Chapter 143

On the Grand Canal, masts stood like clouds, ships stretched for a thousand li.

On both banks of the river channel, bustling crowds surged, ten thousand heads teeming.

Lin Dao led the tens of thousands of men and women rescued from the Tartars, as well as the many refugees taken in along the way, southward in a vast procession stretching on without end.

The Northern Lands suffered a great drought; all of Shandong was barren for a thousand li.

Forget grain — not even tree bark or grass roots could be found, only Guanyin Soil.

If Lin Dao had not taken in these skeleton-like refugees, their fate would have been nothing but collapsing by the roadside or becoming white meat.

The massive column moved south all the way.

When crossing the Yellow River's Suspended River section, Lin Dao once again displayed a Divine Technique, collecting ships wheel by wheel, crossing the Suspended River, then releasing them again.

The masses who witnessed this scene with their own eyes all prostrated themselves, crying out "Immortal Master above."

Countless people's eyes reddened, wailing "Immortal saves the world."

Lin Dao opportunistically transported grain in public, the result being loyalty skyrocketing.

Displaying holiness before people isn't easy either; mobilizing so much materiel in succession, Lin Dao himself was exhausted enough to choke.

After that, all the way south, he rode a boat the whole way.

Returning to Yangzhou Prefecture, the first thing was to summon the bodyguards left behind.

"Before leaving." Lin Dao took out a thick stack of letters and placed them on the table "I instructed you, don't be knocked down by the salt merchants' sugar-coated cannonballs."

He sat in the golden-thread nanmu chair, gaze sweeping over the bodyguards before him "I'll give you a chance."

"Those bribed by salt merchants, step forward and speak clearly, I can spare your life, leave you an intact corpse."

Among the bodyguards, some were fearful, some calm, some looking around, some indifferent.

Yet no one stepped forward to confess.

"Seems you still harbor a fluke mind." Lin Dao calmed his breath "Thinking you can hide it from me."

He had long since arranged spies, secretly watching these young bodyguards who became Qi Guan, Siputou, even Qianhu at such a young age.

What these young bodyguards had done, every single matter was recorded clearly.

Lin Dao reached out and picked up a letter.

Opening it, he read aloud before everyone "Chrysanthemum Month Third Day, Gengzi Camp Third Qianhu Second Siputou Yao Wenlu, invited by salt merchant Liu Wenhai to boat on Slender West Lake."

"Stayed overnight on a flower boat that night, afterward received Western Regions Cheng Money Shop silver notes worth three thousand taels."

Among the bodyguards, a young man knelt down on the spot, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly.

"Marshal, I was wrong~ I've let you down~~"

"You didn't let me down." Lin Dao shook his head "You let yourself down."

"This year ten?"

"You're only sixteen years old, yet became a Qi Guan leading several hundred soldiers."

"Do you know how vast your future prospects were?"

"For the women on the flower boat, for a few thousand taels of silver, you gave up your own future."

Reaching out and picking up several more letters, Lin Dao shook his head "Not just a few thousand taels."

"You also accepted a mansion in Yangzhou City, a garden by Slender West Lake."

"Inside you're keeping several women."

"All told, the silver notes, silver, and gold you received total over ten thousand taels in value."

Seeing this, Lin Dao himself laughed "These salt merchants really spend heavily to recruit people."

"Just a Qi Guan commanding a few hundred soldiers, yet they spent this much."

"Wenlu."

Lin Dao looked at the young bodyguard kneeling on the ground trembling "Tell me, salt merchants spending such heavy capital to recruit you, what are they after?"

"Is it because you're handsome, they want you as a son-in-law?"

"Or because you're well-endowed?"

"You." He pointed at the young bodyguard "Don't tell me you don't know!"

What else could they be after? Of course it's the troops he commands!

Took the salt merchants' silver, took the women the salt merchants bestowed.

When the salt merchants make him lead troops to do their bidding, could he possibly refuse?

"You command the Second Squad."

Lin Dao waved the letter in his hand "Neglected training, idled away days."

"Over half the Qi Guan and Bai Zong took salt merchants' silver."

"Even some embezzling military supplies — armor and weapons."

He suddenly smashed the letter in his hand at Yao Wenlu "Months ago, you were still a roadside corpse who might starve to death at any moment!"

"And this is how you repay me?!"

Must admit, the salt merchants' methods are truly formidable.

Silver, women, houses, carriages all together — a squad of seven hundred-plus, almost completely infiltrated.

Much of the fine armor and weapons Lin Dao brought fell into salt merchants' hands, used to equip salt workers.

Yao Wenlu said nothing, only kept kowtowing and weeping.

Lin Dao waved his hand, armored soldiers stepped forward and dragged him away.

"Marshal~~~" Yao Wenlu shouted with all his might "Spare my life, I'll never dare again~"

"Unrepentant." Lin Dao spat.

Thought he'd be magnanimous, shout a few lines like 'Marshal I've let you down, next life I'll serve you as ox and horse' and such.

I didn't expect they would merely beg for mercy.

"What a waste of my high hopes for you."

Lin Dao couldn't be bothered to reveal more, simply waving his hand.

A crowd of armored soldiers stepped forward and took away several more.

They weren't just rotten themselves; they also caused the troops under their command to rot together.

Wanting to survive in this situation — how is that possible?

The bodyguards who were taken away all pleaded, but unfortunately Lin Dao didn't listen at all.

"The path was chosen by you yourselves; you should bear the consequences yourselves."

As for why the bodyguards who were taken away didn't resist, or take Lin Dao hostage to beg for a way out.

Coming to see the Great King, one may not wear armor or carry weapons, and must also undergo a search.

Armored soldiers are all around; with what head would they resist?

"As for you." Lin Dao looked at the remaining bodyguards who hadn't been knocked down by the salt merchants, his face showing praise. "Well done, you didn't disappoint me."

"Remember their story; in the future you must also take it as a warning."

He turned and instructed Liu San Dao: "The vacated positions shall be filled by soldiers who performed outstandingly in this combat."

After cleaning up the internal affairs, Lin Dao planned to set about dealing with the salt merchants.

Keeping the salt merchants before was to temporarily stabilize the salt supply across Jiangnan.

Eliminating them now is because the salt merchants have already become useless.

This bunch really has guts — they even dared reach their hands toward the garrison troops.

The salt merchants didn't want to turn against Lin Dao at first, but Lin Dao pulled away all the salt households.

Without the salt households, the salt output of the Lianghuai Salt Fields sharply declined.

This directly harmed the salt merchants' core interests.

Moreover, Lin Dao forced a showdown and forcibly conscripted one thousand salt workers, which also made the salt merchants feel the crisis.

Incited by interested parties from Su Hang and other places, the salt merchants who believed Lin Dao would not return if he went north then made their move.

Unexpectedly, Lin Dao actually returned!

Especially upon learning that the officers they had spent heavily to bribe had already been summoned away for disposal, they panicked even more.

A gathering of salt merchants large and small assembled at the Salt Industry Guild to discuss how to respond.

"At a time like this, what is there left to think about?"

"Either you die, or I live."

"Each family mobilize manpower, kill into the Salt Transport Bureau yamen, and slaughter that rebel — that's it."

This proposal is too radical; at a glance it's a young man with blazing passion.

Someone immediately retorted: "Are you stupid?"

"Inside and outside this Yangzhou city, tens of thousands of troops are stationed."

"Even if we bring the maids who serve night pots, we still don't have as many people as them."

"Yet you want to charge the Transport Bureau yamen — that's seeking death!"

The two sides immediately started arguing.

In the end it was still the Salt Industry Guild's Guild Leader who made the final decision.

"Feast them, give gifts, hide bladesmen in the corridor."

"Remember, you must capture them alive; only then can you make the rebel army hesitate to act for fear of harming their own."

"Also, quickly dispatch someone to send a letter to Suzhou, requesting the Imperial Court to send troops as soon as possible."

The visiting card was delivered to Lin Dao.

Looking at the exquisitely crafted gilded visiting card in his hand, Lin Dao tilted his head to look at the roof and couldn't help but sigh.

"This world is just a giant grassroots troupe."

"The one being Emperor is a fool; a bunch of salt merchants raised in luxury, having read a few chapters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, think they can also devise brilliant strategies?"

"Fair enough; even the President of the Beautiful Country is arrogant, so it's not strange for salt merchants to pull this kind of idiot-level operation."

Such tactics work against people who haven't seen the world.

But they don't work against transmigrators.

Transmigrators from the Information Explosion Era are each more cunning than monkeys.

They've seen too much, heard too much.

"Under such mutually hostile circumstances, you invite me to attend a banquet?"

"Do you take people for fools?"

Lin Dao turned around and dispatched people to each salt merchant household in the city, greeting them to come to the Transport Bureau yamen for the banquet.

The salt merchants were terrified.

They didn't dare come, but feared Lin Dao would seize the chance to fly into a rage.

Hesitating, a little over half came.

The rest — the smarter ones — wanted to leave the city.

But they were stopped and seized by the soldiers guarding the city.

The not-so-smart ones hid at home feigning illness — nothing but self-imprisonment in a cage.

Lin Dao merely smiled at this.

A bunch of salt merchants enjoying glory and wealth by bloodline — they have no real ability.

"Great King~~~"

The salt merchants who came to attend the banquet presented the killer move.

"Hearing that Great King has returned victorious, we are overjoyed."

"The Salt Industry Guild has raised four hundred thousand taels of silver, plus ten thousand piculs of salt, to present as military rations to Great King."

"Too little." Lin Dao gave no face at all, saying bluntly, "This bit of silver is enough to send off a beggar."

The salt merchants' expressions were awkward.

The Guild Leader saluted again, "Let Great King know, we have also prepared a peerless treasure to present to Great King."

Lin Dao toyed with the wine cup in his hand, "A peerless treasure?"

"Bring it out and let's see."

Soon, the peerless treasure walked into the hall on her own.

"Hmm?" Lin Dao frowned slightly; the beautiful woman before him seemed somewhat familiar.

"This lowly woman Bian Sai pays respects to Great King."

"You~" Lin Dao stroked his chin, "Have we met before?"

The petite and charming Bian Sai lifted the corner of her goose-yellow skirt and stepped forward with a charming smile, "Great King truly is a noble person who forgets things; this lowly woman once met Great King in Xiaowan's boudoir."

"Oh~~~"

Lin Dao remembered: Jinling City, Meixiang Fang, Dong Xiaowan's close friend.

"How are you here?"

Facing the question, Bian Sai stepped forward again amidst the expectant gazes of the salt merchants.

Her beautiful eyes swept over the soldiers gripping their sword hilts, and Bian Sai took a breath.

"Great King, these salt merchants coerced this lowly woman into assassinating you!"

The salt merchants were greatly alarmed and hurriedly denied it three times.

Lin Dao looked at her with calm eyes, "Speak clearly."

"This lowly woman and my younger sister came to Yangzhou to visit a friend, but were coerced by the salt merchants."

"They threatened my younger sister's life and ordered this lowly woman to offer her body to Great King, to assassinate during intimacy."

Lin Dao smiled again, "How to assassinate?"

"Could it be by applying poison?"

Bian Sai blushed slightly, kneeling there with her head lowered, "This lowly woman's hairpin conceals a silver needle, coated with deadly poison."

Lin Dao seemed slightly regretful, "I thought it was finished."

He raised his hand and smashed the wine cup in his hand onto the ground.

The dense clang of armor leaves striking each other transmitted, as a large batch of soldiers surged in.

"Smash cup as signal, I also know."

End of Chapter