Zu Dabi was envious and jealous of Zhang Cheng, and a little bit unconvinced.
However, he is also from a hereditary military family. He has been fighting in Liaodong for half his life. He is very familiar with military affairs. The combat effectiveness of an army can be known at a glance.
Just like "the expert will know if there is anything when he reaches out his hand"!
The combat effectiveness of the Yongyi Army is before our eyes, just like the heads of the Tatars killed during the aid to Liao last year, and the heads of the slave traitor and puppet king Duduo. They are both real and can no longer be real.
Zu Dabi, like his elder brother, also puts the interests of the family first. Now that he has made friends with Zhang Cheng, it will be of great benefit to his family.
Therefore, he quickly changed his mentality and decided to follow the instructions of his nephew Wu Sangui and establish a good relationship with Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng in order to provide mutual assistance so that they would not become a threat to the Zu clan's eternal prosperity.
At the same time, he looked at Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, with a sense of joy in others' misfortune.
Zhang Cheng is now the dignified Earl of Yongning, and there is such a powerful military leader under his rule. Although he has gained a lot of credit for Jiang Yuxu, his rank has now climbed to his head.
From this point of view, Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, may not have an easy life in the future, at least he will not be able to command and dispatch the Yongyi Army.
Just like now, Uncle Yongning waited for him to sit down completely before coming out, and he, like everyone else, could only stand up obediently to greet him.
Although Jiang Yuxu was somewhat reluctant, the etiquette of the court was such that even a high-ranking official like him had to kneel down and bow down when he saw a superior earl.
After the obeisance, everyone sat down again, and Zhang Cheng said: "It is really a blessing for Governor Jiang and me to have Zhang Bingxian and others come to Xuanzang today."
Although Zhang Cheng was pretending just now, he waited for Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, to sit down before officially appearing, so that he could kneel to him in public, so as to show his respected status and establish his prestige.
But he didn't want to completely offend Jiang Yuxu, so he showed great respect for him in his words at this time, thinking that he could save the face he had lost by kneeling down just now.
He then continued: "I have ordered people to prepare some wine to entertain the guests from Ji and Liao towns. I also hope that Jiang Governor will show my respect and stay in Zhenshuo Mansion to dine with the distinguished guests from afar."
That’s good.”
Jiang Yuxu originally had a good impression of Zhang Cheng, but as Zhang Cheng became more and more powerful, he increasingly felt that he could not see through Zhang Cheng's inner thoughts, and always felt a very strong sense of oppression.
It often makes me breathless.
If he were still serving as the governor of Xuanfu, he would probably have a tit-for-tat fight with Yongning Bo. Even if he could not completely convince him, he would still have to make him realize that not everyone in the world is so easy to be deceived.
But now that he has been promoted to Governor-General of Xuanda, his words and deeds have a far-reaching impact. If, as his predecessor Zhang Fuzhen said, it arouses turmoil in the minds of the brave soldiers, and if this triggers a mutiny and leaves the imperial court with no soldiers to use in times of crisis, what will it be like?
Guilt?
Therefore, he also changed his original intention and planned to use the word "loyalty" to hold Yong Ningbo tightly and make him become a pillar of the imperial court through influence, rather than an unruly military bandit.
I saw him speaking with a bright face: "General Zu, General Liu and General Xiao Cao are all in the country's Qiancheng, fighting against the invaders and slaves, and have made great contributions to the country. I am very happy to be able to sit with you today.
"
He turned to Xie Sixin and said: "Mr. Xie assisted Governor Hong in guarding Liaodong and gave advice to Governor Hong. I have long respected your name. I would like to ask for advice today. I hope Mr. Xie will not hesitate to give you some advice."
Xie Sixin was very happy to receive such praise from him, but the expression on his face remained unchanged and his words were full of humility.
Jiang Yuxu was worthy of being an old official in the officialdom, and his words were impeccable, which made everyone in the hall happy. He greeted Xie Sixin for a while, and then chatted about military matters with Ning Qianbing Zhang Dou.
Zhang Dou was also a man who served his duties with sincerity. This time he learned that the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, sent Xie Sixin to visit the Xuan Mansion to observe Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng's army raising and training methods.
Because he had many contacts with Zhang Cheng's brave army during the Liao War, he was very interested in it, so he invited him to come with him to find out how Zhang Cheng managed the Xuanfu and was able to raise more than ten thousand elite soldiers.
The civil and military personnel were divided into two groups, and they were chatting happily with each other.
…………
At Youshi, when the sun was setting over the western mountains and the sky was still dark, the banquet was just over.
Governor Jiang Yuxu, Grain Superintendent Zhu Mintai, Inspector Du Chunwen and others returned home respectively, while Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lin Dengyou, General Liu Guangwu and others accompanied Zu Dabi and others for another conversation before leaving.
Yongning Bo, Zhang Cheng, and Zhang Chengfang, who accompanied Xie Sixin, Zhang Dou and other military acolytes, first went to the mansion inside the south gate to rest, but the three generals, Xie and Zhang stayed behind.
There was another person who stayed behind, and he was Wu Guogui, the general of the Chinese army under Wu Sangui.
Although Wu Sangui sent Zu Dabi to represent him, he came to the Xuan Mansion to discuss business cooperation and the purchase of ordnance with Zhang Cheng. Even though Zu Dabi was Wu Sangui's uncle, he still felt uneasy, so he sent his own soldier Wu Guogui.
Came with two of his cronies, Xia Longshan.
In addition to Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng, there were four other people present at the Xuan Mansion: Wu Zhizhong, Wei Zhice, Wang Yuanjing, and Liu Minshen. He Biao and Chen Zheng were responsible for the cleaning of the town, so they went back early to arrange tomorrow's affairs.
Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Xie Sixin opened his mouth and said, "Uncle Yongning must have known that we have traveled thousands of miles to come here today to ask for your help."
Zhang Cheng also came straight to the point after hearing this: "But you want to buy the guns and cannons wielded by the officers and men in our camp?"
"That's what it means."
As he spoke, Xie Sixin reached into his arms, took out a book, and said to Zhang Cheng: "On the occasion of Governor Hong's departure, he gave the student a handwritten letter and asked me to forward it to the Lord for his review."
Liu Chengzu stepped forward to take the book and put it on Zhang Cheng's desk. After reading it carefully, Uncle Yongning said: "Director Hong is really too polite."
He turned his head and continued to face Xie Sixin and others: "Director Hong and I have the friendship of war slaves in Liaodong. Now that Governor Hong has something he wants, I should try my best to fulfill it.
Although the Yunzhou guns and other firearms in our army are difficult to make and the quantity is not large, we can still distribute some first and sell them to Ji Liao's brothers for use."
Zhang Cheng looked at a few people, and after a moment, he asked again: "But, I don't know how big the needs of Governor Hong and the generals are?"
When Zu Dabi saw Zhang Cheng speaking, he hurriedly shouted: "Liao Town wants to buy 10,000 long muskets, 300 Folang machines and small cannons, and 100 flower cannons."
Just after he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something again, and hurriedly added: "There is also how to prepare this medicine. I wonder if it can be taught to us, or we can prepare it ourselves, lest Uncle Yong Ning can't spare manpower and make mistakes.
The construction period for making cannons."
When Liu Zhaoji saw him asking for 10,000 long muskets, he was afraid that he would not be able to buy it if it was too late, so he hurriedly said: "Uncle Yongning, I also want 5,000 long muskets in Ji Town, Xiaofo Langji and Huahua cannon each have 100."
Door."
When he said this, his face turned red, and then he lowered his voice and continued: "It's just... it's just this amount... I wonder if I can give it a little more time..."
Zhang Cheng nodded gently and said to Cao Bianjiao: "Where is General Cao..."
Cao Bianjiao thought for a while and then replied: "Back to Yongningbo, I and the general of King Ningyuan each want to buy two thousand long muskets used by the Yongyi Army. Each of them needs one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition."
Zhang Cheng nodded and thought about it in his mind before asking Wu Zhizhong: "General Wu, you have been in charge of the affairs of the old camp. At present, do we, Yongyi Army, have a surplus and inventory of guns and artillery?"
Wu Zhizhong replied without hesitation: "Returning to the general, the guns and artillery of our army suffered a lot of damage in the battle with slaves and bandits in Liaodong. Although most of them can be repaired, after our Yongyi Army expands the six battalions of soldiers and horses, it will also need
Replenish a large number of firearms.
Judging from the current inventory, I'm afraid there won't be much surplus, and it's really difficult to meet the amount you want to purchase."
Zhang Cheng sighed softly and asked again: "I'll ask you again, if the craftsman camp speeds up the work, how many Yunzhou guns can be made every month."
Wu Zhizhong replied seriously: "General, the workmanship of the barrel of this Yunzhou gun is extremely fine, and there must be no carelessness. If our craftsman camp speeds up the work, we can produce at most 500 Yunzhou guns every month. We can't
No more.”
Zhang Cheng's face was full of helplessness. He looked at Zu Dabi and other Ji Liao soldiers, and then asked Wu Zhizhong: "How many Yunzhou guns are there in our army?"
"Back to the general, there are still more than 3,000 or 300 Yunzhou guns in the army's inventory."
"How sad!"
Zhang Cheng looked helpless and continued to say to Xie Sixin, Zu Dabi and others: "Director Hong and several generals want to purchase the muskets of our army, and their intention is to kill more slave thieves. I will do my best to help.
Unfortunately, these Yunzhou cannons are indeed not easy to make, our army does not have much inventory, and the number of pre-orders from you is so huge, it is really difficult to get these cannons together at the moment."
He then sighed softly and said: "You are tired from the journey today, so you should rest early. We will discuss the issue of guns and cannons tomorrow. In any case, I can't let you come all the way and come back empty-handed!"
"
Seeing this, Xie Sixin also knew that Zhang Cheng was indeed in trouble and it would be difficult to finalize the matter tonight, so he stood up and left, leading Zu Dabi, Cao Bianjiao and others to leave.
Before leaving, Zhang Dou, who was preparing troops in Ningqian, even hinted to Zhang Cheng that he wanted to go to the North Road under Yong Ning Bo's rule to see how it was different from the outside world.
Zhang Cheng will naturally not object to this, but he just wants Zhang Dou to be calm and rest for a few days in the town. Although he will not be able to accompany him when he arrives, he will arrange for capable people to accompany him to the North Road.
.
…………
"This Zhang Cheng is so unhappy. Could it be that he wants to sit on the ground and raise the price?" Zu Dabi sat on his horse and spoke unsteadily to Liu Zhaoji and Cao Bianjiao beside him.
When Liu Zhaoji heard this, he glanced forward and said, "Commander Zu, be careful what you say."
He pointed forward with the riding crop in his hand, and whispered: "Be careful of Yong Ningbo's people listening to you."
Zu Dabi puffed his beard and continued with eyes wide open: "I'm afraid he's a bastard. We've come thousands of miles to buy his gun and cannon, and we're not trying to rob him. What can we do to betray him?"
Having said that, his voice was indeed much softer this time.
Although Zu Dashou of the older generation has died of illness and the newcomer Wu Sangui is now in charge of Liaodong, the Zu clan of Liaodong is still the first general of the Ming Dynasty.
As the number one tiger general of his ancestral family, his ancestor Da Bi's status in Liaodong was unparalleled. Even Wu Sangui did not dare to offend him in the slightest.
However, no matter how fearless he is, this place is no better than Liaodong. In the land of Xuan Mansion, Yong Ningbo is naturally the number one, and Governor Xuan Da is not polite to him.
Although a person like Madman Zu Er refused to give in, in his heart he admired Zhang Cheng and Yong Yijun and did not dare to despise them in the slightest.
As a close aide of Hong Chengchou, Xie Sixin was always with Governor Jiliao, and he was not in his eyes as an ordinary person!
However, facing Bo Yongning and Zhang Cheng, things looked a little different.
He came to the Xuan Mansion this time as the special envoy of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, not only to inspect how Zhang Cheng governed the place, but also to purchase cannons for Hong Chengchou's supervising battalion.
There are important matters that need to be discussed with Zhang Cheng, and he dare not offend Uncle Yong Ning!
Now riding the horse slowly, although I tried my best to get some words out of Wei Zhice, he was easily dodged by him, and I didn't get any effective information. I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, if it didn't work, I could only wait for Zhang Cheng to give birth slowly.
.
"I can only hope that after being hurt last time, the slave thief will not come back so soon!"
…………
After sending off Xie Sixin and others, Yong Ningbo was not in a hurry to take a rest. He still left Wu Zhizhong, Wang Yuanjing, Liu Minshen and others to continue the discussion.
In fact, all the Yongyi Army battalions are almost equipped with guns, artillery and firearms. The firearms produced in the future, in addition to leaving necessary stocks, will be used to replace equipment for the garrison of various fortresses.
However, Uncle Yongning would only replace the equipment for the garrison of the fortresses under his actual control, so the amount required was not very large. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with selling some to the generals of Ji Liao.
Although the imperial court would share nearly half of the Yongyi Army's food expenses, the remaining amount was not difficult for Zhang Cheng.
Even if the number of troops after the expansion of the Yongyi Army has exceeded the number regulated by the imperial court, if the imperial court does not need to use more money to raise troops, they will not ask too much about it.
After all, the Ming Dynasty was in financial difficulties. Although Li Daiwen, the former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had been sacrificing social relations, cutting work and food, and trying to help the poor after coming to power, wars and famines continued, and the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue never eased.
.
Now it is even more stretched and has reached an unsustainable point.
Now the imperial court only hopes that Yong Ningbo can lead the army to assist Henan as soon as possible, but has no intention of asking about the number of soldiers and horses under his command. Anyway, the imperial court will only pay half of the approved personnel.
Now, all the soldiers in Jiliao are willing to pay money to buy guns and cannons, which opens up another way of making money for Zhang Cheng.
In order to win over Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, he had promised to sell them a batch of firearms at full price to strengthen the combat effectiveness of their armies.
However, the Ji Liao generals would naturally not give them this treatment.