In addition to punishment from the court, there is also the possibility of death at the hands of horse bandits or foreign sergeants.
Although Hewu County also has a city, it is not as good as Lingtong County.
The city wall is in dilapidated condition, with finger-width cracks everywhere.
You can easily climb up with bare hands.
Because he was very poor, the monthly quotas for officials and sergeants were severely deducted, so the number of sergeants and sergeants in the inspection department in the county government was far less than the number stipulated by the court.
If there are few sergeants in the Yamen and Inspection Departments, the defense force of the county will be weak.
If a large group of horse bandits or foreign sergeants attack, not only the massacre of Hewu County will be captured, but there will also be very heavy casualties in the county.
He Ming has been in panic ever since he was recommended by his enemies as the magistrate of Hewu County.
Sitting in this unlucky position, it seemed like a guillotine was always hanging on my head, and I might lose my head at some point.
That evening, Jiang Long found He Bu's team.
Why not station in the city without troops? That would be equivalent to being in the open.
It is impossible for the horse bandits and the alien team not to have spies in the city.
Only by acting in secret can you take things by surprise and carry out sneak attacks.
Why not also plant spies in the city, and if there is any news, let Magistrate Hewu send someone to convey it secretly.
This decision is obviously correct.
Why not come to Hewu County for just a few days and already gain a lot.
The men he brought with him all had considerable trophies.
After meeting He Bu, Jiang Long told him that he had written to a friend asking for help.
Last time I led troops to Duanziliang to suppress bandits, why not take part in it and recognize the guerrilla general Peng Huan.
I know that Peng Huan is relatively reliable.
As for Captain Jiang Qi, because he had helped Jiang Long in Wangsha City, Pang Chengan was unable to keep Jiang Long in Wangsha City, so the possibility of helping was extremely high.
The combat effectiveness of the border army is still very good. In fact, as long as Peng Huan leads the troops, basically everything will be fine.
There were more than 2,000 frontier troops guarding the city, but the other side's 8,000 men could not attack the city at all.
The temperature is getting lower and lower, making it unsuitable for fighting.
In seven or eight days at most, if the foreign chief cannot take the county seat, no matter how sad and angry he is because of his son's death, he can only withdraw his troops obediently.
Otherwise, the temperature will drop sharply again, and if God is willing to have another blizzard, at least half of the eight thousand alien soldiers will freeze to death.
When going to the battlefield, you need to bring enough rice and food for your tent, but it is impossible to bring much dry firewood and straw stalks for the fire.
Without something to warm the fire, even if you are crowded in a tent and it really snows, you will still freeze into popsicles.
"The chief will be killed in three days at most. Let's take advantage of the still time to eliminate a few more horse bandits around us." Jiang Long suggested.
Why not nod, but also remind him, "Yes, yes, but don't run too far away from the county seat. Otherwise, if the chief arrives early and meets in the wild, our entire army will definitely end up being annihilated."
.”
There are eight thousand people on the other side.
And including the 200 cavalry brought by Jiang Long, there are only about 500 people here.
It’s simply not enough for people to swallow in one bite.
He is good at training soldiers, but he also knows that the cavalry he trains can win with more than less.
But if you want to defeat a large number with a small number, or if you are equal to the number of opponents, then you will not be able to exert your 100% combat effectiveness.
After all, I was new to the battlefield and had never fought a tough battle before.
Once the initial offensive is frustrated, morale will be greatly affected.
If there is a partial defeat, it will even disrupt the morale of the army.
If these 500 men were really allowed to fight against 8,000 enemies, it would probably only take one look at the opponent's densely packed army and horses, which clearly had a numerical advantage, and the few men on our side would be so frightened that their legs would tremble.
In short, new recruits need the baptism of fire to truly grow up.
This is why Jiang Long wants to seize the time and eliminate a few more horse bandits.
Take advantage of the opportunity to practice as much as possible.
Of course, killing a few more groups of horse bandits would also save the people of Hewu County from being robbed, burned and killed.
He Zai also found out about Chang Qian, but he just frowned and didn't say much.
The next day, Jiang Long took Tu Dou and more than ten people to the county town.
He quietly entered the county government office and met with Magistrate He Wu.
After arriving in Hewu County, Jiang Long had to meet He Ming.
He Ming was tall and thick, but had a delicate mind. He once passed the examination as a scholar. Of course, he was admitted as a scholar in Northern Xinjiang.
There are few scholars in northern Xinjiang, so the difficulty of test questions is naturally much lower than that in the wealthy south.
It can be said that with He Ming's little knowledge, it would be impossible for a southern scholar, let alone a scholar, to pass the first level of the academy examination.
There is a huge gap in the cultural level between the north and the south.
Not to mention that this is still Northern Xinjiang.
The cultural level of the entire north, and only a few large cities such as Beijing, does not lag behind that of the south.
But overall, there's no comparison at all.
"I am extremely grateful that Lord Jing can send Mr. He to lead troops to help me this time, but I didn't expect Lord Jing to come here in person!" He Ming bowed his hands and bowed to thank him. He was so grateful that he was truly grateful.
reveal.
No pretense.
This time, several groups of horse bandits and several foreign squads burned, killed, and looted in Hewu County, causing a lot of casualties.
If he can't come up with some abilities and means and question him from above, then He Ming will definitely be punished.
What's even more frightening is that these horse bandits and alien teams have never stopped.
If more trouble is caused before the weather cools down, He Ming's head will have to be moved.
"Master He, you don't have to be like this."
Jiang Long returned the favor politely, "We are all officials of the imperial court, and the two counties are adjacent to each other, but they are brother counties. If a brother has something to do, how can we not help him?"
"Brother County?"
He Ming's eyes lit up, it was obviously the first time he heard this method of address, "Master Jing said it right, Lingtong County and Hewu County are brother counties!"
"Since we are brothers, you don't have to be like this, Master He." Jiang Long laughed.
"well!"
The two of them walked into the back hall and took their seats one after another.
The servants brought tea.
He Ming carefully discovered that there was a layer of dust on Jiang Long's body and wanted to ask the maid to help clean it up.
Jiang Long declined.
He came to the county seat on horseback, so he would definitely be exposed to the dust.
Moreover, after discussing with He Ming, he had to ride back immediately.
On the county government's side, it won't waste much time.
If you take action earlier, you can eliminate a few horse bandits earlier.
Jiang Long's original intention was just to meet He Ming and say hello. After all, they are both county magistrates, and the two counties are neighbors. There may be a place where this person can be used in the future. He cannot come to Hewu County, but
He didn't even meet He Ming.
He was born into a noble family, which would give people a feeling of being superior, proud, and looking down on others.
There is no need for people to misunderstand and create estrangement because of this trivial matter.
But He Ming kept pestering him and repeatedly used topics to persuade him to stay.
The reason is simple.
He Ming knew that he was afraid of a disaster, so he wanted to establish a good relationship with Jiang Long and make friends.
With Jiang Long's family background, who would dare to deal with him easily if they made friends with him?
Although he vaguely heard that the governor Pang Chengan and Jiang Long were not dealing with each other, but so what?
Associating with Jiang Long may arouse Pang Chengan's disgust.
But if he didn't make friends with Jiang Long, he was afraid that his head would be moved in a few days.
Death, or seizing the chance to fight for your life, which one would you choose?
Jiang Long didn't know He Ming's difficulties, and couldn't help but feel a little unhappy when he saw He Ming pestering him all the time.
Gradually, He Ming also saw that Jiang Long was angry.
Although I felt that the time to establish a relationship with Jiang Longla had not yet come, I still gritted my teeth and offered something.
"This kind of black stone is widely distributed in Hewu County. It can be seen on many hills and valleys. If you dig it, you can find that the storage amount of black stone is very amazing, comparable to silver ore and iron ore..." He Ming ordered people
Bring the items up and explain them carefully.
Jiang Long's eyes widened long ago.
Irregular block, dark brown, dark luster, loose texture...
Isn't this coal?
And according to He Ming's explanation, it can be found in many places in Hewu County.
Doesn’t this mean that there are many coal mines in Hewu County?
And it is very likely that they are all large coal mines!
Coming from modern times, he naturally knows the wide range of uses of coal in the previous world.
Power generation, heating, steelmaking... For modern industry, whether it is heavy industry or light industry; whether it is energy industry, metallurgical industry, chemical industry, machinery industry, or light textile industry, food industry, transportation industry, they all play a role
important role.
Various industrial sectors consume a certain amount of coal to a certain extent, so some people call coal the "real food" of industry.
This shows the importance of coal!
Of course, in this world, coal has not yet shown its true value.
It can only be used to keep warm.
However, if it enters Jiang Long's eyes, it will be used for another purpose, that is, smelting.
The reason why today's metallurgical technology is progressing slowly is largely because the temperature is not high enough.
Ironmaking uses charcoal that has been burned in advance.
The combustion temperatures of charcoal and coal are quite different.
Furthermore, charcoal burns quickly and is far less durable than coal.
"Master Jing, do you know why I introduced this black stone to you?" He Ming felt a little complacent when he said this.
Jiang Long chuckled, "Because it can burn."
He Ming's eyes widened instantly. He also accidentally discovered that this kind of black stone can be burned for warmth.
I thought I was the first Daqi person to know, but I didn't expect Jiang Long to tell the truth.
"Where did Mr. Jing find out?" He Ming asked hurriedly.
Jiang Long made an excuse, "There was a foreigner who sold wine passing through Lingtong County before. When I was buying wine, I chatted with the foreigner and heard that the foreigner talked about this kind of stone. In transliteration, this kind of stone can be called
It makes coal."
"Coal?" He Ming was intrigued, "Then what are its uses?"
"Heating and smelting!"
Jiang Long thought for a while and didn't hide anything, "Using coal to make iron can improve the quality of the iron."
"ah?"
He Ming was shocked. If what Jiang Long said was true, then handing over the paper must be a great achievement!
But Jiang Long told him directly.
The reason why Jiang Long said it bluntly was because this thing couldn't be concealed at all.
As long as you dig it yourself, you will immediately attract the attention of others.
Coal is not like the previous brine salt, which can be secretly mined in desolate and inhabited places.
Coal, on the other hand, is spread almost throughout Hewu County.
As soon as you start working, you will be discovered soon.
Furthermore, even if you mine secretly, the current coal will not bring you much benefit.
If you put it in modern times, coal has many uses.
But now...
Another big difficulty is the inconvenience of transportation.
In modern times, there are cars and trains, but now, there are only ox-carts and donkey-carts.
It's inconvenient to transport, so it's naturally inconvenient to use.
"Lord Laohe has reported it." Jiang Long didn't take this small contribution seriously.
He Ming immediately waved his hand, "Master Jing is obviously very knowledgeable, so it's better for Master Jing to hand over the paper."
Even if I beat him to death, he wouldn't dare to take the credit from Jiang Long!
"It's just a small matter." Jiang Long shook his head gently, "If you don't want to congratulate the Lord, you can fill in my signature at the end."
"This, this..." He Ming was naturally moved.
Jiang Long may not care about this credit, but He Ming does.
Since he took office, there has been no stability in Hewu County. Let alone political achievements, only trouble and guilt remain.
Moreover, for discovering something new and useful, the rewards from above are quite large.
For the imperial court, it was no small matter to improve the level of smelting.