Messengers kept coming and going, and many heads of noble clans began to gather in a hurry towards Chang'an.
Money moves people's hearts!
Who can resist the temptation to go to the Western Regions for trade? It is a profit as big as gold and silver, and there is also a large army as a guarantee, so you are sure to make a profit without losing anything!
Regardless of whether they were invited or not, everyone who heard the news came, like greedy cats who smelled the fishy smell.
We had frequent friendships, and there must have been a lot of secret transactions.
Liu Xiang ignored how they negotiated. He was the largest commodity manufacturer, trade route pioneer and local stabilizer. No matter what agreement they had, he had to nod his head.
He is the one who sets the rules. As long as he sits firmly on the fishing platform, others will come over to bite the hook. There is no need to worry at all, just let them compete. The more powerful the hook, the better.
Therefore, he was currently inspecting the navy and shipyards in Kunming Pool with peace of mind. After nearly a year of repairs, Chang'an's original warships had only repaired six floor ships and twenty fighting ships. Most of the warships had not been repaired.
It's worth it, it's better to just rebuild it.
Naturally, he will not build old-fashioned flat-bottomed battleships, and there is no need for the Navy to stay around Chang'an.
"Ziyi, before the freeze, led the fleet to Laizhou Bay in Qingzhou to station, which is an ice-free port. Yunfan camp stayed in Kunming Pool with nothing to do, so it is better to go to the southeast coast to train troops.
You also sent ships from Chang'an to the Liaodong Shipyard to assist in the construction of large sea ships. They have not produced results for several years. I hope these craftsmen can come and be of some help."
Liu Xiang was looking forward to the research and development of a thirty-foot large sea-going ship, but unfortunately no results were achieved.
"Your lord, do you want us to assist the Zuo army to capture Xuzhou?" Taishi Ci has led the army alone in these years and has become much calmer. Unlike when he was young, he was only focused on earning military glory.
"The waves in the southern seas are stronger than those in the north, especially south of the Yangtze River. The winds are high and the waves are strong. These require the army's sergeants to adapt well. Participate in the Xuzhou War if you have the opportunity, and don't fight to the death if you don't have the chance.
The first priority of Yunfan Camp now is to train, train more excellent sailors and soldiers, and go to the coast of Yangzhou more to adapt to the sea conditions and harass the enemy."
"The general will obey the order."
The navy set off that day. Now Yunfan Camp has nearly 200 main warships, 300 supply ships, small stern ships, and more than 500 picket ships. Each year, it has 24 swordfish warships and 32 swordfish.
As the number of warships expanded, there was an urgent need for excellent sailors, soldiers, and experience in long-distance sea voyages.
The purpose of Liu Xiang's establishment of a navy was not to let them play house in the Yellow River and Bohai Sea. He had been preparing to go south from the beginning, to clean up the Yangtze River, and to sail overseas.
I hope Taishi Ci will not disappoint him.
The current Kunmingchi Shipyard has lost the ability to build building ships and fighting ships. Thousands of shipwrights have been transferred to Liaodong Shipyard to build swordfish warships and assist in the development of large sea ships. The remaining craftsmen only need to build
Flat-bottomed transport ships are enough, and warships are no longer needed in the Wei River Basin.
The navy also does not need old-fashioned building ships and fighting ships.
Yunfan Camp conducted exercises in Kunming Pond. With the same number of warships, the swordfish warships crushed the old flat-bottomed ships with higher speed and more flexible control.
Although building ships and fighting ships have taller hulls and carry more people, they are being beaten throughout the process.
It's too clumsy and loses the initiative in fighting.
Because it was not an actual battle, we did not test the impact capability of the iron-wood hull of the new warship. In fact, this aspect is obvious just by looking at the ship material. It is several times harder and tougher, coupled with the slender hull and the sharp-bottomed ship.
Inherent high speed, stability and flexible controllability.
The timing and angle of the impact are all in the hands of the new warship, and there will definitely be a hole with every impact.
Returning from Kunming Pool, Liu Xiang went to Shanglin Garden again. Shanglin Garden with a radius of more than 200 miles was divided into two parts. The southern half near Zhongnan Mountain was the royal hunting ground, and the northern half near Jianzhang Palace was full of various species.
Alfalfa pasture.
Now there are more than 6,000 Hexi horses and more than 100 Dawan horses roaming there.
Liu Xiang was afraid that ferocious beasts might disturb the horses, so he sent three battalions of Chinese cavalry to comb Shanglin Garden several times. Most of the large carnivores were shot dead.
He actually wanted to put the other half under the scope of the pastoral garden, but there were too many mountains and woods, which was a waste of manpower, so he gave up the idea. It would be good to leave a place for hunting.
Most of the horses captured in the Battle of Ji County were placed in the pastoral park near Yongshi County in the northwest of Hanyang County. There were already more than 10,000 Hexi horses there, which would provide war horses for the Western Expedition Army and the Jinchuan Guard established later.
The main purpose of Shanglinyuan is to breed high-quality war horses. The population size does not need to be too large. Some of the current 6,000 horses will be eliminated according to the situation, and some outstanding individuals will be selected from other pastures to optimize the bloodline.
It would be great if he could raise a large group of sweat horses. Just thinking about it makes people drool. He had seen a video of Akhal Tekin horses before. They were so beautiful.
He likes pink-gold and silver-white sweathorses the most. The black ones are also good, the red ones are also good-looking, and the chestnut ones are also beautiful.
Well, it all fits his aesthetics anyway.
The limbs are slender, the muscles are lean and strong, the head structure is compact and graceful, the big eyes are bright and lively, the two long ears are graceful and slightly wider apart, the horseshoes are slightly smaller, hard and regular in shape.
The most important thing is that it runs fast, is full of energy, has amazing endurance, walks smoothly, has no body sway, has good balance, is elastic and energetic when moving forward, glides freely when walking quickly, and runs calmly and leisurely.
It's like flying at low altitude and as light as a cat when jumping.
The Akhal Tekin horse is a desert horse breed that is resistant to cold and heat. It is much thirstier than other horses. Even at a high temperature of 50 degrees Celsius, it only needs to drink water once a day. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for long distances and is the best choice for war horses.
Best choice.
Alexander the Great, Darius I, and Genghis Khan all used this kind of horse. It is said that they created a miracle of marching at a speed of 150 kilometers per day for ten consecutive days.
According to historical records, in 1935, it took 84 days to complete the 4,300-kilometer journey from Ashgabat to Moscow. The entire journey included 360 kilometers of desert land with almost no water sources.
In 1949, during the Almaty Racecourse test, the winner of the longest distance test in one day and night was Сайгак of Alhama descent, who ran 301.2 kilometers.
According to calculations, it only takes 1 minute and 7 seconds for the Akhal Tekin horse to run 1,000 meters on flat ground.
In 1998, in a race with a distance of 3,200 kilometers and a 60-day race period, 54 participating horses all made it to the finish line.
This kind of endurance to maintain a certain speed and carry a load continuously for a long time cannot be achieved by ordinary war horses.
Liu Xiang felt that he must be more eager for such horses than Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, because he had specific goals, specific images in his mind, and a better understanding of their abilities.
Turkmenistan, after passing Dawan and then heading west, south of the Aral Sea and east of the Caspian Sea, there are the horses he desires most.
But Lao Cao is still in Zhangye, and the temperature has dropped, which has affected the battle. He plans to leave Cao Ren's troops to guard the newly occupied territory, and he will lead most of the soldiers back to Wuwei, and attack Yumen again in the next spring.
Although Liu Xiang was dissatisfied with the advancing speed of the Western Expeditionary Army, he would not make the mistake of commanding remotely from thousands of miles away. That would be pure stupidity. Only the generals on the front line can understand the specific battle situation. The expedition must give the commander the right to act expediently.
.
Cao Cao retreated with most of his troops. In fact, in order to save some food and grass, Cao Cao transported food from Chencang to Zhangye. It took more than 2,000 miles and more than ten times the wear and tear. He couldn't afford to stay there.
Now that the eastern part of Liangzhou has been completely pacified by Sun Jian, a large amount of grain and grass is being transported to Ji County via the Wei River, shortening the distance by hundreds of miles. When the highway to Jincheng is built, the transportation speed will continue to accelerate and the loss will be reduced a lot.
Grain and grass will be divided into nodes and hoarded in Ji County, Jincheng, and Guzang to support the war in the Western Region and the bastion project in the Hexi Corridor.
Speaking of fortresses, when Cao Cao's troops marched, they would draw maps along the way, select locations, and build one every thirty miles or so according to local hydrology, and set up hundreds or thousands of fortresses, which were independent of Liangzhou's jurisdiction.
, directly controlled by the center.
According to Liu Xiang's estimate, the Hexi Corridor, which runs through the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains, will require about 15,000 military households, with a population of 65,000 working in the field. Each household will have one regular soldier, divided into three teams for rotational duty. It is tentatively determined
Name: Jinchuan Wei. He has not yet decided who the general will send.
To understand military strategy, know civil affairs, know how to farm, and be trustworthy.
After all, that road will be like its name in the future, a flowing golden river.
The main road that controls the Silk Road is stuck between Sun Jian and Cao Cao, forming a stable situation of three pillars, which requires both cooperation and checks and balances.