Chapter 23: Not dying on the battlefield, but instead dying at the hands of one's own people

"These are all top-grade grains."

Lin Dao bent down and grabbed a handful of corn from the grain sack.

"Please look, everyone." He gestured to the gathered fortress commanders. "Plump kernels, golden color."

"Boil them in a pot and eat them; they're very filling."

"They can also be ground into corn flour to make corn cakes, corn rolls, and corn steamed buns."

"They can be eaten as rice or as flour."

Lin Dao was doing his best to sell the corn.

The reason was also very simple.

The wholesale price of rice was more than two pieces per jin.

While the wholesale price of corn only needed more than one piece per jin.

Such a high price difference provided Lin Dao, who ordered by the ton every time, with huge profit margins.

Anyway, for the people of Yonghe Spacetime, as long as it was grain, it was fine.

With the trade route reopened, in the largest grain trade, he planned to gradually increase the proportion of corn, thereby saving expenses.

With the accumulation of experience, Lin Dao's ability and insight in time-space trade also gradually improved.

Now he had learned to reduce procurement costs, thereby expanding profit income.

"Everyone." Lin Dao put the corn back into the bag. "Whether the grain is good or not, you'll know once you taste it."

A fortress commander pinched a kernel of corn, put it in his mouth, and chewed.

The taste of grain would not lie.

"Lord Lin Jia."

"This grain called corn, we have never seen it before."

"Even if it can be eaten, the price certainly cannot compare to refined rice."

The fortress commanders spoke up one after another. "We buy grain; we can buy this corn. However, regarding the price, we can only calculate it according to the price of millet."

Lin Dao had previously transported some corn, but they were all left in Feng Dun's fortress.

Other fortresses had not eaten it.

The grain Lin Dao provided previously was mainly refined rice.

The quality of that refined rice was even better than that of Qingcheng's Hang (rice variety name), which was specially supplied to the royal family.

For grain like corn, which they had never seen or eaten, wanting to sell it at the price of refined rice, the fortress commanders would certainly not agree.

"The price cannot be changed."

Lin Dao had taken huge risks, crossing time and space to come here to do business, not to do charity.

He was very clear that the current environment was a seller's market. "From now on, for the grain I sell here, corn is half and half."

A tough attitude was also a helpless move.

Everyone who had been to school knew that the nutritional value of corn was slightly higher than that of rice.

But the problem was that no one in the Beggar Army understood this.

They only knew that refined rice was the best grain in the world.

This damn corn and such things, they had never seen before, and had not even heard of them.

Lin Dao was very clear that explaining was useless; it would fall into a vicious circle of self-proof.

Better to just use force directly, buy it or not~~~

The great commander generals had nothing to say.

They could choose not to buy.

But when they returned and their men and women needed to eat and there was no grain, they might have to put the whole family on the table.

At this time, they could only bite the bullet and go ahead.

"Chen Weichang purchases seven hundred shi of grain, thirty jin of pork, three barrels of oil."

"Fang Weichang purchases four hundred shi of grain, one barrel of oil."

"Cao Weichang purchases one thousand two hundred shi of grain, fifty jin of pork, three barrels of oil."

"Dai Weichang purchases three hundred shi of grain."

"Gao Weichang purchases nine hundred shi of grain, twenty jin of pork, one barrel of oil."

The various fortresses purchased grain one after another.

The most was over a thousand shi, the least several hundred shi.

Not much pork was bought, mainly used to reward the military households under their command, cooked as white meat for ritual offerings and shared consumption.

The great commander generals basically did not eat pork.

In this era, pork was considered low-class meat, eaten by poor people.

What the nobles ate was mutton.

As for high-end goods like cooking oil, just like sugar honey, they were only qualified to be enjoyed by the core of the fortress.

"This data."

Inside the large tent, Lin Dao waved the documents recording the orders in his hand and said to Sun Rong with a smile, "It can also be considered military intelligence."

Sun Rong was confused. "Slave doesn't understand."

"Through this data, one can analyze the population, economy, currency reserves, and other aspects of the various fortresses."

"It's rare that you can read." Lin Dao handed the data over. "From now on, these will be managed by you, and let those scribes assist you."

This time selling grain, Lin Dao collected more than four hundred and fifty Gold Cakes.

His financial situation was immediately relieved.

Still, the Qianghu had to be wiped out before business could proceed stably.

After dinner, Lin Dao entered the rear chamber of the main tent and returned to the Modern World.

At midnight, a figure avoided the night-watch guards, came to a hidden spot, and released the carrier pigeon in hand.

The carrier pigeon flew into the air, circled twice, then flapped its wings toward Ye City.

The next afternoon, Lin Dao, having finished work and eaten lunch, walked out from the rear tent.

"Lord!"

Jin Lian, who had long been waiting outside, went forward gloating, "This morning, fighting broke out at Feng Weichang."

Lin Dao was surprised, "More Qianghu?"

"Not the Qianghu." Jin Lian was clearly worked up, her little face flushed with excitement.

"Commander Feng ordered the military households to hand over half of their rewards."

"The military households refused, and the two sides started fighting."

"It's said there were many casualties."

Looking at Jin Lian's delighted face, Lin Dao was also speechless.

Not dying on the battlefield against the various Hu, but instead falling at the hands of one's own people.

This is not a good thing at all!

This is the difference in perception brought about by different living environments.

Lin Dao, born and raised in the Modern World, did not understand that in this era of Yonghe Spacetime, people actually had little sense of nation or ethnicity in their hearts.

The general perception of this era is.

"The world belongs to the Sima Family; what does it have to do with us~~~"

"If there are matters, they are matters of the Gao Family Aristocrats; we common folk just need to seek survival."

"Fighting is naturally left to the military households~~~"

Lin Dao felt that armed conflict between one's own people should not happen.

But in the eyes of people of this era, only one's own home and one's own clan are one's own people.

Sitting down behind the desk, Lin Dao calmed his breath, "Tell me clearly what happened."

Jin Lian stepped forward, knelt to one side, and poured water for Lin Dao.

"Those military households previously took the war spoils from the military camp, which made the people inside the wubao envious."

"Yesterday, Lord gave them rewards—so much grain, oil, and meat, cart after cart brought into the wubao, and the people inside went mad with jealousy."

The military households Jin Lian spoke of were those who previously accepted Lin Dao's bounty, left the city to fight the Qianghu.

Mainly the military households from within Feng Dun's Wubao.

As for the people inside the wubao, they refer to the people of Feng Dun's clan, as well as retainers and confidants and other vassals.

These people did not respond to Lin Dao's call to leave the city for combat, and naturally had no qualification to receive rewards.

"It's said they started making a fuss last night."

"Because it was late, it came to nothing."

"This morning, Commander Feng personally ordered that all military households must hand over half of their rewards, otherwise they would be driven out of the wubao."

Hearing this, Lin Dao frowned, "Is Feng Dun so unwise?"

Feng Dun's wubao was a very typical structural framework at the time.

The core was Feng Dun's family and clan.

The middle layer of vassals consisted mainly of exiled officials, small-surname cold families, plus craftsmen, cooks, physicians, and other technical talents.

They served as aides, handled civil affairs, and served as mid- and low-ranking colonel officers in the army.

The lower structure consisted mainly of military households, who were qualified to live in the wubao and were also the main source of fighting strength for the begging-for-food army.

The outermost were refugees who had no qualification to live in the wubao and could only build hovels outside the fortress to seek survival.

Their main role was to serve as cannon fodder, and to do work like farming and cutting firewood.

To be able to become the Protector-Wall Great Commander, Feng Dun was no brainless fool.

He also knew that seizing the military households' rewards would lead to serious consequences.

It was just that he needed to rely on the support of his own family and clan, and the vassals—these were all the core pillars of his position as wubao master.

When the people of the family and clan, and the vassals, were all envious and incited him to seize the military households' rewards.

Feng Dun had no other choice.

He had to support his own core strength.

"The military households naturally refused."

Jin Lian spoke while smiling, and Lin Dao worried she would laugh herself into a fit.

"The rewards Lord gave them are the life of their whole family's survival."

"One side wants to seize, the other side won't give."

"The result was fighting broke out, and many people died."

Lin Dao fell silent.

In his view, this matter was simply absurd and laughable.

Not dying on the battlefield against the Qianghu, but instead dying at the hands of one's own people.

What kind of thing is this~~~

Lin Dao stood up, preparing to stop this farce.

"Lord~~~"

The curtain of the great tent was lifted, and Sun Rong walked in to salute.

"What matter?"

Sun Rong saluted. "Reporting to the Lord, General Qin Ya has arrived."

"Oh, Qin Lang is back."

Lin Dao smiled and stood up. "Ask him in. Never mind, I'll go out instead; the smell in here is too strong."

This large tent was made of cowhide.

It was fine in winter, but now the spring breeze brushed against the face and the temperature rose, making that smell unbearable.

That was because Lin Dao didn't sleep here at night; otherwise it would have been dismantled long ago.

"Lord Lin."

The dust-covered Qin Lang stepped forward and saluted upon seeing Lin Dao.

"Brother Qin."

Looking at the many Military Households behind Qin Lang, Lin Dao smiled and stepped forward to help him up. "What's wrong?"

Qin Lang exerted strength in both arms but did not rise.

He tilted his head to look at Lin Dao, hesitating for a moment. "We ask Lord Lin to take us in~~~"

The Military Households all saluted and shouted in unison, "Please take us in, Lord Lin~~~"

After falling out with Feng Dun, the Military Households had only two choices.

Either clash with Feng Dun and decide the ownership of the settlement anew.

Or leave the settlement and pledge allegiance to another.

Feng Dun controlled the finest troops of the settlement, mainly composed of his clan and vassals, with hundreds or thousands of armored soldiers under his command.

The Military Households lacked organization, especially lacking a leading lion.

Although Lin Dao provided armor and weapons, the outcome was still uncertain.

Even if they won, it would inevitably be a devastating loss.

Without a leader, the losses would be even greater.

As for pledging allegiance to another.

Whether other settlements would accept them was a question.

After all, the behavior of the Military Households was equivalent to betrayal.

The Weichang Commanders of other settlements also had to worry whether they would encounter the same thing.

At this time, Qin Lang, who had previously pursued Li Nong, returned.

Qin Lang, who had achieved consecutive military merits, rapidly rose in prestige among the Military Households.

When he proposed that everyone leave the settlement and pledge allegiance to Lord Lin Jia, almost no one opposed.

The reason was simple.

Lord Lin Jia was truly generous~~~

PS: My deepest apologies, this chapter wasn't released yesterday. I deserve ten thousand deaths~~~





End of Chapter