"Guo Shuai is responsible for all the cannon-casting and other work, but Mao is a layman." Mao Wenlong felt that it would be perfunctory first and it would not be too late to wait for Guo Dajing to come back before making a decision.
Wang Zheng did not realize Mao Wenlong's perfunctory behavior, because according to the latest news, Guo Dajing would return to Liaonan soon and would definitely report to Mao Wenlong as soon as possible.
Not long after his arrival, he became interested in the flintlock muskets used by the Dongjiang Army. At the same time, he also observed the lifting and lifting device of the moving pulley group on the port pier, as well as the Hongyi cannon at the head of Gaizhou Guard City. .
All these show that the Dongjiang Army has come a long way in learning and applying Western science, and is the best Ming Army in the country.
You should know that Wang Zheng was fond of ancient utensils and machinery in his early years. Before becoming an official, he developed hydraulic, wind-powered and load-bearing machinery, and wrote "Illustrated Notes on Newly Made Various Utensils".
Later, he worked with Swiss missionary Deng Yuhan to compile "Pictures of Strange Weapons of the Far West", which was published in the seventh year of Tianqi.
This book mainly describes the knowledge of statics in ancient Western and Renaissance times, including geocentrism, center of gravity and its solution, finding the volume of water, volume of floating bodies, specific gravity, simple machines and their combined use.
"Illustrated Description of Strange Weapons of the Far West" is China's first compiled work on Western mechanics. Wang Zheng and Xu Guangqi are also known as the "Kings of South Xu and North" because of their outstanding contributions to the dissemination and promotion of Western science.
Just because of his hobbies, Wang Zheng was even more enthusiastic about this inspection. Anyway, he, the military supervisor of the Liaohai Sea, didn't have any serious work to do, so there was no problem in spending more time in southern Liaoning.
"Shuai Guo will be back soon. Xiaguan is waiting for you at Gaizhou Acropolis." Wang Zheng said with a smile: "Shuai Mao won't dislike Xiaguan, right?"
"What did Mr. Wang say?" Mao Wenlong smiled and said, "Although Mao is a rude soldier, he admires celebrities with profound knowledge the most."
This statement is indeed true. Being able to write books and establish opinions was considered a great scholar at that time, and he was a profound scholar.
At this moment, some soldiers came in to report that Guo Dajing had disembarked from the ship and was escorting several carts of loot to Gaizhou Acropolis.
"Say Cao Cao, Cao Cao will be here soon." Wang Zheng said with a smile: "I don't have to wait long for you."
Mao Wenlong laughed and felt happy in his heart. He immediately sent someone to greet him and prepared a banquet.
Gaizhou Acropolis is very close to the sea. Guo Dajing arrived quickly and did not keep Mao Wenlong, Wang Zheng and others waiting.
"The general has met the Marquis." Guo Dajing bowed and saluted Mao Wenlong as he came out of the house, with a smile on his face.
Mao Wenlong raised his hand with a smile and said: "No need to be polite. This victory in the battle is really hard work."
Seeing Guo Dajing's eyes turned to Wang Zheng, Mao Wenlong quickly introduced: "This is Lord Wang Zheng, Supervisor of the Liaohai Army, who came to reward the three armies on behalf of Governor Sun."
"I have long admired Guo Shuai's name, and I am very lucky to meet you today." Wang Zheng cupped his hands, his attitude was quite polite.
You must know that emphasizing culture over martial arts is a deep-rooted habit of the Ming Dynasty. Although it was reversed at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was no major change.
Wang Zheng's official rank was not high, but he represented the governor Sun Yuanhua. Mao Wenlong had a title, so he could naturally be superior to lower-ranking civil servants.
But Guo Dajing was different. He could not compete with civil servants. Of course, in the territory of Dongjiang Town, Wang Zheng was not domineering, and Guo Dajing did not have to be groveling.
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In the Wanli period and before, military generals were regarded as "running dogs" by civil servants.
When military generals such as Li Chengliang and Qi Jiguang paid homage to Zhang Juzheng, they also called themselves "thousands of people like Mu En, who are my subordinates, kowtow and kneel down."
Guo Dajing had no impression of Wang Zheng, but he didn't care about his official rank. You know, Wang Zheng was already sixty years old, and Guo Dajing didn't want to pick on him just because of his age.
"Your Majesty, thank you for the award." Guo Dajing returned the gift and said, "It's just a small name, but it all depends on the soldiers' sacrifice. I am lucky enough to get it."
Mao Wenlong made a gesture, and the three of them stepped into the room, sat down separately, and chatted.
"Jianlu sent troops to attack the Chahar tribe?" When Guo Dajing heard the news, he was a little surprised and then returned to normal and said, "The timing is good, but it has no impact on the overall situation."
"Heroes see the same thing!" Wang Zheng said with a joking smile: "Shuai Guo must not know this. Marshal Mao made the same judgment just now."
Guo Dajing chuckled and said: "This is all based on Commander Mao's daily guidance. Not only Guo, but other Dongjiang generals must also have the same analysis and judgment."
Mao Wenlong stretched out his hand and pointed at Guo Dajing. The expression on his face was a bit dumbfounded. His lips moved again and again and said: "Master Wang is here. You praise me so much. It's really, really..."
"Master Wang is not an outsider." Guo Dajing said with a smile: "The general is telling the truth, not flattery."
With that said, he ordered his soldiers to bring some trophies and give them to Mao Wenlong.
"This is the war sword of the slave chief Turge. The quality is pretty good. I can't tell which slave chief this sword belongs to. It was captured on the battlefield, so it is quite rare..."
Mao Wenlong listened to Guo Dajing's explanation, picked up these swords, admired them, and commented a few words from time to time.
"If Mr. Wang likes it, you can choose one or two as a souvenir." Mao Wenlong turned to Wang Zheng and said with a smile: "After all, these are the trophies obtained by the soldiers of the Dongjiang Army in bloody battles. They are very meaningful."
Wang Zheng nodded repeatedly to express his gratitude, stepped forward and picked two pieces, saying, "I chose one for the governor. He must be very happy and happy."
Mao Wenlong smiled and nodded, and had prepared gifts for Sun Yuanhua, which were nothing more than fur ginseng and other Liaodong specialties. After Sun Yuanhua succeeded him as governor, Mao Wenlong was also very grateful for the support he gave to Dongjiang Town.
In addition to the refugees affected by the disaster in Shandong migrating to southern Liaoning, some Liao people who took refuge in Shandong due to the war also returned home.
The immigration work could not go smoothly without the support of Sun Yuanhua. Sun Yuanhua also cast Western artillery in Dengzhou, which also helped a lot to improve the strength of the Dongjiang Army.
Guo Dajing had a good impression of Sun Yuanhua. He was a technical official, but he was actually not very suitable for the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.
In his opinion, Sun Yuanhua might as well engage in science, which would prevent him from losing his head, and still make him famous in history for spreading Western learning and promoting cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
The banquet was very simple, just a welcome ceremony. With Wang Zheng there, Guo Dajing and Mao Wenlong did not discuss important and confidential matters.
Wang Zheng also knew that today was a rather abrupt day, so he left after having a good meal and wine, leaving room for Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing to have a confidential conversation.
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After seeing off Wang Zheng, Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing began to talk about the main topic. They had a quick drink, but it was a major event related to the direction of the war in Liaodong.
"It should be expected that the imperial court will cut down Liao Town. How much Dongjiang Town can accept depends on how long Liao Town can sustain it." Guo Dajing has returned to his serious look. Although he drank, he is not drunk at all.
Mao Wenlong nodded and said: "I think so too, and asked Zhang Tao to be prepared to receive the Juehua Navy. There should be no problem."
The Juehua Navy was nothing more than a transport fleet. Merging it into the Dongjiang Navy would cut off Liao Town's channels for purchasing supplies from outside, and it could only rely on the imperial court's food and salary to survive.
Only in this way, and by cutting food and salary, can Liao Town be forced to obey the imperial decree and allocate people and horses to be supported by Dongjiang Town.
"If the Juehua Navy procrastinates and refuses to obey orders, then we don't have to be polite." Guo Dajing narrowed his eyes slightly and said coldly: "The commander-in-chief issued a military order, and the Dongjiang Navy showed off Wu Juehua, annexed it by force, and annexed Juehua by force. A small number of troops are stationed to monitor Liao Town."
Mao Wenlong pursed his lips slightly, his face was serious, adding a bit of majesty, and said in a deep voice: "With Dongjiang Town's great military exploits, we should let the guys in Liao Town see our strength, so as to clear the way for future mergers." obstacle."
The possibility of Liao Zhen sitting still and waiting for death is very small, but under the crushing strength, there is not much room for change.
The worst outcome is that Liao Town raises its flag to rebel, surrenders to the Jianlu who are showing signs of decline, and then they are completely destroyed in the pit of fire.
But if you do this, Liao Town will fall apart internally, but not everyone intends to die. If they can survive, it doesn't matter if they are aggrieved.
There is no point in defending Ningyuan anymore. Jianlu does not have the strength to cross the Liaoxi Corridor to attack Guanmen. This is because this is more difficult than taking a detour to enter Guanmen.
Of course, if the court is still worried and needs a buffer outside the gate, the Dongjiang Army can also send five or six thousand troops to defend it.
"The number of immigrants this year has exceeded 80,000. The recruitment of new soldiers has been basically completed and training is being stepped up."
After confirming the important matter, Mao Wenlong visibly relaxed, leaned back in his chair, and said with a smile: "If the annexation of Liao Town goes smoothly, we will have the strength for a general offensive in the second half of next year."
Based on this calculation, there should be about 100,000 troops. The time is indeed ripe for a decisive battle.
Guo Dajing smiled and nodded, and said: "Ping Liao and exterminating the captives are just around the corner. It's exciting!"
"The next work will depend on your hard work." Mao Wenlong looked at Guo Dajing with admiration on his face and said warmly: "I have read the analysis of the battle report you sent from Liaodong and I deeply agree with it."
Using powerful firepower to crush Jianlu is the easiest way to win.
Intensive bombardment by artillery or rockets is the key. The next step is to vigorously manufacture weapons and ammunition and accumulate enough for several major wars.
Based on the current production capacity of Dongjiang Town, several main types of weapons and ammunition have been finalized. It is still possible to produce sufficient quantities in about a year.
What's more, the large influx of immigrants did not recruit many soldiers. Among them, there were still many suitable craftsmen, and the labor force could also meet the demand.
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Of course, these are still plans now, assumptions based on the successful annexation of Liao Town, although the success rate seems to be very high.
"Don't worry, Commander, these jobs are not hard." Guo Dajing said with a smile: "As long as there are enough raw materials, there is no shortage of manpower in Dongjiang Town."
Mao Wenlong showed a look of relief and turned to talk about Wang Zheng's reason for coming. He said with a smile: "I have put it on your shoulders. Either handle it personally or send someone to do it as you wish."
"By the way, this Wang Zheng believes in Catholicism, the same as Sun Yuanhua. He also translated a book by Western Yi. Well, I don't remember the name."
After listening to Mao Wenlong's addition, Guo Dajing couldn't help but ponder.
It is really not easy for Wang Zheng to be able to translate Western books. The Western books at that time were not in English, which was more commonly used in later generations, but mostly in Latin. For example, during the Renaissance, Latin was more common in the world.
Even in English, Guo Dajing could not translate books. Of course, given the scientific level at that time, if he had used his knowledge of physics and chemistry in junior high school, he could have compiled a book of considerable standard.
However, he did not have so much time and energy. Moreover, spreading Western learning, or to be precise, advocating and developing science, was also one of his goals.
Therefore, in the future development of education, basic subjects will be one of the focuses. Such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, nature and biology, etc.
Guo Dajing is definitely in need of talents who are qualified for translation work. It is even advisable to use Westerners to translate books, just like hiring Western gunners and technicians.
"In this way, I will have a good discussion with Mr. Wang tomorrow before making a decision." Guo Dajing did not respond immediately. He also wanted to observe this Mr. Wang who was familiar with Western learning.
There is no need to mince words or say anything about worshiping foreigners. In the development of science and technology at that time, Ming Dynasty had lagged behind in many aspects.
Even, in the eyes of some harsh people, there is no science at all in the Ming Dynasty. The creation and development of all scientific and technological achievements are the accumulation of empiricism.
The so-called knowing what it is and knowing why it is. Before something can be created, it is necessary to understand its principle so that it can be better inherited and developed.
In this regard, Guo Dajing also has to admit that Ming Dynasty has lagged behind the West after the Renaissance.
But catching up, or even taking the lead, is not a task that can be accomplished in a short period of time. Guo Dajing believes that this needs to be started from childhood and made up for in basic subjects.
If you are a young reader, you should be able to save a lot of time.
At least they are literate and have much higher understanding ability. The key is whether scholars in feudal society, whose ideal is to take the imperial examination and become an official, are willing to learn these "wonderful skills".
Guo Dajing also knew that this matter could not be rushed, so he placed all his hopes on the children in the orphanage.
He even took precious time to compile teaching materials for them. But for more advanced physics and chemistry, he was really beyond his capabilities.
Talents like Sun Yuanhua and Wang Zheng are very precious in the eyes of Guo Dajing. The book he translated may allow children to learn from it.
"After Sun Yuanhua took office, he still had great support for Dongjiang Town." Mao Wenlong continued: "There are hundreds of thousands of Liao people who took refuge in Shandong during the war. He will still need his help when they return home on a large scale in the future."
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【Go against the sky and change the light】 【】
Guo Dajing put aside his scientific thoughts and said: "Sun Yuanhua is a technical official, much better than those hypocritical and corrupt civil servants. Since he has a good attitude, we will reciprocate and will not treat him badly."
"Rebirth of the Great Era of Fighting Waves"
Next, Guo Dajing reported to Mao Wenlong the situation in Liaodong, his new deployment, and his response to speculation about Jianlu's next move.
The two discussed and chatted until very late, then took a rest.