The family hired a maid and a male worker. The maid helped wash and sweep, while the male worker was responsible for carrying firewood and chopping firewood.
Today's young and strong labor force either gathers troops for training or builds roads and clears wasteland. The male workers hired by Zhao Han's family are almost fifty years old and have gray hair.
Yesterday, the young lady came to the church to get married. Today, Xiyue is in high spirits.
She was a dowry maid, and there was no housekeeper in the courtyard, so Xiyue was automatically promoted to the female housekeeper.
Because Zhao Han has rules and Xiyue herself is well-educated, they don't want to show off their authority.
She summoned the four servants and lectured: "If we follow the old rules, you can't even enter the inner courtyard and can only be miscellaneous servants in the outer courtyard. Since you have entered the inner courtyard, you should have the regulations of the inner courtyard."
When Madam came, she bought some toothbrushes and tooth powder, and you each took them to brush your teeth. Look at your teeth, your mouth stinks when you talk..."
Zhao Han walked to work and vaguely heard Xiyue's lecture. He found it interesting and funny at the same time. This girl was enjoying herself as a steward.
Arriving at the General Military Mansion Yamen, Gu Jianshan had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Zhao Han, Gu Jianshan immediately stood up and clasped his fists: "I've met Mr. Zhao."
"Sit down." Zhao Han returned the greeting.
Gu Jianshan did not take his seat, but took off his weapon, held it over and said, "Mr. Zhao, I am an assassin."
Zhao Han did not take the sword, waved him to take it back, and asked: "Who sent it?"
Gu Jianshan said: "The eunuch Zhang Yin is stationed in Ji'an. This eunuch was ordered to return to Beijing and asked me to follow the instructions of the county magistrate Wang Tiaoding."
"Zhang Yin has returned to Beijing?" Zhao Han was a little surprised.
Gu Jianshan said: "I'm not sure, it seems that the eunuchs are all going back to Beijing."
Are all the eunuchs going back to Beijing?
Zhao Han scratched his head and couldn't figure out what the hell Emperor Chongzhen was doing.
Zhao Han said: "I haven't asked for your name yet."
Gu Jianshan said: "My surname is Gu Mingshan. I was originally a military household in southern Sichuan. I was lucky enough to be a scholar. Later, something happened at home, so I wandered to Poyang Lake and became a bandit. I was caught by officers and soldiers a few days ago."
"Governor Li Maofang?" Zhao Han asked.
Gu Jianshan said: "Governor Li Maofang is not something to be afraid of. Sir, you must be more vigilant about Jiangzhou's military preparations and Wang Siren's affairs."
Zhao Han quickly asked: "What's the difference between these two people?"
Gu Jianshan explained: "Although Governor Li Maofang is very talented, he is also very greedy. After he took office, he immediately recruited two thousand pacesetters. Due to lack of money and food, he collaborated with the Nankang prefect to recruit and extort money. He also used the excuse of suppressing bandits.
, intercepted the food and wages of each guard station, and the Jiujiang Guards were provoked to mutiny by him, and it was Wang Siren who helped put down the chaos."
"Where is Wang Siren?" Zhao Han asked again.
Gu Jianshan said: "Wang Siren is a man who has won the hearts of the people. The soldiers under his command never commit any crime wherever they go. If I hadn't gotten involved with Li Maofang, I would have almost defected to him."
Wang Siren is not only good at doing things, but also good at being an official.
Although it was just a small military preparation matter, three of the six ministers now have a good relationship with him. Moreover, these three ministers belong to different factions.
Wang Siren was excellent in both literature, military and military affairs, and he was relatively incorruptible. He was simply perfect.
If you insist on finding any shortcomings, I'm afraid the only ones left are lust, a few formal concubines, and many unnamed maidservants.
Zhao Han continued to inquire: "How strong are these two men?"
Gu Jianshan said: "Wang Siren recruited more than 3,000 soldiers, of which 1,000 were sailors. Li Maofang had 2,000 model soldiers and also recruited many civilians. These two people were accustomed to using money, and the leader of the water bandits in Poyang Lake was bribed and surrendered several times by them.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost so quickly.”
"Where are the uprising brothers in Duchang County?" Zhao Han asked again.
"In two or three months at most, the officers and soldiers will be able to pacify Duchang County." Gu Jianshan guessed.
Zhao Han began to think quietly. If the normal process was followed, after Li Maofang and Wang Siren quelled the civil unrest in Duchang, they should first conquer Nanfeng, Pingxiang and Ruijin. After all, those rebels had captured all the county towns.
But who can be sure that these two brothers will not have convulsions?
If we feel that Zhao Han is a greater threat and bring his naval forces to attack him, is it possible that we will make a surprise attack on Fucheng again?
Gu Jianshan suggested: "Mr. Zhao, Jiangxi is crisscrossed by rivers and lakes. If you want to establish a foundation here, you must have a strong navy."
"Can you become a water master?" Zhao Han asked.
"Yes!" Gu Jianshan said quickly.
Zhao Han asked: "Do water trainers need firearms and crossbows?"
Gu Jianshan said: "Firearms and crossbows are naturally best if they are available. You can fight without them. When encountering a water battle, charge straight to the boarding. First throw lime, then javelin, and use long spears to cover the boarding. If
There is a trebuchet, which can throw earthen jars at close range. The earthen jars are filled with lime and stones, which can better help connect the sides."
Zhao Han asked: "Does Wang Siren's navy have many firearms and crossbows?"
Gu Jianshan said: "There are no firearms, only a few bows and crossbows."
The weapons manufacturing departments in the Ming Dynasty were mainly the Ordnance Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and the Military War Bureau under the jurisdiction of the inner government.
These two departments were finished as early as the Jiajing Dynasty, and weapons manufacturing rights were delegated to local guards.
Zhao Han asked Li Banghua carefully and found that among the places in Jiangxi that could still produce weapons, the only weapons factory under the jurisdiction of Nanchang Guard could produce two or three pairs of armor, more than a dozen crossbows, and hundreds of spears every year.
As long as they can afford a high price, they are even willing to sell it to the rebels!
Zhao Han asked again: "How many sergeants should be assigned to a warship?"
Gu Jianshan replied: "For the river navy, a warship of 400 rations is the limit. If it exceeds 400 rations, it will be difficult to move. A warship of 400 rations, in addition to the boatmen, can be equipped with 50 to 70 soldiers. It can be smaller.
Depending on the size of the warship, it may be equipped with twenty or thirty soldiers, or it may be equipped with thirty or fifty soldiers."
Zhao Han said: "After I defeated Jie Xuelong, I captured a number of ships and will give them to you to control from now on."
"I will do my best!"
Gu Jianshan was extremely excited. He only came here to give advice and never thought about becoming the commander of the navy. After all, it was only the second time that he and Zhao Han met, so it was a normal reaction to not be trusted.
Now, Zhao Han asked him to be the commander of the navy. This letter made Gu Jianshan burst into tears of gratitude.
In fact, it's not that mysterious. Zhao Han's own prestige is extremely high. Even if Gu Jianshan wants to cause chaos, the ship's officers and soldiers will not be completely obedient.
Zhao Han warned: "I will give you some carpenters and blacksmiths. You can instruct them to continue to renovate warships. After all, they used to be merchant ships. You can also try to make trebuchets. If it doesn't work, go to Nanchang to hire craftsmen. Training of navy
I also have to help transport the goods, I only have a few ships at my disposal."
"As you command!"
Gu Jianshan was appointed as the commander of the navy. In fact, it is more similar to a water transport team. At this stage, the main job is to transport supplies, and it is still very early to truly form combat effectiveness.
Zuo Zhuan, who was born as a fisherman, was previously responsible for transportation, and later became the deputy commander of the Navy.
Chen Maosheng's right-hand man, Li Huai, served as the navy's missionary officer. Each warship must be equipped with a missionary officer.
After Gu Jianshan left, Xiao Huan immediately came in again.
Xiao Huan is vicious and vicious, and is actually more suitable to be an intelligence chief, but this position is too important, and giving it to Xu Ying will make Zhao Han more at ease.
Currently, Xiao Huan controls two systems, one is the spies from Fucheng, and the other is supervision within the territory.
It sounds awesome, but in fact he only has more than ten people under his command.
After entering the house, Xiao Huan whispered: "There is news from Fucheng that the rebel army in Pingxiang is gone."
"When did it happen?" Zhao Han asked in surprise.
Xiao Huan said: "It has been almost two months. Tian Younian, the magistrate of Yuanzhou, raised troops on his own to quell the civil unrest in Pingxiang."
Zhao Han sighed: "Well, there are still many capable officials in the Ming Dynasty."
The rebel colleagues in Jiangxi are really incompetent.
The Pingxiang rebels have been eliminated, and the Duchang rebels are almost finished. The next target is probably Zhao Han.
Moreover, under the coordination of the governor, Zhao Han is likely to be attacked from both sides, and the governor of Yuanzhou will probably cross the border to poke Zhao Han's chrysanthemum.
Without waiting for the officials sent to the east coast to return, Zhao Han immediately held a high-level meeting.
After explaining the situation, Li Banghua stroked his beard and said: "The situation has changed too fast. There is no need to wait any longer. We can capture Ji'an Fucheng immediately!"
"I also agree to seize Fucheng," Pang Chunlai said. "Before, we wanted to be stable and strong and not conflict with the government, but now there are several officials who can fight. Regardless of whether we capture Fucheng or not, they will be ready this winter.
Later next spring, troops will definitely be sent to encircle Luling. In this case, we should take the initiative and capture the key areas of Fucheng first!"
Li Banghua suddenly said: "Take possession of Gucun."
Gucun is Li Banghua's hometown, and it already belongs to Jishui County. However, this suggestion is both public and private, not just out of selfish motives.
At this time, Zhao Han already had a simple map, which he brought back from the government office. Li Banghua pointed at the map and said: "We must capture all the land under the jurisdiction of Jishui County to the west of the Ganjiang River, and then march westward to capture Anfu County."
Pang Chunlai frowned and said, "Isn't this expansion too fast? Do we have enough officials?"
"It's enough, and more than enough," Li Banghua said. "Nowadays, there are too many officials at the village and town levels. When the land is divided, it is just right, but after the land is divided, it becomes redundant. If we keep doing this, when our territory becomes larger, the official salary expenditure will
It’s very scary.”
Zhao Han asked: "What do you think Mr. Li should do?"
Li Banghua said: "The two towns are combined into one town, similar to the former township. This frees up half of the officials, and they can arrange to go to Jishui and Anfu counties." As he spoke, Li Banghua stood up and pointed at the map to draw a picture.
Circle, "Capture Anfu County, and then Yongxin County. Send hundreds of soldiers to block the main road out of the mountain. The prefect of Yuanzhou will not be able to go around, and can only go far away from the Ganjiang River."
This is a strategic development plan. To capture the three counties of Jishui, Anfu, and Yongxin, Zhao Han's territory is surrounded by mountains, and to the east is a Ganjiang River. The south side is not considered for the time being, because there are no officers and soldiers. The west side can also be ignored.
That's the boundary between Huguang and Huguang. The use of troops across provinces is very complicated, and it takes a year or two to go through the process.
Li Banghua became more and more excited as he talked: "If we win this battle, we can go south to capture Taihe, Wan'an, and Longquan. Then the mountains and rivers will be victorious and we will be as solid as gold."
According to Li Banghua's idea of expansion, it would be equivalent to occupying the entire Central Gan Basin. By then there would be mountains on all sides, and we would only need to focus on defending against enemies coming from the Gan River.
Zhao Han smiled and said: "Then what."
Li Banghua pointed at the bottom of the map: "After consolidating the territory, immediately take Ganzhou south and capture the entire southern Gansu. After capturing southern Gansu, you can go north to attack Nanchang, and at the same time send a partial division to capture Fuzhou. Once the navy is trained, you can
