Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 11 Friendship is friendship, business is business

In the wilderness, a large number of beggar soldiers were on high alert.

The powerful crossbows were strung, and the cavalry in armor looked around vigilantly.

The scouts in the distance even released signals several miles away.

The reason why the beggar army was so nervous was because of the food piled up in the wilderness.

Mountains of grain bags were displayed in front of everyone.

A preliminary visual estimate shows that there are at least 5,000 dan of grain here.

In this era where food is sold by the pound and anything can be eaten, a fierce battle is enough to break out over thousands of stones of grain.

"The staple food is still refined rice."

The forest road was handed over normally. "In consideration of the balanced nutrition of the diet, some flour and corn were added."

"Don't worry, everyone. There's absolutely no big difference in nutritional value."

Wu Shuai Feng Dun and others were so excited that they couldn't control their expressions.

Everyone was so happy that they wanted to dance on the spot.

They don’t understand or want to understand what nutritional balance and nutritional value are.

All they knew was that there were thousands of stones of grain here!
Those who have never been hungry will never understand the crazy desire for food of hungry people.

"Brother Zihou, I will spare the lives of 200,000 soldiers and I will never forget this kindness!"

Feng Dun and a group of generals were all excited and surrounded Lin Dao to express their gratitude.

Before, Lin Dao only carried out small-scale operations, transporting dozens of stones of grain at a time.

Although it is a timely help, it is still a drop in the bucket compared to the huge population of the Qihuo Army in Shangbai.

But now, it has soared to thousands of stones at a time, and the meaning is completely different.

Thousands of dan of grain, if eaten sparingly and supplemented with wild vegetables, rice husks, wood chips, sand and other things, could barely last for a month.

The importance of Lin Dao also increased sharply in their eyes.

Feng Dun and others even wanted to nominate him to be the commander-in-chief of the Beggar Army.

As long as he can fill their stomachs, it’s fine to call him Grandpa (Father), let alone being a Marshal.

As for where the food came from and how it was transported here, no one asked.

In the face of natural disasters and man-made disasters, it is good enough to be able to buy food. Why ask about other people's secrets!
"Friendship is friendship, and business is business."

When faced with a barrage of flattery, Lin Dao would not give it away out of excitement.

He pointed to the abacus in the hands of the military commander beside him and said, "It's time to settle the bill."

"It's natural."

"I dare not treat Brother Zihou unfairly."

"It should."

"Brother Zihou, just bring the grain here and we'll buy it all."

After doing business many times, the prices on both sides have basically been fixed.

Two thousand jin is about sixteen shi, and less than seventeen shi is counted as one gold cake.

That is, one ton of grain was exchanged for one pound (Han standard) of gold.

The grain bags were opened, and bags of rice, flour and corn were poured into wooden jars.

Hu is a volume measuring instrument.

One hu is equal to ten dou, which is one shi.

In the past, when tax collectors collected grain, they would fill the hu to the point where it was pointed.

Collecting an extra bucket or two would be extra income for the tax collectors.

Naturally, the beggar soldiers didn't dare to do so in front of Lin Dao, and they all behaved themselves.

Needless to say, refined rice and refined flour are both high-quality grains.

Although I have never seen corn, the aroma of the grain is not deceptive.

The beggars are not picky about food and buy everything at the same price.

The abacus in the military commander's hand made a clicking sound.

"A total of 4,998 dan, worth 300 jin of gold."

Feng Dun and his friends paid the bill very promptly.

There were dozens of generals, and anyone who wanted food had to pay gold.

Three hundred gold may seem like a lot, but if everyone pools their resources together, it can be collected quickly.

Lin Dao loaded the gold, several boxes of apples, a few slabs of frozen pork, a few bags of potatoes, the Tang Dynasty sword and armor purchased online, etc. into the bed of the tricycle.

He gestured to the pile of cabbages and said, "These cabbages are gifts for you."

Everyone was busy expressing their gratitude.

Qin Lang volunteered to escort Lin Dao to the fort with a team of cavalry.

With so much gold in the car, there's no guarantee someone would take the risk.

Arriving at the courtyard of the fort, Lin Dao got out of the car and said to Qin Lang, who had just dismounted, "I've been looking all the way. Which one do you like?"

Along the way, Qin Lang would glance at the goods on the tricycle from time to time.

Qin Lang was a little embarrassed. "That armor is so beautiful~~~"

Of course they are beautiful, and these nails are sold at the price of handicrafts.

When it comes to handicrafts, practicality is secondary, the most important thing is appearance.

As long as you are good-looking, nothing else matters.

Exquisite shape, dazzling color, bright luster, and dazzling cloud pattern carvings.

For warriors, it is an absolute rare treasure.

Lin Dao smiled and took a set of armor from the tricycle and stuffed it into Qin Lang's arms.

"We are close friends. It's just a small thing. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

Qin Lang was a general under the command of Wushuai Feng Dun and a leader of a group.

In the military system of the Wei and Jin dynasties, there were five men in a squad, with one squad leader.

There are two groups of five and a ten, with a group leader.

There are five teams in each group, and one of them has a team leader.

Ten teams form a group, also known as the Five Hundred Masters.

A flag is a banner. Only when one reaches the status of Five Hundred Lords is one qualified to own a flag that indicates his identity.

Therefore, the Five Hundred Lords are also called Banner Lords.

Qin Lang is the leader of the group, and under his command are the most elite patrols, similar to the Ming army's Night Squadron.

Lin Dao is interested in making friends, but a set of handicraft armor is not worth mentioning.

"Brother Zihou~~~" Qin Lang, holding the armor, was deeply moved.

Such exquisitely crafted armor is definitely a family heirloom, the kind that is kept secret by military families.

Lin Dao gave it to him so easily, and anyone with a conscience would be deeply moved. "It must have been hard work for you all to escort me all the way."

Lin Dao took half a piece of frozen pork from the tricycle and handed it to Qin Lang's subordinates, "Take it for a snack."

As the business expands, investment in personal safety also increases rapidly.

It's no use trying to cram at the last minute when it comes to things like tying a knot of gratitude.

In daily communication and interaction, showing kindness is even more important.

Making friends with Qin Lang and the cavalry under his command, who knows when it might be useful.

As for paying
To Lin Dao, the value of handicrafts and frozen pork is not worth mentioning at all.

There is no doubt that Qin Lang and his subordinates were very grateful.

Not many nice words were said. After all, the military households and warriors could not compare with the professional turbans in terms of flattery.

However, their expressions, actions and gazes have already expressed enough attitude.

I rode my tricycle straight into the gate and found that the yard was obviously much larger.

The courtyards on both sides were given to Lin Dao by Feng Dun. After the walls were broken through, the courtyards naturally became spacious and open.

"Lord~~~"

The women in the courtyard gathered around and came forward to pay their respects.

The men who were practicing martial arts in the courtyards on both sides gathered around when they saw the commotion.

"Master." Sun Dalang stepped forward. "The escort team already has over fifty men, all of them warriors who have taken the heads of the Hu cavalry."

"it is good."

Lin Dao nodded. "It's still the same old rules. Each person will be given a military coat and two bags of rice."

"Bring someone over to move the stuff."

Three hundred gold coins were sent to the main house, and then Lin Daohui would melt them into gold bars.

A few pieces of pork and potatoes were given to the women, who took them to the kitchen to process and store them for cooking.

As for the apples, they were distributed directly to the guards.

During the lean period, the guards were all delighted to be able to enjoy these delicious fruits that were previously only enjoyed by the nobles.

My lord has been so kind to me that I must repay him with my death!
"These knives are unsharpened." Lin Dao gestured to the Tang horizontal swords and said, "Deal with them and divide them among yourselves."

"And these armors."

When they saw the exquisitely crafted Tang Dynasty sword, Sun Dalang and others were stunned.

When the armor was taken out, the guards were all breathing heavily and their eyes were glowing red.

On the battlefield, the most important thing is armor.

The armored ones fighting the unarmored ones is almost like a college student beating an elementary school student.

Lin Dao looked at Sun Dalang and said, "Get some weapons and see how they work."

A beautiful set of armor was placed on a wooden frame in the yard.

Sun Dalang and others began the test with swords, spears, and halberds in hand.

Amidst the jingling sounds, Lin Dao's face gradually darkened.

When a guard shot through the armor with a powerful crossbow, Lin Dao's face turned completely black.

I really didn't expect that the silver-plated spear head is good-looking but useless~~~
"Master Lang."

The guard holding the crossbow went forward to examine the armor, then came back and said, "This armor looks good, but it's too thin."

Lin Dao stepped forward and pinched it with his hand.

I didn't pay attention to it before, my attention was focused on the super good looks of the armor.

When I looked carefully at this time, I realized that this armor was really thin, probably less than one millimeter thick.

Even the steel products in the modern world are much harder than those in Yonghe time and space.

But this thickness
This is actually normal. In the modern world, there is no online shopping mall that sells armor for actual combat use.

All they sell are handicrafts.

The purpose of handicrafts is to pursue good looks, and being ultra-thin is also for the convenience of wearing.

"I even gave it as a gift. Now I'm really embarrassed."

Lin Dao hurriedly told Sun Dalang to go out and find Qin Lang and tell him that the armor looked good but was useless.

This will prevent Qin Lang from really wearing it on the battlefield, which would be a real bummer.

Lin Dao returned to the modern world, and his mood was not high.

He first finished his work in the warehouse.

After that, arrange truck transportation, book ship space, and handle the docking contract with Harbour City.

These are just formalities and exist only in the records to deal with possible inspections.

In fact, all the goods in the warehouse were sent to Yonghe Time and Space by him.

After finishing all these, he began to think seriously about the armor.

“Handicrafts are beautiful, but they are just for show.”

“It has to be made of real ingredients.”

Lin Dao searched online and his attention first fell on stab-proof clothing.

The protective ability of stab-proof clothing is very good, especially against cuts, stabs and cuts caused by sharp weapons.

“This is really good.”

Lin Dao nodded in satisfaction. "The price is cheap, and you can buy in bulk."

He already has the urge to consume.

Fortunately, I had just suffered a loss, so I calmed down before placing the order.

"Zhou Shuren once said, when in doubt, ask Baidu."

Lin Dao searched online to find out the advantages and disadvantages of stab-proof clothing.

There is no need to say much about the advantages, and the disadvantages were also found out through the comments of the omnipotent netizens.

“The biggest drawback is that the protection area is too small.”

"Only the vital parts of the torso can be protected."

"If you were to face crossbows on the battlefield and get shot in the limbs or other parts of your body, you would be injured and forced to retreat immediately."

"Also, against heavy weapons, hammers, axes, skull buds, flails, and the like are useless."

As expected, the omnipotent netizens are knowledgeable and experienced.

In this case, there is no need to consider similar bulletproof vests.

Leaning back in his chair, Lin Dao closed his eyes and rubbed his nose.

After an unknown amount of time, he raised his hand and slapped his thigh.

"Just send the drawings to the manufacturer and order directly!"

(End of this chapter)