Fukang'an reviewed the training results of the Qingshui Battalion officers and soldiers, and was basically satisfied with them. The British from the East India Company also boasted that once the Qing Empire had those five second-level battleships, it would be invincible in the East Asian seas.
The problem is that Marshal Fu still feels guilty when he thinks of the "super cannon" in the hands of the Northern Navy that can destroy dozens of miles with one shot and the two huge iron ships;
The "click" sound of the rapid-fire artillery made Fukang feel anxious the most.
He thought hard for two years and felt that the only way to solve the problem was to reduce the weight of the artillery so that it could move quickly; at the same time, he had to increase the firing speed and quantity of the artillery.
If Zhao Xin uses five cannons, then the imperial army will use 500 cannons. It will have to be ten times better. The principle is to compete for firepower with quantity and speed. In fact, what you are competing for is national power!
Although the Qing army fought smoothly in the "Platform War", how could the thieves of the Tiandihui compare with the well-trained Northern Navy. He had previously contacted the British and French in Guangzhou, hoping to buy more rapid-fire
Artillery to save casting time on the Hunchun side.
Compared with the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, which still used the wax mold casting method, European artillery at this time had long used the "wet casting method." Starting in 1764, French cannon-casting craftsmen mixed tin and copper in a ratio of 1:10
, sand molds are made from high-quality casting sand and clay, and the modeling steps are often completed with molds made of white tin.
The barrel of the gun was cast very solidly and a core was used to complete the inner tube. After it was removed from the mold and cooled, it could be drilled. Thanks to the drilling machine invented by the cannon caster Maritz of Strasbourg
, the blast hole can be drilled accurately on the central axis and the center of the central circle.
Because there were still many French missionaries serving in the Qing Palace, both Qianlong and Fukang'an preferred to purchase from the French.
However, the British who learned the news quit. They hoped to achieve comprehensive military cooperation with this old empire in order to expand their trade share.
So when the French boasted about their "Grebevoir artillery system" and provided test firings of various types of field guns and howitzers, the British immediately launched their big killer, which was developed and finalized ten years ago.
"Garang cannon". They proposed to Fukang'an that 80% of the guns on the five second-class battleships delivered this year will use fast-powering Garang cannons.
It is said that the technical route for the development of European cannons in the past was to shoot as far as possible. Because if you want to shoot as far as possible, the barrel must be long, loaded with more gunpowder, and the chamber pressure must be high, so the barrel becomes thicker and heavier.
At the end of the 18th century, heavy cannons firing 32-pound shells weighed about 5 tons. On sailing battleships, such heavy cannons could only be installed on the lower gun deck, and the number should not be too large, otherwise they would overturn the ship.
For example, the Swedish Navy's Vasa in the 17th century had too many cannons and a high center of gravity, so it was overturned by a strong wind just after it left the shore before it could even raise its sails...
After the Seven Years' War, the British went in the opposite direction on the technical line of cannons, giving up long-range shooting and launching a simplified version of the cannon. By reducing the bore pressure of the cannon, the accuracy of the cooperation between the shell and the bore was improved.
By making the barrel short and thin, the weight of the artillery will be greatly reduced, and more artillery can be installed on warships.
Early naval guns were prone to side exposure due to the large gap between the barrel and projectiles. Coupled with the low processing accuracy of the barrel and the different-sized projectiles, it was very easy to explode the barrel. In order to avoid this problem, the barrel of the smoothbore gun was
Leave a gap between the projectile and the projectile.
How big is this gap? It can insert a chopstick. But in this case, the energy of the gunpowder is wasted.
When the artillery shell is pushed by the gunpowder gas, it stumbles forward in the barrel. When it exits the muzzle, the accuracy of the artillery shell is not certain, and a large error will occur. Therefore, the early heavy cannons could theoretically shoot for several kilometers, but
The actual combat distance is generally about two hundred meters.
As a result, the weight of the cannon is reduced by one-third compared to the cannon of the same caliber. This allows more artillery to be loaded on warships and easier to move on land. In addition, because the barrel of the cannon is short, it is easy to load and shoot.
The speed is also much faster than ordinary cannons.
Historically, during the Battle of Trafalgar, the British fleet endured the French bombardment at first and kept approaching the French fleet. In the end, with only one shot from two Garang cannons, the French suffered heavy losses.
Surrendered obediently.
Before leaving Guangzhou, Fukang'an reached a preliminary agreement with Britain and France through the Thirteenth Line, and wrote a memorial waiting for Qianlong's approval.
He purchased not only two hundred 12-pound French cannons with standardized components and high mobility, but also two hundred 12-pound cannons. Compared with the French cannon's barrel weight of 431.8 kilograms, the British cannon weighed only 330 kilograms.
Kilograms. Once Qianlong approves and the Ministry of War allocates the money for the purchase of cannons, all these cannons will be shipped to Guangzhou before the end of this year.
This time, those who followed him to Xiamen to inspect Shuiying included people from the Admiral Yamen of the Guangdong and Fujian Navy, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the Governor-General of Min and Zhejiang, as well as many young Manchu and Han generals who stood out in the annihilation of Lin Shuangwen.
These include Pu Pu, De Cheng'e, Guole Minse, Shu Liang, Sai Chong'a, Yan Jibao, Haixing'a, etc.; in addition, a 29-year-old young general named Yang Yuchun also made Fu Fu
Kang An appreciated it very much and took him with him this time to go north together.
At this time, Yang Yuchun had just begun to show his prowess. In the forty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign, he had already followed Fukang'an to put down the "Tian Wu Rebellion". He would take the lead in every battle, but miraculously he had never been injured so far.
Originally, Fukang'an wanted to mobilize Guangzhou, Fujian and Zhejiang to garrison the Eight Banners northward, but because the situation in Annan was not yet stable, the plan to mobilize troops was shelved.
It’s funny to say that in April last year, there was internal strife in Annan and the Nguyen clan usurped the country. Li Weiqi, who had a chance to escape, asked the Qing Dynasty for help. Qianlong thought that Li clan had always been submissive, so in order to maintain the vassal system, he decided to restore his country. It was originally a smooth sailing.
The battle ended with an anticlimax and a hasty end.
In October, Sun Shiyi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Xu Shiheng, the admiral of Guangxi, led 10,000 troops out of Zhennanguan to serve as the main attack direction; Wu Dajing, the admiral of Yunnan, led 8,000 troops out of Baimaguan as a partial division to coordinate operations.
In Qianlong's view, it would be fine if the Qing army couldn't defeat the Beihai Navy. If Annan with a big nose couldn't be dealt with, then there was no need to talk about eight directions and four barbarians coming to the dynasty. Therefore, the Qing army's offensive from the east and west was extremely serious as soon as it started.
It was fierce and overwhelming; under attack from the east and west armies, although Ruan Hui's army resisted desperately, it was still defeated.
On November 22, the fifty-third year of Qianlong's reign, Sun Shiyi, who had conquered Licheng, carried out a decree to hold a canonization ceremony according to Qianlong's instructions before the war. On behalf of the Qing government, Li Weiqi was officially canonized as King of Annan, and the Li Dynasty was restored to the throne for the second time.
Ruan Hui also sent someone to submit a letter to the Qing military camp, begging for surrender.
Unexpectedly, on the first day of the next year, Ruan Hui took advantage of the Qing army to drink and celebrate the New Year, and led his troops to attack. The Qing army hurriedly defended the enemy, and faced the fierce attack of the Ruan army with elephants carrying cannons, and was ultimately outnumbered. After this battle
, Sun Shiyi broke through the encirclement and crossed the Fuliang River. However, the admiral Xu Shiheng, commander-in-chief Zhang Chaolong, Shang Weisheng and other officers and soldiers who were on the south bank of the Qiujiang River were unable to cross the river because the bridge was broken, and eventually died in the battle.
When the news came back, Qianlong was furious. A native chief from Annan dared to resist the officers and soldiers and killed the officials of the town. He was really brave! So he appointed Fu Kang'an as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and led an army to suppress it.
Although Fukang'an defeated Zhao Xin twice and remained a prisoner for half a year, Fukang'an, who had won the victory on the platform, was too famous for the neighboring vassal states in the south. So Marshal Fu had not yet reached Chaozhou.
Ruan Hui then sent envoys three times within a month to knock at the gate to apologize and beg for surrender.
Qianlong wanted to capture Ruan Hui, but he was afraid that the Qing army would suffer heavy losses due to the unaccustomed climate and soil just like the last time he conquered Burma. Even if the army pursued deeply and reached Guangnan, if Ruan Hui escaped to the sea and ran to nearby Siam, Nan
Countries such as Zhang are also difficult to deal with. And unlike the history of another time and space, the biggest enemy of the Manchu Qing Dynasty is Beihai Town. If Zhao Xin is not dealt with with all his strength, Qianlong will have trouble sleeping and eating.
So Fukang'an stayed in Guangzhou after putting forward four conditions for surrender to Ruan Hui's envoy. Later, because Fukang'an was awarded "General Dingbei", the negotiation with Annan was transferred to Sun Shiyi.
Just when Fukang'an set out to head north, Zheng Wenxian, who had been promoted to captain of Beihai No. 1, and "Shrimp Ball Boy", who was renamed Lin Daosheng, followed Zhao Xin's order to disembark from northern Jiangsu by boat and stop at Sheyang Lake.
After three days, we set off to the south.
In addition to returning to Guangdong to get married this time to fulfill his father Zheng Lianchang's wish, Zheng Wenxian also shoulders the important task of opening up the tea road.
During the Qianlong period, the tea market in the mainland was mainly centered on Hankou and Fujian, and the two main groups involved were Shanxi merchants and Hui merchants. The development direction of Shanxi merchants was mainly aimed at the northwest, trade with Mongolia and Russia, while the direction of Hui merchants
Mainly targeted at trade in Guangzhou, Beijing, Jiangnan and other places.
Huizhou merchants in She County alone operate seven tea shops, 166 tea brands, and thousands of small tea shops in Beijing. Huizhou tea can be found almost everywhere in cities along the Yangtze River Basin such as Hankou, Jiujiang, Suzhou, and Shanghai.
The activities of merchants; almost all tea shops in many places in Zhejiang are opened by Huizhou merchants.
The tea trade of Shanxi merchants gradually entered a stage of peak development after 20 years of Qianlong. Historically, it continued to decline until the middle of Tongzhi. At present, Shanxi merchants have more than 100 tea franchises, mainly divided into "Yuci Gang"
, "Taigu Gang" and "Qixian Gang". Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties temporarily interrupted the Qing and Russian trade, there are still as many as fifty merchants stationed in Kyaktu all year round.
Zhao Xin wants to monopolize the tea trade with Tsarist Russia and cannibalize the tea market in Outer Mongolia, so the main attack at present is Shanxi merchants. The specific opponents are the Chang family of Yuci and the Qu family of Qixian County.
Currently, the head of the Qu family is named Qu Tonghai. Since he has been feeling unwell since last year, his son Qu Yinghuang is responsible for the outside business. The business name their family opened in Yangloudong is called Changyuanchuan.
As an aside, the most famous member of the Qu family in later generations was Qu Benqiao, who not only established national industry and commerce, but also served as the Qing Dynasty’s Consul General in Yokohama.
Although Beihai Town opened the ginseng trade to the Chang family in Ninggu Pagoda, Zhao Xin did not want Shanxi merchants to become the moneybags of the Qing Dynasty, and it also involved subsequent land issues, so he had to control the tea trade in the north.
li, thereby attacking Shanxi merchants who relied on the Manchus and fostering pro-Beihai Town forces.
Because Zhao Xin had determined this task years ago, Zheng Wenxian, Lin Daosheng and others had their hair braided in advance. Wang Changsheng, who stayed at Sheyang Lake Farm, also completed household registration and road guidance for Zheng Wenxian and others in advance.
Documents.
Zheng Wenxian and his party first arrived in Hankou, and then followed the Tea Horse Trade Road to Yangloudong. If you want to control the tea trade, you must first control the source of tea. Yangloudong, located at the junction of Hunan and Hubei, is the origin of blue brick tea.
.
Laoqing tea belongs to the dark tea category, which is the favorite tea variety of Tsarist Russian merchants. And because the main production started in Yangloudong, it is also called "Dongzhuan". In addition, in this era, in addition to Hubei, Anhua, Hunan also produced dark tea.
main producing areas.
Yangloudong is very lively in April. Teahouses are lined up on both sides of the street. The aroma of tea leaves floats on the stone street. The people coming in and out of each shop are all tea merchants purchasing tea.
Although Zheng Wenxian and Lin Daosheng had been to Guangzhou City before, this was their first time seeing such a large-scale tea town, and everyone in the group was stunned.
A group of seven or eight of them first found an inn in the town to settle down. After taking a short rest, Zheng Wenxian decided to split up. In groups of two, they first went to various stores in the town to inquire about the prices of brick tea, so that they could have an idea.
Zheng Wenxian and Lin Daosheng changed their clothes and looked like businessmen and servants from Guangzhou. They left the inn and looked for shop signs along the way, and finally found the shop called "Jushengchuan" that Shen Jingdan mentioned.
After the two entered the door, a waiter came over with a smile on his face and said with a Shanxi accent: "Sir, are you here to buy tea?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zheng Wenxian raised his hand and said: "We are from out of town, and we would like to ask you about the market price of your brick tea?"
The waiter looked at the clothes of Zheng Wenxian and Lin Daosheng, and he already had an idea in his mind, so he said: "The accent sounds like the guest is from Guangdong, right? Please sit inside."
After Zheng Wenxian entered the shop and sat down, the waiter personally served this year's new green tea for the two of them to taste. After Zheng Wenxian praised "good tea", the waiter asked: "Excuse me, would you like 27, 36 or 36?"
Generous?"
Lin Daosheng, who was standing nearby, blinked and didn't understand at all. He quickly said: "Man, our young master wants to buy Lao Qing Brick Tea."
The clerk knew at a glance that the two people in front of him didn't understand anything, and they probably couldn't buy much, but he still explained: "Sir, the 27, 36 and Dafang mentioned by the villain are all brick tea formats, with different portions.
There are differences. If you two are selling to the north, the two types of 27 and 36 are the best. If you go to Guangzhou, generous is more suitable. If you only buy it for home use, it depends on your own preferences."
After that, he introduced the prices of various types of brick tea.
Zheng Wenxian nodded, and then asked curiously: "May I ask, brother, I see that every tea shop on the street uses the word "Chuan" as its name. I wonder what the reason is?"
The waiter smiled and explained: "The word 'Chuan' means water. There are Guanyin, Liangsha, and Shiren Sanfang Spring Wells here in Yanglou Cave. The spring water is clear and sweet, flowing day and night. Because the three streams are like the word 'Chuan', various local restaurants
They all use Sichuan as their shop sign."
Zheng Wenxian said: "I have learned a lot. When I passed by Hankou this time, I heard that the tea market in Yangloudong was booming, so I stopped by to take a look. If the tea is good, I will naturally buy some and go to sea trade."
Upon hearing this, the waiter hurriedly asked: "I wonder how much you two want to buy? If it's more, I can ask the shopkeeper for a discount of one or two."
Zheng Wenxian thought for a moment and said, "If I want to buy 50,000 tons, what's the price?"
The clerk was so startled that he almost choked to death. In the Qing Dynasty, a load of tea was 50 kilograms, and 50,000 loads was 2.5 million kilograms. Now that Shanxi merchants are included, the annual tea trade volume is only 80 kilograms.
Thousands of kilograms.
Zheng Wenxian's mouth is worth 50,000 pounds. This is so scary!
After a while, the shopkeeper came forward after hearing the news. He cupped his hands towards Zheng Wenxian and said, "Sir, please come inside and talk."