sent out have been read by Hong Xiu.” Chen Baisong said, “The letter says that he will persuade you over soon.”

Lin Yuan nodded: “You tell Hong Xiu, we must continue to delay.”

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*Edited by LazyCat

After taking Gaoyou, the imperial court once again sent someone to deliver documents.

The person who was sent was a Han, probably because the court thought it would be easier for a Han to communicate with them. The Han who was sent was a small official named Jia Fuqing. He was dressed in plain clothes and had a small beard. When Lin Yuan saw him at the time, he felt that he looked like a typical Han official.

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

Standing in front of Lin Yuan, Jia Fuqing was a little nervous. He didn’t know what bad luck had befallen him, to be sent to have talks with rebel thieves. In his opinion, Lin Yuan in front of him appeared to be just a young man who had a bit of a scholarly bearing. But in the end, he was still a rebel thief. The rebel thieves are unreasonable. You never know if they would cut off your head in the next second due to a small disagreement.

“Brother Jia.” When Lin Yuan saw Jia Fuqing, he greeted him with enthusiasm, “I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

Jia Fuqing was taken aback, but soon quickly reacted, and said with a smile to Lin Yuan: “I heard of Lin Gongzi’s name even in Zhengzhou. Sure enough, Lin Gongzi is a heroic young man with much talent, so why become a……”

He sighed, looking very regretful.

Lin Yuan smiled and asked, “What do you think of Lin?”

Jia Fuqing sighed: “The court sent people a few months ago to bring documents. As long as Lin Gongzi is willing to submit to the court, you will be gifted with 10,000 households and made a Wanhu. Wouldn’t that be better than living a life of precariousness now? Looking ahead, since Fang Zhizhong had submitted to the imperial court he is now the governor of Huizhou. If Lin Gongzi also submits to the court the title of Wanhu will be in your grasp.”

“Lin Gongzi, you also know that the court is now willing to grant you the title of Wanhu because it pities your soldiers and people, and not because the court is powerless. If the court is forced to send troops, then Han Shantong’s fate is in front of you.”

Jia Fuqing appeared to be neither too humble nor too overbearing, and his words were spoken entirely for Lin Yuan’s consideration.

Lin Yuan was not angry either, and smiled at Jia Fuqing: “Brother Jia has just made the long travel, so perhaps a short rest is in order. After that, shall we talk some more?”

“Come in.”

The servants waiting outside swarmed in. Their footsteps were very quiet and their movements also very orderly. When they came in, they did not brush up against anyone at all. Jia Fuqing lowered his eyes, but he was secretly astonished.

These servants felt like soldiers.

“Take Lord Jia to his room.” Lin Yuan ordered.

The servants responded with an affirmative and a man of medium build walked up to Jia Fuqing and bowed his head saying, “Lord Jia, please.”

Jia Fuqing couldn’t refuse, and could only leave with the servants.

When Jia Fuqing left, Lin Yuan had someone bring over Song Shizhao. Song Shizhao was more like a scholar than Lin Yuan. If one only looked at his appearance, no one would have thought that Song Shizhao had the courage to rebel. He only needed to wear a robe and a literati hat to appear like any old stuffy scholar walking on the road.

Song Shizhao also knew that the imperial court had sent someone over, and of course he also understood that Lin Yuan called him over to solve the imperial emissary’s problem.

“We can’t let him go back at this time.” Lin Yuan said to Song Shizhao, “We must have him stay at least six months, and the letters he sends to the court should also make the court feel that I am considering, rather than refuse to ever submit to the court.”

Song Shizhao touched his chin, and asked: “Boss wants to use the delaying method, but I’m afraid the court won’t have so much patience.”

Lin Yuan: “Before we capture Changshu and Songjiang, we can’t completely display open animosity towards the court.”

He had no desire to be the rebel army targeted by the Yuan court after Han Shantong.

After all, the court’s army was not all made up of the useless. In fact, Tuotuo Timur was a famous general during the late Yuan Dynasty.

He did not die on the battlefield, but died from schemes at the court.

His life was eventually taken by the Yuan Dynasty, the very thing he was loyal to.

In Lin Yuan’s memory, Tuotuo Timur was a very famous general and a rare military talent. He not only learned the culture of his own ethnic peoples, but also the Confucian culture of the Hans. He was also very good at calligraphy, the script powerful and similar in style to Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy style. He was also talented at painting bamboo. And because he accepted Confucianism, he also lived according to Confucian standards.

And, like Zhang Shicheng, he had been brawny and physically strong since he was a child.

Probably all generals were born with this talent?

Lin Yuan remembered that Chen Youliang seemed to have excelled at physical strength since childhood.

He thought about it seriously. If he could leave a trace in the history books, it was likely that some people would say that he was also physically superior.

This made Lin Yuan suddenly feel a little bit amused.

Anyway, most generals had the habit of boasting of their strength and wisdom.

It was impossible to pinpoint the truth. What was recorded in the history books was passed down over many years, and who knew how many people have edited and made changes.

Song Shizhao said: “I will take care of this matter for Boss, and will not disappoint Boss.”

Lin Yuan smiled at him: “Giving the matters over to Mr. Song, I am always at ease.”

Mr. was a respectful form of address, not just for teachers. As for whether Song Shizhao actually taught or not, no one cared. After Lin Yuan called him this a few times, other people also followed along.

This made Song Shizhao feel very happy, but he would not show it, only secretly feel pleased.

After all, it was a person sent by the imperial court, so some respect was called for. The people were very respectful to Jia Fuqing. After being taken to the room arranged for him, Jia Fuqing also saw the Four Treasures of the Study placed out on the table (TN: the essentials of calligraphy and scholarship which includes brush, ink, paper and ink-stone). There were even clothes prepared for him which felt rather strange to Jia Fuqing. He had only been here for one day, and there was no tailor to measure him. But even if he had been measured, clothes couldn’t be made in one day.

The middle-aged man who took him into the room lowered his head and said respectfully: “Lord Jia, if you have a need for something just ring this bell here and someone will answer to your needs.”

Jia Fuqing nodded: “This is convenient.”

The middle-aged man said: “These clothes are all newly made. No one has ever worn it before. If you think it is a bit loose, just ask a tailor to come over and tighten it for you.”

Jia Fuqing was taken aback for a moment, having not expected that there would be such a practice. He said: “Even if it is tightened, it is still not as suitable as tailored clothes.”

The middle-aged servant smiled: “Lord Jia is joking with us. We are not rich here and can’t afford so many tailors.”

Jia Fuqing laughed dryly.

When he came over, he didn’t have time to look around outside, and he didn’t know the current situation in Taizhou and Gaoyou.

However, according to his speculation, Lin Yuan was a young man. And young men lacked years and experience. There may be one or two experts around him, but it was impossible for the hearts of the people of Taizhou and Gaoyou to convert towards Lin Yuan in such a short time.

Perhaps the situation in Gaoyou and Taizhou was not as good as he speculated.

At this time, many people on the street walked out of their homes one after another. The bell was struck, and even the people who were working stopped their work. The supervisor did not scold like they used to when seeing their workers being lazy. They also went to the side of the street and waited for the sound of the bell to get closer.

“They’re here! They’re here!”

The little boy ran all the way, with a smile on his face. If one didn’t know better one would think it was the New Year. He shouted: “They’re here!”

The crowd was very noisy, talking to each other with joy on their faces.

The sound got closer, and they finally saw the arrivals.

The first person to enter the field of vision wore brown prison pants. Prisoners had no clothes to wear. The most they had on was only a pair of pants that were cropped. He was unkempt, and had a big belly that everyone knew at a glance was not something other than a rich person could have.

Every time he took a step his stomach wobbled. His hands and feet were also shackled. There were two bailiffs escorting him, one on the left and one on the right. One of them was holding a bell in his hand and the other was preaching loudly the crimes that the prisoner had committed.

The people looked at the originally rich and entitled lords with excitement as they were now imprisoned and being paraded on the streets. They all had a smile on their faces.

If it weren’t for not bearing to waste even rotten vegetable leaves and eggs, they would probably throw it at those prisoners.

They don’t dare to throw stones either, because they were afraid they might hit the bailiffs next to the prisoners.

“Who is this person?” Most of the poor have never seen the lords and masters above, and naturally they couldn’t recognize who this person was.

The person next to him replied: “I heard the officer say that this person is the master of the Zhao family!”

“Hah! Master Zhao! He is ‘this’ at our Gaoyou!” Someone made a gesture to show master Zhao’s wealth.

The man laughed: “Whatever he used to be, now he is a prisoner! Do you know what a prisoner is? They have to be tattooed on their face, their property has to be confiscated, and they will be beheaded after a month of parade.”

“What crime did he commit?”

The man said mysteriously: “I heard someone sued him to the South Bodhisattva. When the South Bodhisattva knew that he harmed and oppressed the commoners, he ordered him to be arrested and atone for his crime, his money to be shared with the people he had oppressed.”

“Really? All distributed to the people?”

“How could it be false? The South Bodhisattva has spoken, who would dare not listen? Who doesn’t know what kind of person is the South Bodhisattva? He naturally stands on our side!”

“That’s natural.”

People naturally discussed among themselves.

“I didn’t expect that when the South Bodhisattva came over, those soldiers did not steal our things at all.”

“Do you know what it means for a military order to be like a mountain? The South Bodhisattva told them not to disturb the people. Of course, they will not disobey the South Bodhisattva’s orders. Where can they find a South Bodhisattva who thinks about the people like this!”

While people were whispering, someone suddenly rushed to the middle of the road. He rushed madly over and punched and kicked at master Zhao. The bailiffs on the side pretended not to see it. After a while when they saw that this person didn’t stop, then they pulled the man away.

The person who rushed out shouted, “The South Bodhisattva brings justice for the people! The man surnamed Zhao forcibly occupied the land where I lived and forced my sister to go to his house as a slave. It was but for a year when she was sent back as just bones! This man surnamed Zhao told me that my sister died from a cold, but why didn’t he inform us in advance? Sending her back only when already dead, and won’t even give us a spot of land for burial!”

“If there is no South Bodhisattva! I don’t know when my sister’s death could be avenged!”

“I kowtow to the South Bodhisattva!”

Facing the direction of the government offices, the man knelt down, and honestly knocked his head more than a dozen times. The blood dripped down his forehead by the time he stopped. He wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve and then left the intersection.

People were moved. They were oppressed in the past but could only keep silent and tell themselves to bear with the hardship.

They had no other choice except for enduring it.

After enduring it for a long time, they even seemed to feel that the lords and masters above were right.

Their property and children, whatever the masters want they could just take it at will.

Otherwise, they would face a situation worse than the destruction of their family.

The daughters and sons born with beautiful or fine appearances had to hide at home since they were young, lest they be seen by the lords and masters and taken away.

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

After being taken away, if the daughter was lucky enough she could become a concubine. But most of the sons taken were played with until they were crippled or dead before being sent back.

The people shouted: “South Bodhisattva brings justice to the people!”

“Kill the dog officials! Kill the scum that oppress the people!”

“South Bodhisattva!”

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*Edited by LazyCat

When Lin Yuan saw the city gates slowly opening from inside Gaoyou, he himself was a little confused.

After all, he did not arrange for people to go in to instigate rebellion, so this move was a choice made by Gaoyou soldiers themselves?

Not only Lin Yuan, but the people at his side were also stunned. Even the soldiers who were currently laying siege on the city did not expect such a situation.

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

Wasn’t this opening the door yourself and waiting for them to enter?

They were practically saying: “Gaoyou welcomes you”.

Lin Yuan shouted: “Enter the city!”

Regardless of whether this was the other party’s strategy, they must seize the opprtunity and charge in now. Even if they had explosives, it was still not an easy thing to break open the city gates. Although the city gates was a wooden gate, but, the thickness did would not allow their explosives to easily penetrate it.

If they used the traditional method of hitting at the gates with a battering ram, the sacrifices would be even greater.

Lin Yuan raised his long sword up high, and the Lin family army with their conditioned reflexes reacted before they had even thought about it, charging through the opening where Lin Yuan’s sword pointed.

Before the attack on Gaoyou, Lin Yuan had repeatedly ordered that they were not allowed to harm the people in Gaoyou or rob them of their property.

In fact, Lin Yuan could understand why in ancient times, most of the generals would not try to prevent the soldiers under their command from looting or vandalizing after winning battles. This was because the soldiers who had just experienced the bloodlust of war were still in a stage of extremely heightened adrenaline and needed to vent. In order to recruit more and win over these soldiers, the generals would not restrict them.

As for public grievances? That was something the Emperor had to consider. These generals were only responsible for fighting and winning. As for subduing the people, that was left to the officials sent by the court.

Lin Yuan’s method for getting the soldiers out of this stage——was to loot and vandalize the government offices.

He also brought a large amount of food and meat, so that after the battle, the soldiers could vent through their appetite and smashing of the government offices.

Although he also knew that such a method might not work, but there was no better way at this stage.

If he wanted the soldiers to develop the habit of not looting and vandalizing, then he could only rely on subtle training to influence their habits.

It’s just that the duration of their training was still too short.

Maybe when the time came he could organize the people of the city to thank them, which would arouse their sense of responsibility and heroism.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Baisong were the first to lead the soldiers into Gaoyou City.

The soldiers behind them followed closely.

At this time, Lin Yuan still couldn’t support a cavalry, so he could only use infantry.

Fortunately, the current Yuan Dynasty army was mostly composed of Han people. During the late Yuan Dynasty, not much was left of the Yuan Dynasty’s cavalry that had first conquered the world back then.

Chen Baisong’s long knife swept up. On his horse, he leaned his head aside to avoid the opponent’s long knife. He then flipped over and dismounted, wresting the opponent’s weapon with his bare hands, and piercing the opponent through his chest.

Only then did he remount his horse and continued to charge forward.

In a battle of cold weapons depended only on who had more agile movements and sharper weapons.

Just behind Chen Baisong, the gunpowder team shouted: “Get down!”

All the people from the Lin family army heard the sound and got on the ground instantly. Only Gaoyou’s soldiers did not understand, standing there stupidly with their weapons raised in mid-air.

They only saw a flash of fire in front of their eyes and a huge explosion sounding in their ears, as sharp metal pieces flew every which way. Only the Gaoyou soldiers in plain clothes had no time to react, standing right at the target position of the gunpowder explosives. Many of them were hit by the sharp metal pieces, with the lucky ones only getting scratched, and the unlucky ones directly pierced through by the metal pieces.

Lin Yuan brought a lot of gunpowder explosives this time, using them excessively as if they weren’t as costly as they were.

When the gunpowder bags were all thrown out, the soldiers of Gaoyou were either killed or frightened into a daze. They had never experienced such a battle before. Everywhere they could see was fire and their ears were practically deafened by the huge explosions.

Taking advantage of their pause, Chen Baisong and Zhu Yuanzhang at this time caught them by surprise.

Compared with the soldiers in Gaoyou, the soldiers on Lin Yuan’s side had more faith——although this belief came from feudal superstition.

But this faith filled them with courage and the result was that they all became extremely courageous and valiant.

What’s more, the low-level soldiers in Gaoyou could barely eat enough, and they rarely even see meat in a month.

The soldiers on Lin Yuan’s side were different. Lin Yuan hadn’t mistreated them at all, especially when it came to eating. In fact, Lin Yuan practically went broke to ensure that the soldiers all have good physiques.

——Although in truth it did not get to the point of completely breaking his pockets.

Before setting off, he even played up the pitiful act to the soldiers, telling them that the reason why they didn’t get as much meat as before was because they ate too much and they made him poor. So in order to be full, Gaoyou must be captured. This way, they could once again live a life where they could eat meat every three days.

“Kill!” Chen Baisong shouted in the front.

The soldiers behind echoed: “Kill!”

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Chen Baisong. Likely not wanting to lose to Chen Baisong, he also charged in the frontal position.

——

After two days and one night, Lin Yuan could finally breath a sigh of relief when they succeeded in winning Gaoyou. It would be detrimental to them to drag it any longer.

But Lin Yuan didn’t have time to relax. He had to first record the number of people killed, then appease the ordinary people, and finally decide how to deal with the prisoners of war.

“Young master, take a break.” Chen Baisong, who woke up from his nap and saw Lin Yuan still standing outside waiting for people to report the number of war casualties, couldn’t help but persuade the other.

Lin Yuan rubbed his face and struggled to stay awake, saying to Chen Baisong, “I can’t sleep unless I finish everything in one breath.”

Chen Baisong was helpless: “It’s not a day’s work.”

Lin Yuan smiled: “You actually know this expression.”

Chen Baisong: “I heard it being said by the scholar from my original villa.”

Regarding this scholar, Lin Yuan had also put him to good use, and was now working as a teacher in Taizhou. Lin Yuan did not miss a chance to find a use for all talents.

The main reason was that Lin Yuan discovered that this scholar was really just a scholar and did everything completely by the book. So Lin Yuan only had the man teach children to read and write. Other teachers would teach the students about other things.

Even the courses were drawn up by Lin Yuan.

In regards to his habit of considering too much, Lin Yuan himself couldn’t do anything about it either.

So he was always appallingly busy.

Zhu Yuanzhang brought his men over at this time and bowed to Lin Yuan first before saying: “2,620 brothers died.”

Although Lin Yuan was prepared, he couldn’t help but inhale sharply when he heard this number.

“Bury them well, and give their families twenty taels as pensions.”

Zhu Yuanzhang promised to do so.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Baisong stood next to Lin Yuan after their subordinates left.

“Boss.” Zhu Yuanzhang still used the original title, “There are more than 4,300 prisoners of war.”

Lin Yuan: “Keep them locked up first.”

The families of these people may not all be in Gaoyou. What he needed to worry about now was that if they were pardoned, then someone among them might inform the court. That would become a problem.

Lin Yuan thought about it for a while and then said: “Starve them for a while.”

Zhu Yuanzhang responded with an affirmative.

As for how to subdue them when the time came, after removing those who may have contact with the court it could be left to later consideration.

——

Zhao Xiaosi curled up in a corner of the prison. The first time he went to the battlefield, he became a prisoner of war before he could even react.

There were more than a dozen people in this small cell. They still had blood on their bodies, and some of them had stab wounds. They could not lie down as there was not so much space. They had to sit squeezed up next to each other. If they were really tired they could only lean on a comrade’s shoulder to sleep for a while.

Zhao Xiaosi was the youngest among them, only thirteen years old. He was only half the height of his fellow comrades, and he did not take up much space when he curled up there.

Zhao Xiaosi whispered: “I’m so hungry.”

His comrades did not speak, only the sound of gurgling bellies sounded in their ears.

It only made them hungrier.

Just when they were sitting there numbly, the jailers came in. These jailers were soldiers brought by Lin Yuan and took charge of the prison temporarily.

The jailers just received their own food outside, which they brought in to eat while also tormenting the prisoners of war a bit.

These meals were all placed on specially made plates made by the artisans collected by Lin Yuan. It was impossible to use iron so all was made with copper. There were copper mines in Taizhou, and not much of it was mined, which benefited Lin Yuan.

The plates were made according to Lin Yuan’s drawings.

The style of the plates was the kind he used in the canteen when he was in college.

The scent of the food soon spread all over the prison.

The prisoners of war were even hungrier and looked at the jailers with hungry eyes.

A jailer spat at them: “What are you looking at? Careful that I don’t dig out your eyes!”

After scolding them, he said triumphantly: “Did you have such meals when you were a soldier of the dog court?”

“Have you eaten so much rice?”

“How often do you eat meat?”

Among the prisoners of war one had the courage to say: “We eat meat once a month.”

He swallowed: “I have never eaten white rice in my whole life.”

The jailer laughed and said, “I have never eaten it before either. But since I signed up under the South Bodhisattva, I can eat meat once in three days, eat enough steamed buns every day, and eat white rice once every seven days.”

The prisoner of war asked again: “I heard that you don’t need to be beaten by the army supervisors?”

The jailer spat again: “No need for the supervisors to do anything. If a fellow doesn’t know obedience, his squad mates would beat him up instead.”

Otherwise, the excellent evaluation of a squad would be lost.

If a squad got an excellent evaluation, not only will it be named and praised by the entire military camp, but all the squad members will also get a pot of meat stew.

There was meat, vegetables, and sauce, enough for an adult man to eat for a day.

Not only that, but also white rice.

Everyone in the squad would get a share.

If someone dared to hold back his squad mates, there waa no need for the army supervisors to say anything, the others in the same squad would have already taught him a private lesson.

Because the military camp did not allow armed fighting and they were afraid of being reported, the way they taught troublemakers a lesson was just to speak reason. If reason didn’t work, then they ostracized him. If that did not work, then they tell the supervisors to remove him from their squad and have him he sent to the labor reform squad.

The training intensity of the labor reform squad was greater than that of all the other regular squads. There was almost no break from morning to night, and they were always under surveillance. If one wanted to be lazy, then the intensity of training would be increased even more.

Now the military camp had the squad as the lowest unit, followed by the platoon.

They all gained a sense of collective honor in a short period of time.

The prisoners of war did not understand. They were all soldiers, but why was the gap so big?

He was a bachelor, with no family he needed to think for, so he shouted out: “Officer! I am willing to work for the South Bodhisattva!”

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

“Officer! Accept me!”

Zhao Xiaosi looked at that prisoner of war, and he also wanted to shout along with him, but he didn’t dare.

He lowered his head and thought, if someone else also shouted, then he’ll follow along?

If so many people were together, then he would not be afraid.

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*Edited by LazyCat

On the day of the attack on Gaoyou there was rare good weather.

There was no wind, thousands of miles without clouds, and the sky was blue and clear like it had been washed. Lin Yuan led an army of more than ten thousand. Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Baisong, and Li Congrong all followed him. Gaoyou had 10,000 permanent troops, but it was only called ten thousand strong. Among them, there were many old, weak, sick and disabled. The military households have been military households for generations. The father died and his son inherited the titles and land, and when his son died the grandson inherited everything. In terms of fighting strength, Lin Yuan’s army was not their opponent.

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

But many years have passed.

The Mongolian warriors who were brave and superior in fighting have gradually lost their former glory.

Moreover, most of the people in the army were of ethnic Han, and the Han were at the bottom of the society in the Yuan Dynasty. Even in the army, only very few could climb up in status.

Some of them joined the army for their livelihood, but some were forced into the army.

It goes without saying that the people’s hearts and loyalty were unstable.

Weapons and equipment have also not been updated for many years.

Once they began to worry about whether they could win this battle, they had already lost half of it.

People on Lin Yuan’s side worship Lin Yuan blindly, and they think that as long as they follow Lin Yuan, there was no unwinnable battle.

In terms of momentum, Lin Yuan’s army has an advantage.

Sometimes the commoners were not necessarily worse than the official army, and sometimes the so-called faith could indeed make people brave.

The soldiers followed Lin Yuan, and no one whispered to each other. All the training under a collective system was indeed useful.

Although the soldiers have not been trained to march, but because the soldiers were in good spirits, they actually all marched neatly on the road.

Wanhu Ulaanbaalsi of Gaoyou was lying on the bed when he heard that someone was attacking the city, with his arms around a beauty offered by his subordinates. As soon as he heard the news, he immediately threw aside the woman in his arms. The woman rolled to the ground and finally stopped with her limbs spread out, a purple palm print on her neck——she was already strangled to death by Ulaanbaalsi before he fell asleep. (TN: wanhu: ducal title meaning lord of 10,000 households also translated as Marquis)

Ulaanbaalsi cursed, but he hurriedly put on his clothes, and then went to get his longbow and knife.

“What happened?” Ulaanbaalsi asked his confidante as he walked.

The confidante followed him: “They are attacking the city, wanhu, our people will not be able to resist for long.”

Ulaanbaalsi widened his eyes and roared: “What did you say?!”

The confidante swallowed and fearing that Ulaanbaalsi would turn his knife on him, kept a distance from Ulaanbaalsi as he said: “Wanhu, we have only 7,000 people! Among them, there are nearly half who are old, weak, sick and disabled! The enemy has explosives, wanhu!”

Ulaanbaalsi was very self-preserving. He turned his head and asked, “Everyone has gone over?”

The confidante nodded: “All the troops that can be mobilized have gone.”

Ulaanbaalsi asked again: “How many people are in the other party? Do you know who is the leader?”

The confidante said: “There may be more than ten thousand, and the leader……I am afraid it is the South Bodhisattva of Taizhou.”

Ulaanbaalsi knew about this South Bodhisattva, and many people in the army believed in him, but these people did not dare to speak out. As early as a month ago, Ulaanbaalsi had killed several followers of the South Bodhisattva. These people felt that there was no future in following the Yuan army. They had originally planned to call on some in the army to go to Taizhou and join the South Bodhisattva, but were betrayed to Ulaanbaalsi who killed them all for the sake of restoring stability to the military.

But though the people were killed, the only result was that the people in the army dared not talk about the South Bodhisattva anymore.

Ulaanbaalsi’s eyes flickered and he said to his confidante: “You go over first, and I will write for help.”

The confidante did not suspect him, and he went to the city wall.

But Ulaanbaalsi returned to his house.

He was a wanhu, and knew that even if he asked for help now, it would not be possible for the reinforcements to come over in such a short time.

Moreover, there were now many calls of rebellion, even if they asked for help, there may not necessarily be reinforcements coming.

He knew his own military strength. If he lost, he would surely die, and he couldn’t see the hope of winning.

He kicked away the body of the woman in the house and started to pack up valuables.

——

Zhou Siwu followed behind a fellow soldier, holding a rusty knife in his hand. He didn’t even have a helmet and was only dressed in cloth. His armor was his flesh and blood. It was the first time Zhou Siwu went on the battlefield. He was a forcibly recruited soldier. He only remembered that he was a farmer in a village and there was a girl who was his childhood sweetheart. But then a group of soldiers appeared. Because his childhood sweetheart was the best-looking girl in the area, she was called to serve the leader of that group of soldiers.

At that time, he was so angry that he wanted to rush to rescue his sweetheart with his axe.

But when he was near the yard, he thought of his family.

He squatted on the ground, and finally couldn’t help crying in pain. He seemed to hear the screams of his sweetheart, but he couldn’t do anything but listen numbly.

For a moment, he felt that he might as well die.

He squatted there until dawn broke the next day, and the sound of a rooster crowing reached his ears.

He thought in his heart that even if his sweetheart was defiled, he still admired her and was willing to marry her. He could treat it as if it had never happened in his life.

But the heavens did not give him a chance.

After his sweetheart was sent home, she committed suicide while her family was away.

Before he could even see her one last time, she was taken away.

Zhou Siwu had waited all this time. He thought, weapons have no eyes on the battlefield, and he would have a chance to kill that leader.

He endured the suffering in silence and waited year after year, finally waiting for this day.

Zhou Siwu held the hilt of his knife tightly and looked at the leader ahead.

This was the only way he could think of that would not implicate his family.

When the leader died, he would also end his life.

He remembered that his fellow soldier had said that the people under the South Bodhisattva had a good life. He also said that serving as the South Bodhisattva’s soldiers would not face unfair treatment, and the leaders there would not be able to take civilian girls, otherwise they would be subjected to military law.

Looking at the sky Zhou Siwu thought, if the man who was in charge of the place where his family lived was the South Bodhisattva, would his sweetheart not die, would he be able to marry her and have a few children? Men farming and women weaving, just living a normal life.

Zhou Siwu lowered his head, fearing that the resentment in his eyes might be seen.

The soldiers around him did not speak.

Apart from fear, everyone felt only numbness.

When they climbed up to the top of the city wall, Zhou Siwu joined the soldiers stationed there. The leader scolded him: “Useless thing! Take up your knife!”

Zhou Siwu glanced at the leader.

The leader saw his red eyes, and thinking he was afraid, mocked: “As expected of Han people, all cowards!”

Suddenly Zhou Siwu knelt down, shaking all over.

The leader felt that he had frightened the other and spat: “You dare not kill the enemy, but you kneel very quickly.”

Zhou Siwu crawled over slowly and hugged the leader’s leg.

The leader wanted to kick him away, but found that he was hugging too tightly, and cursed: “Let go!”

Zhou Siwu gritted his teeth and suddenly pulled out the knife. He raised his hand and inserted the blade into the leader’s stomach then he slid to the side. The leader looked shocked as his intestines fell out of his stomach, hurriedly trying to hold it with his hands but he was kicked down the city wall by Zhou Siwu.

Someone came to suppress him. Zhou Siwu kneeled on the ground motionless like a dead man. He was ready to die a long time ago. Anyway, this battle would definitely be lost. He would be dead by then, and no one would pursue his crimes. It would not affect his parents and brothers.

Just when he thought that he was bound to die, suddenly someone killed the person who was holding him down.

Zhou Siwu looked up and saw a fellow soldier who he was close to standing in front of him.

He heard him say: “I quit! I have been using my life to defend this Mongolian empire! I f**king rebel! I’m going to open the city gate! Welcome the South Bodhisattva into the city! I would rather serve as a soldier under the South Bodhisattva!”

The soldier looked around, a long and hideous scar on his dark face. At this time, it shifted with his expression like a centipede.

The soldiers in their team did not speak.

They were already desperate, no matter how obedient, they would always be punished for the mistakes of their superiors instead. The young people come in, thirteen or fourteen years old, and because of unreasonable charges they were administered with the military stick until beaten bloody. And then struggling all night before dying.

“I don’t want to swallow my grievances anymore!”

“Brother! We listen to you!”

“Anyway, if advance and retreat all mean death! Then, it’s better to take a bet!”

Zhou Siwu didn’t expect that he would survive. He stared blankly at everything in front of him, and he didn’t understand why all of a sudden, his fellow soldiers had rebelled and were going to open the city gate.

He just hated the leader. He didn’t have the guts to rebel, and he didn’t have the guts to fight against the court.

He was afraid of implicating his family.

Weren’t his fellow soldiers afraid of implicating their family?

Zhou Siwu’s mind became muddy, and he couldn’t figure out anything, climbing down the city wall with his fellow soldiers in a daze.

When they got close to the soldiers guarding the city gate, he finally came back to himself, and said to his comrades in fear: “No, no, we can’t rebel, what would happen to our families if we rebel? What would happen to our parents?!”

The soldier suddenly laughed: “Who knows if they are still alive.”

“The world has fallen into chaos and so many people have been displaced, how do you know that your parents have not become refugees?”

“I want to live, I don’t want to die, I’m unable to care about that many things!”

Zhou Siwu wanted to persuade them, he burst into tears, grabbed the hand of the soldier, opened his mouth and said hoarsely: “I don’t know if my parents are still there, but I dare not gamble, let’s not open the city gate. Let’s escape! Let’s escape! We can still live!”

“How to escape? Where would we escape?” The soldier smiled with difficulty, “Look at it for yourself, where can you escape? Can you escape? There is no way! Zhou Siwu! Let’s open the gates now! The South Bodhisattva comes in, and we still have a chance to survive! If the gate is not opened, if they charge in, then we will have to die!”

Zhou Siwu said in a trance: “Being a soldier one must be prepared for death……”

“But that doesn’t mean we should die for that group of beasts!”

Zhou Siwu took a step back in fear.

He did not dare to oppose the imperial court, after all it was the imperial court!

How could they dare to open the city gate!

Zhou Siwu turned to run, but his comrade strangled his neck with a rope from behind.

Zhou Siwu struggled with hands scratching randomly, eyeballs protruding from his eye sockets.

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

Before losing consciousness, he heard his comrade say: “We saved you, but you still want to be a dog for the court. It’s better that you go die.”

Zhou Siwu’s body collapsed limply at the foot of the city wall.

His eyes were open.

He had died with remaining grievances.

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*Edited by LazyCat

“Han Shantong is dead.” After returning from making some inquiries outside, the first sentence Jiang Gui said was this, “Liu Futong escaped with his son.”

Lin Yuan nodded and said to Jiang Gui: “Brother Jiang, sit.”

Jiang Gui sat opposite Lin Yuan and asked strangely: “Why is fourth brother not surprised at all?”

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

Lin Yuan smiled and said: “It’s expected.”

Jiang Gui’s eyes widened: “The Xiang Army had such momentum but you expected them to lose to the Yuan Army?” (TN: Xiang Army is another name for Red Turban Army)

Lin Yuan was playing chess with himself. The original owner knew how to play chess. Recently, he had been feeling agitated and there was no one to accompany him, so he played with himself. He said to Jiang Gui: “On both sides of the Yellow River, everyone follows Han Shantong blindly. As long as the court is not blind, naturally they will send heavy troops over. What can they do otherwise? Let Han Shantong step on the face of the court?”

“Then Liu Futong taking Han Lin’er to escape, you also expected this?” Jiang Gui couldn’t figure this out. “Why doesn’t Liu Futong take control and instead support Han Shantong’s son?”

Lin Yuan placed down a chess piece causing the white Go chess pieces to be surrounded, and said with a smile: “Liu Futong had been a minor official but Han Shantong was just an ordinary commoner. Since they have decided who would be subordinate, Han Shantong naturally took pains to win him over.”

If Han Shantong didn’t die, perhaps he might actually be able to become the ruler of the empire.

Liu Futong was an official. Although he was only an inspector, but he was from a wealthy family who had read books and had knowledge. But historically, he tried to preserve Han Shantong’s bloodline until the last second of his life.

This was practically true love.

Such people were rare, and Lin Yuan even felt a little pity for them.

If it wasn’t for the fact he couldn’t logically have any relations with Liu Futong, he even wanted to bring Liu Futong onto his boat.

Think about it.

Zhu Yuanzhang on the left, Zhang Shicheng on the right, and Liu Futong in the front. Such a feeling of safety!

Of course, maybe Liu Futong just wanted to throw a big banner. (TN: expression for taking advantage of someone or something’s influence)

However, the truth was not important. What was important was that the Xiang Army, or the Red Turban Army’s rebellion, and the death of Han Shantong symbolized that the clarion call for the peasant uprising in the late Yuan Dynasty had been sounded, and everyone in the world would respond.

From this point on, the imperial court of the Yuan Dynasty would be facing a situation of being surrounded on all sides.

That meant Lin Yuan and his supporters would also be safer.

“It’s time to inspect the army.” Lin Yuan stood up and said to Jiang Gui, “Do you want to come together?”

Jiang Gui: “I’ll go with you.”

When Lin Yuan took a step, Jiang Gui naturally walked three steps behind Lin Yuan.

Looking at Lin Yuan’s back, he was still a little dazed.

Jiang Gui was not a stupid person. On the contrary, that he could live to this day and support his family as a small official in Wu City, he naturally had his survival wisdom.

At the very beginning, he just thought that what Lin Yuan wanted was a farmstead, a farmstead that could be self-sufficient and worry-free in troubled times.

Later, for weapons and for more people, the farmstead expanded step by step. Later, in order to make a safe place in the troubled times, they came to Taizhou and made a big bet on their lives.

He didn’t dare to think about what Lin Yuan wanted, but he had to admit that his fourth brother had really changed.

Originally in his eyes, Lin Yuan was a youth who was not yet deeply knowledgeable of the ways of the world. He did not have much scheming and had a kind heart. Such a person might be suitable to be a rich man, but he was not suitable to be a leader.

But Lin Yuan told him with facts time and time again, that Lin Yuan seemed to naturally be born with this potential.

He didn’t know how many times he had imagined walking side by side with Lin Yuan as before, but still in the end he couldn’t help but back up a respectful step.

It seemed that the leader and subordinate relationship that was never clear before had now become extremely clear.

Jiang Gui’s eyes were complicated, and finally he clenched his fists and thought: Things have come to this point, and they have no way of retreating. He could only follow Lin Yuan closely. Maybe one day, he would become one of the big lords he could only look up to before.

Lin Yuan took Jiang Gui to the training ground.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )

Today, the only people training recruits were Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Baisong and Yang Zi’an.

He had observed before and found that the three men have completely different training methods.

Zhu Yuanzhang paid more attention to discipline in training soldiers, to establishing a hierarchical structure, one command followed by one action.

Chen Baisong’s method was not like training soldiers, but more like training bandits and teaching them skills on fighting with the enemy that could be used on the battlefield.

Yang Zi’an’s method was similar to Zhu Yuanzhang’s, but not as good as Zhu Yuanzhang’s.

Lin Yuan stood on the raised platform and felt that this platform was well constructed. Although Taizhou’s military strength was not very good, the infrastructure was indeed quite decent. It was indeed a land of fish and rice; with money everything was good.

Almost all the poor people in Taizhou were being fed by him. Having them go find work was in fact just looking for an excuse to give them food.

These grains were originally stored in Taizhou’s granary. Although most of them were old grains, the quantity was quite large.

It was not like he could have the people starve to death.

Lin Yuan also randomly made up the job positions, so that the people have work and food. Only with work and food could their hearts settle.

Otherwise, give out the food directly? What would happen next? Would the people just wait for the government to continue distributing food when there was no food?

Fortunately, the crops in Taizhou will be harvested this year.

Then the pressure of feeding everyone would be much less. Lin Yuan had also sent the merchants to collect grain while also collecting the artisans. Coarse grains and fine grains were both fine, so long as it could fill the stomach, all would be collected.

It was also necessary to pay attention to the merchant ships at sea. If there were any novelties, so long as they have something to do with food, they would also be bought and taken back.

After all, the Yuan Dynasty had quite developed business routes.

The famous Marco Polo had come to China during the Yuan Dynasty, and wrote the nonsense that China was full of gold.

——but then it was not complete nonsense. After all, foreign countries were too poor at that time. He estimated that the ordinary people there now couldn’t even afford brown bread. The actual situation in many small Western countries now might not even be as good as a village here in Yuan.

Who would have thought that an industrial revolution abroad would directly equalize the development and progress that had fallen behind. And not just equaling, but also exceeding.

Lin Yuan looked at the soldiers under the stand. These soldiers were salt people and common people. They heard that Lin Yuan’s military service would not deduct their salaries and could eat meat every day, so they came voluntarily. The wishes of these people were so simple. It was likely that there were not many of them who signed up with a dream of pursuing a conferment of an aristocratic title or become an influential military official.

Regarding the issue of food, Lin Yuan had people make the meat into jerky. When the time came to fight on the battlefield, it could be eaten after boiling it in hot water.

As for the seasoning……with no plastic it was a bit troublesome, as it could not be made into small packages.

Then he thought of making it into a hot pot base flavoring, but there was not enough oil to condense.

After all, they still used sesame oil, soybean oil, and peanut oil. These three oils couldn’t stay solidified at normal temperatures. Lin Yuan could only have the cooks put a little more salt on the jerky, so the soldiers on the battlefield could at least taste some flavor during meals.

After all, there was only half a month remaining before they would set out to capture Gaoyou.

It was not difficult to capture Gaoyou, but after all, it was the first official battle with an actual army. Lin Yuan hoped that this army made up of salt people and common people could at least have some comfort during the harsh conditions when fighting battles.

Make a good start on the first time, and it will be smoother in the future.

After all, it was just a casual inspection, and Lin Yuan was not prepared to speak. When he saw Zhu Yuanzhang and the others looking at him, he made a gesture for them to continue.

——

Jiang Goudan was a recruit. He just turned fourteen, his parents were sick in bed, and there was no rice to cook at home. He heard that the army paid more than if he just took up random manual labor, so he made the difficult decision and left after kowtowing to his parents twice. Carrying the only rag bag in the family he went to sign up as a soldier.

On the day he went to sign up, he saw that there was a long queue. He didn’t know the people in it. There were old and young, but unexpectedly they were not crowded together in disorderly clumps. He glanced around him and found that there were patrols around to maintain order so he also lined up obediently.

During this period, there were always people on the street saying that it was honorable to be a soldier.

Saying that serving as a soldier meant protecting the home and the country, saving the poor and defending their homes.

In addition, soldiers were also able to eat a full stomach, and receive a high military salary. After becoming a soldier one could also eat meat every day.

As far as Jiang Goudan knew, many of the neighbors around him who were the same age or older have come.

Most of them hid it from their parents.

Even the boys at the bottom of society have dreams of being a hero.

Young people basically came for the idea of saving their compatriots and guarding their homes that was tooted on the streets.

The older ones came to sign up in the army for the high pay and the meat.

Jiang Goudan was afraid that he would not be selected, and he was feeling rather uneasy. If he was not selected and had to go do manual labor, he would not be able to earn enough food to feed his family. His grandfather and grandmother were also at home and although they were not sick, they were old and couldn’t do work that could bring in money.

He must become a soldier.

“What’s your name?” Finally it was his turn, Jiang Goudan quickly stepped forward and said, “Jiang Goudan!”

The person sitting behind the table asked again: “How old?”

Jiang Goudan: “Fourteen, fourteen years from birth.”

At this time, the person looked up and said: “The age is too young.”

Jiang Goudan’s eyes widened: “Milord, it’s not too young, not too young.”

Lin Yuan stipulated that only those older than fourteen could join the army, those below fourteen still needed time to grow up. He didn’t want to kill the chickens to get the eggs. (TN: expression for doing something short- sighted)

The person said: “You look rather solid and strong, do you have a wife?”

Jiang Goudan was still a cherry boy after all so his face blushed, and he said with a slight embarrassment, “No.”

The person: “How many family members are there at home?”

Jiang Goudan: “A total of five people, my parents and grandparents.”

The person nodded: “Take this sign and report to the barracks tomorrow. If you have lice on your body, shave your head tonight. Don’t make the squad leader go through the trouble.”

Jiang Goudan nodded and smiled: “Understood, understood, please continue milord.”

He held the sign as careful as if he was holding gold.

He ran home all the way, his mind blank.

He did it! He could enter the barracks! He could feed his family!

His family members did not need to starve to death, they could live on.

Jiang Goudan looked at the old man waiting for him to return at the door of his house and tears welled up: “Grandpa! Grandma! I got in!”

The old man secretly wiped his tears.

If it weren’t for being forced into helplessness, who would want their only grandson to endanger his life in exchange for a chance to survive?

The weapons on the battlefield have no eyes, and the enemy would not let him go because of his young age.

“Good!” His grandfather’s eyes were red, but he still said, “There is still some food at home. We will all have a full meal tonight!”

Jiang Goudan had a wide silly smile on his face.

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

He will let his family eat fully every day.

When he goes to the military camp, he will save his food and take it home when that time comes.

Maybe in a few years, he would even be able to marry a wife!

Jiang Goudan grinned, unable to control his smile.

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