Chapter 152

The river water churned, waves surging, the sound like rolling thunder.

After countless ages, the vast great river still surged turbulently, rushing into the sea.

Hundreds of vessels large and small struggled upstream against the current in the river.

On the deck, Lin Dao, holding a phone, was taking a selfie.

Looking at his own stalwart image on the phone screen, Lin Dao laughed aloud, "The more I look, the more it seems like I'm about to glow."

"What else can be said? One can only say my ethical bottom line is too high."

Rushing about busily, all for the common people of this era who suffer endless hardship, so they can live good days.

If he lacked morality, relying on wealth, technology, and his golden finger, raising a force to plunder everywhere, or throwing himself into the Great Ming system to muddle through, he would be like a fish in water, carefree and delightful.

Get good things and sell them back in the Modern World, be a yacht beauty in the Modern World, a happy rich man touring the world.

In the other world, then be a comfortable lord, enjoying the happiness and ease of a superior person.

Such a lifestyle~~~ is no different from a demonic cultivator.

Putting away the phone, Lin Dao was still smiling, "Transmigrating back and forth all day, it's almost driven me into a nervous disorder."

In the depths of his heart, there was always a voice persuading him.

"Why bother so hard? What does it matter to you whether others live well or badly?"

"With the ability to transmigrate, living comfortably, isn't that better?"

"Even if not a demonic cultivator, being a rich landlord is quite good too."

"Servants like clouds, beauties surrounding, delicacies from land and sea, luxury cars and mansions — that is the goal everyone pursues together."

"Why should you do so much for others? With that time and energy, wouldn't it be better to go pile-drive more?"

Standing on the deck, Lin Dao's gaze swept toward the riverbank.

Groups of men and women, dragging long ropes, strained to pull the vessels forward.

The elderly brought water buckets, children brought dry rations.

Men, women, old, and young all joined in; at this moment of headwind and adverse current, they used their own shoulders to drag Lin Dao's fleet forward.

This was not corvée labor conscripted by force; it was the people along the river who, upon hearing the news, spontaneously came to tow the boats.

In the words of an elder who came aboard to offer local specialties:

"The Marshal's kindness is like reborn parents."

"We have nothing to repay with, only able to contribute some strength."

"The Marshal goes to rescue the suffering people of Hu Guang; we can only do what little is within our power."

Stepping forward, he came to the ship's gunwale.

Gazing at the countless commoners on the nearby shore, Lin Dao calmed his breath.

"Perhaps, it is precisely for these people who bear hardship yet remain simple, that they may live better."

The riverbank gradually stirred with commotion.

"It's the Marshal~"

"The Marshal is looking at us~~"

"The Marshal~ Ten thousand victories~~~"

Countless people saluted toward Lin Dao's direction, thanking the Marshal for granting them new life.

For a thousand years, never seen one so good to the common people.

Rising and falling, heartfelt cheers stirred the blood.

The soldiers on board, too, each held their heads high and chests out, breathing accelerating.

Wishing they could fly to the battlefield right now, to sweep away all enemies for the Marshal.

The people's hearts, the army's hearts.

After experiencing the many aids Lin Dao provided, they repaid in the most simple way.

"Since it is so."

Lin Dao calmed his breath, "Then continue!"

Jiujiang Prefecture, situated at the throat of the Chang Jiang.

Guarding the Chang Jiang and Poyang Lake.

Westward one can advance straight to Wuchang; eastward one can reach Anqing and Jinling.

Southward into Poyang Lake one can control Jiangxi; it is a true strategic location.

Zuo Liangyu, who suffered a crushing defeat at Li Zicheng's hands at Zhuxian Town, garrisoned here with a force of two hundred thousand.

Facing the Emperor's repeated urging imperial edicts, he turned a deaf ear, only demanding grain and salary.

After the Battle of Zhuxian Town, Zuo Liangyu had seen through this world.

Everything is false; only troops, horses, money, and grain are real.

As long as troops, horses, money, and grain are in hand, imperial edicts?

Just a piece of paper!

His plan was to wait for Zhang Xianzhong and the Wuchang garrison to clash, both sides weakening, then go pick up the cheap gains.

Unexpectedly, the Lin bandit from the east actually took the initiative to come kill.

"Lan Gu."

Seeing Vice General Ma Shi Xiu return, Zuo Liangyu hurriedly asked, "How is it? Is Lin Dao willing to withdraw troops?"

Having fought so many years of war, Zuo Liangyu deeply knew the ways of raising bandits to bolster one's own weight.

He was unwilling to clash head-on with Lin Dao, so he dispatched his confidant general Ma Shi Xiu to negotiate with Lin Dao.

The condition: after he recaptured Wuchang Prefecture, he could hand over Jiujiang Prefecture, even all of Jiangxi, to Lin Dao.

"Marshal Zuo."

Ma Shi Xiu said indignantly, "That Lin bandit is detestable!"

"Not only does he refuse to retreat, he even calls our Wogun a bandit army that plagues the common people and deserves execution."

The surrounding generals immediately erupted in an uproar.

Everyone shouted in unison, wanting to go deal with that Lin bandit.

Only Zuo Liangyu remained silent.

When the clamor gradually subsided, Zuo Liangyu finally spoke: "This Lin bandit is not simple."

"In a short time he swept across the Jiangnan Region, and even went northward to destroy the Jiannu Army."

"You all know how hard the Jiannu are to fight."

Zuo Liangyu came from Ningyuan Wei and had fought the Jiannu many years ago.

Naturally he understood how hard the Jiannu were to fight.

If that Lin bandit could defeat the Jiannu, was he not even more formidable than the Jiannu?

Facing a strong enemy, Zuo Liangyu instinctively felt some fear.

Earlier he feared the Jiannu; after Zhuxian Town he feared Li Zicheng; now he worried about Lin Dao.

In this Great Ming realm, why do such outstanding heroes keep appearing!

"Father Marshal."

Zuo Meng Geng stepped forward two paces: "It is not that we want to fight him; he actively came to fight us."

"Besides, even if that Lin bandit is formidable on land, he may not have much skill on water."

"We have more ships and more men, and we are upstream; sailing down the river we can smash them in one battle!"

Previously when Zuo Liangyu fled to Wuchang Prefecture, because the King of Chu refused to provide grain and salary, he simply seized all the ships in Wuchang Prefecture.

Arriving at Jiujiang Prefecture, he even rounded up all the ships on the river and on Poyang Lake.

At this time he had at his disposal hundreds of large and small ships.

As for other things, it is hard to say, but speaking only of the scale of the entire Great Ming navy, only Zheng Zhilong was stronger than him.

"Hmm."

Zuo Liangyu felt his son's words made sense.

Since you boast of being strong on land, then I will fight you on water!

Without a navy there are no military supplies; we can only retreat.

He rose and came to the map to observe carefully; after a moment he slapped the map with one palm.

"Fight right here!"

The place he slapped was called Ma Dang.

Ma Dang, also known as Ma Dang Xia.

It faces the Chang Jiang to the north, and the mountain shape resembles a horse, hence the name.

Ma Dang Shan and the sandbar in the river face each other from afar, forming a mutually supporting position.

The sandbar in the river divides the Chang Jiang into two.

The left waterway is narrow and already silted up and impassable.

The right waterway flows beneath Ma Dang Shan and is the main channel.

This place is the narrowest point of the middle Chang Jiang, less than two hundred zhang wide.

The current is swift, the terrain perilous, forming a natural barrier where one man can hold the pass against ten thousand.

"Grand Marshal."

A vanguard scout who had not slept through the night came to report: "That Lin bandit's bandit army navy has blockaded Ma Dang Xia, with numerous ships stretching across the river to block it."

Zuo Liangyu's navy not only blockaded the channel, but even stretched iron chains across the river surface.

Under these circumstances, continuing to advance would be extremely difficult.

"Is there anyone stationed on Ma Dang Shan?"

Lin Dao did not care about this; if he were on the opposite side, he would do the same.

Ma Dang Shan is not high, only over one hundred meters in height.

But the terrain is extremely perilous, jutting deep into the Chang Jiang, easy to defend and hard to attack.

Ye Shou Shou reported again: "Judging by the flags, there is likely a squad of troops stationed on the mountain."

The Ming Army organization is rather chaotic; some squads have three to five hundred men, while others have seven or eight hundred.

Under normal circumstances, a brigade commander leads two squads, with one squad being five hundred men.

Lin Dao rose: "You want to use the terrain to stop me—can you stop me?"

Two days later, a Yingjun formed from new recruits from Yiwu, Wenzhou, Taizhou and other places finished assembling beneath Ma Dang Shan.

The Zuo army on the riverbank had already been driven back, and Ma Dang Shan became an isolated island.

"Brothers!"

The putong shouted loudly: "We have all received great favor from the Grand Marshal!"

"We eat our fill, wear warm clothes, and can even have wine and meat!"

"The Grand Marshal gave us so much installation fee, set military pay higher than mountains, and has never delayed it!"

"Our families receive grain, salt, and cloth to live good days, eating well and dressing warmly without worrying about being sold for grain."

"Search your consciences and say: are the days now good or not?"

Several hundred soldiers shouted in unison.

"Good~~~"

The platoon commander continued to shout, "The Marshal has raised our entire families for many days."

"Now the Marshal is stuck here, blocked while sitting on a boat."

"At this very moment, it is the time for us to repay the Marshal's kindness and loyalty!"

The soldiers shouted again.

"Die for the Marshal~~~"

Pre-battle incitement cannot just be slogans; such words are too dry.

Actual benefits cannot be lacking either.

"The Marshal has ordered!"

The platoon commander shouted again, "Whoever beheads a Left Bandit Army leader, reward ten taels of silver, record one turn of military merit!"

"If wounded to the point of disability, may leave the military unit to serve in prefectures and counties everywhere."

"If killed in battle, those with sons at home, the son inherits the father's profession, receives pension until sixteen years old then enters the military camp."

"If no offspring, may adopt a raised son to inherit the incense and fire, treatment the same."

The platoon commander drew his waist blade, holding it high.

"Brothers, repay the Marshal's kindness and loyalty, right now!"

Hundreds of red-eyed soldiers raised their weapons and shouted.

"Kill!"

"Kill!!"

"Kill!!!"

Killing shouts shook the heavens.

Not only the Left Army on Ma Dang Shan, even the Left Army in the fleet on the river, were all trembling in heart and spirit.

Those veteran soldiers of many years, could all hear it from the shouts.

This is fighting a war with a must-die heart.

The whole family's treatment is this good, and there are no more worries about the rear, the rewards are also set this high.

These soldiers from Yiwu, Tai, Wen and other places, all have red eyes.

Just fighting a war.

Back in the hometown, year after year clan feuds, nothing remarkable!

Fight to the death for the Marshal!

The defending troops on Ma Dang Shan, expressions terrified.

The troops attacking upward from below, surprisingly every man wearing armor!

And all iron armor!

This must be the bandit chief's old camp's Adopted Son Team, just a small hilltop, is it worth investing such huge capital?

On a large ship on the river, Ma Shi Xiu with a heavy expression saluted Zuo Liangyu.

"Marshal Zuo, Ma Dang Shan probably cannot be held."

"If the bandit army transports cannons up the mountain, it may ruin the great undertaking."

Zuo Liangyu heard and laughed heartily, "You've also gone to see, this Ma Dang Shan is extremely steep, even people walking up the mountain is very difficult, how to transport cannons up the mountain?"

"Tiger Crouching Cannons, such small cannons, transported up there would be useless."

"If real heavy cannons, fundamentally cannot get up."

"No need to worry~~~"

"Here, steady as Mount Tai!"

(End of Chapter)