The person who really helped Wang make up his mind was not Liu Chengzong, but Zhang Tianlin.
Liu Shishi used words to paint a picture of the Marshal's Palace controlling the Western Region and Beiting through the two Protector's Palaces. Wang Ziyong was still hesitant, but Zhang Tianlin, who was sitting aside drinking, was full of passion.
This guy slapped the table and said: "Commander, if Monk Wang doesn't go, just let me go and let him get immigrants for me!"
Zhang Tianlin is willing to go to Tianshan to become the Protector of Beiting.
Not to mention that after 800 years, the Beiting River and Mountains were opened again, and it was certain that the first Protector would be recorded in the annals of history.
The key is that there is almost no danger in this work. Liu Shishi has already broken down the entire strategy. The Western Region and Beiting are connected together. If these two guardianships are taken out separately, any rebellion will be buried in the wind and sand. .
If something goes wrong, the road is far away and the desert is thousands of miles away. The Marshal's Mansion Headquarters will definitely not be able to provide support. Even if the support arrives, the army will be out of food as soon as it passes by. After half a month of Dunbing Mountain, the army will be self-defeating.
But as long as Beiting can stabilize the Oirat at the beginning and use Beiting as a springboard to enter the Western Region, in turn, the north and south of Tianshan Mountain will be able to provide support to each other. If Beiting is in chaos, there will be Western Regions, and if the Western Regions are in chaos, Beiting will be there.
Even after the situation is stabilized, a fulcrum can be established in Hami, Turpan. With the support of three parties, the northwest of the Marshal's Mansion will be impregnable.
What's more, what does it mean to be a protector? He was the general guardian on the frontier on behalf of the emperor.
Zhang Tianlin thought about the image of him standing at the border, with the leaders of the various tribes under his jurisdiction holding up their sabers and swearing loyalty to the generalissimo for generations to come. Is there any reason not to go?
Wang Ziyong himself was reluctant to go to Tianshan, but Zhang Tianlin jumped out to grab the job, and Wang Ziyong was worried about gains and losses.
Because if Zhang Tianlin goes, Liu Chengzong just asks him to recruit Gansu border troops, which he cannot refuse.
Under such conditions, it seems that he has to be busy making wedding clothes for Zhang Tianlin, who is the guardian of Beiting.
Why!
After understanding this matter, Wang Ziyong no longer hesitated, and the question they discussed directly became when to set off.
Liu Shizi was very satisfied with the result, and the candidate for the commander of the Tianshan Guard was decided. When the Tianshan Guard was truly established in Oirat, and his brother led the garrison south to conquer the Western Region, two protective palaces could be established in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.
Liu Chengzong had a good time in Haixi County, stayed for two days, and chatted with Wang Ziyong about the specific responsibilities and precautions of Shanwei.
Then I received the news that Shicheng and I had arrived at the Navy Yamen with a full set of equipment produced by the Marshal's Mansion. Then I bid farewell to Wang Ziyong and set off back to the Navy Yamen.
When he came back, he met with Shi Chengwei first and inspected the various equipment shipped from the arsenal.
Belt knives, hand knives and spears, mail coats, cotton-padded leather jackets, and cloth-covered iron armor worn by officers. Some of these weapons and armor pieces were captured old equipment for refurbishment, and some were brand-new equipment currently in service in the commander's office. All of them were guaranteed to pass the test in terms of quality.
What Liu Chengzong wanted to inspect was mainly firearms, but Shicheng and I did not bring the 1,500 kilograms of artillery.
The musket is a three-coin matchlock gun directly transferred from the Xining Guard. Because the ammunition is lighter, its power and range are slightly weaker than the original Oirat musket. The advantage is that it is lighter.
What he brought was a 300-jin iron cannon. In fact, both the 300-jin light cannon and the 1,500-jin heavy cannon were cast by the Marshal's Mansion. The two specifications of the cannon were adapted to the most standard one-jin, Seven pounds of shells.
They are exactly the same as the two-hundred-jin light cannon and thousand-jin heavy cannon currently in service in the Marshal's Mansion in terms of barrel length, caliber, ammunition weight, range and power.
The weight difference between the two specifications of artillery is not a matter of craftsmanship, but of material and thickness.
The two lighter cannons used by the Marshal's Mansion are cast copper cannons, which are thinner in appearance and are designed to be fired 800 times without exploding the chamber.
The two heavier cannons are cast-iron cannons, which are thicker in appearance and designed to require firing six hundred times without exploding the chamber.
The arsenal of the Marshal's Mansion had also cast two cast-iron cannons in the past. Because there was not enough copper at the time, iron was used instead, so he is very familiar with these processes.
I also brought good news to Liu Chengzong. After a year of preparation for the arsenal in Xincheng, the early preparations for restructuring and manufacturing lathe equipment have not been in vain, and the output of various weapons has been greatly improved.
In fact, the entire arsenal under the Ordnance Bureau is completely different from the past. Now the Ordnance Bureau is in charge of each ordnance factory, and each ordnance factory is in charge of each workshop. The management is more detailed.
Each of the workshops also built a large number of waterwheels for work in accordance with Liu Chengzong's requirements. Of course, not every workshop can benefit from this. Among the more than 100 workshops under the Ordnance Bureau, more than half of the workshops do not need it. Water conservancy machinery.
When I was a teacher, my response to hydraulic machinery was not as good as Liu Chengzong imagined. He said: "Commander, we built a seventeen-wheel waterwheel on Huangshui River. It is of little significance to the Ordnance Bureau, but it can fill three thousand and fourteen wheels." Hundred acres of land.”
Liu Chengzong didn't believe it and shook his head: "It doesn't mean much. You said that the Ordnance Bureau's ordnance production has been greatly improved?"
"The Marshal doesn't know something. Water power is useful for blowing wind, sharpening knives, and breaking ores, but it is fine for fine processing and barely stacking. But it will make a loss. I still think that if the Marshal wants to promote water power, it is better for the Baigong Bureau."
Shicheng shook his head and said: "The Ordnance Bureau has a monthly output quota. The water flow is variable, and the output of the Huangshui River is unstable. The output will change when the season changes. How can that be done? Besides, the craftsmen also have concerns."
"Maybe there will be a drought in Xining at some point, and the water will stop flowing. The water hammer waterwheels that cost a lot of money to build are all useless. Therefore, the Ordnance Bureau's current water-powered equipment can be connected to two sets of axles, and one set relies on the waterwheel. The other one relies on big mules.”
The drought is indeed frightening. Liu Chengzong did not object to this point of view. Hearing that Shicheng and I used animal power, he smiled and said: "It's not bad to spend some fodder one day... Then where do you think the increase in production lies? "
"Back to Commander, the main focus is on the division of labor in each workshop, such as muskets, armor, and helmets. The more parts there are, the greater the production increase will be."
As Shicheng said, I counted these pieces of equipment in turn and said: "The production of waist knives is about the same as in the past; but the production of heavy guns and guns has increased. For example, the flintlock heavy guns require forty-five workers per shot, and the drill alone is The gun tube alone requires thirty labors."
When I mentioned the assembly line, I couldn't hide the excitement on my face. I said emphatically: "Now that the workshops are divided, those who make copper faucets and triggers can make twenty pieces a day, which is enough for the entire gun factory. The extra people will use the blunderbuss."
"The most important thing is that each workshop can handle small and large tasks. A master craftsman can look after three or four workshops. More than 70 master craftsmen can figure out how to make weapons better and faster. Now there are 340 master craftsmen. A small and large worker who drills musket tubes can produce ten heavy muskets and one lifting gun every day."
Liu Chengzong blinked: "Every day?"
"Yes, every day. There are only two people in the musket assembly workshop. They are so busy that they can assemble the dozen or so muskets in one day."
Shicheng I nodded heavily and said: "This is because the arsenal has not hired people. It still has 72 master craftsmen and 320 craftsmen in the past. In fact, there are less than 800 small and large workers working in the workshop for three months. He is a skilled craftsman.”
Shichengwo said: "Commander, not to mention other factories, the musket factory can definitely be expanded. Nowadays, copper and iron from Hehuang are constantly being sent in, and there is no shortage of materials."
"There is a new workshop built over there, and there are enough craftsmen here. We will hire another 800 workers, large and small, and let the craftsmen work with them for three to six months. If we move to the new workshop, we can produce thirty muskets and three guns a day. , one month is equal to one year.”
Wouldn't that... Liu Chengzong calculated in his mind: "Can we produce 10,000 muskets a year?"
Ten thousand muskets. Liu Chengzong remembered that Cao Yao told him that Zhang Daojun from Shanxi spent one and a half years and 30,000 taels of silver during the Tianqi period to build more than 2,000 Franco machines and more than 10,000 three-eyed muskets. But that was in Shanxi.
Zezhou, Lu'an Prefecture in Shanxi Province, is a very important steel production base in the country, with a mature iron industry and a large number of skilled craftsmen.
As long as you have power and money in your hands, it's almost as easy as picking up weapons there.
As for his Xining Mansion, the production capacity of Xining Guard itself is only 150 pieces of armor per year, and reaching 10,000 muskets is a huge improvement from scratch.
In the past, Liu Chengzong would still have some concerns about the huge increase in weapons production. After all, the arms handicraft industry was enough for him in the past, and it would not make much sense to build more.
But it's different now. Now Liu Shishi has met the bold Batur Huitaiji.
"Expand it." Liu Shishi said in an understatement: "Don't just expand the firearms, the cannon foundry, the sword factory, the armor factory, and the quilt factory that makes cotton and leather clothes, all of them are expanded. How many people and how much money do we need to recruit?"
This time, the excited Shichengwo was frightened. He hesitated to speak: "Commander, Commander?"
He thought Liu Chengzong was talking sarcastically.
Unexpectedly, Liu Chengzong didn't care: "What's the matter? How many people and how much money are needed?"
"If we expand on this scale, we will need to recruit at least 1,600 more workers, large and small, and the ones who make uniforms are in the Baigong Bureau, and they will have to recruit another 400 people there. Calculated at 2,000, the annual labor and food expenses will be more Twenty-one thousand nine hundred taels.”
"Moreover, the scale has doubled, and the output of our own iron factory is not enough. Hehuang can purchase it, but the cost is higher than that of Shuaifu's own iron factory. I am afraid that the annual expenditure alone will increase by 60,000 taels."
After I finished my calculations, I paused and persuaded: "Well, Commander, how about we do it step by step?"
Liu Chengzong thought carefully for a moment, sighed softly, and shook his head: "Don't do it step by step, just expand it comprehensively. We still need to cultivate more skilled craftsmen, and this management system must continue to improve."
The annual increase of 60,000 taels of expenditure is not a small amount, and is even very dangerous for the Marshal's Mansion's unstable financial resources.
Because they have a lot of income and a lot of expenses, seven of the thirteen military battalions of the Commander-in-Chief are now combat barracks that receive both food and pay.
This military salary alone is more than 300,000 taels per year.
Their tax policy in Hehuang is to buy grain equally. The commander-in-chief buys grain at the official price. To maintain credit, it must buy it at a fair price, at least one tael per stone. This can raise a large amount of grain for them. But it also requires a temporary investment of a large amount of silver.
Even if a large amount of goods are put into the market, such as goods from the Baigong Bureau, or salt, and the silver is recovered, the commander's office must be able to get the silver.
You can't wait for the people to bring in food, and Liu Chengzong will be so shy as to issue IOUs to the people.
But on the other hand, Liu Chengzong believed that the risk was worth taking, because their precious development time was running out.
If everything develops as expected by his father, with the border troops in Yulin, Ningxia and other places freed up, the development of the rebel army in the Central Plains will fall into a low ebb, and the second war between Liu Chengzong and the Ming court will begin.
By that time, he didn't know if he would have a chance to usher in short-term peace.
"The craftsmen in the arsenal are not only here for now, but also go to Lanzhou, Hanzhong, and Xi'an."
Liu Chengzong said: "They are the seeds of the future military industry. Once the war breaks out again, it will be difficult to stop it. We can't always count on the weapons being transported from Xincheng to Lanzhou or even to Xi'an. When the time comes, we will definitely deploy manpower to build the new military industry." arsenal."
I have also fought with Shicheng and traveled to many places. I can understand Liu Chengzong's words. I nodded after hearing the words and said cautiously: "Since the commander-in-chief has decided, I will start recruiting craftsmen when I get back... By the way, commander-in-chief , and there’s good news.”
"Well, what's wrong?"
"Although the water wheel is not very useful for weapons manufacturing, it is used by the Baigong Bureau. All the craftsmen in the Baigong Bureau were born in Pingliang and are master craftsmen in the royal palace. They have used and made many lathes and machines."
Shicheng I said: "This time the commander asked me to make a water machine. They first made a complete set of machines for producing cotton cloth, from a seed remover, a gin, a cotton elastic machine, a three-spindle spinning machine to a cotton loom, but these things The Baigong Bureau is of little use.”
This was expected by Liu Chengzong. He nodded with a very calm expression and said: "But it is a good thing that they have made it. They can be promoted to the five towns of Hehuang. Each township can make these looms, and the cotton cloth can also be purchased by the government."
In the next few years, no matter how much progress the cotton loom makes, it will not mean much to Liu Shizi.
He simply didn’t have that much cotton.
Shicheng I nodded, then waved his hand and said: "Not only this, this is not of much use to Hehuang, but they first made six spinning wheels for spinning wool, and then made twelve large spinning wheels, animal power and water power. They can spin camel hair and cashmere, and six women can spin sixteen pounds of wool in six hours."
"Sixteen pounds?"
Liu Chengzong's eyes widened and his expression changed.
The yarn of cashmere is different from that of cotton. Liu Chengzong was the person who controlled the most pasture land in China during this era.
Cashmere is different from sheep wool. It is a very precious material. Especially in this era, it is fine, light, soft and warm, and is the best textile material.
The herdsmen use their fingernails to pick out the cashmere along the direction of growth. Camel hair is more precious than cashmere. This kind of plush can only be obtained by a poor person working hard to get cashmere weighing one penny.
A pound of white cashmere is worth three coins of silver; a pound of fine cashmere and camel hair is worth seven coins of silver; a pound of wool is worth nine coins of silver.
A piece of clothing made of cashmere is worth at least one tael of silver, which is almost equal to wealth.
"Hehe, hehe, good job!"
Liu Chengzong couldn't help but giggle, and performed a "fly hand rubbing" for Shicheng me.
At this moment, he no longer cares about his manners, and only has one question on his mind: Who will soon be the person with the most cashmere in the world?
Batur Hutaiji!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
good afternoon!
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