Chapter 27: Change, replacement, and succession are all permissible, but it must never fall into the hands of the barbarians!

Wall Commander Chen came from a Bingzhou high-gate great clan, and his lady was a famous daughter of the Qinghe Spitting Clan.

One of Shi Hu's Empresses was also a daughter of the Qinghe Spitting Clan.

Wall Commander Chen and Shi Hu were, in a manner of speaking, brothers-in-law.

They had long grown accustomed to the idea that aristocratic clans stood above all else.

Seizing the family wealth of the warriors under his command led to alienated hearts and lost virtue.

What ordinary people would see as self-destructive sabotage of the Great Wall was, for great clans, a commonplace matter.

Military households slaughtering Han was nothing fit for the table.

Afterwards, upon learning of this, Lin Dao exchanged Liu Hu's entire family for grain.

He also arranged for someone to treat Liu Hu's injuries.

After recovering, Liu Hu very naturally pledged himself to Lin Dao.

He took the seat of honor.

Lin Dao picked up his chopsticks, clamped a piece of braised pork, and put it into his mouth.

Seeing their lord move his chopsticks first, everyone then began eating in turn.

Jin Lian and Su Rong served, one on the left and one on the right.

Liu Hu stood three paces away, standing guard vigilantly.

Lin Dao ate his meal, but his mind was on business.

"The gold at the various settlements, I hear, is already running low."

"Over thirty thousand people eat communally every day; just feeding them could eat me poor."

"Food, clothing, lodging, and travel all require attention—these are all expenses."

"I'm just here to do business, so how did doing business leave me responsible for the fate of tens of thousands?"

Lin Dao had a headache, and ate his meal absentmindedly.

"We must find a way to open new sources of income as soon as possible!"

After the meal, everyone saluted Lin Dao and went off to their own busy affairs.

Lin Dao rose and came to the rear tent, taking out the map he had borrowed from the library.

On the map of Eastern Jin and the Sixteen Kingdoms, Later Zhao had founded its state only twenty-odd years ago, yet most of the Northern Lands had already fallen into its hands.

North of Later Zhao lay the Dai State, founded by the Tuoba Clan of Xianbei occupying Yunzhong and other places.

The Tuoba Clan of Xianbei would become Northern Wei.

To the northeast was Yan Kingdom, founded by the Xianbei Murong Clan.

It was still called Former Yan, occupying the You and Liao Regions.

The Yan Kingdom that Young Master Murong longed to restore.

Restoring the kingdom and taking a wife don't conflict at all~

To the west was Former Liang; in the southwest, the land of Chuan Shu, was Cheng Han founded by the Di People.

As for the south, it was Eastern Jin, founded by the great aristocratic families after the Yongjia Southward Migration.

"The Begging Army doesn't have much gold left."

Lin Dao stared at the map: "To open new trade routes and sources of wealth, whom do we seek?"

"Former Liang and Cheng Han are too far."

"To the north is Xianbei territory."

"To the south are the great aristocratic families."

Lin Dao pondered: "Trade routes are hard to open."

Actually he knew very well that doing business with Later Zhao's Qianghu would surely bring a continuous flow of income in precious metals.

Especially after last year's great drought, grain production sharply declined.

Shi Hu also engaged in endless warmongering, constantly fighting wars against Yan Kingdom and Jin Dynasty.

He also recklessly conscripted corvée labor, building palaces everywhere, and even gathering beauties from across the land.

The result of his wanton arbitrariness was that the people could not make a living, and the state stood on the brink of collapse.

The most direct manifestation was in grain prices.

By this time of shortage between harvests, in places like Ye City and Luoyang, one gold cake could buy only two dou of millet.

Compared to the grain price Lin Dao sold to the Begging Army, that was truly a conscience price.

If trade with the Qianghu could be opened, income would surely skyrocket.

But Lin Dao could not do so, because that would be funding the Qianghu.

In the Central Plains, change, replacement, and succession are all permissible, but it must never fall into the hands of the barbarians!

Not being able to drive out the Tartar slaves is already uncomfortable enough; how can we fund them further!

"No way."

Lin Dao rose and calmed his breath: "First drain the Begging Army's gold dry, then we'll talk."

His hand had been pressing on the Later Zhao map all along.

They say that in a chaotic era, whoever has a spear is a grass-king.

This saying has a precondition: there must be grain.

If you can't fill the belly of a spear-wielder, why should they work for you?

Lin Dao's thinking had not yet shifted from doing business.

But the people under his command who relied on him for food had already taken action.

This was only natural.

Fill your belly, then think about how to improve.

"Look everyone~"

"Open your eyes wide and see clearly!"

Sun Dalang used chopsticks to pick up a piece of oily fatty pork, shaking it toward the men and women gathered outside the camp: "This is meat!"

"Think carefully, how many years has it been since you last ate meat!"

The guards following Sun Dalang also proudly showed off the meat and vegetables in their bowls.

These guards had higher status, so naturally they ate better.

Fairly distributing resources is impossible even in the Modern World, let alone in Yonghe Spacetime where people eat others without spitting out the bones.

The men and women outside the camp had green light in their eyes, staring fixedly at the clay bowls in their hands.

If not for the last shred of rationality telling them they couldn't withstand the weapons in the camp, they would have rushed up long ago.

These people were refugees and military households from various settlements.

The great commanders, although they had bought grain from Lin Dao,

first supplied their own families and clans.

Then their vassals and the soldiers they raised.

As for common military households and refugees, they survived on a few bowls of thin porridge so watery it could reflect faces.

Whenever meals were served in the Main Camp, the rich food aroma would draw countless onlookers.

Even smelling a whiff of rice fragrance was a blessing.

"Want to eat?"

Sun Dalang roared: "Want to eat? Then swear allegiance to Lord Lang, offer your loyalty and life to Lord Lang!"

"Lord Lang will grant you food to eat and clothes to wear."

"From now on, your whole family, young and old, will be able to eat!"

After a brief silence, crowds of hundreds outside the camp surged forward unsteadily.

"Line up!"

"Come in one by one!"

Sun Dalang watched the crowd enter the camp one after another, like watching sheep return to the fold, his gaze kind.

"My younger sister has read books, she's smarter than me."

"She said doing this would help Lord Lang, surely it's right."

Lin Dao's side had no idea about this at all.

The number of people he had to feed kept increasing every day.

The great commanders and generals from various settlements were increasingly dissatisfied with him.

If all the military households and refugees ran away, there would be no one left to work.

Modern World.

Si Hai Yuan private room.

"Zhou Zhe lost the Africa order."

Su Tongtong covered her mouth and laughed: "The domineering CEO scolded him in front of everyone."

"You didn't see it, Zhou Zhe was scolded until he couldn't lift his head."

Chewing sea cucumber in his mouth, Lin Dao mumbled: "Just a scolding and it's over?"

"Mm."

Su Tongtong picked up another soft sea cucumber and held it before Lin Dao: "He went into the office afterward, exactly what was said, I don't know."

"I really don't need to eat these things."

Lin Dao frowned and pushed it away: "Soft and limp, nothing to chew on."

Su Tongtong's eyes were like water, glancing down: "I'd like to try something with chew, just afraid you wouldn't be willing."

He took the sea cucumber and put it on the plate.

Lin Dao's gaze swept over her full curves: "I'd like to try too."

Dinner ended hastily halfway through, wasting many good things.

No choice, enthusiasm for learning was high.

Rushing to the hotel to learn a foreign language, delaying even a second felt like the world would end.

One hour later.

Lin Dao leaned against the headboard, listening to the water sounds from the bathroom, holding a cigarette and thinking about life.

The world was safe again.

"In the company warehouse, there seems to be a batch of expired canned food."

Lin Dao asked: "Do you know where it came from?"

The water sounds stopped.

Not long after, Su Tongtong came over wiping her hair: "Seems to be inventory from a canned food factory that went bankrupt."

"Because it expired, it was returned."

"Couldn't sell it, the factory was gone, so it just stayed in the warehouse."

She walked to the bedside and sat down, turning her head to look at Lin Dao: "You want to sell this batch of canned food?"

"Don't touch expired things, it'll be troublesome if something happens."

Lin Dao's eyes lit up: "Do you know which canned food factory?"

"Do they still have inventory?"

Su Tongtong stood tall, her slender waist straight, and said seriously, "You're developing very well now, don't go looking for trouble for yourself."

Lin Dao smiled and reached out, "You just tell me, buying them and putting them in the warehouse without selling them out, is that illegal?"

"Wholesale purchasing of expired food is indeed not illegal."

Su Tongtong couldn't understand, "But selling them is illegal."

"You buy them and don't sell them, isn't that a disease?"

"That's none of your business." Lin Dao stood up, gently stroking the fine hair at her forehead, "Sea cucumber, sea cucumber."

Fussed for several days.

Lin Dao purchased a large batch of expired canned food at an extremely low price.

Looking at the canned food piled like mountains in the warehouse, Lin Dao set off and arrived at Yonghe Spacetime.

"Master, you've finally returned!"

Seeing Lin Dao come out from the rear tent, the petite Jin Lian hurriedly ran over, "A fight is about to break out outside."

"The Qianghu have come again?"

"Not the Qianghu." Jin Lian was at a loss for words, "It's the Baobi Grand Commanders."

"Lost their minds, have they?" Lin Dao lifted his leg and walked out, "Bullying too far!"

Arriving outside the tent, Sun Rong and the others saw him and hurriedly saluted.

Lin Dao waved his hand and walked straight toward the camp main gate where clamorous noise rose.

Sun Dalang's voice was extremely loud; his furious roar could be heard from far away, "You jackals and pigs, don't be so rampant! If you have the guts, come over here!"

Outside the camp they were also shouting, "You bunch of country bumpkins, ate a few days of full meals and forgot you're beggar-born! If you have guts, scram out~"

Liu Hu's voice was deep and very recognizable, "You wolf-hearted black-livers, even want to rob the military households' rewards, your entire clan are Pofu Gui!"

The opposite side flew into a great rage, "Nuchen is rude! Beizhu, how dare you yip and bark wildly!"

"Who is yipping and barking wildly in front of my main camp gate?" Lin Dao walked over with a calm face.

Liu Hu and the others hurriedly raised shields, blocking in front of him.

The opposite side fell silent.

A moment later, Feng Dun in full armor advanced under the shield wall's protection, "Is it Master Lin Jia in person?"

Lin Dao spoke slowly, "You bring troops here, is this to start a war?"

"Master Lin Jia misunderstands."

Feng Dun squeezed out a smile, "We merely came to demand justice."

"These words are headless and tailless." Lin Dao countered, "What exactly is the matter, speak clearly!"

"Master Lin Jia lured away our subordinate military households and farmers." Feng Dun raised his voice, "This matter, you must give an explanation!"

Without a doubt, this question stumped Lin Dao.

He subconsciously wanted to refute, but the words stopped at his mouth.

His gaze swept over the surrounding crowd, "What's going on?"

Sun Dalang immediately stepped forward, "Master, don't listen to those jackals and pigs spouting nonsense."

"The young men from every settlement, they all admire Master and came to join voluntarily."

"They came to join, and you just accepted them?" Lin Dao rubbed his eyelid, "I was still wondering, how come all expenses keep getting larger."

"Master!"

Sun Dalang immediately knelt and performed the grand salute, "This matter was all done by this slave alone! Please Master punish!"

"Punish my ass!"

Lin Dao flew into a rage, "Others have already fought their way to our door, punishing you now, wouldn't that let people look down on us."

"Your matter, we'll talk later!"

He turned and through the shield gaps shouted at Feng Dun, "So what if I did it? Want to fight? Then come! I'll accompany you to the end!"

(End of Chapter)