The ship was sailing through the waves, and the sea breeze blew on my face, bringing with it a unique salty smell.
Axiu brushed away the hair that had spread on her forehead and looked ahead, hoping to see land soon.
When they saw the land, they were very close to their new home. The people who came to pick them up said that if they walked fifteen or six miles from the shore, they would find a patchwork of built houses and cultivated fields.
Axiu also heard that the house is not small, two or three times bigger than the ones on the island. It’s really nice. Tomatoes and peppers are planted in the yard, as well as some leeks. Every time my husband comes back, he can cut the leeks and make dumplings for him.
eat.
The sea-going ships belong to Guanglu Island, and the homes of the sailors are also on the island. Now many have moved to Jinzhou, and they are also concentrated in Dalian. In the future, Dalian Port will be used as a base to work at sea.
From time to time, sailors would pass by on the ship, and they would salute respectfully and call them "ma'am."
Axiu returned the greeting politely every time, but she was no longer as embarrassed as she was a long time ago, and her demeanor was very calm.
Over the course of a year, she had been treated like this on the island, and she had become accustomed to it.
Moreover, Sister-in-law Sun, Sister-in-law Wang, and even Ronger often said that Guo Dajing had a different status. She was the royal wife and the wife, so it was natural for her to be respected by people.
"Madam, it's windy on the ship, so we'd better go into the cabin!" Sister-in-law Sun walked onto the deck, holding a cloak in her hand.
Axiu showed some discomfort at this time, reached out to take the cloak and put it on herself, and said: "Sister-in-law Sun, don't call her that, just call her that at home."
"This is outside." Sister-in-law Sun lowered her voice, and then said with a smile: "Dajing has been promoted again. In the entire Dongjiang Town, he is only ranked below Marshal Mao and Deputy Marshal Chen."
A Xiu smiled, feeling sincerely happy, but it was not all about promotion, but that her man was safe and sound.
She couldn't imagine what life would be like once her husband was gone. She might not be hungry, but would there be hope in life?
For Axiu, Guo Dajing is the sky, the backbone of the family. If the backbone is gone, the house will collapse and the sky will collapse.
"To be honest, we have also benefited from Dajing and you." Sister-in-law Sun said with emotion: "Not to mention the escape, even on the island and in Jinzhou, we received too much care."
"It's not the right thing for fellow villagers to take care of each other." Axiu said without caring much: "Don't you take care of us more?"
"That's different." Sister-in-law Sun shook her head and stopped talking about who was more and who was less. She stood on the deck with Axiu and talked about happy things.
"I heard that the house is very big. There are four or five rooms in the front yard, which are arranged for our two families. There are forty acres of fields, which have been planted with potatoes, rye and corn, and two or three acres of cabbage and cabbage.
radish……"
Axiu pursed her lips and smiled, feeling happy and proud in her heart. This was all the fault of her own men. With so much land, she would never go hungry again.
"Rong'er, Xiucheng, and I can also go to the fields to help, weeding and shoveling." Axiu said, "There are forty acres. It's too tiring just for you to work."
"Why are you tired?" Sister-in-law Sun didn't mind the large amount of land at all, and said, "Now that we have plowed and cultivated, how much work is left for you and Rong'er to do? If you can't stay idle, just plant in the yard.
Order the side dishes, the peppers and tomatoes, they are all very good.”
Sister-in-law Sun looked at Axiu and said earnestly: "Don't forget that you are General Guo's wife. You are no longer the same as before. You must pay attention to the dignity of your status."
Axiu knew what Sister-in-law Sun was referring to, and was worried that she would be suppressed by Hide Fujino, the new concubine, so she reminded her that she was the real wife.
Axiu didn't care much about Guo Dajing's concubinage. After receiving Guo Dajing's letter, Chen Youshan came to comfort him, but he didn't know that Axiu had been mentally prepared for this.
Although Guo Dajing didn't take his background and disability seriously, in Axiu's heart, she always felt that she couldn't hold her head high and felt sorry for Guo Dajing.
More importantly, Guo Dajing had been sleeping with her for more than a year, but she had not been able to give birth to a son and a half, and she felt even more guilty.
While on the island, she noticed that Fujino Hide had an unusual relationship with her man, and asked Guo Dajing to take a concubine.
"My family has planned everything. In addition to farming, we can also raise sheep or rabbits. It doesn't cost any food, just feed them with grass or let them graze..." Sister-in-law Sun stopped talking and turned the topic elsewhere.
Raising sheep and rabbits is one of Guo Dajing's long-planned measures to improve people's lives. Similar implementations have already begun on Guanglu Island, such as raising ducks and geese, offshore breeding, etc.
Everything is based on the principle of consuming as little or no food as possible. Pigs, chickens and the like can only be put aside for the time being.
But any kind of raising is not an easy job. You have to walk a long way to herd sheep, and mowing the grass is also hard work.
However, the longing and expectation for a better life made the people at that time not afraid of fatigue. Having enough to eat was a luxury in the past, but now it is a step towards pursuing higher goals.
Axiu listened and occasionally interjected a few words. Both of their faces were filled with joy, as if they were no longer worried about being attacked by Jianlu and being displaced, or even facing the butcher's knife.
The husband is confident in his heart. Since he has built a big house and taken it over to enjoy the blessings, there will definitely be no danger.
Axiu trusts her husband unconditionally and is also a typical example of the traditional idea of marrying a chicken and following the chicken.
Sun's sister-in-law and others, as well as other common people, will be more confident after seeing the actions of the officials, put aside their worries, and take root in production with peace of mind.
Although the people have no decision-making power and must obey the arrangements of the officials, the stability of the people's hearts is also the basis for social stability and accelerated construction.
"We haven't arrived yet?" Ronger ran to the deck and looked far into the distance. She couldn't help but feel a little anxious because she hadn't seen the shadow of the land yet. She ran to Axiu's side and complained: "It's not that it's very close. It's on the map.
Look, it’s only a little distance away.”
Looking at the distance shown by the girl with her fingers, a sailor laughed and said: "There are less than three fingers on the map, but there are still dozens of miles of sea route. Don't worry, miss, we can enter the port in less than an hour."
Ronger blinked her eyes, counted the time, clapped her hands and laughed, "That's great, as I thought, I can live in a big house today and eat good food."
Axiu laughed, reached out and touched Ronger's head, and said: "We didn't tell you in advance. When we arrive, the place may not be ready yet. They won't be able to entertain us properly until tomorrow!"
Rong'er didn't think so. She suddenly fanned her big eyes and said, "Brother Jing is so smart. Doesn't he know that we are all in a hurry to get to our new home? The boat arrived at the island yesterday and set off today. It's normal. We just didn't notify you in advance.
, he can also guess that we will almost arrive today, arrive..."
"It used to be called Qingniwa, but now it's called Dalian." The sailor smiled and added: "Master Guo gave it the name, and Marshal Mao approved it."
"Dalian, Dalian, and Brother He Jing's names are just one word apart." Ronger laughed happily, "Now I can remember it."
"Land has been seen!" The sailor looked up and the lookout on the mast issued a reminder, and the bow of the ship was slowly changing direction.
Rong'er was even more happy, holding Axiu's arm and standing by the side of the ship, looking into the distance.
………………..
With a clicking sound, the flint hit the anvil, and a few sparks flashed out. At the same time, the anvil and the fire door cover were linked together, exposing the ignition powder. The ignition powder was ignited by the sparks, and white smoke emitted.
Since the elastic steel piece needs to accumulate force, a relatively large amount of force must be used when pulling the faucet and pulling the trigger. But compared to the advantages of the flintlock gun, it is almost negligible.
Guo Dajing tested several modified flintlock guns, smiled with satisfaction, raised his head and said to Zhao Qingshan and the two craftsmen leaders: "Very good, the effect is gratifying. What is the current transformation speed?"
Zhao Qingshan hurriedly bowed and said: "Sir, now, a craftsman can transform one or two branches every day. In the future, there will be more."
"How many craftsmen can take on this work?" Guo Dajing asked again: "Can production be increased by using the assembly line method?"
Zhao Qingshan continued the report: "There are now forty-three craftsmen involved in gun modification, and the batch manufacturing of parts has already begun. It can be handed over to some novices, and then polished and repaired by skilled craftsmen. In this way, it should be doubled.
Yield."
The linked anvil and the fire door cover are integrated into one, and the dimensions and specifications have been determined. Although the precision is not enough, even if it is cast in batches, it will need to be polished and trimmed later, but it can greatly reduce the workload of skilled craftsmen.
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "Then leave the work of casting parts to novices or apprentices, and the skilled craftsmen will concentrate on transforming the guns. A certain association will first transfer a battalion of soldiers back, with almost more than a thousand light and heavy muskets. The workshop will be based on
The renovation was completed in the fastest possible time.”
Zhao Qingshan bowed to accept the order, pointed to one of the craftsmen leaders, and said to Guo Dajing: "Boss Chen believes that in order to increase the firing rate, good flints and polished flints are also crucial."
Guo Dajing deeply agreed and praised: "What Mr. Chen said is absolutely true. The polishing of flint pieces must also be handed over to the workshop, and it will be done according to your standards."
There is no need to think about the best flint alloy. The source of flint can only come from nature.
Natural flint can be found in the mountains or on the banks of rivers with pebbles. Because flint is resistant to weathering and corrosion, flint is often found on the weathered surfaces protruding from other rocks.
Of course, flints also have different qualities. Some are easy to produce sparks, while others require a little more effort.
"Is it feasible to mobilize the army and people of Jinzhou to look for good flints and have the officials pay for them?" Guo Dajing asked humbly: "Can you deny the standards for flints?"
Chief Chen thought for a while, then bowed and said: "The common people don't think there is any need to spend money to acquire the flints and mobilize so many troops. As long as the officials issue a notice for the people to pay attention to, and hand in the flints after picking them up, they will be given a small material reward.
That’s enough.”
It's just a matter of effort, no need to do it deliberately. Guo Dajing understood the meaning of the words and felt that it made some sense, so he nodded in agreement.
Flint is widely distributed, and experienced people can find flint by just looking at the color or knocking two stones together and smelling it.
If you spend money to buy it, you may have a lot of ordinary people dedicated to doing this, but you really don't need too much flint. Moreover, how to identify whether it is good or not, how to collect and transport it, is a bit of an effort.
Another craftsman with a gray beard bowed his head and said: "Sir, the common people have heard that there is a temple mountain near Qingzhou, Shandong, which is rich in flint."
Guo Dajing's eyes lit up and he said happily: "Okay, I'll send someone to Shandong immediately. If it's true, I'll buy it and ship it back."
Well, how much is the stone worth? It probably won’t be worth the shipping cost! But if the flint is really good, its role on the battlefield cannot be measured by money.
A two-pronged approach, on the one hand collecting in Jinzhou and on the other hand purchasing in Shandong, will definitely ensure that nothing goes wrong.
After discussing with Zhao Qingshan and others for a while, Guo Dajing got up and left after confirming the specific plan for the modification of the musket.
The technical gap between percussion flintlock guns and matchlock guns is not originally about technology, but about thinking.
As long as the manufacturing obstacles of springs or elastic steel sheets are overcome, it will be relatively easy to modify the matchlock gun, but it will take some manpower and time.
But the replacement of the matchlock by the flintlock gun meant a huge revolution on the battlefield and accelerated the historical process of eliminating cold weapons.
As early as 1598, the twenty-sixth year of Wanli, France's Mahan had invented the percussion flintlock gun and was summoned by Henry IV at the time.
But after Henry IV was assassinated in 1610 (the thirty-eighth year of Wanli), the process of equipping troops with flintlocks stalled.
This stagnation lasted for several decades. Calculated, Guo Dajing should have equipped a large number of flintlock guns earlier than the Western Yi, although it was only more than ten years ahead of schedule.
Of course, Guo Dajing never thought about competing for first or second place records. Everything was for war, to increase combat power, and to destroy Pingliao.
Flintlock musket, paper case fixed ammunition, sleeve bayonet, Guo Dajing has completed two of the steps. To be precise, two and a half steps.
Fixed-load ammunition has been popularized in the army, but it only uses bamboo or wooden tubes, which are slightly worse than paper shells. However, Guo Dajing is not prepared to make changes in the short term.
Taking a few sample guns, Guo Dajing went directly to the training camp. The first batch of troops to change defenses would be stationed in a few days, and Fujino was waiting for the instructors to be ready.
"Is this the modified musket that the adults are talking about?" Fujino Masaru and several instructors were summoned to watch the new flintlock musket being played with.
Guo Dajing briefly explained the principle and usage, gave a demonstration, and introduced the advantages of the flintlock musket.
The operation method is simpler than the matchlock gun. It can be said to be understood at a glance, but the proficiency of the movements is different.
Fujino was turning the faucet, then pulling the trigger, and tried it several times. Watching the sparks ejected when the flint was struck, he slowly said: "As long as the sparks can ignite the ignition powder, it has many advantages over the matchlock gun."
The so-called "carrying a mile-long match rope to fight a battle" is an exaggerated description of the matchlock gun.
The open flame used in the matchlock gun not only requires special attention to safety, but is also not conducive to concealment, especially at night, which is even more obvious. The Ming army suffered this big loss.
Guo Dajing said: "It may be slightly lower than the ignition rate of the matchlock, but overall, the overall performance is better than the matchlock gun."
If one tap doesn't work, then tap it twice or three times. The action is not complicated or difficult, just pull the faucet and pull the trigger.
Guo Dajing waited quietly for a moment to let Fujino Masaru and the instructors familiarize themselves with the flintlock rifle, and then said again: "The impact of the replacement of new muskets on our army is not just as simple as letting the soldiers master it proficiently, but also involves
The tactics of marching, forming, and fighting..."
The musketeers can stand closer together, increasing the density of firepower; the increase in the rate of fire will also thin the formation of the round fire. It used to require five or six, but now three is almost enough.
As for the line formation, Guo Dajing only mentioned it briefly and was not ready to start training now.
After all, the battle formation was thicker, and the battle against Jianlu was more certain, which reassured him and gave the soldiers more confidence.
Fujinomasa and others quickly understood what Guo Dajing said. The troops' tactics would change, and uniform training was the basis for soldiers to form habits.
"Guo is in charge of the officers' training, and the uniform training of the musketeers will be left to you." Guo Dajing cupped his hands and said, "The initial training period is set to be one month."
Fujino pondered for a moment and said cautiously: "The first period of training may take a little longer. We also need to get familiar with it and explore it."
Guo Dajing thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
He only gave a relatively general summary of the advantages of the flintlock gun and its impact on combat. It is not that simple to put it into practical application.
You must know that it is the first time for instructors including Fujino Masaru to try flintlock rifles. It is reasonable to have to explore and experiment.
As long as it does not affect the plan to equip the entire army before the end of the year, Guo Dajing will be satisfied. Even if it is later, the impact will not be big.
And according to the current transformation speed of the workshop, if the materials can keep up, we can produce at least fifty branches a day, which is no problem at all.
Now, most of the craftsmen in Dongjiang Town are concentrated in Jinzhou. After adapting to the new management regulations and getting better treatment and incentives, the production and manufacturing of weapons and equipment will increase several times.
On the one hand, the original matchlock guns will be transformed, and on the other hand, the work of creating new flintlock guns will also be carried out. According to the trial production data, if there are enough manpower and sufficient materials, the monthly production capacity will reach two to three hundred guns.
The most difficult production process is the forging of the barrel, which usually uses the oblique rolling nesting method or the short-tube splicing method, but both require repairing the bore, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
According to historical records, it took a month to drill the gun barrel. This may be an exaggeration, but it is indeed the most time-consuming.
There are no modern machine tools, but there are simple wooden lathes, and the drill bits are not hard enough. Most of the work is done by hand, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Although he was quite dissatisfied with the manufacturing equipment and technology, Guo Dajing was also prepared to accept such production and manufacturing speed.
Two to three thousand muskets a year, plus some purchased from outside, can basically meet the expanding needs of the Dongjiang Army.
Looking at the Ming Dynasty, or even the world, there is no such well-equipped fusilier unit. For this reason, Guo Dajing should be proud and proud.