The capture of Mengshan and the elimination of Murong Cai, one of the three giants of the White Lotus Sect, did not cause any waves in Zuo Mengeng's place.
In fact, after driving the White Lotus Sect into the Yimeng Mountains, the fate of these rebels was already certain.
All the new army has to do is follow Zuo Mengeng's plan and eliminate them step by step according to the schedule.
It was still the same rule as before. After a battle, the new army would be reorganized.
Three thousand people who were training in Lingshan Guard were transferred over and formally formed the third regiment and fourth regiment of the New Army's third division.
What followed was a large-scale redeployment of officers.
For example, the old partners Huang Sanhu and Jian Zongan of the First Division and Third Regiment were separated this time.
Huang Sanhu was promoted to brigade commander of the second brigade, while Jian Zongan was transferred to the second brigade of the third division as brigade commander.
Hui Shanhui, who had just eliminated Murong Cai, was the commander of the first brigade of the third division. His political commissar partner was Ai Wenkun, the former commander of the second regiment of the second division.
The military camp that had just been built in Mengyin County took advantage of the situation and became the headquarters of the Third Division. The entire division was fully staffed with 13,000 men and began training and receiving weapons on the spot.
Zuo Dai personally escorted the weapons and ammunition of the Third Division, which also brought some problems in the military industry.
"The current military factory is too bloated, and it is very difficult for our committee to manage it. Everyone's opinion is to split the military factory again. The artillery factory is the artillery factory, and the muskets will be added to the existing factory buildings. A new gunpowder factory
Inside, black powder and mercury fulminate are separated, and the product uses of the mercury fulminate factory are further divided into two parts: military and civilian."
Today, the scale of the New Army's arsenal is astonishing, with more than 200,000 employees.
Without so many people, it is impossible to produce so many weapons and ammunition for the entire army to use.
But the industrial level of this era determines that if such a large industrial platform is placed under the direct jurisdiction of an industrial committee with only a few people, Jiang Wei, Zuo Dai and others will be exhausted.
"In this case, please come up with a detailed split plan. Again, confidentiality is the first priority."
Seeing that he agreed, Zuodai let out a sigh of relief.
When Zuo Dai decided to give up his military career and focus on weapons research and development and manufacturing, he was still full of guilt. He felt that he could not fight side by side with his brothers and it would be unloyal to watch them go through life and death.
But today, Zuo Dai no longer feels any guilt at all.
This was the first time he discovered why there was so much unfinished work?
He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he had a good night's sleep.
If you think about it carefully, managing a large factory with more than 200,000 people is no easier than commanding an army of 200,000 people.
Now that Zuo Menggeng has agreed to split up the military factories and make them directly responsible to the military department, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But I still have to tell Zuo Mengeng the bad news.
"The mortar idea you proposed, after actual combat, the special forces came to the conclusion that the ammunition was not powerful enough. We tried it again and increased the charge, the shell would be too heavy and the range would be greatly shortened. Therefore, everyone agreed that
We must have new explosives. Do you think it is possible to use mercury fulminate in explosives?"
Zuo Mengeng didn't expect that the army's requirements would be so strict.
But if you think about it, you know that mortar shells are only that big in total. If you only use black powder, the power is not much different from that of fireworks.
Obviously everyone can see that the mortar is a very good weapon, but the gunpowder cannot keep up.
What kind of new gunpowder should we have?
Mercury fulminate definitely won’t work.
Even if Zuo Menggeng made optimizations, the stability of mercury fulminate is still a big problem. When used to make mortar shells, a shock may wipe out all the gunners operating it.
After thinking about it, Zuo Mengeng thought of a gunpowder that is currently easy to obtain for the new army, has good power, and is slightly safer.
"After you go back, let the laboratory do it and see if soaking cotton in nitric acid will have any miraculous effects?"
With that said, Zuo Mengeng pulled the paper and wrote the specific steps on it.
Zuo Dai was stunned.
"Can you get new gunpowder by soaking cotton in nitric acid?"
Isn't this too simple?
Nonsense, the New Army has nitric acid, so you think it is easy. Think about the entire world today, even if you tell them, can they make it?
Yes, the new type of gunpowder Zuo Menggen took out was collodion.
Because of the manufacturing of mercury fulminate, the New Army has been able to produce nitric acid in batches. Moreover, the uses of nitric acid are being discovered bit by bit.
It can be said that just because of the production of mercury fulminate, all the products involved in it are being curiously studied by people. I believe that over time, if it is carried forward, it will be perfected into the chain of the chemical system.
It was precisely because there was enough nitric acid and Shandong was a cotton producing area that Zuo Menggeng thought of making collodion.
Another advantage of getting guncotton is that it can improve the propellant of the new army.
It is said that in the near future, black powder will completely disappear from the New Army.
Today's Mengyin County has changed drastically. The most obvious feeling is that the air is full of vitality.
The faces of the common people I saw on the road were filled with blood. They carried various tools and sang folk songs as they walked away. They did not think that labor was hard work.
Under the wall, a group of senior officials of the New Army were squatting to eat, basking in the sun while eating, and discussing the development of Mengyin.
"As of this January, the population of Mengyin has increased by more than 30,000. All of them came from the nearby countryside and strongly requested to settle down."
When it comes to population growth, the Party is very proud of itself.
As a local official, this is certainly a political achievement.
"What's the reason?"
Zuo Mengeng was very concerned.
"Why else? I have work to do and food to eat."
Qi Biaojia explained the reason.
An important reason why Mengyin, a remote and remote area, can attract people here is that there are opportunities to make money and survive.
"There is a big problem in the development of this place, which is the lack of water. Although the Meng River is right in front of us, so much water has flowed away in vain. Some time ago, we conducted an inspection and decided to build a new high-lying water project in the low-lying area to the east.
Build a reservoir. It is surrounded by mountains and low-lying in the middle. There is no need to build a dam. It is a natural reservoir."
Zuo Mengeng looked at the map and understood that the place where Dang Huanchun and Qi Biaojia decided to build the reservoir was exactly where the later bank reservoir would be.
This reservoir is the main source of water supply near Mengshan, feeding hundreds of thousands of people.
Taking advantage of the fact that there are few people nearby, building a reservoir is a good thing that will last a long time.
"Is there any difficulty?"
Dang Huanchun has now adapted to the way things are done here, and he opened his mouth and said: "Money, food. The allocation allocated last year has almost been used. If you want to build the reservoir, you must have sufficient financial support. In addition,
There is also the spring farming work, which cannot be delayed."
Zuo Menggeng was mentally prepared for the local government's request for financial support, and did not hesitate or refuse.
The Administrative Council is now very financially sound.
The reason is that we made too much windfall last year.
The big one is cotton.
Those cotton fields did not originally belong to the New Army. Because of the White Lotus Sect's rebellion, the landowners who owned the land were either killed or fled, and the New Army picked up what was readily available.
From the sale of cotton alone, the Administrative Committee received more than 800,000 taels of silver.
Speaking of Mengyin's agriculture, Zuo Mengeng was even more concerned.
"Do you have any specific plans?"
Dang Huanchun knew that he was under investigation and explained everything in detail.
In view of the fact that Mengyin has many mountains and little land, the county government decided to intensively manage the limited cultivated land. The land on the north bank of the Mengyin River near the county seat mainly grows wheat, cotton and other crops.
Wheat is food and is indispensable. Cotton is a source of wealth and cannot be omitted.
In the narrow strip on the south bank of the Meng River, the county government decided to plant auxiliary crops such as peanuts, sesame, corn, potatoes and vegetables.
"These alone cannot guarantee the people's food and clothing."
Zuo Mengeng was not satisfied and had sharp questions.
The party is still young but full of confidence.
"Your guidance gave us ideas. After next spring, we plan to take advantage of the terrain in the mountains to plant ginkgo, hawthorn, walnuts, etc., and replant drought-resistant trees in some barren hills. In short, we must make full use of the mountainous areas.
"
Agricultural development in mountainous and hilly areas is not a simple subject. Zuo Menggeng asked with concern: "Are you sure?"
Dang Huan Chun really gave him a surprise.
"In the fall, Mr. Wang Kangyu personally led a team to inspect and help us make plans. In the spring, he will come to help us cultivate tree species and formulate planting plans."
Good guys, everyone has learned to seek help from experts.
Zuo Mengeng was most satisfied with this situation.
"Leave professional matters to professionals, and you will definitely achieve success."
Wang Xiangjin seems to be an agricultural authority in this era, and he knows how to plant forests. Having him take charge of this matter greatly increased Zuo Mengeng's confidence.
Zuo Menggeng has not noticed that Mengyin County's approach is changing the original appearance of traditional Chinese agriculture that focuses on the land, and is developing in an all-round way like agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline fishery.