Before Xu Chu left, Lin Mo used the points he had accumulated to exchange for two thousand Tang Dynasty Xuanjia heavy cavalry, twenty thousand Hu-style archer cavalry, and fifty thousand two-star cavalry. He also provided them with enough rations for half a year.
As for what will happen in six months, we'll have to resort to robbery!
Presumably, Huo Minggao had already stored up a considerable amount of grain when he prepared for war.
At the same time, Lin Mo gave Xu Chu an order: after pacifying Liangzhou, he was to lead troops with Sun Yang to Shu to support Bai Qi.
Qin Liangyu remained in Liangzhou, serving as the commander of the Liangzhou army and guarding the northern border of the Great Xia.
During this period, Ashikaga Nobunari came to see Lin Mo.
Dongpange also received the news that Qin Liangyu had suffered a defeat in Beiliang. After the Qiuzi Arab coalition retreated fifty miles, it regrouped and planned to invade Shu again.
To show his sincerity, Ashikaga Nobunari offered to send troops to help Lin Mo pacify Liangzhou.
If Lin Mo agreed, he would even be willing to send his troops to follow Xu Chu to Shu to support the Great Xia.
In return, all Lin Mo needs to do is return all of Dongpango's territory and waive all reparations.
Upon hearing this suggestion, Lin Mo rejected it without hesitation.
Do you think I don't know what you Dongpango people are up to?
The idea is that I'll support Great Xia as an Allied force, and if I win, you'll get a share of the spoils.
But if my Great Xia is defeated, Ashikaga Nobushige will turn against me without even blinking an eye!
It's less like bringing a friendly force and more like bringing a time bomb!
The ceded territory can never be returned, not even in the next life.
We haven't even settled the Diaoyu Islands issue with you yet, and you still want to return this world's territory?
As for compensation?
hehe!
You can forgo the silver; you can provide grain instead.
At the very least, Dongpango has a dozen girls aged sixteen to thirty.
I can have Xu Chu take it back to the capital.
As long as you join the army, I, Lin Mofa, will have your wife!
A girl with exotic charm, so rare!
To Lin Mo's surprise, Dongpan Ge had little silver and little grain.
There are so many girls!
Why?
Before Ashikaga Nobushige became emperor, the Eastern Pango was a period of warlordism!
Frequent wars sent most of the able-bodied men of Dongpango to the battlefield, leaving behind only the elderly, women, children, and a large number of "young girls"!
Therefore, Ashikaga Nobunari immediately agreed to Lin Mo's request.
Therefore, after reducing the reparations by 40%, Ashikaga Nobushige agreed to allow the 150,000 soldiers of the Great Xia to no longer suffer the torment of being single!
The cooperation was agreed upon smoothly.
Next, Lin Mo took Xiang Yu and left Sanjo Castle, heading towards Tokugawa Iemochi's territory.
East Pango, the border region of Northeast China. Trees stand tall, their shadows reflected on the calm, blue lake. A north wind blows, rippling the water like playful children chasing each other. Oak trees grow along the shore, dense and lush, the ground littered with fallen acorns.
Linhou is a village, or rather, the remains of a village.
That was the first village they saw after leaving Sanjo Castle.
Xiang Yu rode his tall horse ahead to scout the way, making sure no one was hiding in the ruins.
From there all the way to Oda Castle, belonging to Tokugawa Iemochi, was grassland, including uncultivated fields and low-lying hills, with meadows on higher ground and marshes in the lower areas. It was easier to travel than the mountainous region they had emerged from, but the open terrain made Lin Mo uneasy.
"It feels like I'm naked," Lin Mo laughed, "with nowhere to hide."
Lin Mo could tell that the village had been uninhabited for many years.
All the houses had collapsed, including the inn.
It was never a proper inn to begin with, and now only a stone chimney and two crumbling walls remain, surrounded by a dozen or so fruit trees.
One of the palm trees grew out of the hall, where the floor was covered with a layer of damp palm leaves and rotten fruit, and the air was filled with a strong smell, somewhat like wine, which almost masked all other smells.
Lin Mo stopped, dismounted, picked up a few fruits, and tried to find some that were edible, but it was no use; they were all brownish-red and infested with worms.
"The war has also brought great suffering to the civilians of Dongpango!" Xiang Yu said.
Lin Mo smiled and said, "It's peaceful, tranquil, and quiet here, with a unique sense of comfort and ease!"
But Xiang Yu felt a sense of sadness at the empty inn. "What a beautiful land," he said, grabbing a handful of soil and rubbing it between his fingers. "There were villages, inns, a fortified fortress on the lake, fruit trees… but war! It drove people away from such a wonderful place."
"Huh!" Lin Mo sensed something was off. "There's something strange about what you're saying!"
You are Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu! How could you say such a thing?
It sounds more like the voice of Zhu Yuanzhang or Li Shimin!
"Strange, strange!" Lin Mo thought to himself.
War breeds bandits who hide in the mountains to avoid conscription. When local lords lead their armies to war, they come to rob, steal, and abduct women.
According to what Lin Mo knew, if the bandits caught them, their skulls would be made into cups for drinking blood.
The situation in the Kanto region of East Pango was relatively good, but the further north you went, the more chaotic it became. Local villages were frequently raided, so people migrated to Kanto and entered Tokugawa Iemochi's territory.
Although there were bandits in Tokugawa Iemochi's territory, it was not as frequent as in other territories.
To be honest, eliminating Tokugawa Iemochi would not be good news for the people of Dongpango. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a major disaster.
Compared to other lords, this old tortoise was exceptionally kind to the people of East Pango.
He is also very capable of governing the country. If he were to become Emperor Dongpango, he would surely end the chaos in Dongpango.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
