Fukang'an reviewed the training results of the Qingshui Camp officers and soldiers and was basically satisfied. The British of the East India Company also boasted that once the Qing Empire had those five second-class battleships, it would be invincible in the East Asian waters.
The problem is that Marshal Fu still feels guilty when he thinks about the "super cannons" in the hands of the Northern Navy that can destroy dozens of miles with one shot and the two huge iron ships. The "click" sound of the rapid-fire artillery made Fukang feel anxious the most.
He thought hard for two years and felt that the only way to solve the problem was to reduce the weight of the artillery so that it could move quickly; at the same time, he had to increase the firing speed and quantity of the artillery.
If Zhao Xin uses five cannons, then the imperial army will use 500 cannons. It will have to be defeated ten times. The principle is to use quantity and speed to compete for firepower. In fact, what we are competing for is national power!
Although the Qing army fought smoothly in the "Platform War", how could the thieves of the Tiandihui compare with the well-trained Northern Navy. He had previously contacted the British and French in Guangzhou, hoping to purchase more rapid-fire artillery to save casting time in Hunchun.
Compared with the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, which still used the wax mold casting method, European artillery at this time had long used the "wet casting method." Since 1764, French cannon-casting craftsmen have mixed tin and copper in a ratio of 1:10, using high-quality casting sand and clay to create sand molds, and the modeling steps are often completed with molds made of white tin.
The barrel of the gun was cast very solidly and a core was used to complete the inner tube. After demoulding and cooling, drilling can be performed. Thanks to the drilling machine invented by the Strasbourg gunsmith Maritz, the gun holes can be drilled accurately on the central axis and in the center of the circle.
Because there were still many French missionaries serving in the Qing palace, both Qianlong and Fukang'an preferred to buy from the French.
However, the British who learned the news quit. They hoped to achieve comprehensive military cooperation with this old empire in order to expand their trade share.
So when the French boasted about their "Gribeau body artillery system" and provided test firings of various types of field guns and howitzers, the British immediately launched a killer weapon, which was developed ten years ago. The stereotyped "Cannon". They proposed to Fukang'an that 80% of the guns on the five second-level battleships delivered this year will use fast-powering Garang cannons.
It is said that the technical route for the development of European cannons in the past was to shoot as far as possible. Because if you want to shoot far, the barrel must be long, contain more gunpowder, and have a high chamber pressure, so the barrel becomes thicker and heavier. By the end of the 18th century, heavy cannons firing 32-pound shells weighed about 5 tons. On sailing battleships, such heavy cannons could only be installed on the lower gun deck, and the number should not be too large, otherwise they would overturn the ship.
For example, the Vasa of the Swedish Navy in the 17th century was overturned by a strong wind before it could even raise its sails as soon as it left the shore because it was equipped with too many cannons and its center of gravity was too high...
After the Seven Years' War, the British went in the opposite direction with the cannon's technical line, giving up long-range shooting and launching a simplified version of the cannon. The purpose is to reduce the bore pressure, so the barrel can be short and thin, the weight of the artillery will be greatly reduced, and more artillery can be installed on the warship.
Early naval guns were prone to side exposure due to the large gap between the barrel and projectiles. Coupled with the low processing accuracy of the barrels and the different sizes of projectiles, it was very easy to explode. To avoid this problem, a gap must be reserved between the smoothbore gun barrel and the projectile.
How big is this gap? Can insert a chopstick. But in this case, the energy of gunpowder is wasted.
When the cannonball is pushed by the gunpowder gas, it stumbles forward in the barrel. When it exits the muzzle, the accuracy of the cannonball is not certain, and a large error will occur. Therefore, early heavy cannons could theoretically hit several kilometers, but the actual combat distance was generally about two hundred meters.
The British's cannon did not follow the technical route of being heavier and longer. Instead, it adopted the opposite approach and adopted the method of reducing the barrel pressure of the artillery and improving the accuracy of the matching between the shell and the barrel.
As a result, the weight of the cannon is only one-third that of a cannon of the same caliber. First, more artillery can be mounted on warships and can be easily moved on land. And because the cannon's barrel is short, it is easy to load, and its firing rate is much faster than that of ordinary cannons.
Historically, during the Battle of Trafalgar, the British fleet endured the French bombardment at first and kept getting closer to the French fleet. In the end, with only one shot from two Garang cannons, the French suffered heavy losses. Surrendered obediently.
Before leaving Guangzhou, Fukang'an reached a preliminary agreement with Britain and France through the Thirteenth Line, and wrote a memorial waiting for Qianlong's approval.
He purchased not only two hundred 12-pound French cannons with standardized components and high mobility, but also two hundred 12-pound Garang cannons. Compared with the French gun's barrel weight of 431.8 kg, the British gun's weight is only 330 kg. Once Qianlong approves and the Ministry of War allocates the money for the purchase of artillery, all these artillery pieces will be shipped to Guangzhou before the end of this year.
This time, those who came with him to Xiamen to inspect Shuiying included people from the Guangdong and Fujian Navy Admiral's Offices and the Governor's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the Governor's Office of Mining and Zhejiang. There were also many young Manchu and Han generals who stood out in the annihilation of Lin Shuangwen.
This includes Pu Pu, De Cheng'e, Guole Minse, Shu Liang, Sai Chong'a, Yan Jibao, Haixing'a, etc.; in addition, a 29-year-old young general named Yang Yuchun also made Fu Fu Kang An appreciated it very much and took him with him this time to go north together.
At this time, Yang Yuchun had just begun to show his prowess. In the forty-fifth year of Qianlong's reign, he had already followed Fukang'an to pacify the "Tian Wu Rebellion". He must take the lead in every battle, but miraculously he has never been injured so far.
Originally, Fukang'an wanted to mobilize Guangzhou, Fujian and Zhejiang to garrison the Eight Banners northward, but because the situation in Annan was not yet stable, the plan to mobilize troops was shelved.
It's funny to say that in April last year, there was internal strife in Annan and the Ruan family usurped the country. Li Weiqi, who had a chance to escape, asked the Qing Dynasty for help. Qianlong's Nian Li family had always been submissive, so in order to maintain the vassal system, he decided to restore his country. What was originally a smooth battle ended in an anticlimax and ended hastily.
In October, Sun Shiyi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Xu Shiheng, the admiral of Guangxi, led 10,000 troops out of Zhennanguan to serve as the main offensive direction; Wu Dajing, the admiral of Yunnan, led 8,000 troops out of Baimaguan as a partial division to coordinate operations.
In Qianlong's view, it would be fine if the Qing army could not defeat the Northern Navy. If Annan with a big nose could not be dealt with, then there would be no talk of eight directions and the coming of all barbarians to the DPRK. Therefore, the Qing army's offensive from the east and west was extremely fierce and overwhelming. Under the attack of the east and west armies, Ruan Hui's army resisted desperately, but was still defeated.
On November 22, the fifty-third year of Qianlong's reign, Sun Shiyi, who captured Li City, carried out a decree to hold a canonization ceremony according to Qianlong's instructions before the war. On behalf of the Qing government, Li Weiqi was officially canonized as King of Annam, and the Li Dynasty was restored for the second time. . Ruan Hui also sent someone to submit a letter to the Qing military camp, begging for surrender.
Unexpectedly, on the first day of the next year, Ruan Hui took advantage of the Qing army to drink and celebrate the New Year, and led his entire army to come. The Qing army hurriedly defended the enemy, and faced the fierce attack of the Ruan army with elephants carrying cannons. In the end, they were outnumbered. After this battle, Sun Shiyi broke through the encirclement and crossed the Fuliang River. However, the officers and soldiers such as Admiral Xu Shiheng, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Chaolong, Shang Weisheng and others were unable to cross the river due to the broken bridge and eventually died in the battle.
When the news came back, Qianlong was furious. A native chief from Annan dared to resist the officers and soldiers and killed the officials of the town. How brave he was! So he appointed Fu Kang'an as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and led a large army to suppress it.
Even though Fukang'an defeated Zhao Xin twice and was a prisoner for half a year, Fukang'an's reputation was too great for the neighboring vassal states in the south. So before Marshal Fu could reach Chaozhou, Ruan Hui sent envoys three times within a month to knock on the gate to apologize and beg for surrender.
Qianlong wanted to capture Ruan Hui, but he was afraid that the Qing army would suffer heavy losses due to the incompatibility with the acclimatization and the soil, just like the previous expedition to Burma. Even if the army pursues him deeply and reaches Guangnan, it will be difficult for Ruan Hui to escape to the sea and go to nearby Siam, Nanzhang and other countries. And unlike the history of another time and space, the biggest enemy of the Manchu Qing Dynasty is Beihai Town. If Zhao Xin is not dealt with with all his strength, Qianlong will have trouble sleeping and eating.
So Fukang'an stayed in Guangzhou after raising four conditions for peace with Ruan Hui's envoy. Later, because Fukang'an was awarded "General Dingbei", the negotiation with Annan was transferred to Sun Shiyi.
Just when Fukang'an set out to head north, Zheng Wenxian, who had been promoted to captain of Beihai No. 1, and "Shrimp Ball Boy", who was renamed Lin Daosheng, followed Zhao Xin's order to disembark from northern Jiangsu by boat and stop at Sheyang Lake. After three days, we set off to the south.
In addition to returning to Guangdong to get married this time to fulfill his father Zheng Lianchang's wish, Zheng Wenxian also shoulders the important task of opening up the tea road.
During the Qianlong period, the tea market in the mainland was mainly centered on Hankou and Fujian, and the two main groups involved were Shanxi merchants and Hui merchants. The development direction of Shanxi merchants is mainly aimed at trade with the northwest, Mongolia and Russia, while the direction of Huizhou merchants is mainly at trade with Guangzhou, Beijing and Jiangnan.
Merchants from She County in Huizhou alone operate seven tea shops, 166 tea brands and thousands of small tea shops in Beijing. In cities along the Yangtze River Basin such as Hankou, Jiujiang, Suzhou, and Shanghai, Huizhou tea merchants are active almost everywhere; in many places in Zhejiang alone, almost all tea shops are opened by Huizhou merchants.
The tea trade of Shanxi merchants gradually entered a stage of peak development after 20 years of Qianlong reign. Historically, it gradually declined until the middle period of Tongzhi. At present, Shanxi merchants have more than 100 tea franchises, mainly divided into "Yuci Gang", "Taigu Gang" and "Qixian Gang". Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties temporarily interrupted the Qing and Russian trade, there are still as many as fifty merchants stationed in Kyaktu all year round.
Zhao Xin wants to monopolize the tea trade with Tsarist Russia and cannibalize the Outer Mongolia tea market, so the main attack at present is Shanxi merchants. The specific opponents are the Chang family of Yuci and the Qu family of Qixian County.
The current head of the Qu family is named Qu Tonghai. Since he has been feeling unwell since last year, his son Qu Yinghuang is responsible for the outside business. The business name their family opened in Yangloudong is called Changyuanchuan.
As an aside, the most famous member of the Qu family in later generations is Qu Benqiao. This person not only established national industry and commerce, but also served as the Consul General of the Qing Dynasty in Yokohama.
Although Beihai Town opened the ginseng trade to the Chang family in Ningguta, Zhao Xin did not want Shanxi merchants to become the moneybags of the Manchus, and it also involved the subsequent land issues, so he had to control the tea trade in the north. Here, the Shanxi merchants who relied on the Manchus were attacked and the pro-Beihai Town forces were fostered.
Because Zhao Xin had determined this task years ago, Zheng Wenxian, Lin Daosheng and others had their hair braided in advance. Wang Changsheng, who stayed at Sheyang Lake Farm, also completed household registration and road guidance for Zheng Wenxian and others in advance. Documents.
Zheng Wenxian and his party first arrived at Hankou, and then followed the Tea Horse Trade Road to Yanglou Cave. If you want to control the tea trade, you must first control the source of tea. Yangloudong, located at the junction of Hunan and Hubei, is the origin of green brick tea.
Laoqing tea belongs to the dark tea category, which is the favorite tea variety of Tsarist Russian merchants. And because the main product starts from Yangloudong, it is also called "Dongzhuan". In addition, in this era, in addition to Hubei, Anhua, Hunan is also the main producing area of dark tea.
Yangloudong is very lively in April. There are tea houses lined up on both sides of the street. The aroma of tea leaves floats on the stone street. The people coming in and out of each shop are all tea merchants purchasing tea.
Although Zheng Wenxian and Lin Daosheng had been to Guangzhou City before, this was the first time they saw such a large-scale town specializing in tea, and everyone in the group was stunned.
A group of seven or eight of them first found an inn in the town to settle down. After a short rest, Zheng Wenxian decided to split up and work in groups of two. Now that everyone in the town was asking about the price of brick tea, they might as well have an idea.
Zheng Wenxian and Lin Daosheng changed their clothes and looked like businessmen and servants from Guangzhou. The two of them left the inn and looked for shop signs along the way, and finally found the shop called "Jushengchuan" that Shen Jingdan mentioned. After the two entered the door, a waiter came over with a smile on his face and said with a Shanxi accent: "Sir, are you here to buy tea?"
Zheng Wenxian raised his hand and said, "We are from out of town and would like to ask you about the price of your brick tea?"
The waiter looked at the clothes of Zheng Wenxian and Lin Daosheng, and he already knew it in his mind, and said, "Is the guest from Guangdong from the accent? Please sit inside."
After Zheng Wenxian entered the shop and sat down, the waiter personally served this year's new green tea for the two of them to taste. After Zheng Wenxian praised "good tea", the waiter asked: "Excuse me, sir, do you want 27, 36 or generous?"
Lin Daosheng, who was standing aside, blinked and didn't understand at all. He quickly said: "Man, our young master wants to buy Lao Qing Brick Tea."
The waiter knew at a glance that the two people in front of him didn't understand anything, and they probably couldn't buy much, but he still explained: "Sir, the 27, 36 and Dafang mentioned by the villain are all brick tea formats, with different portions. There are differences. If you two are selling to the north, 27 and 36 are the best sellers. If you go to Guangzhou, generous is more suitable. If you only buy it for home use, it depends on your own preferences. "
After that, he introduced the prices of various types of brick tea.
Zheng Wenxian nodded, and then asked curiously: "May I ask, brother, I see that every tea shop on the street uses the word 'Chuan' as its name. I wonder what the reason is?"
The clerk explained with a smile: "The word 'chuan' means water. There are three springs in Yanglou Cave, namely Guanyin, Liangyin and Shiren. The spring water is clear and sweet, flowing day and night. Because the three streams resemble the word 'chuan', various local restaurants They all use Sichuan as their shop sign."
Zheng Wenxian said: "I have learned a lot. When I passed by Hankou this time, I heard that the tea market in Yangloudong was booming, so I stopped by to take a look. If the tea is good, I will naturally buy some and go to sea trade."
Upon hearing this, the waiter hurriedly asked: "I wonder how much you two want to buy? If it's too much, I can ask the shopkeeper for a discount of 10% or 20%."
Zheng Wenxian thought for a moment and said, "If it's fifty thousand dan, what's the price?"
The guy was so frightened when he heard it that he almost choked to death without falling over. You must know that in the Qing Dynasty, a load of tea was 50 kilograms, and 50,000 load was 250,000 kilograms. Now that all Shanxi merchants are included, the annual tea trade volume is only over 800,000 kilograms.
Zheng Wenxian's mouth can cost 50,000 tons, accounting for one-fifth of the total tea trade in Yangloudong last year. This is so scary!
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