October 7, 1653, Zhenzhou (now Vladivostok, Russia).

The emergence of iron tools quickly changed all aspects of society, from production to life. Iron farm tools enabled a large amount of forest land to be reclaimed as cultivated land, and food output increased greatly. Iron tools made carpenters even more powerful and changed the appearance of buildings and ships. Iron

The emergence of weapons also greatly changed the course of the war, and greatly reduced the advantage of horses that the nomadic people had compared to the farming people. There was a saying that "one Han can defeat the five barbarians".

In terms of cast iron technology, China is more than 1,300 years ahead of the West. With the emergence and popularization of wooden bellows, China's pig iron production reached more than 120,000 tons in the late 10th century. By 1720, Britain's iron production was still

Less than 20,000 tons. Until the European Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, China's steel always ranked first in the world.

In iron culture, nails are perhaps the most legendary. In Western culture, the most widely used iron tools are nails. In ancient Roman times, Jesus was crucified on the cross. In the era of colonial exploration, iron nails became the most commonly used tool by white people against indigenous people.

trading currency; some sailors even used nails as prostitution. Because there were no nails, the Polynesians could only use ropes to tie up the ships and make an adventurous ocean journey.

Until 1800, nails were made by hand. A "nailmaker" heated the pig iron red and then hammered it into shape. Therefore, nails were not only time-consuming and labor-intensive to make, but also very expensive.

Some ignorant "savages" regarded white people's nails as treasures, so that in order to extract the nails, European ships were repeatedly attacked and destroyed. It is said that the great British navigator Captain Cook was trying to prevent a group of native Hawaiians from extracting the nails.

The nails on the boat were driven into the sea water and drowned alive.

As far as nails are concerned, China does not seem to have transcended the stage of manual production. Nails are often by-products of blacksmiths. This phenomenon continued even until several decades ago in China, and exquisite "foreign nails" were still regarded as a luxury item in vast rural areas.

A precious item. Perhaps this is related to China's inherent holistic way of thinking. In traditional mechanical connections, complex mortise and tenon connections have always been used instead of nails.

But over thousands of years, China has reached a superb level of needle-making technology, and has even developed exquisite embroidery and acupuncture. This can only be said that China's iron development technology tree is slightly crooked, and there is no nail.

.

For the more than 10,000 people in Zhenzhou, iron tools and a large number of nails from Hanzhou played a vital role. Sharp saws and axes were important tools for cutting down trees to expand the initial camp.

The plow is a sharp tool for cultivating the land, and the delicate and strong nails are the key components for building wooden houses, splicing boards, and building fishing boats.

What's even more rare is that in this remote Zhenzhou, iron is still an extremely important commodity. A nail or a knife can be exchanged for a piece of soft and beautiful fur or precious ginseng from the natives deep in the forest.

, and then used these exchanged things to buy more nails, swords, and even powerful muskets from the people of Qi.

"So, these savages think this information is worth three steel knives? Or a hundred nails?" A Qian Commander officer stationed in Zhenzhou tilted his head and looked at the Sauron people standing over there.

"Yes, sir." A Ming army flagman said with a smile: "More than a month ago, a group of Oroqen and Hezhe people who were avoiding capture by the Qing captives ran into their stronghold. Then these Sauron people came from them I learned from my mouth that the Qing captives have begun to recruit a large number of soldiers again and are preparing to launch a violent surprise attack on North Korea."

"The Qing Dynasty has also conscripted soldiers several times before. I heard that it was to deal with the Rakshasa people from the north. Why are they so sure that the Qing Dynasty will go south to conquer North Korea?" asked the Qian general.

"Well, these Sauron people also said that many Mongolian cavalry arrived in Shenyang. They were overwhelming, probably tens of thousands of people, and then they drove towards the southeast one after another."

"Tens of thousands of people? Oh, can these savages know how to count?" The Qianzong sneered, "If the Qing Dynasty used tens of thousands of cavalry, wouldn't there be tens of thousands of infantry accompanying them to the battle? What's the matter, the Qing Dynasty is going to destroy North Korea. ?Aren’t they the masters of North Korea?”

The Xiaoqi just laughed after hearing this. This group of Sauron people worked tirelessly to walk through the dense jungle to Zhenzhou. In addition to exchanging some furs, ginseng, and medicinal materials, they also specifically asked to see the general stationed in Zhenzhou to inform them of the news. .If they had not confirmed this information, how would they dare to deceive the local government, let alone ask for some iron weapons, nails and other tools.

Although these native savages are all strong and brave men, they are also straightforward and honest in nature, and they will never make false promises to deceive the local officials and people in Zhenzhou. On the contrary, sometimes, local residents and traders, I took some not-so-valuable things and exchanged them for many good items.

"That's all, you give them some soju first, and I'll report it to the adults above before making a decision." President Qian felt that it was better to report this information to the Zhenzhou Governor and the General, and let them deal with these savages. .Perhaps the information brought has attracted the attention of the adults, and it is appropriate to reward him generously.

When Luan Shiwei, the magistrate of Zhenzhou, and Sun Dabao, the counselor stationed in Zhenzhou, heard the news that the Qing Dynasty had mobilized troops and prepared to attack North Korea, they couldn't help but look at each other. As civil and military officials in the imperial court's overseas territories, they knew some high-level information. .The Cabinet and the Ministry of War are preparing to cooperate with the launch of the Jiangnan Campaign and prepare to unite with North Korea to jointly attack Liaodong.

North Korea will cross the Yalu River in early winter in mid-to-late October, capture Dandong, and then follow the ancient road, passing through Fengcheng, Lianshan, Pingshan, and Benxi, all the way to Shenyang. The Yongchu court gathered two thousand troops. Using Jinzhou City as the base, they went north to attack Gaizhou, Haicheng, and Liaoyang, and joined forces with North Korea in Shenyang.

The plan was to take advantage of the Qing Dynasty's emptiness in Liaodong to quickly seize major cities such as Liaoyang, Shenyang, and Benxi. Then, when the midwinter arrived, the Qing Dynasty would have enough time to consolidate and digest the captured Liaodong cities when it was inconvenient for the Qing Dynasty to mobilize troops. But if the intelligence provided by those savages is true, then the Qing captives have gathered a large number of troops in Liaodong and want to preemptively invade North Korea. Then, wouldn't the troops sent by the imperial court to attack eastern Liaodong be defeated by the superiority of the Qing army? A sudden attack of force.

"Immediately send people by boat to Denglai and North Korea to report the matter." Luan Shiwei looked at Zhenzhou Counselor Sun Dabao, "In addition, more than 800 officers and soldiers under General Sun went out of Daning City (today's Artho, a city in Russia's Far East) Mu, 45 kilometers north of Vladivostok), began to be on full alert to prevent the Qing rebels from detecting the existence of our town and sending troops to attack."

"Zhenzhou is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and the entire north is covered with dense forests, and there is no way to find it. It is impossible for the Qing captives to attack here." Sun Dabao said hesitantly.

"General Sun, you and I are guarding the overseas territories of the imperial court, and at the same time, the Liaodong flank is occupied by Qing captives. We need to be careful in everything we do." Luan Shiwei said in a deep voice.

"Hmm... what Mr. Luan said is absolutely true." Sun Dabao cupped his hands, nodded and said: "I will make arrangements right away... By the way, there are estimated to be thousands of Sauron people and Hezhe people around Zhenzhou, so if you pay more

We will collect some grain, iron tools and other tools, select the strongest ones, and incorporate them into our army and servants. This will not only enhance the strength of our town, but also prevent the surrounding barbarians from rebelling against our town when the Qing invaders attack."

"...is General Sun confident that he can use it for my use?"

"I think that as long as I have some salt and iron rice flour, these savages will be sincerely accepted and used by me." Sun Dabao said with a smile: "I think the Qi people have recruited many Japanese, Annan, and Occupiers into the army.

The city is waiting for some servants. I, Zhenzhou, can recruit a few savages and give them a try."

-----------------------

October 20, Fuzhou.

"Where is Li Dingguo?" Zheng Zhilong looked at the many generals and staff gathered in the hall and asked in a deep voice.

"Two months ago, after Li Dingguo returned to Nanchang from Jiujiang, he supervised an army of 30,000 people, which slowly advanced through Fuzhou to Raozhou (today's Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province). He is currently attacking Quzhou, but for some reason, for more than 20 days, he has only besieged

If you don't attack, you are looting the place." Shi Fu frowned and said.

"Huh, Li Dingguo besieged Quzhou City and did not attack. He was attracting Yuhang and Qing troops from all over the south of the Yangtze River to come to the rescue and create favorable conditions for Sun Kewang's main force to march eastward to Nanjing." Zheng Zhilong snorted coldly, "Has Sun Kewang now captured Anqing or is it peaceful?

(now Wuhu)."

"The news came ten days ago that Sun Kewang has captured Anqing." Shi Fu said: "It is estimated that he should be attacking Taiping at this time. Of course, it is also possible that his troops have already arrived at Nanjing."

"Is Sun Kewang planning to conquer all the important towns along the Yangtze River one by one, and then move towards Nanjing?" Zheng Zhilong shook his head and said: "With his actions, anyone with a brain in the Qing Dynasty would know that his target is Nanjing. So, slow down

By swallowing the land and coming all the way east, wouldn't it create opportunities for the Qing invaders to concentrate more troops in Nanjing?"

"Sun Kewang must be worried about the safety of his retreat, so he has to capture several important towns and ports along the Yangtze River before he can secure Nanjing and even the entire Jiangnan area with peace of mind."

When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he fell silent for a moment, and his face became a little gloomy. The former thieves transformed into officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. In a few years, they actually captured Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi and other vast areas.

Now the massive Jiangnan offensive has been launched, and it seems that it will swallow the entire Jiangnan into its belly.

"Sun Li's great power is not a blessing to our Ming Dynasty!" Zheng Zhilong sighed softly, "If we expel the Qing captives, will this world still belong to our Ming Dynasty?"

"My lord (Zheng Zhilong was named Duke of Nan'an by Emperor Yongchu after he returned to the Ming Dynasty anyway)?" Dong Runsheng, a trusted aide, said softly: "I heard that in Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Songjiang and other places, the Qing captives mobilized a large number of troops to gather in Nanjing.

, the defense is weak. It would be better for our army to abandon the attack on Taizhou and instead cross the sea to attack the above-mentioned areas as a later plan."

Zheng Zhilong was moved after hearing this. Su Song, Yuhang is rich and prosperous, and is the best in the world. If it can be captured, it will add a lot of strength to Fujian Ping.

"After Zhang Mingzhen's troops captured Ningbo, did they go to Hangzhou?"

"After Zhang Mingzhen's troops captured Ningbo last month, they immediately divided their troops and looted the area. They even conquered Cixi, Yuyao, Xinchang, Tiantai, Ninghai, and Xiangshan. It was as if they were operating this place as a land base to prepare for the distant connection with Zhoushan in the future.

"The last general thought that they seemed to be deeply wary of Sun and Li's imminent invasion of the south of the Yangtze River. Hangzhou is a big city in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They estimate that their strength is limited and they dare not capture it for the time being." Shi Fu glanced.

He glanced at Dong Runsheng.

"If we send troops to Susong and Yuhang, will the Qing captives bring troops to help?" Zheng Zhilong asked again, mainly because he was really worried about the combat capabilities of the Fujian Army Division.

"Probably not." Shi Fu said: "The navy of Qi State and... the eldest son, as well as Gu San Mazi and other coalition forces, led more than 200 boats along the Yangtze River, from Shangshuo to Tongzhou, Zhenjiang, Nanjing and other places, and have cut off the north of the Yangtze River.

The channel through which the Qing troops arrived for reinforcements. As for Su Song and the Qing troops near Yuhang, it is reported that most of them have retreated to Nanjing."

When Shi Fu mentioned the "eldest son", Zheng Zhilong's eyelids couldn't help but twitch a few times. For his eldest son, Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but feel a little angry. In the past, in order to covet the territory of Fujian and Guangdong and the title of a prince, Zheng Zhilong

, led the whole town of Fujian and the navy to surrender to the Qing captives.

But this traitor actually pretended to go to aid Guangdong and launched a mutiny on Nan'ao Island. He not only attacked and killed Yanping's general Ji Shiliang, but also "abducted" more than 6,000 soldiers and horses from the Firearms Battalion and other towns, as well as more than 200 large and small ships.

.Subsequently, he led troops to seize Taiwan, making himself lose face.

In December last year, Zheng Zhilong announced that he was returning to the Ming Dynasty anyway, and sent someone to notify his eldest son to return to Fujian to gather strength. However, Zheng Sen refused, and still occupied Taiwan, and vigorously purged Zheng Zhilong's trusted generals and officials who were stationed there, and sent them back with gifts.

Fujian. In this situation, they actually wanted to use Taiwan as a base to raid the coastal areas of the Qing Dynasty and the cities and towns along the river, taking the opportunity to develop and strengthen their personal power, and at the same time pretend to be a loyal minister and filial son of the Yongchu court.

Although his close aides suggested that Zheng Sen should be allowed to develop outside and imitate the Zhuge family of the Three Kingdoms, leaving an extra way out for the Zheng family. However, this treacherous son did not care about the relationship between father and son at all.

Officials and generals of the land and sea divisions were recruited under his command to develop their own power.

It is said that this traitor now has more than 16,000 troops. In addition to occupying Taiwan, he also occupied several strongholds in Qiongzhou Prefecture. He was named Jingwuhou by Emperor Yongchu, which was extremely glorious.

"When we gather troops to attack Yuhang Su Song, will Gao Yigong, Yuan Zongdi and others from Chaozhou Prefecture take advantage of us and attack our Zhangzhou and Quanzhou?" Zheng Zhilong asked worriedly.

"Probably not." Shi Fu thought for a while, shook his head and said, "The people of Qi will restrain Gao Yigong and others not to come rashly. In addition, Shi Lang led 3,000 people to station in Longhai, which is enough to protect Zhangzhou from worries."

"In that case, then gather a large army to capture Hangzhou first and then attack Susong." Zheng Zhilong said fiercely: "Even if our Fujian Town cannot occupy the above-mentioned prefectures and counties in the end, we must plunder them all and move them all to Fuzhou
Chapter completed!