Chapter 134

*Thud-thud-thud—*

Armored soldiers wearing leather boots advanced, holding firelocks fitted with three-edged military daggers.

Following the knowledge they had learned during military training, they delivered a finishing stab to each of the Guozijian students on the ground.

*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! *

The sound of three-edged military daggers piercing bodies made Qian Qianyi's calves cramp.

His face turned pale as powder, and his mouthful of old teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Th-they really killed them?"

"These are all Guozijian students—"

The ever-cautious Qian Qianyi rarely lost his composure; he shouted at Lin Dao, "They are all your classmates—"

Lin Dao turned his head on horseback; his sharp gaze swept over, and Qian Qianyi instantly came to his senses.

He really wanted to slap himself.

Why did I run my mouth? I'm not the Guozijian Military Chaplain!

"Military orders cannot be disobeyed."

Lin Dao spurred his horse forward. "I said curfew means curfew; disobedience means death."

Qian Qianyi stumbled after him. "Zihou, Commander!"

"If you offend the literati, how will you contend for the world? Who will serve as your officials?"

"Hah—"

"What a joke." Lin Dao laughed. "I recall the history books once recorded an era when one had to castrate oneself to become an official."

"Even so, didn't the literati still willingly castrate themselves just to seek office?"

"Same old saying."

"A three-legged toad is hard to find, but people who want to be officials are everywhere!"

"Master Mu Zhai, go attend to your duties; no need to follow."

All the way to the Dajiaochang, looking at the piles of military supplies stacked like mountains, Lin Dao could only say it was beyond words.

Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds—these were mottled with rust, estimated to be thirty years old.

All kinds of armor; iron armor and iron helmets were all rusted, leather armor was covered in mold, some not used for forty years.

The bowstrings had long since snapped; the wooden bow bodies were rotten to the point of falling apart—apparently stored for fifty years.

The firelocks' wood had completely rotted; the gun barrels were thoroughly rusted shut—estimated to have been made sixty years ago.

As for tents, carts, and such military supplies, they were even more speechless.

Completely just heaps of garbage.

If they hadn't been taken out from the designated warehouses, who knows what these piles of junk even are.

"The numbers don't match."

Lin Dao used the headcount technique to scan the junk heaps before him, then compared them against the figures in the ledger in his hand.

"Off by too much."

A group of warehouse scribes and clerks buried their heads nearly into the ground.

In all the warehouses across this Great Ming realm, which one isn't short?

The only difference is how much they're short by.

Lin Dao raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Amid the *clang* of drawn blades, the bodyguards' waist sabers were pressed against the clerks' necks.

The clerks immediately began pleading for mercy with practiced ease.

"It's not us little ones' fault—"

First, clear themselves.

"It was all the various supervising officials."

Then, shift the blame.

"We little ones also wanted to stop it, but our words carry no weight."

Then, dodge responsibility.

"Where the goods actually went, we little ones truly don't know."

Finally, play dumb completely.

A very standard set of evasive excuses; basically the same throughout the Great Ming.

Lin Dao's expression was calm. "One, three, seven."

The clerks were baffled, what does that mean?

The next moment, three clerks were dragged out; armored soldiers swung their sabers, and three heads fell to the ground.

Now they all understood—it was the first, third, and seventh among the rows of kneeling clerks.

Lin Dao asked again, "Where did the goods go?"

The clerks were all dumbfounded.

It wasn't like this before.

Even when they came to inspect warehouses and audit accounts, at most they'd get a beating—when has anyone started chopping heads right off the bat?

The clerks, plunged into shock, said nothing.

Lin Dao's gaze once again scanned the backs of their necks.

"We little ones were just following orders."

A clever one hurriedly replied, "Mostly the various Commandants' stewards came to requisition them."

"Go straight to the dock, board the ship, and transport them away along the Great River."

"As for exactly where they're going, we truly don't know."

"On the ship we heard Liaodi accents, there were also Shaanxi ones, and Shanxi ones too~~~"

"Spare our lives, this really has nothing to do with us~"

Lin Dao waved his hand. "Send them all to Zhao Zhilong, have him properly interrogate them for embezzled pay."

Anyone who can be a storehouse clerk, which one's family doesn't have ten or eight thousand taels stashed away.

Reselling imperial court supplies, fattening their own waist pouches — storehouse clerks the world over are all the same.

Although they can't compare to meritorious nobles and princely lords, a mosquito is still meat no matter how small; having is better than not having.

"Liaodi, Shaanxi, Shanxi."

"Heh." Lin Dao chuckled lightly. "The officials of this Great Ming are truly interesting."

"As long as there's silver, anyone has to step aside."

"Speaking of silver, I'm the one with the most silver!"

Daylight brightened.

Large batches of Yongwei Camp soldiers went through the streets beating gongs and drums, shouting to spread the word.

The curfew ended; every household could go out to shop and work.

Tonight at You hour the curfew continues; before You hour everyone must return home and shut their doors.

Last night, every place that should be sealed has already been sealed; soldiers carried Nanzhili's "Register of Gentry," going door to door to search and seal.

Following the clan registers, they arrested people and sealed doors according to the registers.

Those who should be arrested were arrested, those who should be sealed were sealed.

Those now allowed to move about are all the city's humble commoners.

If they don't work for a day, they'll go hungry.

"All guards and battalions, large and small drill grounds, Divine Machine Camp, Xun Camp, military households belonging to Xinjiangkou Military Camp — report immediately to the Great Xiao Chang."

"Those who have not arrived by the third quarter of Wu hour — strike their military posts~~~"

【83】 "Those who have not arrived by the third quarter of Wu hour — strike their military posts~~~"

Besides announcing the lifting of the curfew, there was another important matter: gathering all the military households in the city.

Those willing to come, Lin Dao organized them.

Those unwilling to come — from then on they would never again have military household status.

Although the imperial court owed pay year after year, it still occasionally doled out a tiny bit.

And the arrears — the court always acknowledged them, just didn't pay.

If they didn't come, those debts would be written off in one stroke.

"Husband, you can't go~"

From many civilian houses came sounds of arguing: "Going means either being killed or being coerced into becoming bandits."

"If something happens to you, how will our whole family survive~~~"

Years of marketplace life had long since worn away the military households' resolve.

First, they feared this was a repeat of "drill ground distributes pay, don't bring armor and weapons."

Second, they dreaded being coerced into the rebel ranks, becoming cannon fodder, wandering everywhere.

Therefore, the vast majority of the city's military households didn't dare go.

"Heave~~~"

"Heave~~~"

Lin Dao, lounging in his chair drowsing, was awakened by his personal guards.

"Marshal, the third quarter of Wu hour has arrived."

He raised a hand to wipe his mouth corner, Lin Dao stood. "How many people came?"

"One thousand three hundred nineteen."

"Only this many?" Lin Dao appeared slightly surprised. "The ancients said, marketplace rabble cannot be made into soldiers — truly not wrong."

At its peak, Jinling City's military households numbered over a hundred thousand.

Even after two hundred-plus years, most troops existed only on the muster rolls, becoming tools for officers at all levels to embezzle military supplies.

But there should still be several tens of thousands of living people, no?

Yet only a thousand-odd dared come.

With this kind of courage, even if forcibly conscripted onto the battlefield, they'd be rout troops that collapse at first contact.

"Good enough."

Lin Dao stretched his body, strode toward the Jiangjiangtai.

Before him, over a thousand people trembled.

No choice — all around were armored soldiers, every one holding weapons, staring at them with tiger-like intensity.

Seeing Lin Dao ascend the Jiangjiangtai, the crowd grew somewhat restless.

"I am Lin Dao."

Lin Dao raised the trumpet in his hand. "You may call me Marshal Lin."

"Since last night, I am the new master of this Jinling City."

The restlessness in the crowd grew greater.

They only knew there was a mutiny in the city, a major upheaval.

But specifically what the upheaval had become, they didn't know the details.

Now they know.

"I'm giving you two paths now."

"One: from now on, serve under me, be among my troops."

"Two: turn around and leave now, give up your military status, and do as you please from here on."

"One quarter of an hour." Lin Dao calmed his breath. "Those who haven't left after one quarter of an hour shall be deemed to serve me!"

Among the crowd, someone clearly hesitated.

Who, making a living in Jinling City, would want to become a bandit?

Yet they worried Lin Dao wouldn't keep his word, that they'd be beheaded once out the camp gate, and were extremely conflicted in their hearts.

After a long while, someone finally plucked up courage and tentatively walked toward the camp gate.

Seeing him leave the drill ground without losing his head, many more immediately followed.

Seeing this scene, Lin Dao also shook his head slightly.

"In ancient times, people of the city interior were indeed unsuited to be soldiers."

After one quarter of an hour, fewer than half remained.

Lin Dao nodded. "Since you all are willing to follow me, I won't mistreat you."

"The military pay the Imperial Court has withheld from you over the years, I'll make it all up to you!"

One sentence, and the whole drill ground boiled over.

Everything else is false; only money and grain are real!

The clerks holding the military registers stepped forward to ask everyone's names, immediately clicked their abacuses to calculate the back pay owed over the years, and distributed it on the spot.

Holding the silver from the cloth bags in their hands, looking at the strings of copper coins slung over their shoulders, they kicked the grain sacks filled with grain at their feet.

The military households were as if in a dream.

Those who had left earlier, seeing this scene outside the drill ground, were so regretful their intestines turned green.

They ran toward the camp gate, wanting to go back.

The guard soldier directly brandished his blade: "The military camp is a restricted area; idlers may not enter without permission!"

Only then did the crowd remember that they themselves had voluntarily given up their military household status, and were now idlers.

"We're also willing to serve the Great Commander, we also want our back pay!"

The guard soldier coldly laughed and brandished his blade: "Go to Jing City and ask the Emperor old man for your back pay!"

The people outside the drill ground had faces full of regret.

They were worse off than those who hadn't come.

Those who hadn't come, upon hearing the news, at most beat their wives at home to vent their anger.

But these people of theirs were only one quarter of an hour away from money and grain~~~

If they hadn't left before that quarter of an hour, they'd have a share of the money and grain now.

The back pay over the years—that was a huge sum!

At this time on the drill ground, the joyful atmosphere had not yet ended.

"Everyone who participated in last night's action receives five taels of silver, one shi of grain, one can of meat!"

The soldiers of Yongwei Camp stepped forward in ranks one after another, smiling broadly as they received their rewards.

Their treatment was high: an ordinary soldier's monthly pay was ten taels, plus one shi of provisions, one bolt of cloth, one jin of salt.

These military pays were all actually distributed, with no deductions.

Lin Dao dared to pay full pay, they dared to follow Lin Dao in rebellion!

After receiving the rewards, someone shouted spontaneously.

"Whose pay do we receive?"

"We receive the Great Commander's pay!"

"Whose clothes do we wear?"

"We wear the Great Commander's clothes!"

"For whom do we die?"

"We die for the Great Commander!"

Those military households who stayed also shouted at the top of their lungs, in unison.

The sound was like thunder!

End of Chapter