Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Three North Korea Helps, the Military New Deal
The gunpowder and iron materials brought by Cui Xiaoyi provided more sufficient materials and ammunition for next year's war.
As for the Korean martyrs who were sent again, Guo Dajing would not refuse anyone who came, and he would not receive too many preferential treatment. Experience is gained in battles. Whether he can survive depends on his personal destiny!
It has always been Guo Dajing's idea to unite all forces to fight against the Jianlu. In fact, there are not many people who can provide help at present. North Korea is the nearest and fastest way.
Although Guo Dajing exchanged the materials provided by Lin Qingzhi, Cui Xiaoyi and others at equal value or purchased them with money, it was also crucial to maintain this channel.
As for Shen Qiyuan, Guo Dajing really hopes that his rebellion will succeed and fundamentally change the weakness of the Korean court. It does not require a strong military force. At least not to trade with Jianlu and cut off contacts is to support Pingliao.
Of course, this is just an imagination, or a long-term investment. It is difficult for Guo Dajing to judge the outcome.
But one thing is, he believes that with the continuous victory in the battle against Jianlu and the continuous increase in the strength of the Dongjiang Army, Shen Qiyuan's intention will become more obvious.
Even when Jianlu showed obvious decline, the Korean court was unlikely to give up the opportunity to form a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty and jointly fight against Jianlu.
To put it bluntly, the strong will have people to rely on, and the weak will naturally have few people to help them. There are many people who are the icing on the cake, and few who are the icing on the cake.
And long-term thinking may not necessarily pay off in the future; but if you don't think about the long-term, you shouldn't expect any gains in the future.
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Guo Dajing's goal was to purchase two thousand heavy muskets from the Portuguese within one year, but he was still very optimistic about the weapon equipment of light muskets and bayonets.
Therefore, through Lin Qingzhi and Cui Xiaoyi, Guo Dajing purchased 500 branches. Before the production and manufacturing could not reach the scale, buying was faster than making, and it could improve combat effectiveness, so it was worth spending more money.
According to Guo Dajing's idea, the combination of light and heavy muskets could not completely replace cold weapons, but it would provide additional long-range output and enable melee combat with bayonets.
A mixture of four thousand Guanglu Island troops, a thousand heavy muskets, more than a thousand light muskets, a thousand pikemen and sword and shield soldiers, plus artillery, cavalry, and logistical equipment, formed a complete independent combat group.
Calculated in this way, even if the expansion is less than 4,000, it will be almost 3,500 or 600. You know, Mao Wenlong also promised to deploy 30 Franchise machines and gunners to operate the cannons!
North Korean muskets are thicker and heavier, and have a shorter range than blunderbuss, but their lethality within the range exceeds that of blunderbuss. Guo Dajing believes that the pursuit of range and accuracy with front-mounted smoothbore muskets has gone astray in the direction of development.
Especially when Jianlu's assault troops were equipped with heavy armor, the power of the muskets became a flaw. Even if they couldn't be killed with one shot, the enemy kept charging up. Few of them could calmly reload ammunition and shoot calmly. .
At dusk the next day, Guo Dajing had already arranged the gifts and hosted a banquet in the guest house for Cui Xiaoyi and others.
Several hundred kilograms of whale meat and a few intact furs were of secondary importance. Guo Dajing gave Cui Xiaoyi ten thousand taels of silver and two telescopes, which moved Cui Xiaoyi.
"This -" Cui Xiaoyi smiled bitterly, "Cui seems to have become a businessman, making money from business."
Guo Dajing said with a smile: "This is not a transaction, but a friendship. General Lin and Brother Cui's great help has moved Guo. They have some money, but they just don't want to make it difficult for you."
Cui Xiaoyi knew Guo Dajing's temper and temperament, so he no longer refused. He was more interested in the novelty of the telescope.
"The things of the Western Yi are being imitated on the island, but it is difficult to produce them in large quantities." Guo Dajing explained: "It is excellent for marching and fighting."
"Brother Guo, there are always wonderful things here." Cui Xiaoyi sighed and put away the telescope. "Being able to see distant scenery and people clearly is indeed of great military use."
Guo Dajing reached for the pot, poured a glass of wine, and said: "Your country has trade relations with the Japanese country. Why don't you suggest General Lin to use this to increase military expenditures. The special products of the Japanese country, sulfur, saltpeter, and copper, are indispensable for the military."
"You can try." Cui Xiaoyi said thoughtfully: "Through Shen Qiyuan, you may be able to get permission from the court. Or you can make up the identity of a merchant and go to trade."
Guo Dajing agreed with this. Since the court is like this, nothing can be accomplished by following the rules. It is better to engage in crooked ways and do something for the country and the people.
Country, in Guo Dajing's mind, was different from people's definition at that time.
In ancient times, the family was the world. In people's eyes, the emperor was the country, and loyalty to the emperor was loyalty to the country. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism placed all loyalty to the emperor before the country, or in other words, in parallel.
But Guo Dajing separated the two and tried his best to conquer the Jianlu, not for the emperor, but for China and the country.
Because of this, it is quite difficult for Guo Dajing to find like-minded people. He rarely shows his rebellious thoughts in front of outsiders.
Regarding Shen Qiyuan, Guo Dajing regarded him as the same person. If the emperor can't do it, then change him. Don't let one person harm the entire country and make the people miserable.
It is very sophisticated to summarize Guo Dajing's thinking in one sentence of Mencius.
"If the king treats his ministers like his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart and soul; if his ministers regard his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as a fellow countryman; if his ministers regard his ministers as earth and mustard, then his ministers will regard him as a bandit."
To put it simply, it would be "You are unkind and I am unjust."
"Currently, the person who is juxtaposed with Shen Qiyuan in the court is Jin Zidian, who is the right advisor." When Cui Xiaoyi mentioned Jin Zidian, he couldn't help but frowned and said, "This person makes rudders according to the wind, swinging between the pro-Ming and the fearful captives. .”
Guo Dajing smiled lightly and said: "He is a pragmatic guy, so let's use the situation to make him change. There is no need to force friendship."
As long as the Ming Dynasty did not fall, or it won consecutive battles against the Jianlu, not to mention Jin Zidian, even the entire Korean court would change its attitude.
Speak with strength, reason with interests, and achieve mutual benefit. This is also Guo Dajing's principle.
"What else is needed for next year's war?" Cui Xiaoyi asked with great anticipation: "General Lin told a certain person before leaving that he would do his best to help."
Guo Dajing thanked him and said: "Sulfur, gunpowder, iron materials, grain, and muskets are all purchased by General Lin for convenience. I will not refuse anyone who comes."
For now, the reserves of materials and ammunition for next year's war are sufficient. But Guo Dajing hopes that the more the better, as the war against Jianlu will be long-term.
Cui Xiao nodded and agreed. This was not a request, but a purchase. It would not make Lin Qingzhi too embarrassed, as long as the news was not leaked.
Guo Dajing also wanted to provide free assistance. But he also knew that Lin Qingzhi was not the king of North Korea, so he could not make the decision. If he could provide supplies, it would be an act of benevolence and justice.
After three drinks, Guo Dajing, Cui Xiaoyi and other talents left happily.
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The snow was piled on the roadside, like a low protective wall.
Zhang Biao's feet creaked and felt a little heavy, but when he saw the door, his body and mind felt warm, and his fatigue was reduced a lot.
When the courtyard door was pushed open, the little girl who heard the noise ran out, called "brother" and greeted her with a smile on her face.
"It's time to make meat and noodles, brother, you can eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year." Nothing makes children more happy than eating.
Zhang Bang smiled and nodded repeatedly, touched the little girl's head, and walked into the house while asking: "I heard about it when I was working, but I don't know what kind of meat it is?"
"Two fish and a pheasant were given out." The wife replied with a smile inside the house, "The noodles are two kilograms per family, which is enough to make dumplings."
There are not many things, but for the people, it is a rare and happy New Year. The investment is not much, it is distributed to the people twice, and it is accumulated in normal times.
Normally, I don’t think that if there is food to eat, I don’t have much expectation to eat meat. But when it is distributed during the New Year, it has different meanings and has different psychological effects on people.
"Both chicken and fish can be used to make dumplings." Zhang Bang already knew the standard and didn't look surprised. He said with a smile: "The noodles are a little short. Mix in some multigrain noodles and you can eat more dumplings!"
The wife smiled and nodded, pointed at the Chinese cabbage, and said, "There is also this Chinese cabbage, which is also grown."
Wu Jiucheng, who was in charge of purchasing, followed Guo Dajing's instructions and bought a boatload of vegetables from Shandong. Cabbage was the cheapest and he bought the most.
Zhang Bang chuckled, walked into the back room, looked at his son who was still sleeping, and sat on the edge of the kang, thinking about how much food he could receive before the end of the year.
Even though it is winter, there is constant work on the island. The simplest physical work is making stone bullets. It doesn't matter if you are not a mason. You can't use a sledgehammer to chip away big rocks?
There is also sawing of wood. According to the requirements of the foreman, boards of suitable length and width are cut and then finished by professional carpenters.
To put it bluntly, Guo Dajing was exploiting and squeezing, using the food he could make a living to obtain various products that far exceeded their value.
But the common people have to thank him for his kindness and praise him for his kindness. The reason is very simple. The environment dictates that if you can survive, who will think more about whether working hard is worth it?
Earning an extra three to five liters of food for the family and seeing the smiles on the faces of my parents, wife and children is the best way to recover from fatigue.
The wife walked into the house, looked at her son, and asked softly: "What are you thinking about?"
Zhang Bang smiled and said, "The army is recruiting troops again."
The wife frowned and waited quietly for her husband to say what he was thinking.
"In addition to food and salary, we will also give you land." Zhang Bang said slowly: "You will be given two acres for one year as a soldier, five acres for two years, and ten acres for three years. No taxes will be collected, and all the harvest will belong to you."
The wife nodded and said, "I've heard that one acre of potato can yield more than three thousand kilograms. With two acres of land, it's enough to feed a family."
After a pause, the wife put her hand on her husband's shoulder and said, "But you are the only man in our family. Without the backbone, it doesn't matter how much land we give you. Now I think it's pretty good. Why go to war and sacrifice your life?"
Zhang Bang looked into his wife's eyes, then turned to look at his sleeping son, and nodded with a wry smile.
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Some people serve as soldiers, and some are engaged in production. Guo Dajing launched an incentive policy, but he did not want all qualified people to become soldiers.
It is not only an incentive, but also a preferential treatment for military family members, and it is also a disguised form of pension. If there are multiple men in the family, they will naturally have more choices and be more motivated to join the army.
Zhang Bang did not fully understand the new recruitment policy, at least he did not know in detail. He did not know that the families of fallen soldiers would receive ten acres of tax-free land.
Han Zhong was different. He understood it thoroughly and began to tell his son to cultivate the land well after getting it.
"If you cultivate two acres of land, at least you can have enough food and clothing. Military families also have preferential treatment. They can buy more fields and only pay half of the tax..."
Han Shantong was a little absent-minded. When his father wasn't paying attention, he covered his mouth and yawned.
"You are still young. I am going to ask your Uncle Li to help you plant half of the family. He should be willing." Han Zhong has already thought about it and feels that his son will definitely accept his arrangement.
Han Shantong hurriedly said: "No need for Uncle Li, just let Aunt Zhen help me."
Han Zhong shook his head and said: "How can a woman's family help you farm with a baby girl?"
Han Shantong defended: "Aunt Zhen is very powerful, and Xiaoying is not a burden. Farming is busy in spring and autumn. I can do it by myself on two acres of land. Dad, didn't you say that military members have advantages?
Will you help with spring plowing?"
Han Zhong opened his mouth, but unexpectedly his son remembered clearly that there was indeed such a rule.
Guo Dajing's purpose is to allow soldiers to fight with peace of mind. If there is no military action, then they can farm on their own.
When Han Shantong saw his father blinking and not saying anything, he smiled and continued: "Dad, during the Chinese New Year, should we go to Aunt Zhen's house to eat dumplings? Or invite them over?"
Han Zhong waved his hands vigorously and said: "What's the matter? We make it ourselves, don't we just stuff the dough with meat filling? If there is meat, why doesn't it taste good?"
Han Shantong rolled his eyes and said: "But Aunt Zhen said, let's go eat the dumplings she made. In the future, you will have to ask her to take care of me more often, so don't make me feel unhappy!"
"She invited us to eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year?" Han Zhong couldn't believe it, but what his son said made sense, so he couldn't help but hesitate.
Han Shantong nodded firmly and said, "If you don't believe it, go ask her!"
Han Zhong rolled his eyes. How could he ask this? He couldn't speak!
"I'll ask again and let her tell you in person." Han Shantong reached out and grabbed a piece of meat roasted on the fire. He turned around and ran away regardless of how hot it was.
Han Zhong shook his head helplessly. He understood his son's thoughts. However, he did not intend to let him join the army again. His wish was to farm the land well at home and live in peace.
Everyone has their own ideas, whether they are adults or teenagers, the ultimate goal is to live a good life.
If there was no war, if there was no hatred, Han Zhong would not put down his half-grown son and risk his life to join the army and kill the enemy.
If there was no war, if there were acres of thin farmland so that the family could have enough food and clothing, who would be willing to pick up swords and guns and fight desperately on a bloody battlefield?
A few acres of land, a cow, a wife and children, and a hot bed. Isn't it the life that most people want most? Peace and happiness, a little bit of hardship and a little bit of tiredness are all worth it.