Chapter 71: A man too eager for advancement, a woman who actively takes the initiative

"Lord!"

Soldiers all around shouted, "Fire in the city!"

"I see it."

Lin Dao frowned. "Ran Min, Li Nong, what mess is this!"

A large batch of Gluttonous Army soldiers entered the city and took control of the city gates surrendered by the Han Army inside.

The hundred-ton Wang Kai couldn't enter the city gate; Lin Dao mounted his horse and entered the city under the escort of many guards.

Just as they entered the city gate, fires were already breaking out everywhere inside.

They were all important places like granaries and palaces.

"Lord." Qin Lang rode up and advised, "There are many defeated barbarian soldiers inside the city. Please, Lord, hold the central command; let us clear the hidden dangers before entering."

"Still defeated soldiers?" Lin Dao narrowed his eyes. "Pass orders to all departments."

"Regular soldiers who take true barbarian heads shall be rewarded as usual."

"Soldiers, civilians, refugees, and wild people outside the city who take true barbarian heads shall receive military merit to become military households, plus one shi of grain and suitable rewards."

The treatment of Gluttonous Army regular soldiers and military households was extremely high; everyone saw it.

Eat well, dress warmly, receive rewards, support their families, and enjoy high status.

In the Gluttonous Army, everyone wanted to be a military household.

Now the chance for advancement had come, with extra rewards besides.

The Gluttonous Army vassals outside the city would all have red eyes, hating that there weren't enough true barbarians to go around.

Inside the city, the regular soldiers, for the rich rewards, would surely have soaring morale, search the entire city, and drag out even true barbarians hiding in dry latrines.

The many defeated barbarian soldiers inside and outside the city would soon horrifyingly discover they would be hunted by countless people more terrifying than zombies.

Zombies act from instinct, but the Gluttonous Army acts for advancement.

The Gluttonous Army soldiers all wanted advancement too much.

"Received orders."

Qin Lang accepted, but then asked another question: "How should the barbarian women be handled?"

Lin Dao frowned and glanced at him.

It was also giving him face; otherwise, a single phrase about feminine benevolence would have smashed his head.

Qin Lang understood instantly and let the soldiers handle it themselves.

As for how to handle it themselves, look at how the barbarians used to humiliate Han women, and return the same to them!

You do the first, I shall do the fifteenth.

"Lord~"

Qin Lang had just left when Wang Meng and the others arrived.

"May I ask, Lord."

Wang Meng opened with high intensity: "Shall we massacre the city?"

A moral person hearing of a massacre would feel horrified and uncomfortable.

But massacring cities is very common, especially the various Hu massacring cities, which is routine.

Given Lord's hatred of the various Hu, massacring a city is all too normal.

"No need for such trouble." Lin Dao's face was especially calm. "Just deal with those who should be killed."

As for who should be killed, that basket is big.

Leave it entirely to the red-eyed soldiers to discern.

Usually, red-eyed soldiers discern with the weapons in their hands.

"Commander requests to put out the fire, calm the chaos, and collect and seal off all warehouses."

Lin Dao nodded. "Very well."

Wang Meng followed up with a topic: "How should the Han families in the city be handled?"

"Discern seriously." Lin Dao pondered slightly. "Those who surrendered to the barbarians shall be impaled on long poles."

"Send someone to find Ran Min."

"Ask him where Shi Hu is and when he will deliver him to me."

Wang Meng saluted. "Yes~~~"

After Wang Meng left, Xie Yi stepped forward. "Grand Commander~"

"Xie Gong." Lin Dao frowned. "War is fierce and battle dangerous; why come to a perilous place?"

He had read materials from the Two Jin period, knew the tragedy of the Two Jin, and understood the Little Ice Age was only part of the reason.

The true source of chaos was the Sima Clan and the Aristocratic Clans acting lawlessly.

For Xie Yi who actively approached, he always remained vigilant.

"Grand Commander."

Xie Daoyun got down from the horse cart and stepped forward to salute.

"Grand Commander's divine might covers the world; he strikes down bandit barbarians and saves the myriad people from water and fire."

The little girl was young, but her small mouth chattered quite well: "Such great achievements should naturally be written and painted to be passed down to later generations."

"My lord father (my father) has a marvelous brush and deeply admires the Grand Commander, wishing to wield the brush and paint; hope the Grand Commander will grant this."

Her meaning was that the Grand Commander had achieved such great merit, naturally should be painted and commemorated so later generations remember his merit.

After all, in this age there are no cameras; records of major events, besides writing, are paintings.

Lin Dao looked at her with deep meaning.

Young, yet intelligent and eloquent.

After a round of smoothing things over and then flattering him in return, it actually left him unable to say much more.

"Since that's the case." Lin Dao was also straightforward. "Then I'll have to trouble Lord Xie."

A large group of people went up to the city tower along the horse path on the inner side of the city wall.

Liu Hu set down the horse tether. Lin Dao sat on the horse tether, watching wave after wave of the Qihuo Army surge into the city like a tide.

Smiles beamed on the soldiers' faces.

They had never fought such an affluent battle in their entire lives!

Xie Yi and his daughter had absolutely come prepared.

He really took out painting tools and began debugging and preparing to paint.

Xie Daoyun, on the other hand, brought out a whole set of tea utensils, placed them beside Lin Dao, and started fussing with them.

When the Central Plains played at the Way of Tea, the island nation's monkeys were still picking fruit in trees.

The monkeys don't know a damn thing about the Way of Tea.

Lin Dao looked over curiously.

He saw Xie Daoyun take out scallion, ginger, jujube, tangerine peel, cornelian cherry, mint, and other seasonings from jars one by one in sequence.

Then she used a fire steel to make fire, preparing to ignite the fuel under the small stove to boil water.

Whether from nervousness or unskilled technique, she failed to start a fire several times in a row.

*Click. * With a crisp sound, Lin Dao handed over the disposable lighter in his hand. "Use this."

Xie Daoyun suddenly smiled, her gaze flowing.

Her slender fair hands took the lighter, learned to press it a few times to ignite the fuel under the small stove, and casually pocketed the lighter.

White hands washed the soup, adding the various seasonings into the pot bit by bit.

During the process she controlled the heat, using a wooden spoon to ladle out the floating foam.

Finally cooked, she ladled it into an earthen bowl and presented it before Lin Dao.

"Grand Commander, please."

This routine, Lin Dao understood it all too well.

This is just flirting, isn't it.

In the modern world there are so many tea artists; the vast masses of male compatriots have long since been baptized and see through it like watching a fire.

Xie Daoyun also had no choice.

With her status as the legitimate daughter of the Chen Commandery Xie Clan, marriage naturally needed no worry.

Men who wanted to marry her could queue from Jinling to Jiankang.

But this Grand Commander just doesn't value family background.

Although valuing family background and recruiting aristocratic families can quickly pacify the world.

The result of doing so, the Sima Clan has already displayed to the fullest.

Xie Daoyun's greatest identity reliance lost its effect before Lin Dao.

She could only rely on her own charm.

At this moment Lin Dao was like a jade holding its uncut potential; due to the information gap, the reason had not yet been excavated.

Since she got the opportunity in advance, Xie Daoyun immediately launched an active offensive without the slightest hesitation.

When a man has no money and no career, he can never feel just how active a woman can be when she takes the initiative!

Lin Dao took the earthen bowl and drank a mouthful.

This mouthfeel, truly didn't know how to describe it in words.

The saltiness of salt, the pungency of ginger, the fierceness of scallion, the sweetness of jujube, the sourness of tangerine peel, the astringency of cornelian cherry, the coolness of mint.

All kinds of flavors mixed together, not only completely suppressing the tea leaves' original flavor, but blending into an indescribable strange taste.

Forcing himself to drink a mouthful, Lin Dao immediately put down the earthen bowl.

"This is the porridge tea method?"

Lin Dao glanced at Xie Daoyun. "The process is tedious, the flavor bitter and astringent, not much good."

Hearing this, Xie Daoyun didn't get angry; on the contrary, she was quite interested. "I heard the Grand Commander is proficient in immortal arts; wonder if you have any good tea?"

"Wait."

Lin Dao stood up and entered the city gate tower.

Before long he came out, carrying half a bag of tea leaves and a stack of disposable paper cups in his hand.

This was left by the previous warehouse manager, the kind that costs a few dozen yuan per catty.

Not so many procedural steps — grab some tea leaves, throw them in the cup, pour warm water, wait a moment, and you can drink.

Lin Dao reached out and gestured. "Have a taste."

Taking the cup, Xie Daoyun surveyed the jade-green tea leaves floating and sinking in the water, gradually unfurling.

"This, seems to be Lingyin Temple tea."

In the promotion of tea culture, temples are an important driving force.

The already twenty-year-established Lingyin Temple excels at growing tea and brewing tea.

On Xie Yi's side, he waved his brush and splashed ink, recording the scene of the Eldest Daughter and Generalissimo Lin drinking tea in a painting.

His gaze also swept from time to time toward the vast Ye City.

Until this moment, he still found it somewhat hard to believe.

This giant city that had fallen under barbarian cavalry for many years had truly swept away the gloom and returned to the Han family's realm.

Originally the garrison troops inside and outside Ye City numbered no less than ten thousand.

But Fu Hong led tens of thousands of Di cavalry far away in flight, and the tens of thousands of Han Army under Ran Min's command rebelled and handed over the city.

The Qianghu Xiongnu and the remaining Various Departments, their morale collapsed, scattered and fled.

Ye City, once touted as impregnable, fell into the hands of the Qihuo Army with ease.

It truly fulfilled that sentence: the most impregnable fortress is usually breached from the Internal.

Xianyang Hall.

"Ji Nu." Shi Hu, lying on the Couch, gazed at Ran Min, who was full of anger, and a smile actually appeared on his fat face. "Well done."

Fully armored, standing over one meter nine tall, Ran Min half-squatted before the Couch, staring at Shi Hu. "You want to humiliate me?"

Ran Min was very angry.

Shi Hu had actually arranged in advance for his confidant Wang Lang (Jie People) to prepare Firewood and Fire Oil in the various Ku Fang and Palace.

A single fire ignited the warehouses of the various halls, which had cost Countless to build, filled with Grain supplies and precious items.

These things were originally what Ran Min planned to hide a portion of for himself, and hand the rest over to Grand Marshal Lin, to use as a stepping stone for advancement.

He never expected that Shi Hu had long since made preparations to burn everything, jade and stone together.

Death is death, but even in death he would burn all the Good Things to ash, leaving nothing for the enemy.

Shi Hu, still that ruthless and cruel Shi Hu.

"At a time like this."

Shi Hu coughed violently, an unnatural flush rising on his face. "What meaning is there in trading verbal barbs for a moment's satisfaction?"

"You had great ambition since childhood, and now you are even more ambitious."

"This is good, truly good."

He Raised Hand, as if wanting to pat Ran Min, but in the end gave up.

"Remember, even after you Enter the Qihuo Army, you must keep your ambition."

Shi Hu murmured, "Only you have the Opportunity to avenge me."

"No one of the imperial clan can Escape." Ran Min's gaze was deep. "The Stone Clan will All Die. No one will avenge you."

"Hahahaha~~~" Shi Hu laughed while coughing, his voice like a Night Owl.

"The Stone Clan has not yet All Died, there is still you!"

"Do you think changing your surname makes you not a Nation person?"

"Outsiders will forever remember that you once bore the surname Shi, and will forever bear the surname Shi!"

Watching Shi Hu gradually descend into madness, the Expressionless Ran Min stood up and Waved Hand.

"Carry him away."

"Deliver him to the Grand Marshal's tent."

End of Chapter