Chapter 255: China Passes, Tibetan Soldiers Prepare for War
After a while, he said with a hint of teasing: "Brother Lin, this is not very kind. With the song "What's the Sad Wind Autumn Painting Fan", didn't you become famous and win the favor of the oiran of Chunxiang Tower and become a guest at the curtain?
"
Xiao Linhao shook his head and said: "Brother Lin thinks too much about the guest of honor. Miss Yingying's talent and grace are not that vulgar. I am just talking about poetry with Miss Yingying."
Discussing Fu and exploring life..."
Lin Tianyou had the urge to roll his eyes again, and thought to himself: A good poem made Yingying famous, from Chunxiang Tower oiran to almost becoming the leader of Yangzhou, it would be strange if you don't take advantage of it!
Brothels are known as gold-selling dens, especially for famous actresses. Conspicuous consumption is also an advertisement to attract customers, showing their high worth.
And being arty is also a way for famous actors to attract customers. Therefore, famous actors do not necessarily have to be beautiful, but they must have outstanding talents. Music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and drinking and solitaire are all just right for those acid Confucian scholars.
The higher the net worth and the greater the reputation of a famous actor, the more he likes to show off, which is the so-called "showing off one's skills but not one's body". I can have a drink with you, play a few songs, and chat for only a hundred and eighty taels of silver.
Don't even think about relying on the groove.
Just like this, those people are still flocking to it, they can't afford it, they can't keep up with it, and they all feel that they have no face and no taste.
Xiaolin Haoyi has been hanging out in Daminghu for so long and has not learned much, but he has learned a lot about this fake politeness and saving face.
The sea breeze is blowing, it's winter weather again, you're still waving your fan, you're crazy!
Lin Tianyou chatted casually for a few words, then stood on the other side unnoticedly, avoiding the cool breeze from Xiao Lin Haoyi, and then started to talk about the main topic.
"The full-length mirror only supplies our three families. You also know the relationship between my brother and General Guo. As for you, you also have a good relationship with General Guo. How about we join forces to squeeze out Xiyi?"
Xiao Linhao blinked his eyes and said: "It's good, but General Guo may not agree. After all, Xi Yi's guns and artillery are also what he urgently needs."
"You can use other mirrors to make up for it. Let's order less. Besides, Xiyi's firearms are also clearly marked with prices and can be bought with silver."
Lin Tianyou was quite sure, and said with a smile: "There are only so many people in Dongjiang Town, and we have started to make our own firearms. I guess we won't need many in the future. We are different, that is a long-term deal."
Xiao Lin Haoyi pondered, finally nodded, and said: "The one who has the deepest friendship with General Guo is your Lin family. Brother Lin must also come forward to discuss this matter with General Guo."
"That's natural." Lin Tianyou agreed wholeheartedly and said with a smile: "Mirrors and porcelain are selling very well. I have made so much money for General Guo and purchased so many supplies. Why should I give him some thin noodles?"
Xiao Linhao complimented a few words quickly, waving his fan and looking at the sea. Suddenly he remembered a poem and recited it slowly: "When the sea reaches the limitless sky, I am the shore, and when the mountain reaches the top, I am the peak. Such courage, greatness
The general will definitely like it."
Lin Tianyou nodded with a smile and said, "Congratulations to Brother Lin. He has been favored by the general and has been promoted in your country. Please take good care of me in the future."
"That's nonsense." Kobayashi Haoichi said politely: "You and I are sincerely cooperating. There is no need to say whether we care or not."
That full-length mirror will definitely cause a sensation and be loved by the general. Kobayashi Koichi thought to himself, feeling quite confident and having a bright future.
He was able to enter the Ming Dynasty and choose goods relatively freely. Although he was accompanied by the Lin family and made use of the Lin family's connections. But for Japanese merchants, Kobayashi Koichi also felt that he was the first.
Currently, the only direct trade with the Ming Dynasty is the Portuguese in the trenches. Now, I have done it and no longer go through the Portuguese. This is an achievement that will make the shogunate and the general favored.
Kobayashi Koichi also has his own ideals and is not satisfied with being a businessman forever. If he can become a daimyo and become a prince, that would be his highest pursuit in life.
This is nothing. Who doesn’t have an ideal? The beggar still wants to be an emperor, wants to eat fried dough sticks, eat fried dough sticks, and eat sesame seed cakes.
Kobayashi Haoyi became more and more impressed with Guo Dajing. Although the war in Liaodong was still going on, judging from Guo Dajing's experience and the development speed of Dongjiang Town, Kobayashi Haoyi believed that he had a bright future.
As the saying goes: Adding icing on the cake is not as good as providing help when needed. If you help Guo Dajing when he is just emerging, you may get rich rewards in the future.
For businessmen, this is called investment, long-term investment. Compared with domestic businessmen, Koichi Kobayashi's vision cannot be called long-term.
Why do businessmen like to subsidize poor students and sponsor institutions such as academies? It's because studying is the only way to become an official.
As long as one or two students are successful in the imperial examination, the businessman's investment will be rewarded in the long term. The simplest way is to use their fame to take a boat and be exempted from customs business taxes.
Xiao Linhao finally discovered that by getting involved with Guo Dajing, he could make a fortune. The Lin family, the Portuguese people, and himself are all good examples.
At least, in Dalian, Lushun, Pidao and other places, his merchant ships had ports where they could dock freely. This was unimaginable for other Japanese merchants.
"When the sea reaches the limitless sky, I am the shore; when the mountains reach the top, I am the peak." Xiao Linhao couldn't help but read these two lines of his favorite poem again. Well, they are couplets.
Standing on the top of the mountain, standing tall on the sky, you can see the whole world at a glance. What a great spirit! How can a person who can be so proud of the world be a thing in the pool?
Lin Tianyou rolled his eyes and walked away from this Japanese man who was more knowledgeable than him in a seemingly casual manner.
………………
"From the sea to the boundless sky, I am the shore; when the mountains reach the top, I am the peak."
Mao Wenlong looked at the porcelain pen holder on the table, which had a picture of peaks and waves, and recited the couplet on it in his heart, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Some people have great ambitions in their hearts. Some words will be remembered forever after just reading them once.
The sea is vast and boundless. As far as the eye can see, the sky is the shore.
The mountain is high and has the top. When you reach the top, I will be the peak.
The sea is like life, and sufferings are like ups and downs of waves, but it may not be impossible to survive and reach the other side of success. Although it is far away, you cannot be discouraged. Keep fighting and the horizon is not out of reach.
The mountain is so high that it is difficult to climb, and it is as bumpy as a steep mountain road. Only by not being afraid of hardships and dangers can we reach the top and appreciate the pride of the world.
Mao Wenlong took a long breath, lowered his head and looked at the letter written by Chen Jisheng on the desk. His eyes condensed, he reached out and pulled out the hair from the pen holder, spread out the paper, and started writing.
It's not appropriate to lead an army to ask for pay, but if you only bring one ship and go to discuss food and pay with Wang Tingzhao, you shouldn't be labeled anything, right?
For the sake of Dongjiang Town, even if there are any slander and false accusations, I will bear them myself. Anyway, officials in the court have never stopped criticizing me.
Well, Chen Jisheng asked himself to go to Jinzhou to inspect and see the situation of the military and civilians, also to reassure himself.
Forget about Lushun, there is the eunuch Fang Zhenghua who oversees the army, but he is still conciliatory when they meet. Maybe he will say something disrespectful due to his bad temper.
Go to Dalian to see how the construction is going. It is close to the workshop area and is also a gathering place for shops. Guo Dajing and other major generals are on the Nanguan defense line, which is not far from Dalian. It is convenient whether you go by yourself or call him.
.
After finishing writing the letter, Mao Wenlong had just put it in the envelope and was about to send someone to give it to Chen Jisheng first. When the door opened, Mrs. Shen walked in carrying a plate of snacks.
"Husband, these are small cakes baked with cornmeal and honey." Mrs. Shen put the snack on the table and said with a smile, "I made it myself."
Mao Wenlong smiled, picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, ate it, and casually praised: "It tastes good."
Mrs. Shen sat down and said with a smile: "I will fry potato chips for you tomorrow. I heard they are also delicious."
How to eat corn and potatoes has long been printed and sent to the islands. Firstly, it enriches the diet, and secondly, there are things to pay attention to. For example, sprouted potatoes cannot be eaten because they are poisonous.
Mao Wenlong pondered for a moment and said, "I'm going to Jinzhou tomorrow, and I'll eat your fried potato chips when I get back."
"Jinzhou?!" Mrs. Shen was stunned for a moment, but then her eyes lit up and she said, "Husband, can you take me with you? I heard that Jinzhou is well developed, especially Dalian, where there are many business houses and merchants.
Goods in abundance.”
Mao Wenlong shook his head and said: "I went to Jinzhou on official business, and it is very inconvenient to bring my family with me."
Mrs. Shen stood up and walked to Mao Wenlong, stretched out her hand to hold his shoulders, and said coquettishly: "Husband, I will not hinder your official duties. As long as you send me to Dalian, there are servants and maids, and I can go around by myself."
good."
"Pi Island is getting more and more deserted." Shen then complained: "There are not even a few merchants, and all the business shops have been evacuated. I have been bored at home for almost a year. Husband, you
Just take me for a walk!"
He was pinching and massaging, and holding his arms and acting coquettishly, which made Mao Wenlong lose his temper. After thinking about it, he said helplessly: "Okay! I will send you to Dalian and let Guo Dajing's concubine accompany you for a walk.
"
"Okay, okay!" Mrs. Shen was so happy that she hugged Mao Wenlong's neck and made love to her for a while before leaving happily to pack the things she would bring tomorrow.
Mao Wenlong watched his concubine leave, and couldn't help but shook his head, thinking to himself: Bringing the family with you is really just like what Chen Jisheng said, this is just like going out to relax!
………………
Guo Dajing rushed to the workshop area overnight, and after a night's rest, he went to the warehouse, mobilized the soldiers guarding the warehouse, and put all the more than 2,000 rockets in stock into the space.
Each rocket weighs 14 to 5 kilograms, has a tail fin, and is loaded with two kilograms of granular black powder. It explodes with great power.
The key is that it is simple and easy to carry. Only a simple launcher is needed to project a large number in a very short time.
Rockets are also included in artillery training subjects, but they are only deployed in small quantities in the army. Guo Dajing is not planning to use them on a large scale soon. He just wants the artillerymen to become familiar with this weapon and use it if they can get it in the future.
In addition to rockets, Guo Dajing went to other warehouses and used the same method to confiscate more than 2,000 kilograms of gunpowder, more than 1,000 landmines, and several hundred kilograms of lead.
Even though there was food and ammunition, and the quantity was not small, Guo Dajing still felt a little inadequate. He estimated that he would have to wait for a while before adding more reserves.
On this day, just working as a porter made Guo Dajing very tired. However, he still managed to endure the fatigue and inspected the military workshop and communicated and discussed with the craftsmen in order to improve the speed and efficiency of production.
Crucible steelmaking can not only produce tool steel with strong hardness, but also elastic steel if the carbon content is adjusted. However, due to the lack of precise measuring instruments, the quality fluctuates and the yield is low.
There is no good way to solve this problem. We can only let craftsmen continue to explore in practice and use their increasingly rich experience to master the precision of production and manufacturing to improve the yield rate.
In fact, the military workshop in Dalian now surpasses any official weapons bureau in the Ming Dynasty in terms of scientific production, efficiency, and product quality.
It’s not that the official weapons bureau doesn’t have good craftsmen. There are countless craftsmen who are more skilled than the craftsmen in the Dalian Military Workshop.
But the bad thing is the system. The bad thing is that there is corruption everywhere. The bad thing is that the lay leaders are not good at it. The official craftsmen have no enthusiasm and are deducted from having enough materials. How can the quality of the products be guaranteed?
Every time he went to the workshop, Guo Dajing would never forget to visit Zhao Qingshan. He was his earliest comrade-in-arms, and he established the deepest relationship during the process of escaping from the Jianlu-controlled area.
"Don't take any more wine from now on, I'm afraid I'm being naughty." Zhao Qingshan accepted the two bottles of wine unceremoniously, but said, "Potato wine is not bad, I'm used to it."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "Although the workshop is a bit busy, you can still spare some time! Axiu chatters when she sees me and misses my fellow villagers."
Zhao Qingshan chuckled, believing that Guo Dajing was not being polite, but he did not clearly say when he would go and see him.
Guo Dajing reminded him, but did not force it. Instead, he asked about the situation of the military workshop. If there were any difficulties or problems, he would do his best to help solve them.
"I heard that the imperial court had cut off food and salary, and the craftsmen were a little worried, but the officials quickly issued a notice, and military invoices and food were still issued, so everyone felt at ease."
Zhao Qingshan said slowly: "The most important thing is the good harvest this year. Many craftsmen with fields have enough potatoes, corn, rye, and sorghum to feed the family for several months."
Guo Dajing nodded lightly and said: "It's good. I have food in my hand and I don't feel panic. The food and salary from the court will indeed have little impact. Even if it recovers in the future, the officials may not issue an announcement."
Zhao Qingshan gave Guo Dajing a meaningful look. When he was on Guanglu Island, the imperial court had cut off food and salary, and it was Guo Dajing's financing that stabilized the soldiers and civilians and overcame the difficulties.
Since he was an official of the imperial court, he had no good impression of the imperial court. Zhao Qingshan knew that Guo Dajing had repeatedly made lies. Although it was true, he felt that it was not very appropriate.
But without allowing him to persuade, Guo Dajing continued to talk about work arrangements.
Producing and manufacturing muskets, artillery, rockets, and related ammunition, the arms workshop has been subdivided into relatively complete categories.
But things had to be prioritized, and Guo Dajing re-planned the number of manpower and schedule according to needs. Muskets, mortars, Franco cannons, and related ammunition were the next focus on production and manufacturing.
Muskets account for one-third of the manpower, mortars and Franco machines account for one-quarter, ammunition accounts for one-third, and the remaining manpower is engaged in other related work. Rocket work is temporarily suspended. After all, it is not so urgent.
use.
Such a plan is also determined based on the current production speed, as well as the number of equipped troops and inventory.
"Will there be another war this winter?" Zhao Qingshan was not sure. After Guo Dajing finished explaining, he asked tentatively.
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and did not give a definite answer. Instead, he revealed the information he currently had, "Jianlu built a large number of carriages, ladders and other equipment, which should be prepared to attack Jinzhou."
Zhao Qingshan understood, nodded, and suggested: "The workshop can work in three shifts and speed up production. It should be faster."
Guo Dajing said: "The current equipment and inventory are enough to fight a war. If it is too tense, it will make people panic."
Zhao Qingshan thought about it and felt that it was the case. If they knew that the Jianlu would come to attack, the soldiers and civilians would wait in fear, so it would be better to relax day by day.
"Some jobs can be contracted out, or some odd jobs can be hired, just like we did in Guanglu Island. After the autumn harvest, many people have free time." Guo Dajing put forward his own ideas to speed up production.
The workshop also has a relatively fixed capital investment. If the excess is not much, Guo Dajing can apply for funding from the official, namely Chen Jisheng.
Because the craftsmen in the workshop enjoy the same treatment as soldiers, they are an iron rice bowl and have regular jobs. However, outsourcing and odd jobs are more economical and more flexible.
Guo Dajing explained in detail again, asking Zhao Qingshan to promote more talented craftsmen, and allowing him to adjust manpower and materials based on the actual production situation, before he stood up and left.
War is all about logistics. As guns and artillery continue to equip the troops, the ammunition required is not a small amount.
This is also a characteristic of hot weapon warfare. The consumption of ammunition is relatively large, and it requires money to buy materials and hire labor to produce it. Therefore, the cost of war is much higher than that of cold weapon warfare.
But the biggest difference between Guo Dajing's thinking and that of people at that time was that he valued life.
Money can be earned again, but once a person dies, it is difficult to come back to life. If he can use money to defeat the Jianlu, or reduce the number of casualties in the army, he will not hesitate as long as he has the ability.
This is in sharp contrast to Emperor Chongzhen and the officials in the court.
In the eyes of those big bosses, the lives of soldiers and civilians are nothing, and the number of deaths is just a number on a piece of paper. They may be shocked or a little sad, but they will soon forget it and keep staring at the money.
Chongzhen, in particular, only had money in his eyes. He didn't save what he should save, and he didn't save what he shouldn't. He couldn't tell which was more important.
It was true that he was short of money, but he was going the wrong way.
By increasing taxes on the poor and depriving the soldiers who fought bloody battles, we can see that the emperor, who is above us, does not regard these people at the bottom as human beings.