In the wing of the Marshal's Mansion, the oil lamp was burning all night.
Several painters in the room were leaning on chairs or sleeping on the floor with their clothes on. I held an oil lamp and scanned the table full of rulers and compasses.
There are drawings spread out on the table, including the locations of proven and possible gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal deposits within a fifty-mile radius of Curwan, as well as various workshops for swords, spears, armor, guns, and gunpowder factories. structure.
The composition drawn by Liu Chengzong himself is more complicated. It not only contains mechanical parts such as hoisting, winches, large and small gears, pulleys, wheels, screws, crankshafts, etc., but also wooden rail carriages and city defense facilities.
People originally called the city where Marshal Juerwan's Mansion is located the New City. I know this place better than anyone else. It was the first place where the Lion Army moved westward.
The reason why the Lion Army settled here is because there is nothing here except superior natural conditions.
This was once a military buffer zone between the Ming army and the pirates. They built a weapons bureau, established a market, and discovered some unexploited minerals. Now they even built a city and dug irrigation canals from Xining to this place. .
But this was far from Liu Chengzong's wish. The generalissimo asked him to use the design drawings on the table to create a military industrial town with a production capacity comparable to that of Shaanxi Province.
I have always been proud of Shicheng. He has mastered the secret of making artillery, the most powerful weapon of this era.
No matter who appreciates him, he can rely on this unique skill to live comfortably. However, the appreciation given to him by the Generalissimo is not just about living well, but always being on an equal footing with the deputy general.
Lieutenant general is one level below the general under the marshal.
The highest general is Commander-in-Chief Qian, and I am the Sentinel Commander when the division is completed; the highest general is the Staff General, and I am Commander-in-Chief after the division is completed.
In this world, no matter whether it is the Ming emperor or the chief official of a province, whether he is a golden queen or a Han tiger and a rabbit, where can a craftsman be on an equal footing with a general?
Whether you are an ordinary military craftsman or a master, I know very well that only under the command of the Generalissimo can you have such preferential treatment and appreciation.
Because of this, the craftsmen were able to serve their lives to the best of their ability. The number of craftsmen in the Arms Bureau of the Marshal's Mansion was four times that of the First Guards of the Imperial Court. Under the condition that the management was not as formal as the military craftsmen of the Imperial Court, they were able to reach the highest requirement of six in the history of the First Guards of the Imperial Court by sheer enthusiasm. Double production capacity.
The imperial court's highest requirement for the guards was that from the second year of Jingtai to Hongzhi, each guard should produce 160 weapons per year. From then until now, the guards' production has been reduced by half.
But this time, for a cannon-caster who specializes only in red barbarian cannons, I feel that the work that the Grand Marshal asked me to preside over is a bit too difficult.
Even if these mechanical tools that stay on the drawing board can provide craftsmen with higher efficiency, it will be difficult to expand today's production capacity by five times or more.
Simply asking for easy production, they trained more craftsmen, but the problem is that now the imperial court has blocked Lanzhou, materials from Hanzhong cannot be transported in, and their own goods cannot be transported out. Even if they train more craftsmen, there will not be enough materials.
This means that they need higher technology. They have to mine minerals that were easy to mine in the past, and they also need to mine minerals that were difficult to mine in the past. They need more efficient design, technology, management, transportation, manufacturing, inspection, and assembly.
I pushed the window half open, pulled a chair and sat in front of the window for a while, breathing in the fresh morning air. I looked at the blue bricks and black tiles of the Marshal's Mansion. I stood up and exhaled a breath, and encouraged myself in my heart. Encouraged.
This work will take a long time to plan, so we must strive for excellence and there is no room for error.
Liu Chengzong was unable to participate in the subsequent planning of the military-industrial town in a short period of time. The enemy had already reached the gate, but this time the enemy was not human, but God.
Sunday Qiang hurried from the Navy Yamen: "Commander, Qinghai Lake cannot accommodate 50,000 people to survive the winter. They must be moved into the Hehuang Valley. Otherwise, I estimate that at least 10,000 people will die by the beginning of next spring."
Subsequently, letters from Haixi County Magistrate Liu Guoneng and Haibei County Magistrate Chen Qindai were handed over to Liu Chengzong. In the letters, the two complained endlessly, asking for food and fodder support, and begging for mercy to move the excess people into Hehuang.
Haixi originally had a population of more than 4,000, and the newly established county had no granaries. The local people were mainly engaged in animal husbandry. In addition to butter, every household stored food, selling skins and buying dried noodles and fried noodles from Juerwan.
Originally, 8,000 Mongolians were sent to surrender, but they were already short of food and clothing. Liu Guoneng had organized manpower to place the Mongolians on the beach to fish, and also took some people to hunt, so they could only make ends meet.
However, they did not expect that after the people were arranged, a large number of surrendered people would still pour in from Nanshan Pass. They were all old, weak, women and children who were escaping from the war. They originally did not have many supplies with them. Now that the war is over and they are unable to survive the winter, they can only surrender to Nanshan Fort and ask the marshal for asylum.
There is a precedent of Liu Chengzong's surrender, and what he has done is followed by imitation. Naturally, guard Zhong Hu also put the surrender at the pass.
Now the population of Haixi is approaching the 20,000 mark. If Zhong Hu hadn't used half of the military rations, the excess population would have starved to death before reaching Haibei.
But the situation in Haibei County is even worse. There are more people there than in Haixi County, and they live together as a mixture of Fan and Mongolians. Many people have been plundered by Tumote and rogues in the past, and there are many small forts in the mountains.
In fact, Chen Qindai was the most toast-like person in the entire Marshal's Mansion. He reached an agreement with each fort to receive 20% of the tiba and provide military service.
But these Timba could neither be retained nor sent to Xining, because long before the county was established in Haibei, there were already Gansu border troops and Subei Tatars fleeing to the Qilian Mountains.
Not every deserter was willing to surrender, and there were many who turned into bandits under the Qilian Mountains and plundered the north and south.
On the one hand, Chen Qindai wanted to recruit deserters who were willing to surrender to the Tatars; on the other hand, he also had to recruit and exterminate the deserters who turned into bandits. More than 300 surrendered troops needed to be raised, and the 800 coalition forces formed by the local natives also needed food and grass to protect the local area and fight the war. The locals also needed food and grass. To support a team of miners composed of southern prisoners of war, it would be a good thing if they did not ask Xining Prefecture to provide financial and food support.
Even so, Liu Chengzong placed 3,000 prisoners, and the local field development level had reached the limit of the population.
The burden of the extra population can only be placed on the shoulders of Zhou Qiang, the Navy Yamen.
Ever since his family was taken to the Navy Yamen by the eunuch Zhang Yuanheng's disciples, Zhou Qiang's heart has truly stabilized. He has been in charge of two counties and one state, and has more experience in governing local areas than anyone else in the Marshal's Mansion.
The number of troops and civilians surrendered exceeded the expectations of the military commander Liu Chengzong, and the plan could not be changed. He rushed to Juerwan to understand the situation with his father, so that a large number of troops and civilians surrendered at sea without any control.
Xining Prefecture was originally a grassroots establishment. Xining was just a guard of the Ming Dynasty. There was no administrative establishment to the west of Xining. The local area was even looser than the feudal era of Kangning Prefecture, which inherently made governance difficult.
The local military and civilians are out of proportion, and most of their food rations rely on trade. Moreover, the military and civilians are concentrated in the area from Xining to Juerwan. Anyone who throws it here will be blinded, let alone the tens of thousands of foreigners who have poured in now.
The most important thing is that the road from Xining to Juerwan was occupied by a large number of people sent by Lazun, so there was no time to look west.
Disasters at sea are almost a given.
Liu Chengzong put down the letter and asked: "How many thousands of people need to move into the Hehuang Valley now?" Gu Yang
"Thanks to the trust of General Zhang, I was able to temporarily resettle the surrendered people with his support." Zhou Qiang looked particularly tired. He took out the map of Qinghai Lake he carried with him and stated to Liu Chengzong: "Now Haibei has temporarily established three battalions, fishing, Shooting, hunting, and baggage all performed their duties, and 10,800 people were settled and surrendered."
After saying that, Zhou Zhouqiang took out his small notebook again, took a look at it and said: "Another 13,832 people need to be moved to the valley for resettlement, and the commander's mansion needs to transport 5,430 dried noodles and fried noodles to the sea. Six stones can be used by the people who surrendered at sea until April next year."
"In addition, after sorting through the spoils seized by the Marshal, he can deliver 2,420 large and small felt tents and 6,630 pairs of winter clothes to the Marshal's Mansion."
Liu Chengzong wiped his face, looked at Sunday and said forcefully: "We can only send them to the valley. Is it true that more than 10,000 people cannot be resettled at sea?"
As Sunday nodded forcefully, Liu Chengzong stood up and said, "Then let's send it over here. If it's food, I'll send it over there first. If that doesn't work, I can only send it all over. I'll think about it."
The special geographical environment between Hehuang Valley and Haibei makes long-distance transportation in winter too costly. The food can only be transported there now, otherwise it will not cost more than 5,000 dan to be delivered in snowy weather.
Xining Prefecture can get these grains, but Liu Chengzong really doesn't want to take them... This is not because he is stingy. Making five thousand shi of fried noodles requires more than just 5,000 shi of grain.
He talked to his father about the food reserves in Xining Prefecture. They were very wealthy because they had not yet reached the most difficult time.
This wealth will gradually change over the winter. Until planting starts next year, they still have to cultivate a lot of land. If they sow, they will run out of food. If they don't sow, they will starve to death next fall.
Therefore, this grain reserve made Liu Chengzong very embarrassed. If there was more grain, there would be no need to worry about sowing; no matter how little grain was, there would be no need to worry about sowing.
However, embarrassment is embarrassing. Zhou Qiang is very capable. Liu Chengzong had to show something. He stood up first and clasped his fists and said: "Thanks to Brother Zhou for planning at sea, otherwise this time it would be much more difficult."
After saying that, he asked: "Can I exchange salt with the Haibei natives for food?"
Salt is free for them. A single Chaka Salt Lake is enough for extraction and trade, and even the Keke Salt Lake at the foot of Wulan Mountain in the west cannot be mined.
Liu Chengzong's words about "Brother Zhou" made Zhou Qiang's heart skip a beat, and he almost responded by saying that his two sons had no plans to become officials.
It wasn't until he heard that salt was exchanged for grain with the local people later that Sunday Qiang relaxed and said, "It's possible, but it's just a drop in the bucket, unless we organize a caravan to sell salt in Gansu, but the price of grain in Gansu is high and the journey is long and expensive; Secondly, I’m afraid there will be no way out and it will be difficult to defend.”
"This is a way, I can think about it." Liu Chengzong asked: "How does Brother Zhou think the current food dilemma in Xining Mansion should be solved?"
On Sunday, I wanted to talk but stopped.
Faced with this situation where the migrant population has doubled in the entire Xining Prefecture and the population in Haibei and Haixi has increased several times, no matter how knowledgeable and talented he is, Sunday Qiang cannot produce food.
Liu Chengzong saw the difference in his expression, as if he saw hope, and clasped his fists and said: "Brother Zhou, if he has a solution, I hope he will explain it."
Sunday Qiang thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if the commander-in-chief has heard that someone in the army wants to look east."
Looking east?
Liu Chengzong was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Brother Zhou, where did you hear about this?"
Of course he knew that his father Liu Xiangyu did not take the food shortage before next autumn harvest seriously. This problem was very easy to solve in his father's opinion.
Anyway, they had no choice but to go. The chieftains east of Xining had been passed down for hundreds of years; the wealthy families in the Hehuang Valley owned acres of fertile land; there were even the royal palaces in Lanzhou and the border army's grain storage camps.
Pushing the front to the mouth of the Lanzhou River can always solve their problems.
Sunday Qiang looked very serious and said: "I heard this from Liu Zhixian in Haixi County, but I hope the marshal will listen to me. I think this is far from a desperate situation. We are going to fight eastward. The marshal's mansion is really ready. ?”
Liu Chengzong did not answer whether he was ready for war with the imperial court, but asked: "Is it far from a desperate situation to be without food?"
Whether he starts a war or not has nothing to do with whether he is ready. Even if he is not ready, what will happen if he runs out of food? How many people ate Guanyin soil during the severe drought in northern Shaanxi? Don’t you know that eating too much Guanyin soil will kill you?
Everyone knows that, and everyone knows that you can survive if you survive.
Sunday Qiang lowered his head and thought for a while: "It's not that we are not in a desperate situation. I just feel... Commander, the people will run out of food, but the military food is enough, so there is no need to start a war."
"That means watching them starve to death." Liu Chengzong raised his eyebrows and pointed at Sunday and said forcefully: "Then why do you come to me and tell me that the people will starve to death if they don't move into the river valley? People can't die in your hands, right?"
"It's you who want to save people!"
Sunday gritted his teeth and said: "If I were in charge, I would never let them into the sea. If everyone is bound to die, I would rather have the Mongolians overseas starve to death, rather than the Marshal's Mansion raising troops to let the people in the Hehuang Valley and Lanzhou die."
Liu Chengzong didn't speak for a long time, and the anger in his heart gradually disappeared. Finally, he softened his tone and said: "They are no longer overseas Mongols. I am the one who governs the people. Of course I have to save people. I won't raise troops until the end if I have no other choice."
"Buy food."
Sunday Qiang suddenly said: "Buy grain from the east. The wealthy toast family can buy a lot of grain even if the price is high."
"Food prices in Xining are already high, and we don't know how high they will be if we go further east..."
Liu Chengzong shook his head slowly and said with a sigh: "That's my military pay."
He has always wanted to pay military pay to the army, but he has not been able to save three years of military pay. Seeing that it is almost time to pay military pay, he is asked to spend his money eastward to buy grain at a high price like a fool. He is more willing to pay it to his subordinates. To get military pay, go to the east and hang up the landlords and gentry and rob them.
"Even if you want to buy food, you have to push your troops to the mouth of the Lanzhou River and hold the Hehuang Valley in your hands before buying food."
"I will consider the Eastern Expedition again." After Liu Chengzong said this, he said forcefully to Sunday: "Brother Zhou, please come back. The rations needed at sea will be sent there soon."
Sunday Qiang didn't say anything more. He held up his hands and finally persuaded: "Commander, you are not an Eastern captive, let alone a Western captive. As long as you survive this time, you will have thousands of hectares of fields and thousands of hectares of fertile land, enough to raise an army. You don't have to be ruthless and violent." Shi Renyi immediately brought He Huang back to his heart."
