The sky is high, the fields are vast, the wind blows and the grass is low.
It's the most fertile summer of the Monan grassland in the north of Saibei. The Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty once again transformed into the Kangxi Khan of the Great Mongolia. He led his officials and harem, and was escorted by the most elite Eight Banners cavalry. Above the boundless Bashang grassland. The endless horse teams, camel teams and carriages lined up on the green grassland in several four-color teams, like four dragons with teeth and claws, swimming forward on the grassland like a green sea.
Kangxi Khan himself was wearing a blue linen coat, riding a not very tall but very strong Mongolian horse, and marched behind a team of quite large carriages and horses. Horse-drawn carts were packed with goods. There are small triangular flags in three colors: straight yellow, bordered yellow, and straight white. There is the word "内" on the flags. On top of each cart, in addition to the driver, there is also a strong musketeer with a flintlock produced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Manufacturing Office on his shoulder, looking around with his chest raised and his belly raised. On both sides of the convoy, there are Eight Banners musketeers carrying muskets on their backs and sabers on their shoulders. They have one man and two horses. The second horse carries a large bag as a salute and a spear. They look quite capable and can fight against the Rakshasa Cossack cavalry!
In fact, before Emperor Kangxi came to power, the firearms manufacturing industry of the Manchu Qing court was very powerful! It is completely different from the image of the Qing soldiers who died with swords and spears in later generations. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Qing army was equipped with a large number of firearms. About 30 to 40 percent of the Green Battalion soldiers were equipped with matchlock guns. And half of the Eight Banners soldiers who "conquered the world with bows and horses" were equipped with muskets! Taking into account the proportion of cavalry among the Eight Banners soldiers, this 50% musket rate is really no less than that of any European power.
Moreover, the scale of the standing army of the Qing Dynasty was not comparable to that of any European power at the same time. The Qing Dynasty had hundreds of thousands of standing armies. According to the ratio of muskets and equipment to 40%, that is more than 300,000 guns. All of them were hand-made!
Of course, in the early Qing Dynasty, the Qing army's muskets were mainly matchlocks, there were very few flintlock muskets, and very few rifled muskets - not none! There are physical objects of the matchlock rifles of the Kangxi Dynasty in military museums of later generations.
However, this is not because the rulers of the Qing Dynasty discriminated against flintlock guns, nor is it because the craftsmen of the Qing Dynasty did not know how to make flintlock guns, but because when the Qing Dynasty rose, matchlock guns were still used all over the world. The complete popularity of flintlock guns in Europe had to wait until the early 18th century. Moreover, any kind of advanced weapons can only be equipped in large quantities in a war environment. If there is no war that has already occurred or is likely to occur, who will devote huge amounts of financial and material resources to killing tools? How good would it be to spend money on extravagance?
Although the San Francisco Uprising in history was quite cheerful, because Wu Sangui's main force stopped on the south bank of the Yangtze River, it did not really put the Qing Dynasty to a life and death test, and Wu Sangui's weapons were not as advanced as the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Kangxi, who was very enthusiastic about improving muskets and artillery, did not bother to click on the "Flintlock Gun" technology tree.
In addition, Kangxi seems to have made a mistake in the artillery technology tree. He did not vigorously develop conventional field cannons, but focused on the development of heavy siege artillery, sky cannons, and field cannons. According to the physical objects that survived to later generations, these The craftsmanship of the artillery is exquisite, and it is not at the same level as the cannons used to bombard the English during the Daoguang period. It's just that the development route is a bit crooked.
But now, times have changed!
Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but work hard to upgrade his firearms technology, and there was already a ready-made job to copy. So Kangxi immediately copied flintlock muskets, bronze field cannons and "semi-circular cavity bullets".
Among them, the "semi-circular cavity bullet" has the most obvious improvement in the firepower of the Qing army! The so-called semi-circular cavity bullet is a bullet similar to the Mini bullet, which can effectively improve the air tightness of the smoothbore gun. Historically, it appeared soon after the appearance of the Mini bullet. It was invented by the Belgians and was called Ney. Sler bomb. On Li Zhongshan's side, this kind of bullet is a "cut-corner version" tinkered by Dai Zi, who is in charge of military production, and craftsmen who produce custom-loaded cork bullets (mini bullets) in Foshan. Because it was easy to produce and could double the effective range of the musket, it quickly became popular.
When the Wu Zhou Army and the Qing Army (mainly the Jieshu Department in Jiangxi) fought against the Ming Army, they also seized a lot of fixed semicircular cavity bullets. After the trial, they quickly discovered the magic of this kind of bullet.
So Wu Zhoujun and the Qing army are now starting to copy the gourd!
Of course, the military advantage this bullet can bring them is also very short-lived. After all, it’s too easy to copy, and it’s something that can be learned at a glance. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty has already made this kind of bullet into standard ammunition, so Westerners should soon get it and copy it. By then, the Rakshasa Kingdom might also have a large amount of equipment. That's why Kangxi was eager to promote the Western Expedition.
He must use the firepower advantage brought by the "semi-circular cavity bomb" to complete a round of westward expansion before the Rakshasa Kingdom changes its equipment. In this way, even if the Central Plains is lost in the future, he can immediately continue to conquer the vast Mughal region and the Ming Dynasty. deal with!
Just when he was thinking about how to attack to the west, the voice of his beloved Queen Yang suddenly rang in his ears: "Your Majesty, then, is that Shangdu City? There are many yurts outside the city!"
Kangxi raised his head and looked eastward, only to see a majestic city appearing under the majestic mountains and among the vast grasslands!
He nodded: "That is Kaiping Prefecture of Xanadu, the capital of the grasslands of the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia!" He said with a little sigh: "This city was originally built by Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, and it was built to the north. Controlling the grassland, it was the fundamental city for the southern invasion of China. His Great Yuan Dynasty also emerged here! Later, Shangdu was destroyed by the Red Scarf Army, first massacred and then burned, and it never regained its former prosperity, and the Great Yuan Dynasty also fled north a few years later. Grassland. Now that I have rebuilt the capital city of Kaiping, in the future our Qing Dynasty will be like the Yuan Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan. With grassland in the north and the Great Wall in the south, we can advance and retreat freely!"
He turned his eyes and looked at the yurts, and said with a smile: "It seems that my Galdan Anda and the princes from various tribes in the Mobei and Monan grasslands are all here. This time I want to discuss the Western Expedition with them. If If everything goes well, I will lead my troops westward to the Junggar grassland this autumn, and to the Kipchak grassland next year."
Yang Xiaomi frowned: "Your Majesty, you want to run so far? What about the Qing Dynasty? Who will guard Beijing?"
Kangxi smiled and said: "You will keep the eldest brother and the second brother in Beijing. I will also ask Prince Gong to stay and assist you. I will also select eight auxiliary ministers from the Eight Banners." His tone suddenly became serious. He stood up and said, "If anything happens to me, the eight of them will be the ministers who care about life!"
There is the Nala clan, Prince Gong, the eight ministers who care about life, and the young master is coming to the court. It is really reassuring!
Yang Xiaomi looked worried, "Your Majesty, those two from Yingtai?"
"They..." Kangxi said calmly, "They will join me in the Western Expedition! Xiaomi, don't worry!"
"Oh, I'm relieved!" Yang Xiaomi tried his best to hide his "worry" and looked at the yurts on the grassland, "Your Majesty, you should also be careful about that Galdan! I heard that Galdan is a grassland hero who has the ambition to unify Mongolia!"
"I know!" Kangxi said, "He is indeed a hero of the grassland, but Mongolia is no longer that Mongolia. Wu Shicong made a successful move in the Western Regions and defeated his Junggar army and fled. If it hadn't been for the Wu family's ambition that time, In the southeast, this hero has passed away. And the Rakshasa in the northwest is the nemesis of the Mongols! Without me, Junggar would not be able to survive for a few days."
While he was speaking, there was a burst of smoke and dust over the Mongolian camp in front, and then countless knights in gorgeous Mongolian robes were seen coming out with various banners.
Kangxi raised his voice and ordered loudly: "Musketeers, stand ready!"
The excitement of summer gradually became more intense in Chang'an City. The weather that had always been dry has now gradually become slightly humid and warm. Wu Zhou's officials and soldiers, who had just experienced a nightmare failure last year, are now somewhat relieved. On the streets of Chang'an, large groups of soldiers carrying flintlock rifles and holding their heads high began to appear.
In addition, on the streets of Chang'an, Hu merchants from the Western Regions, who had not been seen for a long time, appeared in groups, leading their camels into the city where the legendary "Khan of Heaven" lived.
Due to the arrival of these Hu merchants and the Wu and Zhou soldiers who had retreated from the Huguang area, Chang'an was more energetic this summer than last year and the year before that. In the streets and alleys, the topic of discussion among people has changed from the original "New Three Kingdoms" to "The Western Expedition of Tian Khan".
It seems that the "New Three Kingdoms" can still last for some time. After all, the southeastern regime of the Ming Dynasty occupies the position of "Cao Wei" in the "New Three Kingdoms". It is not always convenient for dynasties that originated in the southeast to sweep away the northeast and northwest. Even now the Ming Dynasty can shoulder rifled guns and chase bronze cannons. But horses have to be raised slowly, right?
Therefore, Wu and Zhou, the "Shu Han", still have a chance. If they can increase their strength through the Western Expedition and become the kingdom of the Khan of Heaven, are they afraid that the Three Kingdoms will not be able to return to Zhou?
Moreover, the current situation of Wu Zhou is much better than that of the "Shu Han" in history. Now it seems that after Guan Yunchang captured Xiangyang and Nanyang, his home was stolen by Soochow, and then Zhuge Kongming succeeded as soon as he left Qishan. He had the three states of Yong, Liang, and Yi, plus Henan Yin and Nanyang County in Jingzhou, as well as part of Nanjun territory. Oh, and the territory of the Western Region Protectorate.
This also allowed Zhuge Kongming to have such a "Great Shu Han" back then, and he had to write the "Shishi Biao" with a smile.
What made the soldiers and people of the "Great Shu Han" Wu Zhou feel that the situation was getting better was Sima Yi Khan, the Khan of the Chagatai Khanate who came to the city where "Tian Khan" lived with these Hu merchants!
Sima Yi. Sima Yi has come to join the "Great Shu Han"!
If the "Great Shu Han" does not prosper, is there any natural reason?
"Sima Yi Khan. Why is this Khan named Sima? Is he a descendant of the Sima family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty?"
"Xu is a descendant of Sima Yi, right? He probably ran away to the Western Regions when Wuhu was in chaos."
"But how did I hear that this Sima Yi Khan was the Khan of the Mongolian Chagatai Khanate and a descendant of Chagatai, the second son of Genghis Khan?"
"That's Bo'er Jijin. Sima Yi? This name is also a good omen! How can the Shu Han not be happy when Sima Yi pays his respects with courtesy?"
"Yes, yes, it's quite auspicious. It seems that this time Tian Khan's Western Expedition will be a success. It's almost a success!"
"I wonder if the Western Regions are rich now?"
"I don't know if I'm rich or not, but the Orchid from the Western Regions seems to be quite beautiful."
It seems that the foundation of Wu and Zhou still has the meaning of "vibrant vitality and all things competing". Even if they were defeated in Hunan and Jiangxi, they are still full of expectations for the Western Expedition. This is probably the vitality injected into this regime by the "Void King's Republic" and Fentianfubing, right?
Everyone knew who they were fighting for, and how much benefit they would get if they won. They also knew that their "Khan of Heaven" Wu Shifan would not be able to squander all the benefits.
The lower level is full of energy, and the generals at the upper level are also full of expectations for the benefits after the success of the Western Expedition!
At this moment, in Wu Shifan's palace, a Mongolian with a mixture of Chinese and Western looks had put on the python robe of a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He was sitting on an embroidered pier and said to "Khan of Heaven" in a blunt Chinese language with great joy. He and Prime Minister Wu described the vastness of the river and the wealth of India.
".India is one of the richest, most prosperous and most populous regions in the world! The Emir Aurangzeb who now rules India is known as the conqueror of the world. He has countless wealth and collects it from all over India every year. The tribute is as much as 30,000 silver rupees, which is equivalent to 10,000 taels of silver. You are so rich! If the Khan can force him to pay the tribute, with just a little, you and my daughter Dili can live. Live a life like heaven!”
"Ten million taels." Wu Shifan took a breath, "Is it really that many?"
Indeed, there are many!
World number one!
Now the combined fiscal revenue of the Ming, Qing, and Three Kingdoms is around 50 to 60 million, which is almost half of that of India.
"Of course, of course!" Sima Yihan also had a greedy expression on his face, "India has a population of 160 million, maybe even 200 million! For less than two rupees, a person can have 30 million a year. Rupees! And this is completely possible. India has a lot of arable land. There are very vast plains along the Indus and Ganges rivers. Bengal in eastern India is particularly rich. It is a large plain with extremely rich water and soil! And the climate It is very suitable for farming and can be harvested three times a year!”
"Oh, isn't that similar to Jiangnan?" Prime Minister Wu's eyes turned red. "What about India's military strength? Is it strong? That world conqueror sounds very powerful!"
Sima Yihan shrugged, "Prime Minister, I don't know how powerful this conqueror of the world is, but I know how many defeats his ancestor, the great Emperor Babur, suffered in the Mughal region. My ancestor Sai Id Khan once fought with him in the Mughal region and wanted to restore the glory of the Chagatai Khanate and Timur Khanate. Unfortunately, their fighting skills were too poor and they were no match for the Uzbeks and could not defeat them. The Persians, in fact, none of them could defeat them, otherwise my ancestors would not have left me such a barren land. But when Emperor Babur entered India, he changed from an exiled monarch who defeated every battle to a He became an emperor!
Oh, by the way, when the world conqueror Aurangzeb was young, he also led the Indian expeditionary force into the Mughal region to challenge the already weakened Bukhara Khanate, but still suffered a disastrous defeat. Although his army was gorgeously equipped and numerous, it was no match for the desert cavalry recruited by the Bukhara people. I think that if our Chagatai Khanate's army can enter India, it should be able to gain a lot of territory. "
"Uncle, look," Tian Khan Wu Shifan was moved. He felt that he could also imitate Babur and go to India to become a great emperor!
Wu Yingqi nodded, "Your Majesty, I think we can try the Bukhara Khanate first. Let Shicong and 150,000 elite soldiers from Junggar, Heshuote and Chahar fight. If it is defeated in one fight, it means that India’s world conqueror is not very good. Let’s go to conquer India together. If Bukhara is difficult to fight, then let’s look at it again.”
"Uncle Huang is still thoughtful," Wu Shifan said with a smile, "When will Brother Shicong send out troops?"
"This autumn," Wu Yingqi said, "we can start the Western Expedition this autumn! Kangxi's side seems to be sending troops in autumn too!"
(End of chapter)
