dognovel Chapter 214 The Idea of Conquering Cities and Seizing Strongholds
Chapter 214 The Idea of Conquering Cities and Seizing Strongholds
Jiang Yunying pondered for a long time, then lowered her head and remained silent.
As the daughter of the city lord, she is ambitious. If what Lin Ping said is true, and the private army's strength has greatly increased, she not only wants to destroy the city lord, but also wants to unify the world.
“Since my wife won’t speak, then I will speak for her.” Lin Ping kept his eyes fixed on Jiang Yunying’s beautiful eyes and said seriously, “After destroying the Mountain City Lord, my wife also wants to destroy the other city lords, thinking of seizing the throne, and even wanting Yu’er to become the emperor of this Great Ye Dynasty!”
Lin Ping's tone was stern, leaving Jiang Yunying no room for rebuttal; she had indeed had such a thought.
After all, power can change a person's mind. If one only has 10,000 private troops, one may only seek stability. If one has 100,000 private troops, one will surely want to destroy the enemy. If one has 500,000 private troops, one may want to compete for the throne or even the position of emperor.
This is inevitable. Jiang Yunying will only be led by the nose by powerful forces. Moreover, if you have 500,000 mercenaries, even if you don't have the ambition to unify the world, you will still be suppressed by the monarch or even the emperor.
This also confirms the saying, "Even a common man may be innocent, but possessing a treasure can be a crime."
"I wonder if my wife has considered how many people will die or be injured in a war, and how many people will be displaced? Throughout history, whenever war breaks out, it is always the common people who suffer the most! Kings and generals can rise again after defeat, they can start over, but the common people are not so lucky. The land they lose can never be regained, the houses they destroy can never be rebuilt, and the relatives they die can never be brought back to life." Lin Ping's words became increasingly sharp, and his expression changed throughout.
Although Lin Ping was not born in ancient times, he had studied history and knew what a war meant.
Even though the city lord's mansion won many battles and its strength continued to grow, the common people whose families were destroyed were unable to rebuild their homes.
Jiang Yunying was stunned. Born into nobility, she had never thought of such things, let alone that these words would come from the mouth of a spendthrift like Lin Ping.
Then, looking at Lin Ping with reverence, he suddenly felt that the other man's body was much more imposing, while he himself seemed somewhat narrow-minded.
"So what my husband means is..." Jiang Yunying stammered, but she roughly understood what Lin Ping meant.
The other party was simply saying that it could enhance the strength of the city lord's private army, but not for conquering cities and fortresses, but for self-protection.
Although this shows a lack of ambition, Jiang Yunying felt it made sense.
Lin Ping stroked his still-growing beard and nodded in satisfaction, then replied more seriously, "That's right, what I mean is to beat them up! Beat up whoever dares to defy us, beat up whoever we don't like! Who says our fists are the strongest? Kill all those who resist, spare those who surrender, spare civilians. Every time we conquer a city, we will reduce the people's taxes for three years, so that the people will not have any resistance."
"Husband, are you an angel or a devil?" Jiang Yunying asked in confusion, uttering two words that she herself did not understand.
"I'm just a big birdman..." Lin Ping's serious eyes suddenly flashed with a sly light. He drove the car without fear of the terrain. Fortunately, Jiang Yunying mistook him for a winged feathered person and did not know the deeper meaning. Otherwise... she would definitely spit in his face and say disdainfully: Don't think I haven't seen it before!
Perhaps because he was used to this playboy's personality, Lin Ping always found a way to ruin the hard-won atmosphere. He kept shouting about consummating the marriage, but never managed to seize the opportunity.
Jiang Yunying, being a woman, wouldn't shamelessly fawn over Lin Ping, and instead said in a coquettish voice, "Husband, let's consummate our marriage quickly..."
Even if this situation were to actually happen, Lin Ping might not even notice it. He would probably just get goosebumps all over and have absolutely no improper thoughts.
"Since my husband is such a birdman, then he should go and hide in his bird's nest. I, Yunying, will not keep you company." Jiang Yunying rolled her eyes and stormed off, inwardly cursing him for being so unromantic.
"Going into a bird's nest?" Lin Ping imagined a scene unsuitable for children, and realized that Jiang Yunying's blank slate had changed color. Her profound and unfathomable joke made him feel ashamed of himself.
However, with his wife gone, there was no bird's nest left to crawl into. Lin Ping could only crawl into the quilt and use a few fingers to make a bird's nest...
The next morning, before Lin Ping's dream of spring had even ended, he was awakened by the clanging and banging of the doorman, who promptly knocked on the partition door.
Just as Lin Ping was about to fly into a rage, Xiao Hui had already helped him put on his underwear. Her eye roll said it all again, and she kept muttering, "Princess, please ask the young master to take a look outside the door."
At this point, Lin Ping was finally awake, not because Jiang Yunying had invited him, but because of Xiao Hui's considerate service.
Lin Ping was almost in tears, feeling wronged. "Are you all going to go to such lengths? This is the only flaw of Master Ping. Is it really necessary to check on him every single day?"
"Next time, I will never..." Lin Ping gritted his teeth, making a solemn vow in his heart, "I will never sleep naked again!"
After getting dressed, Lin Ping staggered to the front door, almost bumping into the door frame in his sleep. Lin Ping was having a tough time; he simply couldn't overcome his morning grumpiness.
"Please accept us as your disciples, Your Highness!" Upon seeing Lin Ping, dozens of dark-skinned faces outside the door revealed large white teeth, giving the impression of an advertisement for a toothpaste brand.
The dozen or so people were kneeling on the ground, their expressions of reverence making them seem as if they wanted to hug Lin Ping's leg.
Clearly, these were all blacksmiths from the armory. They all possessed extensive smelting experience; however, the blows of that night forced them to reassess their own abilities, thus instilling in them a sense of awe for Lin Ping.
Behind the dozen or so people was a flatbed cart loaded with hundreds of spears and kukri knives, their jet-black color much shinier than ordinary weapons.
These two items are new weapons, and the armory has no stock of them. In other words, hundreds of weapons were produced in one night. This would have been unimaginable before.
Pang Xingji curiously picked up a dog-leg knife and forcefully chopped it at his own sword, breaking it in two.
Pang Xingji's bull-like eyes betrayed his inner thoughts. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He was happy that these weapons could cut through iron like mud, greatly increasing the strength of his private army. He was sad that the sword that had followed him through life and death had ended his sinful life in this way.
Clearly, after Lin Ping's improvements, the quality of the steel improved dramatically. Not only was the forging time shortened, but the weapon's hardness and toughness were also enhanced, making it even sharper—what people called "cutting iron like mud."
Jiang Yunying wasn't surprised at all; she had already guessed this would be the outcome, after all, her unconventional husband often did surprising things.
Lin Ping remained completely unmoved, even yawning. He naturally had no desire to take on disciples, especially since these people were old enough to be his fathers.
"Master Ping made it clear beforehand that he would only accept those who had passed the imperial examinations," Lin Ping said, bowing slightly. His nonchalant manner was truly infuriating.
That's true. Back in the gambling den, Lin Ping did say he wouldn't hire anyone who wasn't a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. Most of these blacksmiths were illiterate and had no ability to pass the exams. They all hung their heads, knowing they had no chance with the more advanced smelting technology.
"Unless..." Lin Ping rubbed his hands together with a sly look on his face and said, "Unless you offer a thousand taels of silver as an apprenticeship fee!"
thump……
The people who were kneeling on the ground immediately fell to the ground, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood. They were just ordinary people who could not earn a thousand taels of silver in their entire lives. Lin Ping was simply making things difficult for them.
There was nothing Lin Ping could do; he was also helpless. He didn't want to take on apprentices, nor did he want to be labeled as someone who prioritized academic qualifications above all else.
After all, he hates those scumbags who are complacent and arrogant just because they have a little bit of education.