Chapter 31

"How old is the Emperor this year? Three or two?"

"At his age, what kind of Imperial Edict could he possibly write for me."

The current Emperor of the Eastern Jin is Sima Dan, who ascended the throne last year.

Sima Dan is a child Emperor; he ascended at two, and this year he is merely three.

Without a doubt, an Emperor of this age is a Puppet.

On Xie Yi's side, a trace of Embarrassed expression flashed across his face.

Indeed, what Imperial Edict could a three-year-old Emperor issue.

The so-called Imperial Edict is merely the intent of the powerful ministers in the court.

As long as one's pedigree is high enough, having the palace issue an Imperial Edict is no difficult matter.

It's just that in the past, everyone understood these things tacitly and would not tear down the stage.

Who would be like Lin Dao, directly pointing it out to one's face.

Xie Yi here felt somewhat Embarrassed.

He simply feigned ignorance and went straight for the hard goods.

"The Son of Heaven bestows upon the Qihuo Marshal a False Jiedushi, General Who Pacifies Bandits, Grand Commander of All Military Affairs Inside and Outside Jizhou, Inspector of Youzhou, Protector-General of the Wuhuan."

Putting away the Imperial Edict, Xie Yi solemnly produced several Imperial Decrees and Certificates of Appointment, plus several seals, and presented them respectfully.

Then he took out two Army Banners, one Dragon-Tiger Banner, one Node, two Command Spears, and two Horse-Tail Banners — eight items in total.

Looking at these miscellaneous things, Lin Dao was a bit bewildered.

Without a doubt, these things touched upon his knowledge blind spots.

What on earth are all these things.

Meanwhile Qin Lang and the others were already excited, faces flushed red, trembling uncontrollably.

"Lord Lang."

Sun Rong stepped forward, bent her Knee, and explained softly for Lin Dao.

The Node refers to the Jie-Jie.

Any general campaigning abroad is granted a Jie-Jie.

The Jie-Jie is divided into three types: Imperial Envoy with the Node, Node Holder, and False Jiedushi.

The highest is the Imperial Envoy with the Node, who may execute officials of Two Thousand Bushels rank and below.

Next is the Node Holder, who may execute those without official position; within the army he may execute Commandants and Soldiers of Two Thousand Bushels rank and below.

As for the False Jiedushi, only within the army may he execute violators of Military Orders.

The so-called False Jiedushi, 'False' means Borrow; it is regarded as a borrowed Node.

It is the Son of Heaven lending the Jie-Jie to a minister executing a temporary mission, to awe a region.

Compared to the first two, the False Jiedushi is of a temporary nature.

For a general on campaign, being a Node Holder is already standard issue.

As for the physical form of the Node, it is a bamboo staff about seven or eight chi long, its top adorned with a yak tail.

The Army Banner, Dragon-Tiger Banner, Command Spear, Horse-Tail Banner — these are all the 'Jie' of the Jie-Jie, meaning flags and Flag signals.

Reaching out to take up that bamboo Node, surveying the yak tail, Lin Dao nodded repeatedly: "Now I understand. So the 'Jie' of a Jiedushi is this."

"This is also what Su Wu held when he stood gripping the Node after being captured by the Xiongnu."

"This Node represents the Imperial authority's right to kill."

"The Emperor, through the Node, delegates the Imperial authority's right to kill to the campaigning general."

Not just the right to kill; what is truly important is the authority to execute officials and Commandants of Two Thousand Bushels rank and below.

The general abroad issues civil and Military Orders.

Whoever dares not obey — those of Two Thousand Bushels rank and below are executed directly, without punishment.

This is the legendary proof of legal killing.

Not wanting to be done in by a Node-holding general, those officials and Commandants have no choice but to obey orders properly.

Otherwise, if their heads are chopped off, they have nowhere to seek redress.

Sun Rong continued explaining.

The so-called General Who Pacifies Bandits is one of the Miscellaneous Title Generals.

Though it is a miscellaneous title, it still legitimately commands troops.

The Qihuo Army is a military Organization; granting the Qihuo Marshal a General title is only natural.

And Grand Commander of All Military Affairs Inside and Outside Jizhou is the Grand Commander of Jizhou.

The entire military power of Jizhou falls under the Grand Commander's management and mobilization.

"The Pretext sounds quite grand."

Hearing this, Lin Dao shook his head with a Smile: "In this Jizhou, besides the Qihuo Army, what other court troops are there?"

Called Grand Commander, but in reality it's just an Empty title."

Sun Rong spoke further: "The Inspector of Youzhou and the Protector-General of the Wuhuan have always been appointed together."

"One who serves as Inspector of Youzhou usually concurrently holds the post of Protector-General of the Wuhuan."

The Inspector is the Zhoumu of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, the highest administrative chief of a State.

Meaning the whole of Youzhou is under Lin Dao's governance.

Only, right now Youzhou is occupied by the Xianbei Murong Clan.

This is likewise still an Empty title.

During the Two Jin period, the status of Commandants in the army was high, second only to Generals.

In the Jin Dynasty, the highest-ranking Colonel was the Colonel of the Capital Garrison, who was responsible for guarding the Capital.

Generals who commanded troops stationed in border regions were also usually called Colonels.

For example, the Colonel Who Protects the Wuhuan, the Colonel Who Protects the Western Qiang, the Colonel Who Protects the Southern Man, and the General of the Household of the Xiongnu.

Essentially, it meant they were the protectors of those places.

The most numerous barbarians in Youzhou were the Wuhuan, so the Inspector of You Province was usually appointed together with the Colonel Who Protects the Southern Man.

"Strange." Lin Dao turned serious. "Guangzong County belongs to Jizhou, so why appoint an Inspector of You Province instead of an Inspector of Jizhou?"

"This is the will of the Imperial Court." Xie Yi stood with his hands behind his back. "It is because the Imperial Court values the Beggar Chief."

Values my ass!

They are all empty titles, with not a bit of actual support.

Appointing the Beggar Chief as Grand Commander of Jizhou is because the Beggar Army originally operated in Jizhou; this nominal justification must be given.

Otherwise, names would not be correct and words would not be smooth.

As for arranging the Beggar Chief as Inspector of You Province and Colonel Who Protects the Southern Man.

It is Xie An's extra arrangement, digging a pit between the Beggar Army and the Xianbei Murong Clan.

The Murong Clan's territory is in Youzhou, yet the Inspector of You Province is the Beggar Chief.

Naturally, conflict will arise between the two sides, and thus they can be divided and conquered.

The battle hasn't even started, yet they are already calculating post-war matters, digging the pits first.

This is the style of the Aristocratic Clans.

Although Xie An has not yet entered office, his methods are already in place.

Done casually, it planted the foreshadowing for future wars.

"Lord."

Sun Rong pointed to several Imperial Decrees and Certificates of Appointment on the desk.

"This is an Imperial Decree, filed with the Imperial Court, and the great seal has already been used on it."

Lin Dao nodded repeatedly. "I understand, this is the letter of appointment."

He understood what a letter of appointment was.

He reached out and pointed at the Imperial Decree. "The name here, why is it blank?"

Sun Rong glanced at Xie Yi and explained, "The Imperial Court and the Beggar Army have had no contact for years, and they do not know the surname or given name of the Beggar Chief."

Put that way, it was clear.

Before Xie Yi's group set out, they had no idea who the current Beggar Chief was.

The way to handle such matters was that whoever was the Beggar Chief, their name was written directly on the decree.

As for the Certificate of Appointment, it was basically an identity card for officials.

It recorded name, native place, age, and special physical characteristics, etc.

Similarly, the Certificate of Appointment was also blank; Lin Dao just had to fill it in himself.

He reached out and picked up a seal, looking at the characters 'Seal of the General Who Pacifies Bandits' carved on it.

Lin Dao sighed slightly. "I know this, an official seal."

"Prefect Xie."

Lin Dao, his expression as usual, asked, "What does the Imperial Court want the Beggar Army to do?"

No contact for years, and now they send over several nominal justifications.

Lu Xun once said, 'Courtesy without a request must be a request in disguise~~~'

Indeed, Xie Yi had only one sentence here.

"Send troops to suppress the Stone bandits!"

Xie An arranged this to use the Beggar Army to add trouble for Shi Hu.

If they can tie down some Qianghu forces, creating an opportunity for Huan Wen to attack Cheng Han, that is a profit.

Even if they fail, it doesn't matter, since nothing was invested anyway.

Lin Dao fell silent for a moment.

After a while, he instructed Qin Lang, "Take Prefect Xie to rest."

Xie Yi knew the Beggar Army was composed of various troops.

Such a major matter must be discussed thoroughly before a decision could be made.

Those who received the news arrived one after another to discuss the matter.

"Apart from these flags and documents," Sun Dalang shouted, "the Imperial Court gave nothing, and they expect the Lord to work for the Imperial Court?"

"It's not that they gave nothing."

Qin Lang sighed slightly. "At least they gave official titles and nominal status."

"Official titles and nominal status? Then why not allow him to establish a Prefecture? Why no noble title? And military rank isn't even mentioned."

"If he accepts this, it means going to all-out war with the Qianghu."

"Under full Qianghu mobilization, they can field a million-strong army."

"A million-strong army my ass; most are just old, weak, sick, and disabled making up the numbers."

"They are so poor they have to eat dirt."

"The commoners eat dirt, but the Qianghu elites eat meat."

Blocking out the argument over there, Lin Dao turned to look at Liu Hu. "What is your opinion?"

"The Lord's opinion is Slave's opinion."

Liu Hu replied in a deep voice, "If the Lord wants to fight, Slave will go into battle to kill the enemy and take the heads of the Stone bandits for the Lord."

Lin Dao's expression shifted slightly.

He stood up and walked toward the rear tent. "I will give this matter serious consideration."

"Everyone, go attend to your own business."

Returning to the Modern World, Lin Dao sat down in his chair and began surfing the internet.

When in doubt, ask Baidu; go online and post a bounty for answers.

Listen to what the all-powerful netizens have to say and see what constructive opinions they offer.

"This is a good thing delivered right to our doorstep—what is there to hesitate about?"

"A righteous title delivered voluntarily, Northern Han People flocking in, feed them slop and hand each one a piece of Threaded Steel!"

"The person upstairs went too far; at the very least, Ye Dei should be given Feed."

"With money and grain, one should naturally recruit troops and buy horses, and exterminate the barbarian captives."

Lin Dao carefully read the replies, searching for useful information.

A netizen with the handle 'Xiao Lian' replied, catching his attention.

This netizen wrote a lot of words, and those who write many words are reasonable.

"Original poster, I have read your question."

"In your hypothesis, you mentioned that you can purchase goods from the Modern World and bring them over—do you know what that means?"

"It means that behind you stands the full support of an Industrial Cthulhu!"

"With this power, all kings, marquises, generals, ministers, and historical celebrities are nothing but small fry."

"As for the funds to purchase goods."

"As long as you have goods, you can recruit a great army."

"With troops and horses, just go rob them directly."

"Precious medicinal herbs from the ancient world, paintings and antiques, gold and silver, silk lining and tea leaves, coal and timber, rare animals and fish, and so on—these are all sources of funds."

"Of course, the premise is that you must arrange reasonable Sales Channels."

"Remember, Qianliang, under no circumstances should you farm."

"It's not as if you transmigrated into another body; you can travel back and forth and bring goods."

"Such a tremendous advantage must be utilized; only a fool would go farm."

"Lastly, if the original poster can truly travel back and forth, please accept my Knees!"

"I want to transmigrate too~~~"

"I'd brave boiling water and fire for you, original poster~~~"

Looking at the long reply, Lin Dao fell into deep thought.

"Indeed, talent lies among the common people."

"The talent of a single County is enough to change dynasties."

He reflected on himself.

Having made some small money through Time-Space Trade, had he become complacent?

"Being a Time-Space Merchant is only the beginning; after completing primitive accumulation, one should do other business."

"Now the scale is growing larger, and Later Zhao and the Jin Dynasty have both been contacted."

"Holding onto the mindset of doing business to make money and using petty tricks to swindle people is meaningless."

Lin Dao leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest his mind.

"Next, it's time to do big business."

"The business of the world!"

Hundred-Tonnage Siege Equipment Armored Cavalry

End of Chapter