This was probably an important reason why Shen Shikui wanted to find another way to make money. Guo Dajing also saw that ginseng and other special products were rare, and wanted to make some money through friends in North Korea.
As for the smuggling trade with Jianlu, there were Korean friends, so Guo Dajing could not be blamed. What's more, using gold and silver, mirrors, and silk in exchange also minimized the impact of capitalizing on the enemy.
Jianlu was short of food and supplies, and had nowhere to spend gold and silver, so Guo Dajing simply gave them some more.
You must know that the most precious thing for a person who is dying of thirst in the desert is a bottle of water, and even gold and silver cannot save his life.
Regardless of whether Lin Qingye and other people close to the Ming Dynasty could provide help, or whether the help was sufficient or not, Guo Dajing would not put all his eggs in one basket.
Moreover, Guo Dajing would not reveal the details of this line of communication with North Korea to outsiders. Even Mao Wenlong only knew that he had contacts with certain North Korean righteous men.
Guo Dajing was not sure whether he could make money or obtain the maximum amount of supplies at the minimum price. Therefore, he ordered Wu Jiucheng and others to purchase mules, horses, cattle and sheep in batches in Shandong and North Zhili.
As long as the price is within an affordable range, Guo Dajing is ready to spend 200,000 taels of silver to improve Dongjiang Town's logistics, transportation and mobility capabilities to a new level.
In Guo Dajing's view, problems that can be solved with money are not problems at all. As for how much he spends, he does not care most. What matters is achieving the goal.
"General." The soldier came in again and reported, "The graduation ceremony of the artillery training class is about to begin. You agreed to attend."
Oh, after being teased like this by Shen Shikui, he had completely forgotten about it. Guo Dajing patted his head, stood up, dressed, and strode out of the house.
Rockets and mortars will gradually be equipped with troops, and artillerymen who can handle artillery are naturally indispensable. Guo Dajing asked all ministries to send officers and soldiers who were smart and memorized, preferably proficient in writing and arithmetic, to come for training.
In fact, from the beginning of the artillery training to operate the Hongyi cannon, Guo Dajing worked with the instructors to develop a relatively simple and easy-to-follow tutorial.
After many test firings, the elevation angle of the cannon, the amount of charge, the range, and the impact point were related and made into a booklet. It is like looking up a mathematical table in later generations.
Too complex calculations.
It is as difficult to find soldiers in the army who can read, read, write, and be proficient in arithmetic as it is to find scholars among the common people. There is no way to do this kind of teaching.
But there is one skill that artillery must learn and be proficient in, which is ranging.
Regarding this skill, Guo Dajing is definitely a master and has an exclusive secret technique, which is the eye-twitching technique.
In later generations, this was the simplest and most common method in the military, but it was not used frequently. Because there are various instruments, from telescopes to lasers, that are more precise.
But at that time, this distance measurement method was very practical. Without any instruments, the distance could be measured with just two eyes and thumbs.
To put it bluntly, as long as students in the artillery training class master the steps of operating and adjusting artillery, learn the eye-jumping method to measure distance, and get a booklet, they will be considered to have graduated.
Of course, there are good and bad grades, high and low levels of understanding, and there are also officers and ranks in the artillery.
Guo Dajing worked hard and quickly arrived at the artillery training camp. The trainees quickly gathered and stood upright on the playground, waiting intently for General Guo's review.
Although they are from different armies, they are all elite soldiers and generals from Dongjiang Town, and there are even——
Guo Dajing's eyes paused for a moment on the faces of Kim Chongguo and other Korean martyrs, and he felt very pleased.
These Koreans fought side by side with the soldiers of Dongjiang Town and fought bloody battles, stemming from their hatred of the Jianlu and their selfless help to the Ming Empire when Korea collapsed.
And they will also support the backbone of North Korea and will not surrender to the Jianlu or surrender to the Jiannu. Yes, Guo Dajing hopes that they will take on such an important task in the future.
………………
North Korea, Baekmasan Fortress, Uiju.
Boom, the mortar fired the shells in the rising smoke.
The shell traced an arc, flew over rocks and weeds, landed more than a thousand meters away, rolled twice, and exploded suddenly, bursting out with flames and black smoke, throwing earth, rocks and grass debris into the air.
"Okay, okay!" Lin Qingye patted the wall of the mountain city hard, with an excited look on his face.
An Kechu bowed and said: "Maybe by increasing the amount of propellant, the range can be increased, about three miles."
As North Koreans sent to Dongjiang Town for training, An Kechen, Jin Zhongguo and others majored in artillery.
After Guo Dajing developed the customized mortar, An Keqian and several craftsmen returned to Yiju along with the ship carrying the gun, dedicated it to Lin Qingye, and gave a demonstration.
Lin Qingye nodded vigorously and said: "First the muskets were modified, and then this sharp artillery was sent. General Guo is so righteous that no one can repay him."
Guo Dajing taught him the making of bronze mortars and artillery shells selflessly, but only reminded North Korea to pay more attention to confidentiality.
The flintlock musket didn't hide it either. As early as a month ago, it sent Korean craftsmen back and also gave them a considerable amount of elastic steel sheets.
Crucible steelmaking can not only produce high-carbon steel tool molds, but also elastic steel, which greatly speeds up the transformation of flintlock muskets.
"This cannon was just cast in Jinzhou." An Kechen was also very emotional and said: "General Guo's selfless help is admirable."
Lin Qingye pondered for a moment and said: "I entrusted a businessman to trade thousands of cattle, sheep and horses at Wanshang Horse Market, and I am about to ship them for shipment. But now it seems that I am really stingy."
"However, the Jianlu do not like gold and silver, they only want food, silk, cotton and other supplies, and General Guo does not want to capitalize on the enemy."
With that said, Lin Qingye turned to Jin Nianliang and others beside him and asked: "I intend to loan out two thousand of our army's muskets, plus more than a thousand purchased, and send them to General Guo. What do you think?"
Jin Nianliang knew that giving away meant selling. Lin Qingye had no money. The gun was gone, but he had money to hold it, so he could rebuild it.
However, Uiju's armaments have been reorganized and strengthened for more than a year, but there are only more than 10,000 soldiers and only more than 4,000 muskets.
However, it can be analyzed and judged that there will not be another war between North Korea and Jianlu in a short period of time. In other words, there is no danger in borrowing muskets.
"I think this is not the case. I cannot show my gratitude and repay General Guo for his selfless help." Jin Nianliang bowed and said: "It's just two thousand muskets. Either buy or build them. It won't take long to make up for them."
The manufacturing of muskets is not limited to Uiju. As a major weapon, North Korea has many weapons workshops responsible for manufacturing muskets for the army.
The difference between the power of a country and the power of a corner is still very obvious.
Lin Qingye was confident in doing so. As the forefront of resisting the Japanese invaders, Yizhou reorganized its armaments and received strong support from Shen Qiyuan, and the tilted supply of weapons was also obvious.
"Our army is also in the process of replacing its flintlock muskets, which can be used as an excuse." Che Liliang agreed with a smile: "We don't talk about transformation, we only talk about remaking it and rebuilding it, so we can try to deal with it."
Lin Qingye laughed and said, "That's settled then. Nian Liang, you will be responsible for transporting it to Jinzhou and express our sincere gratitude to General Guo."
Jin Nianliang bowed and said yes, but did not forget to remind: "Sir, do you want to send more volunteers to Jinzhou?"
Lin Qingye thought for a while and said: "Send another three hundred people. Xiaoyi should also send people, not too many or too conspicuous."
Whether it is Dongjiang Town or Lin Qingye and other North Korean generals, they all believe that a war will break out around Jinzhou, and it will happen this year.
As long as Jianlu has a strategic vision, he will not allow the enemy to have a solid base in southern Liaoning with tens of thousands of heavy troops. This is simply a steel knife in the heart, which can pierce at any time.
Therefore, both Lin Qingye and Cui Xiaoyi did not want to miss this opportunity as a support attitude and as a way to train troops and select generals.
Two groups of Korean martyrs joined Guo Dajing's troops and participated in the fighting against Jianlu.
Casualties are inevitable, but in the eyes of Lin Qingye and Cui Xiaoyi, the returning North Korean generals have been tempered in terms of combat skills and combat will, and have greatly improved.
These generals with practical combat experience have been enriched into the newly formed Yiju Army, and the changes brought to the army are also obvious.
………………..
Glutinous rice
The wheel of history is still rolling forward. Although Guo Dajing was vigorously pushing, the wheel only jumped a little, but it stubbornly returned to its original trajectory.
In this regard, Guo Dajing was not discouraged. He continued to hold back his energy, and he no longer cared about the historical changes after he exerted his efforts. Everything depends on man-made efforts, so just try your best.
In July, Yuan Chonghuan arrived in Ningyuan and suppressed Sichuan. The Hu soldiers mutinied and transferred Zhao Lijiao out of western Liaoning on the grounds that the Sichuan and Hu soldiers were Zhao Lijiao's subordinates. They first moved to Yongping and then to Guanmen.
.
Later, Yuan Chonghuan had a falling out with Man Gui. Chongzhen took back Man Gui's Shang Fang sword and transferred him to Datong to serve as the general soldier of Datong.
"Guarding the Liao territory with Liao people", Governor Yuan practiced his own strategy of pacifying the Liao Dynasty, which also met the needs of the military leaders in western Liaoning for exclusive resources. There were no outside generals in the important towns outside the pass.
No, there is another Mao Wenlong. Governor Yuan's eyes turned to Liaodong, to Dongjiang Town, and focused on Mao Wenlong, who had long been at odds with him.
First, Yuan Chonghuan asked the imperial court to send civil servants to supervise the food and wages of Pidao, intending to control Mao Wenlong through administrative means.
The second step was to petition the imperial court to change the Korean tribute route.
The original North Korean tribute road to Beijing via Dengzhou was changed to not passing through Dengzhou but via Ningyuan to Beijing, thus cutting off Mao Wenlong's political ties with North Korea and cutting off his financial path from North Korea.
The last resort was to pull the plug and remove Governor Denglai and Governor of Liaodong. In name, this was a "unification of powers" in Liaodong, but it directly brought Dongjiang Town under its own jurisdiction.
The governor of Liaodong, the king's minister, had been dismissed for abandoning the defense of Jinzhou and other cities. Sun Guozhen, the governor of Denglai, a fellow countryman of Mao Wenlong, was still in charge of the food and wages of Dongjiang Town, so he had to leave.
The establishment of a civilian supervisory army in Dongjiang Town was strongly opposed by Mao Wenlong, so he had to give it up temporarily. However, the two subsequent memorials were accepted by the court and approved quickly.
At this time, Governor Yuan not only gained Chongzhen's trust, but also almost obeyed his words.
What's more important is that behind him stands the civil service group. The big bosses in the court, Han Xu, Qian Longxi, Wang Yongguang, Wang Qia, Fu Renlong, etc., all support this "most capable fighter" in the Donglin Party.
Famous General".
How to fight, how to fight?
Anyway, facing such a huge force, Guo Dajing had no choice.
Besides, he doesn't want to fight or fight, he just focuses on developing and accumulating strength. At all times, strength is respected, and development is the last word.
But Mao Wenlong didn't realize that the danger was approaching and the noose was tightening, and he still went to court to defend himself and fight for food and wages for Dongjiang Town.
"...This town's Liaoning Affairs Committee can take on the responsibility, and the quota cannot be discussed further.
"Food and wages must be according to Guan Ning's standards. The grain cannot be reduced at all. The restoration of wages cannot be delayed..."
No matter how he defends himself, Chongzhen can only become more and more disgusted. This is because his impression of Dongjiang Town, or Mao Wenlong, has been finalized.
This stems from Mao Wenlong's harsh words towards the emperor after the seventh year of the Apocalypse, when food and salary were cut off. It also stems from the deep-rooted "using culture to control military force" and his distrust of military commanders in border towns.
Another very important point is that Mao Wenlong was framed by civilian officials and involved in the rebellion of the eunuch Wang Guoxing. He has been labeled as an "eunuch".
Chongzhen's attitude towards Mao Wenlong can also be seen in Chongzhen's treatment. He directly executed Wang Guoxing without any trial by the three departments, which was equivalent to accepting the false accusation of the civil servant.
Since they are eunuchs, they must eliminate evil and do their best. This is the historical mission of the Donglin gentlemen in the court.
With so many enemies and being caught in the most dangerous party struggle, Mao Wenlong in history will undoubtedly die. Even now, Guo Dajing is not completely sure of saving his life.
Guo Dajing put down the Di newspaper in his hand and let out a long sigh.
Governor Denglai was dismissed, and Governor Yuan's memorial was approved.
From now on, all money, grain and utensils shipped to Dongjiang will no longer be transported directly to Dongjiang from Dengzhou and Laizhou. Instead, they will be transported from Shanhaiguan to Juehua Island, registered at the Jiliao Governor's Yamen, and then boarded a boat for transfer to Dongjiang.
In other words, Governor Yuan controlled the food, wages and weapons of Dongjiang Town through the control, forwarding and verification of Governor Jiliao's Yamen.
From the outside, it looks like it’s just a transfer to another location and multiple verification procedures. But is this really the case?
"Come here." Guo Dajing's voice was a little low, and he ordered the soldiers who came in: "Get ready and set off for Nanguan tomorrow."
Mao Wenlong was not very proactive in his plan to initiate an attack, and his reasons were very good. The number of muskets and equipment in the army was not up to his standards.
Guo Dajing had nothing to say about this. The number of muskets could not satisfy the men and horses of the four associations, so they could only distribute them equally as much as possible.
And even distribution means that the troops in each association are insufficiently equipped, which is something that can't be helped.
The Zuo Xie under Guo Dajing was equipped with the most muskets, with 1,200 heavy muskets and more than 2,000 light muskets, while the entire Xie had 12,000 men.
With sufficient materials and craftsmen working overtime, the gun-making workshop can produce thousands of light muskets every month.
Guo Dajing had to hurry up and equip the troops in Jinzhou first, while the Pidao headquarters could only wait.
According to his standards, each guild must be equipped with at least two thousand heavy muskets and four thousand light muskets, so that the proportion of hot weapons reaches half, so that it can have a sure victory advantage against Jianlu.
Of course, it would be even more exciting if the equipment rate could continue to increase. Overwhelming advantage is Guo Dajing's ultimate goal.
Under normal circumstances, it would take almost four months to reach the basic standards. Guo Dajing also had to temporarily give up his plan to launch an attack and continue to be patient and accumulate strength.
Fortunately, one and a half months ago, friends in North Korea provided strong support. The arrival of 3,000 light muskets brought the number of light muskets and equipment of the left and right associations in Jinzhou to 4,000.
Now, the transformation of three thousand muskets has just been completed and delivered to the army. After leaving the army for more than three months, Guo Dajing finally returned to the Nanguan defense line.
Everything is going smoothly. Although the noose around Dongjiang Town is tightening, Guo Dajing has made complete preparations. Even the loss of food and salary cannot shake the strength of Dongjiang Town.
The Lin family took the lead in helping, 50,000 shi of summer grain from the south had been shipped to Dalian, and a bumper harvest in the autumn was a foregone conclusion, so Dongjiang Town was able to be self-reliant.
In Guo Dajing's view, this can definitely be regarded as a milestone event. Getting rid of the control and suppression of the imperial court is the most basic condition for Dongjiang Town to develop and grow.
He was eager to return to the front line because he received information that Huang Taiji had won the battle against the Chahar tribe. On his way back to Shenyang, Daishan and other senior officials of the Houjin Dynasty had rushed to Shenyang to prepare for the reception.
Regardless of whether Huang Taiji will launch an attack on Jinzhou soon, the Jinzhou garrison has entered a state of combat readiness. In one month, it will be the golden autumn and October. No matter what, they must be fully prepared to defend the autumn harvest.
After meeting with Li Weiluan at the Nanguan defense line, the two discussed it and then separately inspected the defense line to inspect the troops' preparations for war and the reserves of grain and ammunition.
The Hongyi cannon on the fort was pointing diagonally to the north under the shed. Looking down with a telescope from a high position, the front and rear of the fortifications were clearly visible.
"There should be at least more than a month of preparation time." Guo Dajing put down his telescope and said to Zhang Pan and other generals: "It is best to launch the campaign in winter, when preparations must be more complete."
Others only knew that the firepower equipment rate of the troops was increasing, and weapons called mortars were also deployed behind the defense line, but they did not know that Guo Da was still waiting for a large number of heavy muskets to be shipped from Macau.
At least two thousand heavy muskets will greatly increase the defender's combat effectiveness. If preparations can be made for another two to three months, the number of mortars will reach four to five hundred.
Zhang Pan smiled and said: "Based on the current firepower, if Jianlu comes, he will definitely return with heavy casualties and defeat."
This is true. If we did not have the strength to hold the Nanguan defense line, we would not devote all our efforts to regaining Jinzhou.
However, the firepower was doubled, and the Jianlu were frightened in one fell swoop, making Jianlu fearful of attacking fortresses. Next year, they would be able to expand outward with confidence.
Therefore, even if the defense is successful and the enemy is repelled, the effect is very different.
"What General Zhang said is absolutely true. This defense has long been impenetrable." Guo Dajing smiled and clucked his head, without explaining in detail. The soldiers seemed confident, so that was good.
Continuing to look around, Guo Dajing paused for a moment on the tall trebuchet, but he just smiled and looked elsewhere.