Under the snow-capped mountains, beside Qinghai Lake.
Liu Shishi was wearing a thin coat, carrying a disproportionately large musket on his shoulder, and was jogging around the lake with long strides.
The continuous exercise caused him to sweat a lot, making his cheeks red and his breathing gradually becoming heavier.
A large number of soldiers gathered in the lakeside camp. On the one hand, the auxiliary soldiers were envious of the fact that the commander ran hundreds of steps with a heavy gun on his shoulder, and then turned back, still showing his physical strength as if nothing had happened.
On the other hand, the soldiers also focused their attention on this huge musket.
It was the hard work of the great craftsmen Shicheng I and He Xin, and their gun-carrying spear was finally ready.
In order to make this lifting gun, He Xin also specially improved the technology of drilling the gun barrel and changed the original vertical drilling machine to a horizontal type to overcome the technical difficulties.
In fact, it’s not about technical difficulty. The Lion Army’s craftsmen had no problems with the production process of all the required equipment.
Only the freehand finishing after drilling the barrel is a key point that requires craftsmanship. This seven-foot-long barrel requires a height of one foot and five feet using an elevated vertical drilling machine.
It is already very troublesome for the craftsmen to climb so high, and when working in winter, it is difficult to drill every part of the chamber wall to the same width.
Later, I simply turned down the drill press and built a workshop. Manufacturing was much easier, and making this gun was a matter of course.
But it's still a little heavier than expected, thirty-eight and a half pounds.
It is worth mentioning that the gun machine I chose for this big gun is a flintlock.
Because I think this gun can perfectly avoid the disadvantages of the flintlock gun.
It is heavy enough and long enough, and is designed to have a very stable shooting environment. It can make the hammer force as powerful as possible without affecting shooting accuracy.
And because it has a range of three hundred steps, even if the fire fails, there is enough time to cock the hammer again.
What's more, it uses a lot of medicine, makes a lot of noise, and is assigned to a level of supplementary firepower and a group of heavy weapons. Even if it fails to fire, it will not be ignored in the salvo like ordinary bird guns.
It can avoid to the greatest extent possible artificial explosions caused by multiple gunpowder and lead bullets being put into the barrel.
There is only one thing Liu Shishi feels right now: this gun is too damn heavy.
He has never slacked off his training, working hard to practice martial arts. It has become a habit for him as a boy, just like eating and drinking.
So now the body is used to less strenuous running on plateaus.
But even so, this gun is still too heavy. Running with a gun that is disproportionately large has a completely different feeling than running with armor of the same weight.
Let him talk about the feeling of running with this gun on his shoulder. To be honest, it will remind him of the 120-pound Guandao in the martial arts examination venue.
But in the martial arts examination field, the long sword only needs to be used in a routine. Compared with running two miles with the nearly 40 kilogram big gun, Liu Chengzong feels that it is more comfortable to use the big sword.
As he got closer and closer to the shore, the soldiers cheered and cheered him on. Saburo had already prepared Gebu's silk towel and leather water bag and was waiting there.
The advancement of weapons has always placed higher demands on their handicraft industry.
In the past, shooting a light bird gun with three-money bullets required sixty labors.
A master craftsman and an apprentice can make one rod every month. When the master and his subordinates work hard, they can make two to three hundred rods every month.
After arriving in Xining, they will need to make heavy muskets, which will require about thirty to forty additional workers for each shot, which will take a month and a half.
As for this big gun, one shot requires 130 labors, which is more than twice that of a light bird blunderbuss.
Liu Shishi was a little tired after running back, so he walked slowly around the camp, sipping water while walking.
Cao Yao took the gun and held it taller than him, his eyes full of joy.
After many years of absence, after the wind-chasing gun in Liaodong, he finally saw this kind of treasure again, and it was an enhanced version.
Old thief Cao took three steps and two steps at a time, and couldn't wait to say: "Commander, let's find someone to fight!"
"Are you satisfied with one shot?"
Liu Chengzong walked for a while, and the beating in his chest subsided a little. Then he sat down on the ground, called Master Cheng and I to sit down together, and said: "Master Master and Master He will form a spear-carrying party, and each will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver... and let's make a two-wheeled cart for it." Let the mule pull you away."
After running through it with a gun on his shoulder, Liu Shizi thought it was better not to let his soldiers suffer this fate.
Carrying such a thing and marching on the plateau is obviously the work of animals. There is no need to let animals rest.
Liu Chengzong turned his head as he spoke, suddenly thought of something, and asked Shi Chengwo: "The transport is not here, how many baggage trucks are there now?"
"More than three thousand vehicles?"
Cheng Yun has always been responsible for this matter, and I am not sure about the specific number: "I heard from Cheng Yun before that it seemed to be more than three thousand, but Buying had to leave more than a hundred vehicles earlier."
"Well, I know that. The infantry battalion must be used as a light vehicle camp. It seems that there are 160 vehicles for each battalion. We can add another 140 vehicles to make up for every ten vehicles, and modify them to carry guns and small vehicles. Hang in the back.”
After this trip to Haibei, Liu Chengzong deeply realized the vastness and sparsely populated area of Qinghai.
Their experience of long-distance marches in northern Shaanxi will not work here.
Carrying provisions for twelve days in Han Dynasty is enough to cope with all situations, but here, if you want to fight a war, you may not have to cross the uncontrolled area for twelve days.
There is grass growing everywhere, so there is no need to worry about livestock.
In Liu Shizi's vision, each of his subordinates, regardless of whether they are on foot or cavalry, should be in charge of twelve mules, twenty-four horses, and a vehicle carrying a load of 600 kilograms to station their military tents and armor. , food and fodder, and a carrying gun.
The troops had only entered the Haibei area for less than a month, and Liu Chengzong felt that they might put afforestation on the agenda.
In the Haibei Baili and Haidong Riyue Mountain areas, there are very vast forest areas, mostly composed of fir trees, cypress trees, poplar trees, and birch trees.
But no matter how many trees there are, they can't hold up thousands of training horse soldiers who are part-time lumberjacks.
If these people go out, they can kill all the wood that the surrounding Xifan tribe uses for a year in three to five days.
Who asked them to build ships, cannons, and houses at the same time?
In the early years when Huo Luochi was still alive, when looking for wood, he would send Gu Ruhuang Taiji to ride out with thirty or forty people, and go from tribe to tribe with a knife. In half a year, he could bring back tens of thousands of large trees.
Therefore, the mentality of the Xifan tribesmen in Haibei is very complicated.
I wanted to persuade this group of strong soldiers to stop digging in one place. One by one, the big men from northern Shaanxi picked up their axes and felled trees with such high efficiency that they would cut off the top of the mountain again.
But he was worried, so after he tried to persuade him, the gang would assign the logging matter to him again.
Especially at this time, for the Xifantou people in Haibei, the Lion Army's advance into the Bay of Curve is no longer a secret, but they can talk about it.
Some people said they were Han rebels, while others said they were Han government officials. Anyway, they were not good things.
The rebels were naturally extremely ferocious, and the government was not much better either. When the emperor had trouble, he would dispatch them, but when he had nothing to do, he would ignore them and let the Mongols oppress them.
Therefore, everyone's attitude towards this group of people is very similar to that of an ostrich.
There are exceptions.
On the second day of March, Dai Daozi returned from the war between the Huo Luochi brothers in the south.
Dai Daozi not only brought back Taiji's request to be stationed in Mu Haibei, but also brought an unexpected guest to Liu Chengzong who was drying wood.
The pretentious request is not a problem for Liu Chengzong. Haibei is very large, and it is a good thing to have a Mongolian path exploration team in the buffer area.
Besides, this would also make their trade more convenient.
Liu Chengzong planned to buy 20 large stone millstones from Xining, and asked Baiyan to select some herdsmen to drive yaks to use as road stones, and run more than ten times from Juerwan to Haibei to grind out a road on the ground.
As for this caravan, how should I put it, it was a Spanish tribute caravan coming from afar.
The leader is a monk in his forties named Gamalad, who is the younger brother of King Nangqian and the abbot of Genbeng Temple.
Monk Gama brought 200 horses and 140 yaks to pay tribute to the emperor and also gave gifts to Li Tianyu, the commander of the Xining Guard.
"But this monk doesn't know Li Tianyu either. He just came to give gifts to the commander of the Xining Guard."
In Liu Chengzong's tent, Dai Daozi showed Liu Chengzong a map drawn on cowhide: "This is Nangqian, the southern gate from Qinghai to Tibet."
Liu Chengzong looked at this rough-painted cowhide map and looked at it with suspicion.
He discovered a more familiar name, Yushu Tusi, a small chieftain from hundreds of families under King Nangqian.
It seems that this Nangqian is a big tribe.
"How many people does he have? He is so far away, 1,200 miles away? He even passed through the battlefield. How did he get here?"
Dai Daozi nodded: "There were thirty-seven of them. Regardless of the feudal states or the Mongols, they did not make things difficult for the monks, so the journey was quite smooth, but they only walked 1,600 miles."
One thousand six hundred miles, further than Liu Shizi expected.
"This picture is a good thing, let someone draw it first."
Liu Chengzong handed the matter over to the painter accompanying the army, and then asked Dai Daozi: "He came to see the commander of Xining Guard, why did you bring him here?"
Liu Shizi estimated that this Ga Ma came to pay tribute because he wanted something from the court.
Otherwise, in a place as far away as Yushu, anyone's rule would be in name only.
There is no need to offend Gongma at all.
"I told him about the situation here and the changes in the overall situation." Dai Daozi said with a smile on his face: "He decided to come to see the commander-in-chief."
Dai Daozi said: "I asked. To the east of his brother's territory, there is a prince named King Baili, named Dunyue Duoji. He is very powerful and attacks everywhere."
"King Nangqian fought with King Baili, but was defeated and killed. The Genbeng Temple where Ga Ma was located was also attacked, so he came to Xining to seek help from the court."
Liu Chengzong frowned and said, "Does he think the court can help?"
Are there such simple people in the world?
Dai Daozi shook his head: "I talked with Ga Ma for a long time on the road. Their traditional tradition is to ask for a title from the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty, and at the same time from the Dharma King of Uzang. Recently, they also ask for a title from the emperor who occupies the north. The Mongol leader asks for a title."
Liu Chengzong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What kind of attribute bonus was this?
Master Chen, who came with the gun to watch the excitement, stood beside him and said at this moment: "Commander, I know where they are, and there is King Baili."
With that said, Master Chen pointed to the map and said: "Commander, please look at their location. It is the only way for the Mongols to enter Tibet. The title of chieftain by the emperor is the golden sign of the internal control. The title given by the king can appease the people and make them more stable. "
"And the recognition of the Mongols can save them from being exiled to Tibet."
Chen Shifo knew these things very well. After thinking about it, he asked Liu Chengzong: "I wonder if the commander-in-chief has fully embraced the hearts of the southern states?"
To capture the heart of the southern country?
Liu Chengzong frowned and asked, "How do you say that?"
"This picture does not include King Baili's territory. This tribe became rich because of its territory. There is a place to the southeast. The commander must know that it is the only way for Sichuan to enter Tibet. It is a sharp road to facilitate business with the Han people. "
"In that area, King Baili can mobilize about 20,000 people, but if he goes to Nangqian, he will only have 4,000 troops."
"Now that King Nangqian has been killed, if the commander-in-chief has no intention of going south, he can naturally write a letter to Gama to appoint a chieftain, but a letter of appointment cannot allow him to regain the territory."
"If the army is sent to help, as long as King Baili is driven out of Nangqian and Gama is named King of Nangqian, the gate of Qinghai's entry into Tibet will surely be the commander's most loyal Xifan subordinates."
It is a bit difficult for Liu Chengzong to drive the four thousand soldiers out of Nangqian... It is not the problem of the soldiers, the terrain over there is high.
His army had just gotten used to the terrain from Haibei to Xining. If supplies could keep up along the way and there were guides who were familiar with the route, it would only take a month to quickly maneuver to Nangqian.
But once he gets there, he may not be able to go straight into combat.
The difficulty can be overcome, but whether it is necessary to overcome it, Liu Shizi feels that more information is needed.
Master Chen waited for a while and heard him say: "Go on."
Master Buddha then said: "I think there are two benefits of sending troops to help. First, it is the financial resources of King Nangqian. A hundred years ago, King Nangqian's ancestors invited black sect monks to station in Genbeng Temple to promote Buddhism and donated 10,000 yuan. Even Qinghai knows about livestock with only one horn."
"Ten thousand horns?"
Liu Chengzong wondered what this meant and donated 10,000 unicorns to Uzang?
"That's five thousand sheep or cattle."
After Chen Shifo finished speaking, Dai Daozi also added: "Commander, they should have a lot of livestock. The horses brought by Ga Ma this time are for tribute, and the yaks are carrying gifts. They plan to come over and finish the delivery, leaving forty. Go back and ride, and sell the rest in Xining.”
Five thousand head of livestock, not bad.
Supplement meat, eggs and milk to strengthen the lion camp.
But according to the current situation where King Nangqian has been killed, it is estimated that even if Gama makes a promise, he will have to pay in installments by then.
What's more, he has to cross the middle zone between Lazun and Guru. Once the back road is cut off, he will be alone. The terrain here does not allow him to break out of camp and go wherever he wants, like he did in northern Shaanxi.
If you want to prepare for this war, you must first garrison troops to separate them, and at least capture the front line of Chaka Salt Pond.
The battle line is just too long.
"What about the second one?"
Chen Shifo said: "The commander-in-chief is an outsider. Between Qinghai and Tibet, countless feudal states do not mind joining the powerful king. Regardless of the Ming Dynasty or the previous dynasty, the commander-in-chief only needs to help Ga Ma and let other feudal states see the benefits of joining. Everyone will rush to join.”
After saying that, Master Chen said: "At least the commander should meet Ga Ma."
After he finished speaking, Liu Chengzong suddenly asked Dai Daozi: "When will Weiyan come over?"
Dai Daozi was stunned by the question.
A smile appeared on Liu Shizi's face. He didn't necessarily want to go to Gama, but if he wanted to go, he thought it would be a better choice to send a thousand troops and let Bao Yan pull out another two thousand cavalry, and the coalition forces to go south.
The subordinates who were lying had been to Uzang, and his people could get used to the altitude there. If the Lion Army's combat effectiveness was reduced due to the plateau, they would still have a layer of insurance.
Of course, this matter has to wait for the people who made the move to move over.
As long as the family members of the entire Taiji tribe are under the protection of Liu Chengzong, the alliance between the two sides will be unbreakable.
