Chapter 21: Paying the Bill

"Building big feels great for a moment, but paying the bill breaks your heart~~~"

Inside the Warehouse Duty Room, Lin Dao looked at the pile of bills and scratched his head.

The Beggar Army of Guangzong County scored a great victory over the Later Zhao troops.

This was naturally a good thing, removing a major threat to Lin Dao's continued business dealings, and could be called opening up a trade route.

But this victory was essentially bought by Lin Dao with supplies.

After the victory, it was his turn to pay the bill.

To ensure victory, Lin Dao purchased many supplies.

Grain, meat, cooking oil, armor, ice-breaking awls, medicine, cloth, and so on.

The prices of these supplies weren't high, but the quantity purchased was huge~~~

Leaving other things aside, just talking about grain.

Before going into battle, each military household of the Beggar Army received two hundred and forty jin of grain from him.

At a wholesale price of a little over two yuan per jin, that was five hundred yuan per person.

Five hundred yuan seemed not much, but the Beggar Army going into battle numbered over ten thousand.

Before the fighting even started, several million yuan had already been spent.

Even more expensive things were still to come.

To stir up combat will and achieve final victory in the war.

Lin Dao promised that whoever took a Qianghu head would be given one thousand two hundred jin of grain.

That was two thousand five hundred yuan!

Before returning to the Modern World, after a rough count, the Qianghu heads seized after the war piled up like mountains, totaling over ten thousand.

Another expenditure of over ten million yuan.

This was only the spending on grain; other things hadn't even been counted yet.

All in all, settling the final payment would probably cost tens of millions.

War really is burning money.

Of course, burning money is better than paying it as compensation.

"This battle was worth fighting."

Looking at the numbers on the calculator on his phone screen, Lin Dao wanted to laugh, "You've driven my sponsor to bankruptcy."

If it weren't for Lin Dao's incitement.

The Beggar Army would have stayed in the settlement, and the Qianghu would have continued the siege.

The final result for both sides would either be the Qianghu withdrawing their troops, or after conditions were agreed upon, the Beggar Army submitting again and nominally belonging to Shi Hu's command.

It was Lin Dao himself who jumped out first, using super high bounties to start this great war.

Accordingly, the war's expenses should naturally be paid by him.

"Not a scumbag, don't like thunder~~~"

The phone ringtone rang; Su Tongtong was calling.

"Work is finally done~"

"Have you missed me these past few days~"

"Heard a good movie is showing~"

"Want something cold to drink~"

Su Tongtong's call contained only one word throughout.

Date~~~

This was normal, after all women are more Yelou than men.

Once the valve is opened, the water flow will only get bigger and can never be closed again.

"A lot of debt isn't worrying; there will always be a way."

Lin Dao got up, tidied himself a bit, and went out on a date.

Once he left, it was the whole night.

The next morning at dawn, Lin Dao yawned as he returned to the warehouse.

He spent several hundred million yuan last night. It was several thousand yuan.

Eating, drinking, having fun, staying at a hotel, and buying some small gifts and such.

It was truly tiring and expensive.

When acting like a sage, men always complain.

But it doesn't matter; men usually can't be sages for long, and soon look forward to the next time.

After being busy all morning and finishing work matters, Lin Dao set out for Yonghe Spacetime.

The place he appeared was not the courtyard inside the settlement.

But inside Li Nong's main account.

"Feng Dun over there should be furious enough to breathe fire by now, right."

Lin Dao used massive supplies to incite Feng Dun's troops under his command to leave the city and fight without authorization.

This was undoubtedly usurping authority.

If it were someone else, they would have already started fighting.

Although out of fear, Feng Dun did not take action.

But Lin Dao's side wasn't stupid either; he definitely couldn't stay in the settlement anymore.

"This business can't be done anymore."

Lin Dao picked up the Buddhist Sutra on the desk. "Only Feng Dun's clan and his retainers and confidants remain in the Weichang."

"If I can't do business, I can't make money."

"If I can't make money, I can't pay the final payment."

"If I can't pay the final payment, I'll go bankrupt."

This was the matter that worried him the most.

As relations between the two sides deteriorated, although they had not yet publicly torn face.

Wanting to do business and earn gold like before was impossible.

Without income, Lin Dao's financial situation deteriorated rapidly.

"Langzhu~~~" Sun Rong's call came from outside.

Coming out from the rear tent, Lin Dao asked, "What matter?"

"Langzhu, the Weichang commanders and generals from all the Weichang have been waiting for a long time."

The Qihuo Army is a group composed of exiled aristocratic families, officials, military households, refugees, and so on.

Aristocratic families and some officials, with clans as their core, gathered military households and refugees, forming groups of varying sizes.

Weichang are the gathering places of these groups.

The larger Weichang leaders may be called Weishuai or Baobishuai.

The smaller Weichang leaders call themselves generals.

The Qihuo Army here in Shangbai, Guangzong County, is composed of dozens of such groups.

Among them, Feng Dun is the strongest, and was recommended by everyone as the Qihuo Shuai.

Similar in meaning to the Alliance Leader.

Lin Dao, who hadn't come over for two days, walked steps and sat down on the main seat. "What do they want with me?"

"The various Weishuai generals have learned that Langzhu has offered a bounty for Qianghu heads."

Sun Rong lowered her head, speaking softly. "Earlier, when the Qianghu camps scattered everywhere, many Weichang sent troops to pursue and had some gains."

"They want to use these gains to exchange for Langzhu's bounty."

Lin Dao realized. "Understood."

Earlier, Li Nong's main camp was defeated, and the news quickly spread to the other Later Zhao army camps.

The Qianghu in the various camps knew very well that their grain was all stored in the main camp.

Now that the main camp was breached, it meant a total cutoff of grain.

With almost no hesitation, the various Qianghu branch camps fled one after another.

The Qihuo Army Weichang they besieged naturally saw the movement outside the city.

Most Weichang chose to send troops to pursue, with considerable gains.

Only after sending people to contact each other and exchange information did they learn that Lin Jia's master had offered a huge bounty.

A first-grade Qianghu head was worth as high as ten shi of grain!

The red-eyed Weishuai generals from all sides gathered before dawn.

They also wanted a share of the pie.

"Ha~~~"

Lin Dao's eyes shone bright, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth.

"This is truly, when you're drowsy someone delivers a pillow."

"Invite, quickly invite the various Weishuai generals in."

"I want to talk business with them."

The previous moment, Lin Dao was still worrying about his lack of sales channels.

The next moment, the sales channels themselves came knocking on his door.

Without you, Butcher Feng, would we not eat pig with hair?

There are plenty of people who can replace you!

The proud sun shone bright in the sky, sprinkling endless warmth.

The great earth teemed with vitality, flowing with the warmth of spring.

On horseback, Li Nong's heart was wind and snow whistling, cold as ice.

"How should I explain to the Great King?"

"When setting out on campaign, thirty thousand great army, tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers, civilian laborers and refugees countless."

He stared all around, his Flying Cavalry guards. "When returning, only less than a hundred riders of Flying Cavalry remain."

Li Nong's expression was miserable. "The entire clan is in danger~~~"

Shi Hu is cruel and bloodthirsty, exterminating entire families at the slightest provocation.

Although Li Nong is his trusted heavy minister, with such great losses and such a miserable defeat.

It's hard to guarantee Shi Hu won't vent his anger on his entire clan in his rage.

Living on Later Zhao's land, death is not scary; what's scary is the death method.

Shi Hu likes to torture people to death; even the lightest death method is waist chop.

Cutting a person in two at the waist with one stroke, they don't die immediately, dragging half a body, crawling and wailing miserably on the ground, the sight so tragic it can stop a child's night crying.

This is still only the lightest death method.

As for the women in the family, their tragic fate is even more unspeakable.

"Report~~~"

Li Nong, gloomy and bleak, was startled awake by the scout report.

"What matter? Could it be the Qiaoqi have caught up again?"

At these words, the Flying Cavalry all around instantly showed faces of terror.

Two days of mad galloping hundreds of li stemmed from fear of death.

Qin Lang leading over a hundred riders, chasing and killing wildly all the way, had already scared their guts out.

The Flying Cavalry had also organized counterattacks.

But the cavalry under Qin Lang's command, like madmen, fighting desperately with reckless abandon, killed the already morale-less Flying Cavalry until they discarded helmets and armor in wretched disarray.

The Qiaoqi cavalry cut off the Flying Cavalry's heads and hung them on their horses' necks.

Eyes red, like evil ghosts they pursued to the death.

No choice, the bounty on each Qianghu head was too high, nearly a whole family's rations for a year~~~

In this chaotic era where people starve to death every day, one head exchanges for a whole family's rations for a year.

Such a pie-in-the-sky windfall, whoever encounters it must fight desperately.

After two days of pursuit and killing, Li Nong's side had already been frightened into frightened birds.

"Sikong, it's Marquis Xiucheng bringing reinforcements!"

At these words, Li Nong and the Flying Cavalry around him instantly rallied their spirit and energy.

Marquis Xiucheng, Shi Min.

His father was Shi Zhan, adopted son of Shi Hu, enfeoffed as Marquis of Xihua for outstanding military merit.

Shi Zhan originated from the Chenliu Qiaoqi.

After the Chenliu Qiaoqi were defeated, they became captives of Later Zhao.

Before capture, Shi Zhan's original name was Ran Zhan.

After Shi Zhan died, Shi Min inherited his title.

Because he was decisive and sharp from a young age, Shi Hu greatly liked this adopted grandson Shi Min.

He changed his title from Marquis of Xihua to Marquis Xiucheng, and also appointed him Guerrilla General.

Seven years ago, Shi Hu dispatched a great army to campaign against the Xianbei Murong Clan.

All routes' forces were defeated; only Shi Min repelled Murong Ke's great army, and his reputation soared.

Five years ago, Shi Min and Li Nong and others sent troops against Eastern Jin.

All forces achieved little; only Shi Min crushed the Jin Army, killed the Jin Army's Main General, and his prestige grew even greater.

Learning such an ever-victorious general was leading troops to aid them, Li Nong and the others instantly gained a sense of security.

"Sikong."

Shi Min looking at the wretched Li Nong before him, was greatly astonished: "Why so?"

"Sigh~~~"

Li Nong shook his head repeatedly: "Shame unbearable, speechless in reply."

"I shall bind myself and plead guilty before the Heavenly King."

The burly Shi Min frowned tightly.

Li Nong had led tens of thousands of troops on campaign; how could he return with fewer than a hundred riders at his side?

The Qiaoqi of Guangzong County are actually this fierce and brave?

He was originally reinforcements.

But now the main force is defeated, so his reinforcements have no target to aid.

He can only turn back and withdraw, return to Ye City and see how the Heavenly King arranges things.

On a distant hill.

Qin Lang, with several Qianghu heads hanging from his warhorse's neck.

Watched from afar the gradually departing Later Zhao troops.

After a moment, he pulled the reins and turned his horse's head.

"Go back!"

(End of Chapter)