The sky was sunny and clear of clouds. Lin Yuan sent off Yang Zi’an by the woods. This time Yang Zi’an was traveling lightly, only taking 2 people with him to Xing Hua City. They must disguise themselves as small merchants so Lin Yuan handed over the only ox cart to Yang Zi’an and even gave him some of the silver taels that he had very little left remaining.

“Guaranteeing your safety is the most important.” Lin Yuan squeezed Yang Zi’an’s hand. 

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

Everytime someone must leave for the outside world his heart always felt like it was being hung in midair. 

Nobody knew what the future held for them. 

Returning safely before did not mean that it would remain like that everytime. 

Something like luck, it was the hardest to pinpoint. 

Yang Zi’an squeezed back and climbed onto the cart. Before driving away he said: “A blade that will not see blood is not a good blade, a weapon that does not kill is not a good weapon.” 

When Yang Zi’an left farther away, Lin Yuan let out a sigh.

After a day of pondering, Lin Yuan called over Zhu Yuanzhang. Recently, Zhu Yuanzhang had been living and eating with those soldiers and had developed a camaraderie. There were some who were willing to follow his lead and some not willing. This was all that Lin Yuan had expected. People were complex, each one with their own way of thinking. Soldiers were people too. 

“Since the training is almost up to standards, it is time to take it to the next level.” Lin Yuan said, “this time I will go with you to suppress the bandits in the area.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes seemed to gleam: “About time!”

Lin Yuan nodded: “We leave tomorrow morning, leave early.” 

“No need for breakfast.” Lin Yuan added. 

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, and said with some sadness: “Looks like I should eat more tonight.”

Lin Yuan chuckled and they separated to go back to their respective living quarters. 

Although fighting on an empty stomach was a bit inhumane but as this was the first time to use armed forces against the bandits, Lin Yuan thought it would be better to take some measures. 

He forgot where he heard it from but the period before stepping onto the battlefield, soldiers were not given any filling meals. Only during a celebratory feast after a win could they eat fully. For their stomach the soldiers would have to fight hard. 

He wanted to try this method, but he was also slightly unsure so he only decided to take out breakfast.

That night Lin Yuan did not sleep well, his dreams filled with scenes of carnage. When he woke up in the morning he looked at the sunlight streaming in through the window. He touc5hes his back and came away with cold sweat. 

When he was dressed he left his room and walked past the half finished wall surrounding the farmstead. He came across a 100 man battalion all standing at attention.

Every one of them had on vine armor and hand holding onto a weapon. Their heads held high and back straight, their spirits high. All of them knew what they would be doing soon but other than just a bit of fear there was more excitement. They were also clear that after training for so long it was time to put what they had learned to the test. 

Besides, they had vine armors, weapons and thick soled shoes made by the women overnight. With the shoes they walked on the ground and felt like they were walking on clouds. They also didn’t need to worry about slipping in them either.

Because there were no horses they could only walk on foot, every person carried on them bamboo flasks filled with water. The food could only be foraged from the surrounding woods. Lin Yuan also accompanied them in eating tree bark. 

The wisdom of the ancient people; they knew which trees had edible bark. Although there wasn’t much flavor to be had and one must eat alot to feel full but it was still better than nothing. People would only feel comforted with food in their mouths. 

They walked for three days and three nights and finally just before sunset, they saw a residence.

Bandits staked out their territory in different parts of the mountains. They didn’t abide by the imperial court’s rule and relied on killing and stealing for a livlihood, abducting grown men and women to add to their numbers. 

They would force the young men they abducted to join them in causing harm to the people in the area.

As for the women, they would be locked up and if they were pretty and attracted the attention of a bandit with a higher status then they would live relatively better. 

But if the woman was plain or average and had not attracted a higher up bandit’s attention then she would be reduced to a tool for the bandits to sate their lust. 

The entire day Lin Yuan and the others did not act hastily. Neither did they start a fire. They just hid and observed the house of bandits. Although it was a nest of bandits the place was rather organized with even a watchtower set up and night guards. Although the houses were shacks but they were not constructed crudely, but rather luxurious in comparison to the shacks of regular common people. 

The number estimate to be about 300 and could be considered to be a mid-scale bandit nest. 

But their weapons were not a lot. After a day’s observation no more than 50 carried blades, more people only had wooden sticks. 

Lin Yuan discussed lowly with Zhu Yuanzhang: “We can only take them off guard.” 

They spent a week observing the patterns of the bandits. 

Every two days a group of bandits would go down the mountain and return with quite a lot of supplies which looked to be taken from the common people. Sometimes they would also bring back women. 

This group of bandits numbered around 200, leaving 100 to guard the residence.

In an era without any methods to contact each other across long distances, if they took advantage of the absence of these 100 bandits to attack the residence, the bandits left in the residence would not be able to contact for assistance.

“Have 50 people circle to the back and 50 people attack from the front.” Lin Yuan drew on the ground with his finger. It was crude and simply drawn but Zhu Yuanzhang could still understand it, “look, this is the biggest shack within the residence, the bandit leader likely lives here.” 

“Although we can’t know for sure whether the bandit leader will be present, but attacking from here is the fastest.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: “I will bring people to circle out back.”

Lin Yuan: “Then I will lead the frontal attack. Once my side make a movement then you must speed up as well.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang: “Understood.” 

The current Zhu Yuanzhang was still in the learning phase. Lin Yuan himself was also just fumbling along. But Lin Yuan had an advantage——the knowledge he gained while living in the modern times. 

The advantage modern people had over ancient people was that from birth modern people were exposed to information from all directions. And these information were extremely valuable wealth. 

And ancient people lacked in this wealth of knowledge. How fast were high speed rails? And how fast was a horse carriage? 

Lin Yuan tried to find the silver lining and thought, he could be considered to be standing on the backs of giants. 

They waited 2 more days, and it was finally time for the day Lin Yuan decided to launch the attack. He gave a motivating speech to the soldiers. Pointing at the bandit residence he said: “In there is food, meat and wine. As long as you capture it, the things inside are all yours. You can not only eat and drink fully, you can even bring it back to share with family and friends.” 

The soldiers widened their eyes. 

Just Lin Yuan’s words had them feeling as if they could already smell the scent of wine and meat. 

The people here, some had never even tasted wine in their whole lives.  

Wine required fine grains to make. 

“Inside there are also women.” Lin Yuan said, “as long as you save them and bring them back, perhaps by next year you will be able to welcome a plump and healthy son.”

The eyes of the soldiers appeared even more ardent. 

What were the dreams of the people in the lowest social class? Eat and drink fully, marry a wife and have a son. This was their highest motivation.

At this time someone asked: “Boss! One for each person?”

Lin Yuan said with some irritation: “Do you think you’re shopping, one for each person? When they are saved and brought back they will be part of the farmstead. You are in the farmstead everyday, don’t you have any confidence in winning the beauty’s heart?” 

He did not wish for his small army to be like the bandits. 

If the women were willing to marry and spend their lives with these soldiers, he would approve.

If they were unwilling, he would also approve, after all women were also part of the labor force and could farm the land or sew clothes, the more the better. 

The soldiers’ eyes glowed. 

Currently the farmstead had too little women, and they were also separated when working. But since they began training, the women often came to look at them. 

And even discuss who looked the most mighty, whose physique was the most sturdy and strong.

The most impressive one amongst them, with the best performance during training, now already had a wife.

It made the others extremely envious. 

Anyway, under all kinds of enticement, these soldiers became extremely excited. 

As if a beautiful life was just in front of them. Capturing this bandit residence they would be able to welcome a successful life. 

The bandits who went down the mountain usually arrived back the next morning. 

The sky darkened and Lin Yuan saw the people in the residence get ready for sleep. He then separated from Zhu Yuanzhang, both taking two different roads towards the residence.

After being trained for this long, disregarding anything else these soldiers had high levels of obedience.

But battle skills were something that could never be taught. In an age of cold weapons only experience could be relied upon.

They moved forward in the dark but with this many people they naturally could not go unseen by the night guard on the watchtower.

The person shouted in a hurry: “Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Hurry and get up!”

At this point, Lin Yuan had already lead his men to the front entrance of the residence. The doors were extremely shabby since the bandits did not have much building resources either, nor were they professionals in the field. That they even managed to construct the several shacks and rooms making up the residence must have already spent most of their efforts.

Before charging in Lin Yuan adhered to courtesy and shouted out: “Surrender or die!”

The people inside shouted in reply: “Surrender, my ass!”

Since the other was unwilling to surrender then the only option was to charge forward. In Lin Yuan’s hand was a long knife, his hand slightly trembling. But he forced himself to be calm, there would come a day when he must step onto the battlefield. He could not always avoid it; he must be able to protect himself.

“Attack!” Lin Yuan pointed his long knife at the residence.

The discipline trained into them from before showcased itself for the first time.

Lin Yuan only just pointed forward but the men immediately charged forward, not even a hint of hesitation. They completely did not look like newbies at all.

Among them were ones who had accompanied Zhu Yuanzhang and brother Dao to the coal mine. They exhibited the most valiance, having already seen blood and overcome the fear. So long as they imagine the victory spoils waiting for them after winning, every one of them became excited to the extreme.

And with their presence, those who had not participated in the previous battle also became encouraged.

Lin Yuan also charged with the rest. He could not see clearly his opponent’s appearance, only just a blurry figure. Grasping his long knife, he hacked it down hard, only to miss.

Lin Yuan himself received a slash from the other, but with the protection of the vine armor he avoided receiving a wound, only a bruise.

In the instant where the other became startled, Lin Yuan bit down hard and raised his knife again. Since his strength was lacking he could only rely on tricks. Taking advantage of the other’s momentum he crouched slightly with his knife and also charged forward.

When he came back to himself, the other’s neck had already been cut open.

Lin Yuan did not look again, holding tight to his knife he shouted out again: “Surrender or die!”

He received no reply this time.

He could only hear the clashing of metal on metal and the slight sound of weapon piercing flesh. Lin Yuan took a deep breath.

At that instant, the sound from the back of the residence reached them, it was the voice of Zhu Yuanzhang.

“Kill!”

Numerous resounding shouts of ‘kill’ came from deep in their throats. The men at Lin Yuan’s side also became affected, all raising their knives and echoing the fierce shouts from their comrades.

The atmosphere crackled, with just only 100 or so men, they managed to create the grandeur of 1000 men battalion.

Lin Yuan could clearly sense the hesitation from the other side.

Once fear sprouted in the heart, once you felt you might die, your movements would become hesitant and unsure, chaotic thoughts overtaking your mind.

But on the battlefield, hesitation would lead to death.

Lin Yuan shouted: “Attack!”

His men reacted without any hesitation, just like the numerous times during training, charging forward like an angry bull.

Despite the protection of the vine armor, Lin Yuan was still injured. He felt as if his back was on fire but he did not reach back to touch it. If he came back with a hand covered in blood, he thought he would fall without the enemy even making a move.

It’s alright, Lin Yuan said to himself, I have the vine armor, even if I am injured it must definitely not be serious.

When the last enemy fell, Lin Yuan finally allowed himself to collapse onto the ground.

Due to the vine armors, their side won without any causualties. Aside from a couple with serious wounds and 40 or so with light wounds, almost 50 were completely unscathed, not even a single wound.

Zhu Yuanzhang appeared to be more energetic than Lin Yuan, not a wound to be seen. His vine armor had only light scratches, obviously having prevented the enemy from making direct marks.

“Boss, your back…..” Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Lin Yuan’s back.

Lin Yuan turned around and had the other look at it for him: “Is the wound deep?”

Zhu Yuanzhang used a small knife to lift the cotton rags, smiling: “Not deep, quite light. Just a thin cut. I’ll go find some herbs to put on the wound.”

Lin Yuan: “What kind of herbs are still alive in the winter?”

Zhu Yuanzhang paused.

Lin Yuan let out a sigh. He could only just leave it as it was, if he was lucky it’ll heal by itself, if not then he’ll die from tetanus.

50/50.

They must clean up the battlefield during the night as the rest of the bandits would come back tomorrow.

All the soldiers lined up in an open space and Lin Yuan gave out orders to not be disrespectful to the captured women and children, just focus on gathering the material spoils.

In actuality, the bandits were rather wealthy, a fair amount of gold and silver, even some scrolls of paintings. Though paintings were worthless in these times.

The women were all locked and penned in a small room, a total of 30 and quite a number already pregnant. Barely covered, the room also stank.

When the door was unlocked, their countenance was still dazed. Even when the soldiers called them to come out, they remained numb and reacted on automaton.

By the light of the fire Lin Yuan finally saw clearly the women’s appearance. With messy hair and dirty faces, everyone had traces of bruises and wounds. Some even on their faces.

Close to 20 was already showing, supporting their swollen bellies as they looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan could make out clearly the bewilderment on their faces.

The ancient times, place great importance on purity. Even if most of them came from normal civilian families they had still been taught to protect their purity and clean name.

Alot of accounts during the ancient times told of cases where women hung themselves after having been sullied.

But whether it was their personal choice or a choice made for them by their families that was unknown.

“Find a clean room, bring them to there first.” Lin Yuan issued the order to Li Da at his side.

Li Da responded with an ‘ai’ before leading the women to another room.

Now Lin Yuan turned his attention to the captive bandits who were already terrified. It had always been them doing the killing but now they had become meat on another’s cutting board.

One of them begged: “Hero, hero spare me, I was forced by them, I never wanted to become a mountain bandit, hero! I have the elderly and young to support, hero!”

Lin Yuan picked up a knife, and placed it against his neck. The other trembled and the scent of urine reached Lin Yuan.

Retracting the knife, Lin Yuan asked: “I ask you, what are the total numbers of the thieves who left?”

The person replied rapidly: “About 100.”

“What are they doing down the mountain?” Lin Yuan asked again.

The person swallowed: “To take foodstuff….”

Lin Yuan’s knife cut open the skin on his neck.

Immediately the person cried out: “Hero! Steal! They left to steal foodstuff!”

Lin Yuan: “What time do they normally return?”

“Si shi!” (TN: 9-11 am, in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)

Lin Yuan nodded. He asked again: “Look around you, who killed the most? Point him out to me and I’ll spare you.”

The other captives shouted out rapidly: “San zi, don’t you dare point randomly!”

“San zi, I gave you a piece of meet last year!”

“San zi!”

The man called San zi dressed shabbily, just by first glance Lin Yuan knew he was not anyone important. But exactly because of that he had hatred for the higher ups who tyranized him.

San zi closed his eyes and then reopened them determinedly. Lin Yuan cut his ropes and had him point out his fellow bandits.

San zi looked around, these people were like him, hands stained with human blood. He walked over to the man the farthest from him.

The man was dressed in cotton and looked big and strong, an obvious aura of a bandit surrounded him. He said to Lin Yuan: “He is our fourth boss, he killed the most!”

“Does anyone have objections?” Lin Yuan asked the captive bandits.

No one replied.

Lin Yuan: “Alright.” Following closely after the word was Lin Yuan’s raised knife.

His strength was not enough, having had to hack twice before cutting off the other’s head.

“Ou——” Some of the soldiers vomited after witnessing the scene.

Lin Yuan had his eyes closed when he carried out the execution. Opening them once again, he himself also almost vomited. Taking a deep breath, the scent of blood reached him, as well as the scent of urine.

Though these captives had killed people before but they hadn’t cut off another man’s head. Especially when the head belonged to someone who had tyranized them before.

“No pleading.” Lin Yuan let out a sigh, “he wasn’t a coward, a pity he took the wrong path.”

San zi was already kneeling on the side.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked coldly at the detached head and said to Lin Yuan: “Boss, we must make preparations.”

Lin Yuan nodded and looked at San zi.

“San zi, stand up.” He ordered.

San zi climbed up from the ground.

Lin Yuan asked: “Do you want to live?”

San zi nodded eagerly: “I want to live!” Pointing a knife at another was a completely different sensation than being on the end of one himself.

Lin Yuan smiled at San zi, but in San zi’s eyes the other was like a Raksha appearing from the deep darkness. San zi was scared shitless.

The entire night was spent cataloging the storage and remaining food supply in the residence. It was to be said, the residence did indeed have a decent foodstuff storage. There was even some fine grains and yellow wine.

Lin Yuan had them pack it all into the half carts, filling up 6 in total——of course the carts belonged to the residence as they had arrived with just their weapons.

“When the sky lightens up, we will eliminate the rest of the bandits in one fell swoop. Then you can all eat as much as you want.” Lin Yuan shouted loudly.

Everyone cheered in a frenzy.

“We’ll have their heads!”

“Kill them all!”

“Eat our fill!”

The heavily injured soldiers Lin Yuan had them stay in a room where they had their wounds cleaned and treated. As for himself, the wound was too shallow and barely bled. By now it barely hurt and Lin Yuan only used water to clean it, not even bothering with bandages.

The bandits who would be arriving in the early morning would have to have been traveling overnight, eager to return to the residence to eat a nice meal and then rest, the moment when they were least on their guards.

Lin Yuan and Zhu Yuanzhang left 10 soldiers to watch over the captives while they set up an ambush and take the returning bandits by surprise.

San zi was also brought along since he was much clearer on which path the bandits would return on.

“If they don’t show up then I will kill you.” Lin Yuan said lowly, “if you reveal us then I will also kill you.”

San zi trembled like the leaves during autumn.

The sound of movement finally reached their ears. Lin Yuan and Zhu Yuanzhang shared surprised looks. These bandits actually had horses!

San zi said in a small voice: “There, there are 5 horses…..”

There was no time to ask where they got the horses from. Lin Yuan gave a hand signal. His soldiers pounced out on the arrivals like hungry tigers.

Lin Yuan also charged out. He was a man after all, and having eaten well and not lacking in nutrition. His physique while not incredibly strong was still enough to hold his own.

On the backs of the horses were not men but foodstuff! This was incredibly good news!

After being startled, the horses let out terrified whinnies. The bandits behind were also caught by surprise but they soon reacted, taking up their weapons.

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

But at this point, they were already over tired from a night’s travel, how could they possibly compete against the Lin family soldiers who had rested the night before and eager for their victory meal?

“Who comes here?!” A shout sounded out amongst the bandits.

Lin Yuan hollered out in response: “The ones to take your life!”

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That brother Dao and Zhu Zhongba returned safely immensely raised the spirits of everyone in the farmstead. They left with 40 people and returned with 48. The original 40 men had also only received light injuries, not even any serious wounds. Even Lin Yuan was surprised.

“It scared me to death!” Brother Dao revealed his true nature now that he was safe. As he drank Lin Yuan’s stash of rice wine he told how they found the coal: “Too many guards at the iron mine and we are just 40 people. It would be like hitting a rock with an egg.” 

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

Saying so he asked Lin Yuan: “Did I say ‘hitting a rock with an egg’ correctly?” 

Lin Yuan grinned: “It’s right, brother Dao said it correctly.” 

Brother Dao became pleased with himself: “So we didn’t dare go over, but we remember the location. Zhongba also drew that picture thingy.”

Zhu Zhongba was only concerned with stuffing his face with meat. Only now did he look up: “A map.” 

“A map?” Lin Yuan and Yang Zi’an said at the same time. 

Maps were very important in any era. The map must be drawn and labeled with the mountains and rivers, and other important geographical locations. Not just anyone could create maps. 

Zhu Zhongba licked the oil from his lips, and said: “It’s drawn a bit crudely.” 

Lin Yuan: “Let me see ” 

Zhu Zhongba handed the map drawn on a piece of cloth over to Lin Yuan. 

Lin Yuan examined it for a bit——

“What is this dot?”

Zhu Zhongba explained: “That is a mountain.” 

Lin Yuan: “What about this bigger dot?” 

Zhu Zhongba explained again: “A bigger mountain.” 

Lin Yuan: “Is this a river? It looks like it.” 

Zhu Zhongba: “…….that area has a lot of snakes.”

It looked like this map only Zhu Zhongba could make any sense of. Lin Yuan said: “Let me draw a new one, Zhongba you explain it to me.”

Without Zhu Zhongba explaining his map on the side he truly couldn’t make any sense of it. 

Lin Yuan said suddenly: “Zhongba, I have an idea.” 

The room fell quiet, everyone knew Lin Yuan was about to say something important. His expression was especially serious, something that wasn’t common for him. 

Zhu Zhongba also put down his chopsticks and stood up, standing in front of Lin Yuan: “Boss, do not hesitate on your orders.”

“I plan to take out 100 men.” Lin Yuan said, “for army training.” 

Everyone fell silent. Jiang Gui said softly: “A private army…..this……if the imperial court…….” 

But Lin Yuan said: “Our place here is removed and desolate. The imperial court does not have the energy to pay attention to us. Besides, we now have vine armors and weapons. It’s time to train our own private army.”

Zhu Zhongba was the first to react. He clasped his fists: “What Boss entrusts me with, I dare not disobey.” 

Lin Yuan supported him up with a hand: “It will be called the Tigers and Panthers battalion (TN: from the idiom ‘jackals, wolves, tigers and panthers’ which refer to not just animals who are dangerous to man and cattle but also fierce and cruel people), and you will be the leader.”  

Yang Zi’an suddenly coughed lightly. 

Lin Yuan understood his meaning but he still said to Zhu Zhongba: “Zhongba, what do you think of changing your name?” 

Zhu Zhongba looked at him strangely. 

But Lin Yuan said: “I have a name to grant you.”

“What do you think of ‘Zhu Yuanzhang’?” 

Zhu Zhongba for some reason suddenly fe silent. But soon he looked up at Lin Yuan. His eyes had completely changed, the gaze filled with a penetrating killing intent, but this killing intent was not directed at Lin Yuan. 

“Boss’ meaning, I understand. There will be a day when I will kill every one of those brigands (TN: by brigands he is referring to those Mongolian officials that rule Yuan China)!” 

Other than Yang Zi’an everyone else was rather confused.  

Brother Dao asked Yang Zi’an quietly: “Second brother, what does the name mean?”

Yang Zi’an replied softly: “Zhu Yuanzhang, it is taken from the homonym ‘Zhu Yuan Zhi Zhang‘ (TN: meaning to put to death every Yuan).” 

But just why did fourth brother have such high hopes for Zhu Yuanzhang? 

Yang Zi’an could not make sense of it. That evening he stood outside Lin Yuan’s room, unsure whether to knock on the door. “What is second brother Yang doing standing out here?” Er Liang coincidentally appeared carrying a basin of washing water. He pushed the door open and called out, “young master, second brother Yang is looking for you.” 

So the currently hesitant Yang Zi’an could only go inside. The room was warm from the burning firewood, the window only opened a crack. After entering winter, the charcoal burned during the fall came to be of use. Lin Yuan made sure to get across that when burning charcoal the window must be open, otherwise people could die from breathing in the fumes.

The people in the farmstead for some reason listened to Lin Yuan’s words blindly. They did whatever he asked of them and never had second thoughts on it.

Lin Yuan sometimes thought, they lived their lives without any complications, not thinking of anything. If Boss told them to do something they would do it. So long as they didn’t need to worry about what they would eat tomorrow. 

The need to ponder on things settled only on his shoulders. 

 Ai. 

“Fourth brother.” Yang Zi’an waited until Er Liang left before asking, “I understand the importance of training private soldiers, but why do you have Zhu Zhongba take on such responsibility. This person has only just arrived not long ago. I have yet to fully see what kind of person he is. What about having brother Dao be the leader and he can be the deputy?” 

Lin Yuan sighed again, in truth did he not have the same worries as Yang Zi’an? 

But the problem was, before Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor he was an excellent and unparalleled military general. 

The only one to even be on the same level was Chen Youliang.

Only, Zhu Yuanzhang was luckier than Chen Youliang. 

Compared to being an emperor, he was much more effective in the area of military and warcraft. People say that the truth was only held by a small group of people, but in fact, it was even rarer. But Zhu Yuanzhang just so happened to be one of the rare few who can perceive the truth.

In all of the important battles he participated in, his decisions had all been practically the opposite of everyone else’s. But the result proved that he was always in the right. 

Lin Yuan was concerned, if brother Dao was the leader, then at critical moments he would reject Zhu Yuanzhang’s advice in favor of the majority opinion. Then the consequences could be unthinkable. 

Now he could only watch each step he took. 

He didn’t know if Zhu Yuanzhang would be like in history and become one of Guo Zixing’s subordinates. But currently he did not have a better option. 

If Zhu Yuanzhang did leave, he didn’t know what he would do. 

Lin Yuan said to Yang Zi’an: “Take the steps one at a time.”

Yang Zi’an might not know what Lin Yuan eas thinking but he could make out the determination in the other’s eyes. 

“Fourth brother.” Yang Zi’an sat on the side and sighed helplessly, “why are you so anxious.” 

Lin Yuan looked surprised. 

What should he say? It was already the 9th year of emperor Yuan Shun’s reign. Only 2 years remained until Liu Futong lead an uprising. Fang Guozhen was also waiting for a chance to rebel once again and Xu Shouhui would also rebel 2 years later. 

Time does not wait for anyone. The turmoil and chaos of war was just around the corner. 

If they didn’t have armed power, how could they retain their footing in such turbulent times?

“The issue with Fang Guozhen, I’m afraid second brother has yet to know.” Lin Yuan saif, “last year, a person named Cai Luantou rebelled and someone accused Fang Guozhen of colluding with this person. Fang Guozhen killed the accuser and escaped to the sea, gathering a thousand or so of people in a revolt, seizing the shipping canals and the food supply being transported.” 

Yang Zi’an narurally did not know this news, he stared fixatedly at Lin Yuan: “What happens next.” 

Lin Yuan said: “He took prisoner of the provincial government and requested for a surrender.” 

“Nowadays there is a widespread folk song, has second brother heard of it?” Lin Yuan suddenly changed the subject.

Yang Zi’an: “What is it?” 

Lin Yuan: “The sky is high the emperor is far, the common people are few the lord masters are many, 1 day 3 beatings, if you don’t rebel what else can you do?”  

Yang Zi’an repeated the folk song and then sighed in the end: “Yuan dynasty, its luck has dried, its course has run.”

“Those who revolt, will become more and more.” Lin Yuan looked at Yang Zi’an seriously, “we will inevitably do the same.” 

Yang Zi’an: “Fourth brother, if you have orders and yet I hesitate, then I will not be called Yang Zi’an.” 

Since they had made the decision to train an armed force then they must put in all their efforts.

Lin Yuan did not place all his hopes on a 100 man army and expect them to be able to do much. 

Recruiting talents and inviting the valorous was something that he must do, but not now. What they must do now was to elevate their military power. 

The number of people would be the most critical element.  

Currently the farmstead had a total of 140 grown men, but the farmstead still required farmers.

Lin Yuan increasingly gelt that there was too little people. 

He said to Yang Zi’an: “Second brother, I must have people make another trip outside.” 

He must go find someone. 

Yang Zi’an: “To where?”

Lin Yuan stood with one hand placed behind his back and looked out the window to the far off distance. 

“Xing Hua city, Taizhou.” 

He must find Zhang Shicheng and the ’18 Poles’ recorded in history. 

The Zhang Shicheng of now should currently be at the saltpan.

Lin Yuan wanted to build up his strength and when the time as right, attack and capture Xing Hua. 

And Zhang Shicheng and the other salt miners would be the ones to lead their way.

Zhang Shicheng and the others were currently still living under oppression. There was large possibility of taking them into his ranks. 

“Who will go?” Yang Zi’an said suddenly, “you cannot go.” 

Lin Yuan also knew he could not leave now. If he did then the farmstead would be thrown into a panic. 

After all, for some reason the people in the farmstead only listened to him. 

“I will go.” Yang Zi’an stood up, “although I don’t know why you have such high expectations of Zhu Zhongba but I will let you know, I, Yang Zi’an, am also not just a rice bucket.”

Lin Yuan was just having a headache over who to send but now that Yang Zi’an willingly stepped forward he thought it over and felt that Yang Zi’an was indeed the best choice.

Not mentioning anything else, Yang Zi’an was cultured at least! 

And he was not just a man who went by the book, most importantly Yang Zi’an knew how to be flexible and adapt to the situation.

Lin Yuan: “Second brother, I will leave it to you.” 

“At that time, remember to go to Bai Ju saltpan and find a person named Zhang Shicheng. If you can bring him back it would be the best.” 

Yang Zi’an: “What is so special about this person?” 

Lin Yuan did not know how to explain so he could only say: “A few years ago we met, he is likely not living very well.” 

Yang Zi’an understood. 

He thought Lin Yuan was once again overtaken by kindness and sympathy but he was already used to it.

In any case, the answer managed to trick Yang Zi’an from asking anymore. 

After having made the decision, it was time to begin the training and 100 men were picked. Although they had yet to melt metal and make more weapons but the blades taken from the bandits and the soldiers were enough to arm 100 men. 

Training soldiers was not a simple thing. Lin Yuan did not understand much, only knowing that back in the modern times the soldiers had physical training and trained also in discipline and obeying orders. 

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was a military genius but he had only just started with experience in just managing the oxen belonging to the landowners. It was his first time managing people and while he might have ambitions, not much changed after several days. 

After all these people were either porters or farmers, not soldiers. They didn’t understand the army’s discipline.

So Lin Yuan could only take on the responsibility. In any case he could just go by the books. If it worked then great, if not he’ll just think of another solution. 

The first thing they must practice was obeying orders, only after this step would the rest follow.

Lin Yuan stood on a raised platform and said to the people below him: “When I yell charge you will charge in the direction I point to, understood?!” 

The men shouts: “Understood!” 

Fine…..whether they truly understood or not, in any case they just had to understand the hand signals. 

Lin Yuan, during the past few days, only had them charge in different directions. 

After the session, the men sprawled exhausted on the ground but were again called to continue by Yang Zi’an and brother Dao.

It remained the same for a whole week. 

By the second week, whenever Lin Yuan raised his hand everyone immediately paid attention. Even before he even shouted an order, just pointing in a certain direction, they would have already charged in that direction. 

In actuality, training obedience was a rather difficult matter. What Lin Yuan was currently doing was to have them develop automatic responses.

The body acting before the brain even sent down orders. 

Only then did he have them pick up weapons, their opponents being immobile wooden stakes. 

Lin Yuan pointed in one direction and they would slash in that direction, until the stakes were all fallen. 

Everyday passed with mechanical training and these people’s obedience increased. 

Zhu Yuanzhang sat with Lin Yuan and they chat under the stars. He asked: “Boss, how did you come up with such a method?” 

How come he didn’t think of it? 

Lin Yuan thought a bit and said: “I saw it in the books.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang widened his eyes: “The books even has information on this?” 

Lin Yuan smiled: “Sunzi’s Art of War.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed: “I hear it often from others but have never read it.” 

In this era, books were luxury items, monopolized by the upper class. The lower class didn’t even recognize words, let alone read books. 

Zhu Yuanzhang might be literate, but he learned words in Huang Jue temple, the temple’s books of course could not have anything regarding military topics. 

There was no need to mention the importance of military books. Every ruling class of every dynasty and kingdom would not allow such books to be made public. 

Lin Yuan said: “Everyone has his own position. That the inperial court controls this is very normal.”

Zhu Yuanzhang didn’t understand: “Why?” 

Lin Yuan: “In every dynasty there is more importance placed on literary pursuits than in military pursuits. Why?” 

Zhu Yuanzhang thought it over seriously: “If you pursue military career and there is no war then it would be difficult to advance.”

Lin Yuan smiled: “During peaceful times, those with military talent or strength is of the few. Most emperors came into power on the battlefield and will naturally fear that someone will do the same as him and overthrow the previous dynasty.” 

“However, like Song dynasty which is well known to be rich and prosperous at its height but with a weak military, you would only be like a lamb for slaughter without military power to guard your riches.”

“With more scholars, the dynasty will remain at peace.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang was confused: “A lot of scholars are useless and only rely on their family wealth for a living. Even if all the family wealth is invested in one person he may not even be able to pass the examinations and become an official. What is the point?”

Lin Yuan remembered coming across this question and knew the answer given so repeated it: “Scholars are physically weak and cannot tell apart the different grains. They even have difficulty lifting a hoe. What can they use to revolt? They don’t need to be productive. As long as scholars continue scholarly pursuits, farmers continue farming the land, and merchants continue commerce, the world will be at peace.”

“If you are the emperor, can you tolerate talents and geniuses in your rule?” Lin Yuan asked, “if you are the emperor, you won’t be afraid of these talented people gathering and overthrowing you?”

“The people in power, they see the people as oxen and sheep.”

“The officials as dogs that herd the ox or sheep.”

“The emperor is the owner of the sheep pen.” 

Lin Yuan smiled at Zhu Yuanzhang: “In truth, this is an apt discription.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Lin Yuan. 

Lin Yuan said: “The benevolence of those in power can sometimes be a form of cruelty. The nation is just a large sheep pen. As long as everyone do what they should, naturally the world will be at peace.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked: “Boss, do you also see the farmstead as a sheep pen?” 

Lin Yuan paused. He looked up at the night sky, shaking his head he sighed: “If that day truly does arrive, then I will no longer be myself.” 

The emperor was a tiger and a mountain could not fit two tigers. So quite a lot of emperors killed their subordinates after gaining imperial power. 

“Go sleep.” Lin Yuan stood up. 

Zhu Yuanzhang also stood: “Boss, I have a last question.” 

Lin Yuan: “Ask.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang: “Why do you have me be the leader of the Tiger and Panther battalion? Isn’t brother Dao more suitable?” 

Lin Yuan said: “Brother Dao has his own role, as for you, you will understand in the future. I only hope that the day when you do understand will not be the day you will take your leave.” 

Zhu Yuanzhang was even more confused: “Leave?” 

Lin Yuan smiled: “It is too early to speak of this.” 

Saying so, Lin Yuan patted Zhu Yuanzhang’s shoulder and headed towards his house. 

Leaving Zhu Yuanzhang standing alone under the night sky.

In the dormitories, Li Da rubbed his leg after an exhausting day, and complained: “Who knew being a soldier is this tiring.” 

His dormmate on the side was just as tired, sprawling out on the bed immobile: “At least we eat fully and don’t have to do anything else. I heard before that soldiers don’t get fed as much as we do.” 

“Will we truly go to war?” Li Da asked suddenly. 

No one in the dormitory said anything.

After a while, someone said: “Soldiers fight in wars. That’s why they are called soldiers.” 

Li Da was a bit scared: “I just want to farm, I don’t want to fight in wars.”

Someone laughed at him: “You think we do?” 

“But Boss says, if we just know how to farm the lands when the bandits come we’ll be completely helpless. They would kill us and eat our flesh.” The person had a deep belief in Lin Yuan, “Boss is right.” 

Li Da sighed, he could understand the reason but who wanted to fight in wars. 

But the next day, Li Da must still put on his vine armor and pick up his blade to stand in formation. During the past few days they were no longer practicing obeying orders but to ‘stand’. In the cold winter winds they must stand stationary and immobile. If someone were to even twitch everyone else must stand longer for another hour. 

Let’s not even mention the punishment, if someone did move everyone else would hate him to death first. 

At this phase, they were training in discipline. 

When their standing at attention was almost at an end, then they would be doing physical training such as long distance running, situps, frog hops and anything else Lin Yuan could think of.

Whenever it came time to rest, everyone was tired as dogs. 

It wasn’t as if no one was discontent but whenever someone showed it someone on the side would teach him a lesson. 

“You now have food and drink, so what if you’re a bit tired? In the past we had endured starving while farming the fields. The way I see it, you have gotten too used to living the good days and now don’t know your place anymore.”

“That’s right, you’re just taking advantage of Boss’ kindness. I think that Boss should just throw you out the farmstead. Let’s see how many days you can survive out in the wilderness.”

“It’s better to just throw him out, in case we are implicated by him.”

The person being scolded could just sheepishly bow his head and admit to being wrong, only then would everyone be satisfied.

But there was actually someone who believed Lin Yuan to be softhearted and wouldn’t leave his bed when it came time for training. Not moving even if someone pulled on him. 

After reporting this to Lin Yuan, Lin Yuan said expressionlessly: “Since he doesn’t want to stay anymore, then throw him out.”

The one doing the reporting was Li Da and from Lin Yuan’s cold gaze he understood that Lin Yuan would not change his decision.

“I don’t believe it!” The person just now hanging on to his bed struggled against his captors, “Boss can’t possibly throw me out! Let me see Boss! I want to ask clearly!” 

Li Da sighed: “You don’t need to go ask Boss, Boss won’t see you.” 

The surrounding people looked at this scene and someone said quietly: “Boss has such a kind heart he won’t truly throw him out. It’s just to scare him.” 

“That’s right, hurry and say that you are wrong, Boss will definitely forgive you.” 

The person yelled: “I’m wrong! I know that I’m wrong! Boss! Boss!” 

Li Da had the person dragged out the farmstead. The area surrounding the farmstead was completely empty and absent of other people, surviving in the wilderness would be difficult but not completely without hope. But even if they did survive there wouldn’t be any good days, especially during the winter. 

Even up until he was dragged out the farmstead the person still did not believe that he was seriously being thrown out. “I want to see Boss! Li Da! Li Da you are getting rid of me on purpose!” The person screamed, “I just woke up a little bit late!” 

Li Da dropped him on the ground and said: “You don’t need to think about going back to the farmstead. Boss said that if you go back then to give you a beating and throw you out again.”

The person had a confused expression: “I don’t believe it. Boss won’t be that heartless, I don’t believe it.” 

Quite a lot of people were watching and in truth they don’t believe it either. Even now they still thought it was just a scare tactic.

“You should believe it.” Lin Yuan’s voice came from behind them. He walked over and looked at the people in front of him, a rare coldness in his tone.

“I have always been good tempered.” Lin Yuan said.

No one spoke. 

Lin Yuan: “So long as you feel that the training is too hard and don’t want to train anymore, step out.”

“I’ll give you one chance, step out!” 

No one dared to move.

Lin Yuan sneered: “Too used to living the good days, if you don’t want to anymore then leave. I won’t stop you.” 

“Those who want to take my place, also step out now. Cut off my head and this farmstead is yours.” 

“You don’t want to train then go outside and if in the future you become successful I will not say one word.” 

“This is just the first warning. Only being thrown out.” 

Lin Yuan’s gaze swept across the people, “if there is a next time then they will be thrown out with a broken leg.” 

Lin Yuan: “Those who want to leave now, I will give them a sack of beans and grains. Go or stay, it is your choice.”  

Li Da swallowed, he also heard swallowing from the people at his side. 

This world as it was now, what would just a sack of beans and grains be good for?

Lin Yuan: “I have food, and meat. Your food, clothes and lodgings——you don’t need to worry about any of it. If despite this you are still not satisfied, then don’t blame me for being heartless.” 

The prestige of the authorities could never be infringed upon.

Once their prestige was questioned and their authority encroached upon, then no one would be afraid of him. Just love and respect was not enough.

It was always easy for people to offend someone with a good temperament. 

But they would never try and challenge a severe person. 

He could give some benefits in small measures and exercise his benevolence.

But he could definitely not allow others to think he was easy to step on.

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

Once people discovered going against his orders would not result in any consequences, then they would not only not feel grateful but take even more advantages.

Lin Yuan stood there and never felt more unfamiliar with himself. 

But he also knew, this was a necessary step. He could not make any detours nor could he avoid it.

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“Go that way!” The soldier cracked his whip, “carry it over here!”

“Did you not eat?! Where’s your strength!” 

The laborers were only clad in pieces of rags, their bodies stooped, skin dark and dirty. In actuality, their ages were not even that old but looking at them though, they appeared to be extremely advanced in years. They trembled as they carried the coal, not daring to even let out a sound.

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

“Someone fell down!”

“He’s not breathing!” 

The soldier rolled his eyes and said in an irritated tone: “Throw the body in the pit outside.” 

The laborers barely reacted, their heads down and doing their own work, as if they were mindless animals. 

The soldier took a sip of wine from the flask he had on him and yelled: “Bring out your strength!” 

The laborers did not talk, silent and submissive like old oxen working the fields. 

Li Congrong looked at the scene in front of him behind the hillside and spat, cursing lowly: “Bunch of cowards who only dare to bully the common people. Abusing people like that as if they are pigs and dogs. Even with dogs you need to feed it for it to be loyal.” 

Zhu Zhongba consoled: “Don’t be hasty brother Dao. When the sky darkens I’ll go burn their granary, at that time brother Dao you sneak into the crowd and fan the hate, people will answer correspondingly.”  

Although Li Congrong had not read any books on military tactics but he knew the old saying ‘the food supply precedes the soldiers and horses.’ They knew just how important the food supply was. This place was just a small coal mine and the soldiers guarding the place weren’t alot. The largest official was a bai hu (TN: equivalent to a centurion in the Roman army), only 100 soldiers under his command.

But the laborers here numbered more than a 100. 

Most of these people were neighboring villagers and farmers and had been held here to dig and transport coal. They were already nearing their limits. Looking at the soldiers who had meat and wine for meals, only they themselves knew how they felt. 

Li Congrong and Zhu Zhongba changed into rags and prepared to take action once the sky darkened.

“It’s so cold.” Li Congrong’s teeth chattered in the cold despite his muscular physique. 

Zhu Zhongba was also no better off. People were made of flesh and knew the cold and pain. 

“Brother Dao, endure for a bit more.” Zhu Zhongba said. 

The sky gradually darkened and seeing the people walking back to their shacks Li Congrong took a small path down the hillside and stood outside the shacks, a bit hesitant which shack to enter. 

Just when Li Congrong was feeling rather awkward, someone pushed him from the back. 

Only two words flashed through Li Congrong’s mind: “Oh no.” 

But once he turned around he saw instead, a skeleton thin middle aged man. His numb eyes seemed to be fogged over as they examined Li Congrong and asked tonelessly: “Newcomer?” 

Li Congrong nodded stiffly. The man pulled up the rag curtain on the doorway of the shack: “Come in.” 

Li Congrong followed the man inside and saw a rather empty shack with people just laying on the floor. The people saw a stranger had come in and looked alertly at Li Congrong but their eyes were filled with sympathy. 

The man that lead him in pointed at an empty floor space: “You can sleep there.” 

So Li Congrong went over and sat on the damp ground. Here, there weren’t even dry grass or hay to put over the floor. Li Congrong asked the person at his side: “How come you don’t spread some grass to cover the floor?” 

The person let out a laugh of ridicule: “Would the lord master let you go cut some grass?”

Li Congrong did not mind being sneered at, he asked again: “How long have you all been here?” 

No one answered him.

Li Congrong continued talking: “I am originally a porter in Wu City, although life isn’t that great but I didn’t worry too much about food and drink. Sometimes if I’m lucky I can even eat some meat.” 

Still no one responded. 

Li Congrong scratched his cheek: “Right, where are your wives and children?” 

Finally someone answered in a muffled voice: “Don’t know.” 

“I don’t have children, my wife likely ran off with someone else.”

“My parents were still waiting for me to return in my old hometown.” 

“Wonder what this year’s harvest is like.” 

Li Congrong said immediately: “Currently, the outside is in an upheaval, alot of people are selling themselves. You should go back and have a look. If there’s no man at home wouldn’t just anyone be able to pick on them?” 

“You think you can still leave after coming here?” Someone turned over, “here no one can leave, only when you’re dead then your corpse will be thrown out.” 

Li Congrong’s eyes flickered: “On my way here I heard that there were some people who killed the soldiers supervising and escaped.”  

The shack fell very silent.

Suddenly someone said: “The soldiers have weapons.” 

No one spoke anymore.

“Sleep, leave it for tomorrow.”

Li Congrong became anxious: “Rather then live a life worse than animals here, why not fight back? The worst is death but if we fight back there would be a chance for survival!”

Someone angrily rebuked him:”How is it that simple! You think no one tried before? The few who tried were skinned alive! A clean death would be better than that!” 

Li Congrong paused in a daze, not having expected the officials here to be so insanely cruel. Were they not humans too? How could they be this cruel?

“Even if you aren’t caught, your situation isn’t any better.” Someone said quietly, “when I left, my wife was already pregnant. I want to see my kid.” 

A little while later, someone continued: “My parents are already old, and I’m the only child…..”

“When I left, my son was only 3 years old.”

The group of people who had already become numb to their situation suddenly teared up as they talked.

“Who’s talking!” Outside a soldier yelled, “you better sleep now! If you delay tomorrow’s work you will see what’s coming for you!” 

The person’s voice was extremely loud, the people in the nearby shacks could all hear it. 

But everyone was already used to it. They all shut their mouths tight afraid of attracting a beating. 

After all, even if they got injuries from the beating they would still have to work. And when they didn’t work up to standards with injuries hindering them then they would attract another beating. A lot of people died in such a way. 

Just when everyone closed their eyes and prepared to sleep, Li Congrong hollered: “Your gramps, I, would be afraid of a coward like you?! So long as you have balls, follow me and fight back!”

Everyone was shocked into a daze by this. 

Especially the soldier making his rounds. He paused for a moment before reacting: “Who just said that! Get your ass out here!” 

Li Congrong: “Your gramps said that, grandson!” 

The soldier was rather young and temperamental, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and pulled the whip from his belt: “You just wait, I’ll skin you alive!”

Not a small amount of soldiers were attracted by the shouting. 

The people in the same shack as Li Congrong trembled in fear. 

Just when the footsteps came closer, a shout from outside was suddenly heard: “The granary is up in flames! Hurry and put the fire out! Hurry!” 

The nearing footsteps moved farther away. Li Congrong turned his head and looked at the people who had already sat up, his face cold: “If you’ve got the balls then charge out with me, and fight to the death! Staying here means death tomorrow if not death today. Fight back and you have a chance of survival.”

“Big grown men reduced to animals and actually don’t even think of resisting.”

“As good, respectable men, where’s your unyielding stuanchness!” 

“Think of your wife! Your son! Your parents!” 

Li Congrong lifted the door curtain: “If the lord masters up high won’t give us a way out, then we can fight for a way out ourselves!” 

Li Congrong turned his head and found that the men originally sitting had all stood up. 

They didn’t say anything but stood behind Li Congrong. Li Congrong finally let out a relieved sigh.

Everyone left the shacks and picked up nearby wood or rocks. Li Congrong charged barehanded in the front, raising his voice in a shout: “Fight back!”

A group of skeleton-like men followed his lead, eyes red as they screamed along: “Fight!” 

Likely due to the disturbance being too loud, the people in other shacks also came out fearfully. 

There wrre still some soldiers who did not go to put out the fire. One saw Li Congrong and the crowd of laborers and immediately came over cracking his whip: “What are you doing! Get your asses back inside! Or else you’ll get what’s coming!” 

But Li Congrong threw himself over and grabbex the other’s whip, his weight holding the other down and used the whip to suffocate the soldier around his neck. The man’s face flushed red with lack of air, his hands grabbing and legs kicking, his mouth letting out gurgling sounds.

“What are you doing? Rebeling?!” Another soldier camr over but this time the people who followed Li Congrong stood forward.

They swarmed the soldier who had been used to these people being submissive and not knowing how to resist. Before he could react they had him pressed to the ground, his head cracked open with a rock, breath disappearing in an instant.

“Kill them!”  

“Kill them!” 

Li Congrong raised the whip: “We must survive! We must go back and see our families! Charge!” 

The soldiers split up with one group to put out the fire and while the other group might have weapons but they could not hold up against the greater numbers of laborers. These soldiers had never been on the battlefield, their army ranks being hereditary. Normally they were used to lording it over the common people, abusing and taking advantage of them. But when they did come across an angry mob of common people fighting for their lives, these soldiers were the first to show fear and retreat. 

But in a matter of life and death, retreating meant death. 

The laborers had no other road left for them. If they retreated and gave up now, later when it was time to settle scores, none of them would escape punishment, and might even get their families implicated.

The step having already been taken, they now had no choice but to see it to the end. 

Besides, emotions were infectious. When everyone around you were charging forward, those not at first would end up charging along in the end. 

In the dark, the people could not see the blood, could not see how it had dyed the ground red. Only hatred and the image of their enemies remained in their eyes. Their weapons were randomly picked up objects like rocks and tree branches and knives that used to belong to the soldiers. They were all just normal people without any training in fighting, but they had the mentality of putting their life on the line and fighting to the death. 

Like a pack of starving wolves.  

The soldiers as their prey.

In that moment, emotions ran high, their blood boiling as if they had all forgotten their fear of death, charging forward without a care for their own lives. As if they could not see the people falling under their attack. 

The moon was hidden behind clouds. Li Congrong raised his head and looked up, thinking that the moon was also dyed red. 

He would never forget this night, never forget his first kill. 

Aside from being scared witless, he felt something else as well. 

A feeling of excitement that couldn’t be put into words. 

He finally understood something Lin Yuan said. “Don’t rebel, then there won’t be a way out. Only if you rebel can you survive.” 

Li Congrong hollered: “Kill!” 

In the dark, Li Congrong lost count how many he killed. He had wounds himself but he did not feel the pain, his brain on overdrive and conciousness overly excited. 

But the situation worsened for them.

The opponents were after all soldiers. Even if they had never been on the battlefield they were still soldiers with weapons that the laborers did not have. When they gathered together, the laborers simply weren’t their opponents.

Just when Li Congrong and the others became more and more disadvantaged, a sudden shout was heard coming from the hill, echoing across the area and deafening in its clamor. 

They had finally come!

Li Congrong slashed the stolen blade at a soldier in front of him. The soldiers were only dressed in clothes with no armor; the soldier turned trying to get a last glimpse of the person who killed him. 

Li Congrong also saw the other clearly in the moonlight, a young puerile face with an expression of surprise.

Li Congrong bit down hard and turned his gaze away yelling: “Our reinforcements have come! Don’t be scared! They are here to help!” 

Likely because Li Congrong charged in the front from the very beginning so the laborers all seemed to listen to him, believing his words without a second thought. His words lifted the fighting spirits of the laborers, even if the reinforcements were just the 40 men that had been waiting for the right moment up on the hill. 

Li Congrong let out a relieved sigh, it seemed Zhu Zhongba had managed not to be caught. 

After all, the plan was for Zhu Zhongba to burn the granary and then go back up the hill to bring the men charging down. 

The shouts caused the soldiers to lose their composure, the bai hu Burigude shouted: “It’s just a bluff! No retreating! Anyone who retreats will be punished by martial law!” 

Burigude raised his blade: “Follow in my lead!” 

Li Congrong also shouted: “Get them!” 

Zhu Zhongba and the 40 men also arrived at the battlefield. In their hands were hoes and compared to the laborers their physique was much more muscular, their arms with more strength. 

Zhu Zhongba said to them: “Treat them as pigs and goats, don’t take them as people! If they don’t die then we will die!”

The men screamed: “Understood!” 

Amidst the carnage, Zhu Zhongba searched for Burigude. Burigude was after all a bai hu so even if he charged in the front he was still surrounded by protectors. 

Zhu Zhongba carefully moved closer, in his hand was a small knife Li Congrong gave him. He could hear his heartbeat, even feel his blood rushing. He had never been as afraid or as excited as he was at that moment. 

Burigude cut off someone’s head and exclaimed while breathing heavily: “Kill them all!” 

And then he said to a person at his side: “Don’t mind me, I am a warrior of the Great Yuan, these inconsequentials cannot come close to me.” 

Hearing this his personal guards moved farther away. 

Burigude camr from a family of soldiers, their wealth amassed from cutting off the heads of enemies. He eas the only person here who had ever been on a battlefield.  

In his eyes, the laborers were no opponents. 

“Bai hu.” Someone called him. 

Burigude turned his head and saw a young man, and likely because he appeared healthy and muscular unlike the laborers that he naturally assumed him to be one of his soldiers: “What is it? Why aren’t you killing the enemies?”

The young man appeared fearful: “I…..I lost my knife……” 

Burigude sneered: “Useless thing.” 

Saying so, he threw over his own knife: “Use mine.” 

He had more than one blade.

The young man moved closer: “Bai hu, I’m afraid..….” 

Burigude snapped with impatience: “A coward with no balls! Go already!” 

“Bai hu.” The young man looked eagerly at him and moved a few steps closer, “I will protect you.” 

Burigude sneered: “I am…..” 

He had yet to finish speaking when he saw a cold flash of light and could no longer speak. 

Burigude clasped a hand to the wound on his neck, blood flowing incessantly, his mouth also spilling blood.  

Because he couldn’t speak, not even the name of his personal guards could be called. 

Burigude fell to the ground and could only watch as the other walked closer and then——his sight darkened. 

Zhu Zhongba cut off Burigude’s head and climbed to a higher spot on the hill and shouted loudly: “Your bai hu has already been killed! Surrender and be spared! Your bai hu has already been killed! Surrender and be spared!” 

In order to capture the thieves one must first capture their king. Zhu Zhongba had not read many military books but he naturally understood this tactic.

The soldiers immediately lost their composure and became absentminded, the scythe of death had already fallen upon them. 

Only when the soldiers at their side fell one after the other did they begun to put down their weapons and kneeled on the ground. 

The sky gradually lightened. The battle had fought through the entire night. Only once the sunrise could be seen did they all finally witness the carnage from the previous night. Corpses of the soldiers, of the laborers, blood staining everything. Someone let out the first sob. 

Slowly, the sobs rose in volume. 

It’s unclear if they were crying for the dead or crying for their own suvival. 

Li Congrong’s shoulder and back were covered in wounds but luckily they weren’t deep. He sat on a rock and breathed in exhaustion. 

Zhu Zhongba had the remaining soldiers tied up before saying to the laborers: “We have our own destination. If you want to return home then you can leave. If you have no place to go then you can come with us.” 

Most of the survivors chose to return to their hometowns; they had family they were comcerned for. 

Only a few chose to follow them. 

Li Congrong sprawled on the ground and asked: “What shall we do now.”

Zhu Zhongba said calmly: “Bring the weapons along, pull as many carts of coal as we can, and return home.” 

It would soon be deep winter. The things they had on them were not enough for them to survive past the deep of winter. They must return to the farmstead as soon as possible especially as their food supply was almost used up.

“Got it.” Li Congrong said, “let me lay for a bit.” 

Zhu Zhongba also sat down. Looking at his expression, Li Congrong asked: “You aren’t even scared one bit?” 

One person, alone and unarmed, leaving to go burn the granary. How did he have such calm nerves?

He even killed the bai hu. Li Congrong believed that he would not have been able to do the same. 

Zhu Zhongba smiled at Li Congrong: “I don’t know either.” 

Admist the battle cries and sounds of fighting he gained the strength and courage; his hatred towards the imperial court exploding and causing him to fall into a state of extreme excitement.

Those who wanted to return home left, each with some beans enough for a full meal given to them by Zhu Zhongba. They even kneeled and kowtowed to Li Congrong and Zhu Zhongba before they left with stoop backs. 

They didn’t know what their future held and could only move forward on the road in front of them.

“Although we didn’t find any iron but finding coal is also not bad.” Li Congrong recalled their motive for leaving the farmstead, “as long as there is coal then we can turn the iron pots and kitchen knives into proper weapons. These blades aren’t bad at all.” 

The soldiers did have good things. 

They stayed for half a month and then began their journey home. Aside from the original 40 men, 10 new men joined them. 

The new arrivals soon familiarized themselves with the 40 farmstead men.

At night by the fire, they listened to the men talk about the farmstead. 

“You can eat your full.” This was the biggest attraction. 

“Boss doesn’t hit people.”

“At night we can sleep in beds with cotton blankets.” 

Their hope for the farmstead reached a high point when Zhu Zhongba brought over clothes for them. Although the clothes were not cotton, but it was warmer than normal rough cloth clothes with the soft grass in the linings. Besides, back in the coal mine they didn’t even have rough cloth clothes to wear. 

A lot of people froze to death during last winter. They survived that winter but they knew that they likely wouldn’t be able to make it through this winter.

But now, they could see the hope for life.

So long as there was an opportunity to continue living everyone would want to do so.

The snowflakes danced in the wind and left a thin layer on the ground. Lin Yuan stood in front of the window; it was the first time he saw snow in the south. Much less than the north and not common every year. 

The people in the farmstead all exclaimed. 

“There’s snow! It’s actually snowing this year!” 

Er Liang and Gou zi squatted outside and made snowballs from the bit of snow.

They were teenage boys after all, with playfulness not yet grown out. 

Lin Yuan looked at the snow and hoped next year’s harvest would be even better. 

Currently the granaries were full, and two shacks were used for raising pigs, ducks, and chickens. If everything went smoothly, then by next year the farmstead would be completely self-sufficient.

If Li Congrong and Zhu Zhongba could come back safely, and with the tasks of finding coal and iron successfully completed, the farmstead would also be able to raise armed forces.

When the uprisings and revolts emerge all across the empire they would be able to share in the action amongst the warlords and despots.

Towards the future, Lin Yuan only had a vague plan. He needrd more time to think it over, and more time to implement his ideas.

“Boss.”

“Boss! They have returned!” 

“Brother Dao and the others returned safely!” 

Celebratory shouts came from outside. 

Lin Yuan charged out the door, he ran so fast he nearly couldn’t breath. 

They returned safely!

He looked at the unharmed brother Dao and Zhu Zhongba, breathing harshly. 

In the end it was brother Dao stepping forward and giving Lin Yuan a hug.

“This trip can be considered living up to expectations, right?” Brother Dao laughed, pleased with himself. 

He soon followed that with a whisper: “Living up to expectations’, this phrase did I get it right?” 

Lin Yuan also laughed: “That’s right! You said it right!” 

Lin Yuan said to the women behind him: “Go catch some chickens and ducks, there will be meat tonight!” 

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

“There’s meat to eat!” 

“Boss says we will eat meat tonight!” 

Lin Yuan felt as if he had never been happier than at that moment, unable to put away the foolish smile on his face. 

It was noon, the sunlight beamed down and melted the remaining snow on the ground.

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A thing like vine armors, their manufacture took a long time. But the materials required to make it were easily available. Lin Yuan did not have 2-3 years to make vine armors——by that time the dishes would already be cold (TN: expression for it being too late). He could only explore and experiment on a method that would not only take less time but also have sturdy results. 

Tung oil and wild vines were easy to find, they were in the south after all. Originally vine armor had been the invention of some ethnic groups in the southwestern region. 

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

But their weakness was revealed in Romance of the Three Kingdoms written by Luo Guanzhong in which Zhu Geliang used a fire attack scheme to break through its defense.

Right now Luo Guanzhong should still be in Hangzhou and had yet to write his famous novel. So the method for dealing with vine armor soldiers not many should know——bandits were all made up of uneducated people so using vine armors against them should be enough. 

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan wanted to meet Luo Guanzhong. Luo Guanzhong had been an advisor of Zhang Shicheng and it was his advice that had them win against Zhu Yuanzhang in a battle. It was a pity Zhang Shicheng was an idiot, causing all of his advisors and aids to leave in disappointment. 

In truth, rather than discribe Luo Guanzhong as a literary scholar he was actually a military expert, only no one remembered since his accomplishment in literary was so big.

If possible, Lin Yuan truly did want to meet the man and have a chat so that it would do justice to the many times he read the Romance of Three Kingdoms and himself as an ardent fan. 

Even the dramas and movies he had watched numerous times. 

The vine armors were woven by the women. After being soaked in tung oil it was dried and then soaked again in tung oil, and then dried and soaked again. Finally it was dried with a low fire with someone constantly watching the fire. 

Lin Yuan used a hoe to try its sturdiness. Although it had not reached the level of being completely immune to sharp objects, but it was indeed a layer of protection. With a hit from a hoe a few vines broke but no harm reached the bamboo mouse underneath——a few were smashed to death but their bodies show no wounds. 

This was enough after all bandits used knives unlike hoes which were heavier. 

The vine helmets were also usable and very light. 

Yang Zi’an put on the armor and helmet and had Lin Yuan use a knife left behind by brother Dao to slash at him with. 

Lin Yuan’s strength could not be considered small so while the knife was not too sharp it still left a few scratches on the vine armor. 

Yang Zi’an examined it and smiled: “It’s enough.”

Lin Yuan put away the small knife: “In total 50 are made.” 

Yang Zi’an: “Enough to spare.” 

“I will bring 20 people with me.” Yang Zi’an said, “you must stay in the farmstead otherwise the hearts of the people will not be at ease.” 

Lin Yuan: “But there aren’t many weapons left.” 

Last time brother Dao and the others left they took almost half with them. 

Yang Zi’an: “I am no fool, I won’t pick large numbers to attack, only the small groups. Nowadays even bandits can not eat fully, in a competition of strength and endurance they are not our opponents.” 

Lin Yuan: “Then I will wait for second brother to return victorious.” 

Yang Zi’an smiled at Lin Yuan: “I won’t have fourth brother disappointed.” 

When Yang Zi’an left with the men, Lin Yuan became dejected. He discovered he had nothing to do, everyday it was just to supervise the farmstead people at work. 

Just when Lin Yuan thought his life’s motive was just to eat well drink well and wait for brother Dao and Yang Zi’an to return, the heavens sent him a big present——a white bearded old man, Chen Half-Immortal.  

Chen Half-Immortal arrived in rags but he still put up the mysterious front he used when swindling. Behind him followed his fellow co-workers. This group of daoists had escaped when Wu City fell and went to seek a living in other nearby cities. Everyday relying on fortune telling and lying to make a living. Later, refugees began to show up at the city they were at and seeing so they once again made a getaway. 

But Chen Half-Immortal had a good memory and remembered that brother Dao said his brother had a farmstead not far from Wu City. The group of old daoists gathered together and decided, this one, let’s go. 

They practically wandered through all of the surroundings near Wu City. If they saw a farmstead that was still running they would go inside and carry out their swindling. Sometimes they would recieve some food and other times they would be directly thrown out. In the end they actually found themselves to Lin Yuan’s farmstead. 

At this time the wall was already nearly half finished and even had a watchtower. The person on duty saw several old men walk over and had at first thought himself to be seeing things and reported it to Lin Yuan. 

At such turbulent times, they were actually lugging along wooden cases filled with their fortune telling instruments and other things and maintaining an air of masters of daoism despite their ragged and shabby appearance. 

When Lin Yuan saw them he couldn’t help feeling a smidge of admiration. 

Chen Half-Immortal sat in his chair and spouted endless flattery: “Young master Lin is just like when I first saw you with a broad forehead, just your appearance convey fortune and auspiciousness. I said it that time, young master Lin would definitely achieve big accomplishments.”

Lin Yuan: “……” You clearly did not say such things. 

Chen Half-Immortal took a handful of fried beans put out on the table to chew on with a rather carefree and familiar attitude: “Looking at young master Lin’s fortune…..”  

Lin Yuan quickly interrupted: “Stop, Half-Immortal let’s not talk about empty things. You can remain here but you must work.” 

Chen Half-Immortal nodded his head and replied deadly earnest: “But of course, the group of us with just our fingers can calculate……” 

Lin Yuan: “……I meant physical labor.”

Chen Half-Immortal pointed at his nose with a finger: “Farming?”

Lin Yuan was about to nod when Chen Half-Immortal said: “Young master Lin, you don’t know, anyone can farm the fields but not anyone can fourtune tell. Let’s talk about the Book of Changes (TN: an ancient Chinese divination text and among the oldest of the Chinese classics) for example, can just anyone read it? Can just anyone read and understand it?” 

Lin Yuan: “No fortune telling. Do you have any other abilities?” 

Chen Half-Immortal said quickly: “I can concoct pills. If you require I can even have a 70 year old man return to the height of his prime.”  

So you mean aphrodisiacs?

Chen Half-Immortal: “Definitely no negative side effects.” 

Lin Yuan could only feel admiration, it seemed talents could be found everywhere. 

Wait a second! 

Lin Yuan suddenly realized something. He stared fixatedly at Chen Half-Immortal causing the old man to blush. Clearing his throat, Chen Half-Immortal said: “Young master Lin, although I have a handsome appearance……” 

Lin Yuan: “Half-Immortal, when you are concocting pills have you ever exploded your furnace?”

Chen Half-Immortal’s eyes flickered, touching his beard he says seriously: “I am the 81st generation successor of Daoism, how could I possibly commit such mistakes?” 

Lin Yuan slapped the table: “Tell the truth!”  

Chen Half-Immortal immediately replied: “I exploded!” 

Lin Yuan smiled and grabbed Chen Half-Immortal’s hand with a warm and ardent expression: “Do you still remember the steps to blow up the furnace?”

Chen Half-Immortal: “…….” Does this young master have special interests? 

Why so interested in explosions? 

In actuality, there was already gunpowder, except the formulation was still not perfected. And the ones who had access to its formulation was only a small group of people. 

The flintlock was invented during the Ming dynasty but unfortunately its power was not enough and depended on distance. 

In Lin Yuan’s tentative plan, if they could create grenades——a simple version was also fine, with iron or metal balls added inside, once it exploded the powerful force would propel the the tiny metal balls in all directions like bullets. The armors of now could not hold up against such force. 

Although the scope of damage would not be too wide but it was still a considerably destructive weapon. 

“You can just focus on experimenting and finding the method for exploding the furnace.” Lin Yuan looked at Chen Half-Immortal and saw a treasure chest. This was an old man treasure chest, so he promised, “the duration before you find it I will still have food provided with a dish of meat every week. If you can find the method then not only can you eat your fill but also meat everyday.” 

Scientific talents, he must put down huge money. 

“Are you serious?” Chen Half-Immortal asked stupefied. 

Lin Yuan guaranteed: “If I lie let me be struck with lightning by the heavens.”

Chen Half-Immortal looked at Lin Yuan and privately thought, could this be a fool? 

But Lin Yuan also warned: “Keep it small scale so as not to hurt anyone.”

“Your safety is very important.”  

Chen Half-Immortal: “The people I brought with me…….” 

Lin Yuan: “Excellent, do they also know how to explode furnaces?” 

Chen Half-Immorta: “…….” 

How should he reply to this question?

If he said yes, it would be undermining their pill concocting abilities, but if he said no he was afraid Lin Yuan would not let them stay. 

Chen Half-Immortal could only tighten his scalp and say: “They all do.” 

Those who concoct pills, who hadn’t exploded a furnace or two? 

There were even casualties, so the practice of concocting pills was not common among the people. But the daoists in the imperial palace had impressive pill concocting skills. 

Chen Half-Immortal even thought, if not for his lack of a influential sect, with his skills he could even concoct pills for the emperor.

Lin Yuan: “Then we are agreed!” 

Afterwards, Chen Half-Immortal rested for the night and when he woke up he found everything had changed. New clothes were left at the side of the bed and someone even came to lead him to the dining hall. Although it was just rice porridge mixed in with husks, but it was already extremely good in these times. There were also two mixed grain buns and pickled vegetables. After eating and drinking fully Chen Half-Immortal was lead to a room already furnished with a furnace. 

The person who lead him there had a very good attitude: “Half-Immortal, Boss said, there is enough charcoal and even some saltpeter (potassium nitrate). Anything else you need you must come up with a solution yourself.”

Chen Half-Immortal was shocked by Lin Yuan’s extensive preparations but he still held up his air of mystery, with his fingers he calculated and said: “I have calculated, today is a good day to use the furnace.”

The man smiled: “What Half-Immortal says is right.” 

When the man left, Chen Half-Immortal sat and looked at his old mates as they lug their cases in with content expressions on their faces. 

“Ai, old Chen, you have the big capability after all. Taking only a day to become an honored guest.”

“Even getting a furnance, say, what are we concocting today? I have all the zhuang yang recipes with me (TN: pill recipes for boosting the male sex drive lol).” 

Chen Half-Immortal sighed. 

Everyone: “What’s wrong? Is there a problem? Should we……make our escape?”

Chen Half-Immortal waved his hand: “It’s not trouble.” 

Everyone let out a relieved sigh. 

Chen Half-Immortal said with a pained expression: “Boss said, he wants us to find a recipe that will explode the furnace.”

“……Boss, does he want to let out fireworks?” 

Chen Half-Immortal rubbed his chin: “I feel that we got ourselves into serious business. Looking at Boss, I am afraid it will not be for fireworks.”

Everyone exchanged looks. 

Chen Half-Immortal: “Sometimes furnaces exploding can cause death.” 

Everyone finally understood.

Chen Half-Immortal: “Shall we…..do it?”

“Will it harm the natural order of things?” 

“Yes, we are all people with conscience.” 

“We cannot offend the heavens and reason.” 

Chen Half-Immortal sighed again: “I also said the same thing, but Boss said, if we succeed then we can eat our fill everyday, everyday there will be meat.” 

Everyone: “Let’s do it!” 

So, these half-immortals began their vigorous journey on inventing gunpowder. Luckily, the cases they lugged along with them already had materials for pill concocting, so for now Lin Yuan did not need to worry about the lack of materials.

“Ai, this thing of exploding furnaces, normally when you don’t want it to explode it explodes faster than anything. But now that we want it to explode, it just refuses to do so.”

“That’s right. I already concocted several batches, but none exploded.” 

They were sighing on this side and on the other side Chen Half-Immortal listened with his eye twitching. If a fellow co-worker (TN: another daoist who is not part of their group) heard this who knew what kind of expression they would show.

Lin Yuan also knew not to rush so he didn’t go and hurry them along. The new arrivals were still adapting to their surroundings. Unlike the people from earlier, their alertness was much stronger. He heard that these people didn’t talk much, they wrre diligent enough but they still had anxious looks on their faces. 

Er Liang carried in a bowl of dough drop soup with pieces of meat and vegetables. It smelled quite savory. 

Er Liang saw Lin Yuan sitting there with a troubled look and asked: “What’s wrong, young master? Do you have troubles?” 

Lin Yuan did not have an appetite and pushed the bowl away: “Er Liang, you eat it.” 

Er Liang thought it strange and asked: “Young master you only had two buns today.” 

Lin Yuan sighed, and asked Er Liang: “How are the people in the farmstead today?” 

Er Liang felt even stranger: “Like always. The weather is becoming colder, all are staying inside the dormitories right after work is finished.” 

In order to keep warm, almost everyone in the dorms were sleeping in pairs. 

Yun Niu and her young lady lay in the same bed. The single sized bed was rather cramped but the blankets were clean and Yun Niu buried her head in it and took a deep whiff. She said to her young lady: “Young lady, it is cotton!” 

“Don’t call me young lady anymore.” The woman rubbed Yun Niu’s head, “call me Qiu Niang.” 

Yun Niu said sincerely: “The young lady is the young lady!” 

Qiu Niang smiled at her and did not say anymore.

It had been a long time since Qiu Niang slept in a bed. After fleeing they lived like vagrants and after being…..by men with evil intentions, it was Yun Niu that encouraged her to live on. Everyday Yun Niu carried her on her back. All the time her body had pieces of grass and dirt, bugs and lice. 

Her lower abdomen constantly hurt and the lochia had yet to finish. 

“Team leader said, there will be buns tomorrow.” Yun Niu lickex her lips, “I can eat three.”

A dormmate laughed: “There are buns everyday, not just tomorrow.” 

“That’s right.”

“You came from the outside, what’s it like right now? I came here early, I don’t even know what’s going on outside.” They were all brought along by their families when Lin Yuan bought them. After arriving they worked from sun up to sun down, their lives very simple. Their ages were also not very old, the oldest being only 16, the youngest 8. In their eyes, there were no longer cities but just the ‘inside’ of the farmstead and the ‘outside’ of the farmstead.

Yun Niu was rather talkative, saying from her nest on the bed: “The outside is very bad! When we fled our hometown, we saw so many others also fleeing. At first we went to the nearby city, it was crowded with people. Sometimes kind wealthy people came and provided porridge but later they stopped.”

“The imperial court does not care for us either.” Yun Niu thought of that time and could not restrain a shudder, “last winter a lot of people died.” 

“If someone died then another person would take off their clothes and wear it themselves.”

The girls asked: “Then how did you survive?” 

Yun Niu thought a bit and said carefully: “I found a man, he has a couple of brothers, he gave me some food and I survived.” 

The girls sighed: “What happened to the man?” 

Yun Niu said: “In early spring he was beaten to death when fighting for food.” 

Not dying when it was the most barren in winter but dying when there was food to eat in the spring. 

Yun Niu: “What about you all? What was it like when you came here?”

The girls chattered their stories. 

“My family are farmers, when the landowner fled we had no place to go so with my parents we fled too. Seeing that we could barely live on, my dad decided to sell the entire family to Boss.” 

“Boss is a good person, he only takes 50% of the harvest!” 

“Our old landowner took 80%!”

Lin Yuan made time to see Qiu Niang. One reason he took her in was because he could not bear seeing someone dying in front of him and another was because she was a ‘young lady’. Normally, to be referred as such they must come from slightly wealthy families. And these families would educate their daughters, particularly in balancing accounts and number calculations. 

Nowadays, people were concerned with marrying only within their social status. When a woman married she must manage the family’s accounts, social connections and relations. Especially in the landowning class, a female head must manage quite a lot. 

They might not have read the Four Books and the Five Classics and did not read the works of sages but their ability to do the accounts was quite good. Some were even better than the bookkeepers.

Nowadays, not many knew how to calculate using the abacus let alone accounting.

It was time for Lin Yuan to find some people who could manage things. 

He himself didn’t know how to bookkeep, it was all done by Yang shi. But Yang shi was also not too experienced——in the old Lin family home she did not bother with the family’s accounts, it was all done by the head steward. Unfortunately, he was separated from them on the way here. 

It would be great if this young lady knew how to bookkeep, not a big deal if she didn’t. She could hold a literacy class if she was literate.

In any case, cultured people in this era was of the very few, every one of them was important. 

Qiu Niang did not have much expression when she heard that Boss wanted to see her.

She didn’t know why Boss would take in a cripple. Although everyone here said Boss was a good person but Qiu Niang was still not completely at ease. 

She couldn’t do anything, if she just ate she would be a burden.

“Boss.” Qiu Niang was carried to the chair. Her physique skinny and malnourished, skin yellowed and with freckles, completely not looking like a girl in her best years. 

She tucked in her neck and dared not look at Lin Yuan directly, only lowering her head and looking at the table. 

Lin Yuan in truth did not know how to interact with the women of this era, especially educated women. He sat in front of Qiu Niang and asked softly: “This young lady…..” 

Qiu Niang said in a small voice: “Boss, you can just call me Qiu Niang.”

Lin Yuan: “Hai, Qiu Niang, are you literate?” 

Qiu Niang nodded: “I am slightly learned in the four arts (TN: zither, Go, calligraphy, painting).” 

This was actually an all around talent. 

Lin Yuan was even more satisfied: “Do you know how to bookkeep?”

Qiu Niang lifted her head in curiosity and saw a young man with a pair of upward tilting red phoenix eyes, lips naturally curved in a smile, hair black like ink and dressed in cotton clothes. It was the appearance of a wealthy gongzi but his expression was gentle and eyes even more so and this had her lowering her guards.

“I am slightly knowledgeable.” From a young age Qiu Niang had learned female work and managing a family. The four arts were just additional talents. When she said a little bit she was not being humble, only the part on bookkeeping had she been too humble. 

Everyone said an unlearned women was virtuous so women were only educated to the point they could recognize and write words. 

The ones truly educated like men were daughters in affluent and noble families or scholarly families. 

And their education was all received from their mothers. Female teachers were very rare.

“Qiu Niang.” Lin Yuan said,”take care and recuperate your health, when you are better come and bookkeep for me.” 

Qiu Niang surprised: “Bookkeep?” 

From then to now, what women did bookkeeping? It was the work of men. 

Lin Yuan said perceptually: “Who says women are inferior to men?” 

Qiu Niang paused, not knowing what to say. Her expression when looking at Lin Yuan was that of one looking at an alien.

Lin Yuan rubbed his nose and realized this was not the right time to make perceptual remarks and said in a different way: “Currently, no one knows how to bookkeep in the farmstead, so I can only have you fill the position for now.” 

Only then Qiu Niang replied with ease: “Boss has asked of me, I will of course be willing.” 

That night when Er Liang served Lin Yuan in washing up he discovered Lin Yuan was humming a song.

Er Liang carried a basin of water over and asked curiously: “Young master, what are you singing?” 

Lin Yuan smiled: “A song.”

Er Liang: “Young master, you also know this as well?” 

Lin Yuan: “Come, I’ll sing for you.”

“Big brother Liu says, the reason is too prejudiced, who says women only enjoy leisure and idle…..” (TN: from a Henan opera on Hua Mulan)

Er Liang: “…….” 

Lin Yuan finished his tune and smiled pleased with hinself: “What do you think, not bad?” 

He only knew this song, the only song he remembered all the lyrics for and learned it when he was young and saw it on TV. 

Er Liang: “The lyrics……”  

Lin Yuan: “Is about Hua Mulan.” 

Er Liang let out an ‘oh’ in sudden realization: “So it’s about General Hua.” 

The story of Hua Mulan had long been well known and could be considered a popular tale spread among the people. 

Er Liang said against his conscience: “Young master sings very good.” 

 Lin Yuan: “I’m just so-so.” 

Er Liang: “……..” Young master seemed to have taken his words seriously, it was just a perfunctory praise.

Er Liang copied Lin Yuan and sang a few phrases. 

Lin Yuan looked at Er Liang with bulging eyes, scaring Er Liang. 

Er Liang asked carefully: “Young master, is something wrong?” 

Lin Yuan patted his shoulder and sighed: “The country has talents all over, Er Liang, I didn’t expect you to have such a good voice!” 

Er Liang was praised and was quite happy: “Really? Young master, teach me another line.” 

So Er Liang learned the whole song and sang to Gou zi the whole night causing Gou zi’s dreams to be filled with the song, his whole person feeling not right after waking. 

Very soon, Lin Yuan discovered that the women in the farmstead had all learned the song and would hum it unconsciously, even singing it together during work. After hearing it so many days Lin Yuan was already feeling rather numb. 

So he taught Er Liang another song, ‘The Exoneration of Su San’ (TN: from a peking opera also known as Su San left Hongtong County from one of the lines in the song).  

The result was that now he repeatedly heard: “Su San left Hongtong county…..” 

Fine, with two songs taking turns it was better than just having one repeated over and over. 

Yang Zi’an came back much earlier than brother Dao and Zhu Yuangzhang’s party. When he left it was just some men and a few hoes but when he returned it was with a crudely made wooden cart that was almost falling apart by the time they arrived at the farmstead. 

Not only that, Yang Zi’an took 20 men with him but he returned with 40, the other 20 were all tied up.

But Lin Yuan saw them and knew that even if they weren’t tied they wouldn’t run far either way with them so skinny and weak. 

Only one waas rather sturdy but only in comparison with the others. Just in terms of physique he could not even compare to Lin Yuan who didn’t exercise often. 

Yang Zi’an had a smile on his face as he jumped down from the back of a donkey: “I went through the surrounding areas and only found this group of people.” 

Lin Yuan: “They set up camp nearby?”

The sturdiest looking man said: “We just got lost!” 

“Who would come to this desolate place to set up camp!” 

“Taking advantage of us sleeping to steal our things!” 

On the side one of the farmstead men said: “We call that rob…..no! That is called strategy!” 

The tied up men said indignantly: “Strategy my butt! You just took advantage of us sleeping and knocked us out!”  

Yang Zi’an coughed and said to Lin Yuan: “They have knives, long blades.” 

Lin Yuan looked at them and asked calmly: “How did you come by these things?”

The sturdiest man let out a huff: “You ask and I’ll tell you? What do you take me for?” 

Lin Yuan took out a large blade from the cart. 

The sturdy man immediately changed his tone: “We stole it!” 

Lin Yuan: “Where did you steal it from?” 

The man: “When escaping we robbed the several blacksmith shops in the city.” 

Lin Yuan: “…….” How should he assess such actions? 

The man saw that Lin Yuan was not coming to cut him up so he looked around him. Just now he had not the attention to truly examine but now he realized that there were actually farm fields here, and strange box like buildings.

“This is my first time seeing such a large coffin!” The man was shocked into a daze by the dormitories.

His underlings also had their attention taken: “How big must the person be to fit this kind of coffin?”

Lin Yuan: “Let’s not talk it out for now, first take them and lock them up for a few days without food.” 

They must find out what things they had done before. 

In these times, bandits who had not killed were too little.  

The result however, had Lin Yuan’s eyeballs falling out. 

Originally, these men had been porters who went to cities to make money which they then sent back to their wives and children. 

The leader was called Zhao Wuliu. Seeing the situation not right he gathered the porters he had good relations with to go rob a blacksmith shop and took a bunch of blades and knives along their escape from the city and returned to their hometown.

What they found however, was a hometown in complete disorder with no sight of their families. They could only wander like vagrants. 

Although they had weapons they didn’t have it in them to kill and rob. They could only wander around and see if there were any advantages they could take.

The result however, was that they got lost on their wanderings and were knocked out by Yang Zi’an and the others and finally brought to the farmstead. 

Zhao Wuliu complained inside the shack they were locked up in: “They lock us up with not even a bite of food. Dragging us here over such a long distance and yet not even feeding a single bean curd cake! They even stole our things!” 

“Boss, we should fight back!”

Zhao Wuliu glared at him: “Whad’ya sayin’! Be quieter! Didn’t ya see their farm fields, there’s food here!” 

The underlings didn’t understand: “Boss, whad’ya mean? How come I don’t get it?”

Zhao Wuliu: “Ai, lemme tell ya, I see that it’s not bad here. If we can stay then we’ll not be hungry anymore.” 

The underlings all let out oh’s in sudden realization: “Boss, good thing you’re the smart one.” 

Zhao Wuliu was also pleased with himself: “True that.” 

So when Lin Yuan went to see them, he discovered every one of them as obedient and submissive as could be. As expected, different people had different wisdom. These former porters, their wisdom was to find a good employer, so long as they ate fully it was enough. 

If they were indeed murderous bandits, they would likely be currently thinking of how to have Lin Yuan killed and then take over the farmstead. 

“Boss!” Zhao Wuliu was extremely enthusiastic, “we have all thought it over, if you let us eat our fill then we’ll work for you.” 

“We don’t want those blades anymore either.” Zhao Wuliu said lowly, “besides we haven’t used them anyway.” 

The blades had only been used to cut up firewood or scare away wild animals. 

Lin Yuan ws still not completely convinced: “Stay for a few more days.” 

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

Zhao Wuliu immediately threw himself forward and hugged Lin Yuan’s leg: “Boss! Show some kindness! At least give us some food! We have not eaten for several days!” 

Lin Yuan suddenly realized, he had said to starve them a few days but he didn’t specify how many. It had already been 3 days and this group of people had just relied on water to make it through. That they still had the strength to hug his leg was already not easy. 

So Lin Yuan said to someone outside: “Make some porridge and bring some over.”

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When strangers showed up, everyone in the wilderness became nervous and stayed inside their shacks. Someone in their shack hollered: “We don’t have food! We don’t have any valuables either! This hero, please leave us a chance for survival!” 

More people just stayed silent, trembling inside their shacks. 

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

Lin Yuan had thought that there would be more people in the wilderness. The truth was it was extremely desolate. Because it was winter the trees were all bare, on the ground though there were human faeces and Lin Yuan must be careful so that he wouldn’t step on these ‘surprises’. 

The people in the farmstead at least knew to dig a hole and bury their wastes and then use it as fertilizer later. 

The people here didn’t even bury it. 

Lin Yuan shouted towards the people in the wilderness: “I require people to carry heavy objects. Everyday there will be mixed grain buns and bean curd cakes. There will be houses for shelter too. Those who want to come step out from the shacks.” 

Silence. 

Lin Yuan repeated it again but still no one appeared. 

They hid inside their shacks and examined the new arrivals. 

After waiting nearly 2 hours and as Lin Yuan was about to give up, a woman who was carrying someone on her back came out. Her hair oily and knotted, she timidly walked forward, looking up at Lin Yuan: “Are women acceptable? I can carry things.” 

She also said: “I won’t waste food, I can do two people’s work for just one person’s food ration.” 

She looked at Lin Yuan with desperate hope: “Is that alright?” Lin Yuan looked at the person she was carrying. 

The woman immediately said: “This is my young lady, my young lady……my young lady knows how to read and write!” 

Lin Yuan: “What is your name?” 

The woman said immediately: “I am called Yun Niu!” 

Lin Yuan nodded, “Yun Niu, wait behind me.”

Yun Niu carried her young lady and walked to the back behind Lin Yuan. She stood in the middle of tall and big men, appearing even smaller and pitiful. Her face still showed anxiousness, she didn’t know what the future held but she knew that with the winter on them she wouldn’t be able to even use her body to exchange for food anymore.

In fact, she herself could become food. 

“No more people?” Lin Yuan asked a final time.

This time he did not wait long, finally someone left their shack as well. 

Most who lived in the wilderness wrre men, there were some women but other then the women who had the protection of their husbands, most single women were like Yun Niu and sold their bodies for food. They wrre barely covered in rags and walked out barefoot, their bodies even sported wounds——some men relied on hitting women to vent their emotions.

The people who came out were about 1/3 of all the people in the wilderness.

In Lin Yuan’s eyes this was not a lot but those unwilling to come out he couldn’t help it either. It’l was not like he could force them to come work for him?

So he said to the people who came out: “Follow me.” 

On the way back, Yun Niu carried her young lady, gritting her teeth in order to not fall behind. On the side one of the men who came out with Lin Yuan from the farmstead offered: “I can carry her, don’t end up falling.” 

Yun Niu said alertly: “I can still carry, there is no need.” 

The man did not insist: “That’s fine, when you can’t anymore just let me know.” 

Yun Niu did not reply, she also could not reply, following the others without falling behind was already taking up all her strength.

When they finally arrived at the farmstead, this group of people with timid and numb eyes finally seem to have some light in them. 

They saw farm fields, even with bok choi planted in the soil. They were all of farmer origins so seeing the farm fields they could barely move their eyes. 

The land was the source of the people’s livelihood, the people’s roots.

“First bring them to go wash up.” Lin Yuan said to the women waiting on the side, “one set of clothes per person.” 

The women smiled: “Understood, Boss.” 

With smiles on their faces, they lead them to wash up and shave their hair so that they didn’t bring lice into the dormitories.

Yun Niu was also pulled away by a woman. The woman wore clothes that looked thick, not shivering at all in the winter winds. She was also very clean, no dirt at all on her face. Her hair was also pulled up with a wooden hairpin, and looked very respectable. 

“I am called San Hua, what are you called?” The woman asked Yun Niu. 

Yun Niu said quietly: “I am called Yun Niu, this is my young lady.”

San Hua brought them to a crowd of shacks. The shacks were much more sturdier than the ones seen in the wilderness. At least it did not have cracks to let in the wind. Inside the shack were a few buckets of water. This world did not have the conditions for showering, using warm water to wipe at was already very good. 

“You…..have always stayed here?” Yun Niu asked San Hua carefully. 

San Hua smiled: “No, we were bought and brought here. They bought my dad and my dad took me and my mom along.” 

San Hua shaved Yun Niu’s hair and said: “Don’t be afraid, after coming here everything will be alright. As long as you work there will be food to eat. Boss does not hit people.” 

Yun Niu asked curiously: “What kind of person is Boss?” 

San Hua’s eyes had hope and yearning in them: “Boss is a good person, it is the first time I’ve ever seen such a good person like Boss in my whole life.” 

On the other side another woman shaved the hair of Yun Niu’s young lady, she teased: “San Hua wants to be Boss’s servant girl.” 

San Hua blushed: “Who said that? Don’t say nonsense.” 

Yun Niu slowly relaxed, she said to her young lady when the women left to pour out the water: “Young lady, the Boss seems to be truly a good person, there are so many women here.” 

The young lady coughed twice, her face smiling.

Even a cripple like herself he was willing to bring back, who but a good person would do that. 

“In total we brought back 30 people.” Lin Yuan sighed, “men 22, women 8. And it’s a whole number, not even one more.” 

Yang Zi’an said: “Not bad, I had thought not even one would be brought back.” 

 Lin Yuan thought that strange: “What do you mean?”  

Logically speaking, with a chance for survival those people should not be so unmoved? 

Before there had even been a brave horse caretaker who sneaked into the people belonging to the human trafficker, just to have a chance at surviving. 

Yang Zi’an: “I hear that there are some bandits who have already started killing people and cutting their flesh.”

Lin Yuan: “…….Cannibalism?” 

Yang Zi’an nodded: “That’s right.” 

Lin Yuan fell silent, after a while he stood up: “I’m afraid we must speed up the work this winter.” 

“Strive to finish building the wall by next summer.” 

He wanted to have more people stay alive. Perhaps the heavens brought him to this era so that he could do this very thing. 

Lin Yuan looked at Yang Zi’an: “Second brother, the bandits have weapons right?” 

Yang Zi’an paused, and immediately understood Lin Yuan’s meaning, smiling: “Of course.” 

Lin Yuan: “And we lack weapons.” 

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

Yang Zi’an and Lin Yuan made eye contact, both blinking their eyes at each other and then letting out loud laughs. 

Lin Yuan: “In the winter, they lack food and don’t have much warm clothes. We can take advantage of winter and rob the bandits in the area.”

“But before that, we need an important object.” 

“Vine armors.”

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It was drizzling the day brother Dao and Zhu Zhongba left. Luckily, it wasn’t too cold and they didn’t spend too much time making farewells before they slipped inside the woods——the leaves could keep the rain from hitting them directly and there was no lightning to worry about on drizzling days. 

But Lin Yuan did not have the people work on the walls today since there was no shelter from the rain on the farmstead. If they caught a cold, with the lack of medicine they would just have to rely on their immune system. But some people might have a good immune system and could recover after a few days but others had a weak immune system and would not make it through the fever. Lin Yuan was not willing to ignore lives for just one day of work. 

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

So, this day was a rare resting day. 

When the rain stopped, quite a lot of people gathered out in an open field and set up a fire. They chatted while around the fire pit. No matter the difficulty experienced, so long as they endured it, the people’s faces would still have smiles. 

The men even competed on leg balancing for fun. The soil had yet to be turned so it was quite hard, if they were to fall it would indeed hurt.

People were social creatures, gathering together made them feel safer. 

“Young master.” Er Liang brought over a cotton coat, “put on another just in case.”

Lin Yuan did not refuse, putting on the coat he asked Er Liang: “Are there wilds in the area?” 

Er Liang often followed the hunting team up the mountains so he knew: “Yes.” 

Lin Yuan asked again: “Are there people?” 

Er Liang nodded again:”Yes, they are all refugees, both men and women who live in shacks they put up.”

Lin Yuan nodded: “Call over second brother Yang, tell him I have something I need to discuss with him.”

“Accept people in from the wilderness?” Yang Zi’an rubbed his chin, thinking for a bit: “It’s not impossible, only they might not be manageable.” 

Currently the people in the farmstead had either been following brother Dao and Yang Zi’an originally or people with dependents. And for their families they would not dare to have errant thoughts. 

Another type was of servant origins and they didn’t care for anything but eating fully, dressing warmly and having work to do. They wiuld do anything they were told to. 

But the people in the wilderness was different. 

Some could even be of bandit origins and that could only bring trouble. 

Lin Yuan said: “I will personally discipline them.” 

He had managed people under him before. But dealing with these people required a different method. 

Shift their attention and hate, push out a target. The target being the least compliant out of all of them. Have him manage the rest.

The people under him would curry favor with him, some would be afraid, others would have resentment. 

Once the resentment had reached a breaking point, Lin Yuan would then be able to step in. 

Of course, he hoped that there wouldn’t be uncompliant people.

At least not at the time being where everyone must be on the same side and tightly tied together into a rope. 

Once there was any loosening, the rope would break. 

Lin Yuan also knew that in times of upheaval, to keep his hands clean completely was not possible. But he hoped that day would come much later. 

Yang Zi’an looked in puzzlement at Lin Yuan. In his belief Lin Yuan was not someone who could harden his heart. Have him discipline the people? 

Lin Yuan only sighed: “It’s not like I want to.” 

But he had no choice.

In the end they took 20 people with them to the wilderness. The wilds, or wilderness were places where the imperial court did not govern over. The people who fled their hometowns and become refugees could not enter cities. Some stayed outside the city walls waiting for the wealthy to provide charity for them or the day they might finally enter the cities. 

Some people could not handle living outside the city walls and treated like pests that needed to be shooed away. They couldn’t even dig up wild herbs outside the gates so they went into the wilderness. Other than winter, during other seasons they could find food to eat. If they were lucky they could even catch a wild animal. 

Yun Niu was one of the people in the wilderness. She forgot how old she was already. She thought it might be 15 or 17, she was unclear.

Her parents were both dead and so in order to survive she sold herself to different men. Some men would give her some wild herbs. Some just pulled on their pants and left. She grabbed their leg and reminded them they did not give food. But those men unwilling to give food would just kick her away. 

But she survived. 

Her fellow villagers who fled with her were almost all dead. 

Now only one was left, lying in their shack and relying on the food Yun Niu brought back to struggle on whilst at death’s door. 

Yun Niu fed her some tree bark and some water, saying to the woman: “Today no one hit me.”

The woman’s voice sounded like worn out bellows: “That’s good.”

Yun Niu thought of something and smiled: “Today someone told me, when his shack is set up he wants me to live with him.” 

The woman said: “That is also good.” 

Yun Niu chuckled softly.

“Yun Niu!” A man shouted from outside, “I brought some grass roots for you!” 

That was something edible! Yun Niu’s eyes glowed, and went outside. 

The man likely resisted a long time, seeing Yun Niu he immediately pulled her pants down and carried out the business on the ground.

Around them people passed by. Some would pause and watch, thinking once the man finished they could also get a piece, and they didn’t need to give food. Some people were already used to these sights, walking by without much expression. 

When the man got up Yun Niu pulled her pants up and grabbed tightly on the grass roots, baring her teeth at the watching men: “What are you looking at? If you want to do it bring food! Or else I’ll bite off your thing!” 

The men were not afraid of her but they also didn’t want to waste energy on her either, so they left now that they discovered no advantages to be had. 

Yun Niu once again went inside her shack. It was given to her when she slept with one man for several days and did not ask for any food from him. 

She hummed a song from her hometown as she chewed on the grass root. She also fed some to the woman laying. 

The woman coughed twice: “Yun Niu, leave me out in the mountains.” 

Yun Niu also lay down. She shook her head: “If I leave you there you will die.” 

The woman smiled with difficulty: “I will die anyway, if you don’t put me there I will just waste your food.” 

Yun Niu was upset: “Young lady, Yun Niu should be caring for you.” 

The woman fell silent and did not say anymore. 

Yun Niu had always been protecting her. She was the daughter of a landowning family and Yun Niu was her servant girl. When fleeing, her parents ran ahead holding onto her younger brother and she became separated from them.

 After she was raped, her lower parts became numb and began discharging lochia. Yun Niu carried her on her own back and hid in the mountains. The whole way avoiding others in search of a place to settle. 

With a place to settle, Yun Niu began doing business. 

Yun Niu often got hit, sometimes there was not a piece of unblemished skin on her body. 

The woman thought sometimes, why were they still living, why not just die cleanly. 

Yun Niu said: “My parents told me, it’s better to hang on to living than die.”

So the woman forced herself to endure.

She didn’t want to make Yun Niu sad.

“Young lady, Yun Niu can’t eat anymore……” Yun Niu talked in her sleep.

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

A tear fell from the woman’s eyes. Yun Niu must be dreaming of before. Before when she was still a young lady of the landowning class with servants who served her and endless fine grains and meat to eat. She always had Yun Niu eat more, thinking her to be too skinny. 

The woman held in her sobs but the tears could not be stopped. 

TN: A bit depressing in this chapter, but it’ll get better when Lin Yuan comes!

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