Although this battle severely damaged the Rakshasa people and gave them a severe lesson, the number of casualties among our own soldiers was also quite large. Zhou King Zhu Gongzhen could only allocate pension money and supplies to appease them.
Through this contest, three problems have emerged.
First, the Zhou army was weak in combat power, and it would be difficult to win unless it had an absolute superior force.
Secondly, settlements on the shore need to be built urgently, and corresponding defense facilities must also be set up.
Thirdly, since no one could speak Rakshasa, the prisoners were questioned, so the enemy's situation was not yet clear.
Regarding the first question, Zhu Gongzhen could only order Zhou Tong and many of the prince's rivals to train diligently. Even if they were unable to attack, they had to stand firm, otherwise they would sooner or later be driven into the sea by the Rakshasa people.
The second problem is the easiest to solve. Regardless of whether the Rakshasa people come or not, the settlement must be built before winter, otherwise the temperature in the "Northland" cannot be endured in a tent.
The last problem is the most difficult, but it cannot be solved at the moment. We can only hand over these ferocious-looking Rakshasa captives to the prince for disposal. I hope they will not die of injuries or illnesses on the way...
Counting the soldiers and horses of various counties, the current strength of the Zhou army can reach more than 1,500 people.
If the Rakshasa army presses the border and the situation is severe, after general mobilization, the number of troops can exceed 5,000.
But we can't expect its combat power to be equal to that of five thousand officers and soldiers. It would be good if it can reach the combat power of one thousand officers and soldiers.
Five thousand people fighting five hundred Rakshasa, combined with more than a dozen artillery pieces of various types and hundreds of blunderbuss, can at least help the invincible position.
If King Rakshasa sends thousands of cavalry, then the Zhou Kingdom can only ask the court for help and hope that the surrounding vassal kings will send troops to help.
But since the prince said that the coastal areas of the North are beyond the reach of the Rakshasa Kingdom, the situation here should be safe.
The strategic advice given by a certain prince to Zhu Gongzhen was to proceed step by step, fight steadily, and not give the Russians any opportunities to take advantage of. In this way, the security situation of Zhou State could be greatly improved.
If this is the case, the development speed of Zhou State will be very slow, and the scope of land enclosure will not be very large in the short term. But at this time of year, we can't count on farming anymore.
A certain prince gave a bunch of seeds of crops to the vassal king who had acquired a new feudal land, including wheat, barley, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and corn.
Just plant whatever you can, and don't let the crops in the land be monotonous, lest the harvest be greatly reduced because a certain crop is not adapted to the climate.
"Northland" is suitable for growing wheat, highland barley, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The specific situation must be carefully cultivated after planting and the harvest can be harvested before a conclusion can be made. A certain prince could only provide seeds to the feudal king.
The yield does not need to be too high, just thirty to fifty kilograms of potatoes for one acre of land. Because the land of each vassal state in the "Northland" is extremely vast, planting extensively and harvesting lightly is enough to achieve a bumper harvest.
An adult was allocated one hundred acres of land. Even if the harvest per acre was only thirty kilograms, the total would be as high as three thousand kilograms. Excluding the portion handed over to the feudal king, it would be enough to survive the cold winter.
Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen was considered a relatively enlightened one among many vassal kings. He understood that treating the people well would make the vassal rich, so he was very generous to the people.
It was stipulated in advance that all people who are willing to come to the Zhou Kingdom, regardless of gender, can get one hundred acres of land, and the elderly and children can each get fifty acres, and within three years, all taxes will be exempted.
For example, a blacksmith's family, including his two elders, two children, and his wife, can receive a total of four hundred acres of land.
This kind of scale in the Ming Dynasty would definitely belong to the envied big landowners of others, but in the "Northland" it only meets the wealth standards of ordinary people.
But there is one thing, that is, the land you receive must be cultivated by yourself. There are many trivial matters that need to be solved urgently, and the feudal state will not send anyone to help.
There is no need to pay taxes at all in the short term, there are no bandits or Tatars here, and the vicious Rakshasa people have been beaten away by the king. The people who have been led to the wasteland are completely relieved and look forward to the harvest in the coming year.
No matter what, the trees in the wasteland must be cut down first, and then when the weather is better, set fire to burn all the grass. After next spring, all the snow in the ground has melted, and sowing can be done.
In addition to being colder than the mainland Central Plains region, this place seems to be much better in other aspects. At least there is no shortage of water, and there are still animals and river fresh food to eat. This is the most important thing.
Zhu Gongzhen ordered that in addition to wild horses, wild donkeys, and bison, which can be used for farming and riding, all other animals, birds, and river fish can be hunted.
On the first day of landing alone, the Zhou army and the people fished more than 3,500 kilograms in a single day, and killed 102 hares, 27 deer, 14 wild boars, and 12 wolves. There were nine foxes, three black bears, and one tiger.
In addition, more than 400 birds of various types were shot and killed, mainly pheasants and wild ducks. By the way, 21 Rakshasa were killed and injured. This was an unexpected gain, but there was no way to get rid of it...
Seeing a wide variety of harvests, Zhu Gongzhen couldn't help but be very satisfied. Magadan seems to be located in the north and has a poor climate, but in fact it is quite rich in products.
Zhu Gongzhen ordered his own troops and the teams of various princes to detect the conditions of the surrounding rivers as soon as possible and report them in time, so that large-scale fishing operations can begin.
The food brought this time was limited, and the prince said that he should eat as much non-staple food as possible, that is, meat and wild vegetables, but he should be careful about poisonous mushrooms and do not eat them.
For ordinary people who are not professional hunters, it is difficult to catch birds and animals, but it is easy to catch fish and shrimps. As long as you have a fishing net or even a net bag, you can catch something.
In the cold winter, when the outdoor cold wind is biting, fish meat can be nourishing and fish soup can warm the body. It is really a perfect food for the people of the feudal country.
Zhu Gongzhen also knew that there were more fish in the sea. According to the prince, this was a famous fishing ground and the fishery resources were even several times richer than those in the Bohai Sea.
However, Zheng Jun's ships were all responsible for transporting personnel and materials from the vassal state, and had no time to fish. The ships belonging to the vassal state were very limited, and they could only fish offshore at most.
Zhu Gongzhen believed that instead of just waiting for death, it is better to focus on fishing in the many inland rivers in the fiefdom. In one river, the daily catch is 500 jin, ten rivers is 5,000 jin, and 20 rivers can reach 10,000 jin.
If it were in the mainland, such a calculation would be found to be a fantasy when implemented, but the "Northland" is different from the Central Plains. There are even very few indigenous savages here, and most of the rivers are ignored.
There are all kinds of fish, and there are a lot of them. Whether you are fishing or catching, you can get something if you work for an hour, and you will never come back empty-handed.
According to the plan in the manual given by the prince, Zhu Gongzhen divided the common people's errands, except special tasks, into two parts: "internal work" and "external work".
As the name suggests, "inside industry" means working in settlements on the shore, while the workplace of "outside industry" is exactly the opposite.
The current main tasks of the people engaged in the "internal industry" are to build houses, build fences, dig trenches, cook meals, unload goods from the ship, and then carry local specialties onto the ship.
There are five types of "outside business". The first category is the search team, which is mainly composed of the King of Zhou's personal troops and people from various counties. They are responsible for searching for rivers and mountains in the Zhou Kingdom, and detecting the nearby Rakshasa people and indigenous people. Savage.
The second type is the hunting team, which is similar to the search team, but they are mainly composed of hunters, and their purpose of going out is to hunt birds and animals.
The third category is the fishing team. The teams are all fishermen. Their daily job is to catch fish. No matter what means or methods are used, as long as they can bring back fish, they have completed their job.
The fourth team is the logging team, which is composed of carpenters and coolies. A small number of carpenters are responsible for selecting trees suitable for building houses, while coolies are used to cut and transport trees.
The fifth team is composed of women, who collect wild vegetables, and is equipped with doctors who know many plants to prevent women from picking poisonous plants by mistake.
When he arrived at the beginning of this year and couldn't plant the land, a certain prince could only suggest that the princes of the "Northern Land" of the vassal should do this.
Once settled and the infrastructure is almost built, starting from the beginning of next summer, the wasteland can be cultivated on a large scale. At least there must be some harvest in the second year.
Zhou King Zhu Gongzhen was not in a hurry to receive taxes and fees from the people's land, because a certain prince had already suggested that he change his career. Engaging in commercial and trading activities would earn much more land than collecting rent.
At first, Zhu Gongzhen had many concerns about switching to business. After all, business is the lowest industry, and businessmen are the lowest type of people. But after seeing the commercial prosperity in the capital, most of his previous concerns were eliminated.
The capital of the Zhou Kingdom has already been named, and it is called "Zhouquan City". "Zhou" is the name of the Zhou Kingdom, and "Quan" means the human king. Zhu Gongzhen was the vassal king of the Ming Dynasty. There is nothing wrong with naming him like this.
The inns, teahouses, restaurants, shops, pawnshops, gambling houses, docks, hospitals, and even certain buildings built in the city in the future all belonged to Zhu Gongzhen.
These places are in operation every day, and one day of operation can make a day's money. Over time, most of the money in "Zhouquan City" will naturally flow into Zhu Gongzhen's pocket.
The same is true for other counties, but they are far less wealthy and prosperous than Zhu Gongzhen's place. Counting the income from gold mines and sulfur, Zhu Gongzhen will soon be able to restore his previous financial resources and even become the most generous vassal king in the entire "Northland".
In the words of the prince, this is called "exclusive business rights"!
The Kingdom of Zhou itself belonged to Zhu Gongzhen, and since he did not bully the people, he could naturally make money as he pleased. As long as there is no rebellion, even the imperial court has no control over the affairs of the vassal state.
Whether people are engaged in hunting, fishing, farming, or even doing hard work, the objects and silver they obtain need to be circulated to obtain the needed materials.
These materials arriving from the Ming Dynasty are all controlled by Zhu Gongzhen. As long as normal circulation is maintained, Zhu Gongzhen can make money every day.
How to make money?
Of course it’s to make the difference!
No one would be stupid enough to sell it at the purchase price.
An oil lamp newly launched in Ming Dynasty has a market price of ten taels of silver.
When you get to Magadan, you can price it at fifty taels or even higher.
Don’t think it’s too expensive, there are plenty of people waiting in line.
A large piece of bear skin produced in Magadan costs fifty taels.
Zhu Gongzhen could buy it for one hundred taels of silver and then sell it to a local businessman for two hundred taels.
You don't have to do anything, just hit the right hand with your left hand, and you can earn a net one hundred taels of silver.
The prince said that there are three ways to make money in the "Northland".
The first is fur, the second is sulfur, and the third is gold.
According to the account of a certain prince, just two years later, the Yakutsk warlords donated more than 8,000 mink skins to King Rakshasa.
Twelve years later, the number of mink skins donated has climbed to an astonishing 140,000 pieces, and mink skins are top-grade animal skins and can be called "soft gold."
It can be said that during the period of Tsarist Russia's rapid expansion into the Far East, the fur business was mainly used to upgrade military weapons and support a large number of shooting troops that consumed military expenditures.
Since this business is so profitable, a certain prince cannot turn a blind eye and watch the Russians come to the Far East to take over the territory. It is better to leave it to the many vassals of the Ming Dynasty.
If the indigenous people in the Yakutsk area no longer want to be oppressed by the Russians, they can move closer to the Ming Dynasty.
Ming Dynasty pays attention to mutual benefit and fair trade. You can choose to exchange for cash or many commodities.
Compared with the types, styles, prices, and workmanship of materials, nothing in the world, let alone Russia, can compare with the Ming Dynasty.
A certain prince was absolutely confident in this aspect. He could overthrow Tsarist Russia's rule in the Far East just by using trade means.
If trade competition fails, Tsarist Russia will definitely use military means, which will make it easier to solve.
The Ming Dynasty itself was closer to Eastern Siberia than Tsarist Russia, and could also take advantage of the convenience of sea transportation.
Whether it is military strength or weapons, the vassal state's soldiers and horses have an advantage over the Russian army.
The only drawback is that I don’t have much practical experience, so I can only win...
If you win, you will win. Anyway, there is no shame in it.
It would be a shame to be defeated by a group of mediocre people!
This is just like playing a shooting game. If you are alive, you are the winner. If you are dead, everything you say is in vain.
Winning is also a matter of strength. Being killed by an opponent who is still alive can only mean that the deceased's marksmanship is fine but his IQ is faulty!
The combat effectiveness of the vassal state's soldiers and horses was obviously not as good as that of the Cossacks of Russia, so they could only choose defensive counterattack tactics.
This is basically the same tactics used by the Tu Ming army. Going out to fight means giving up lives, and the only way to fight is to rely on Gou.
In a short period of time, a certain prince will not be too worried about the situation of the vassal states in the "Northland".
Tsarist Russia is temporarily unable to organize a single Cossack expeditionary force of more than a thousand people to attack a certain Ming vassal state.
This is true even in the Heishui River Basin, a hotspot area where Qing, Russia and Ming competed.
According to records about the famous invader Khabarov, he suggested to the Yakutsk warlord during the Shunji period that he organize an army of 6,000 men to expedition to the Blackwater Basin and permanently control this area.
Then it was rejected by the Yakutsk governor, because the entire Far East region, including the serfs, prisoners and Cossacks who were exiled, could not gather 6,000 people.
Each "expedition team" deployed in Eastern Siberia only has a size of 50 to 200 people, and the largest Stepanov group only has 500 people.
Besides, the Ming Dynasty was not a local indigenous tribe. It had artillery and muskets, so it would not be at a disadvantage in terms of firepower when fighting against the Russian army.
If a small group of Russian troops with only a hundred people wanted to attack the Ming Dynasty, which had tens of thousands of people, it would be almost self-destruction.
When defending, the infantry of the vassal state can also hide behind wooden walls and throw grenades and other splash-type weapons.
Not to mention the Cossacks, even the powerful and ferocious tigers and wild boars would be killed alive by two or three grenades.
