The plan for the Jingbei Camp is very large, but so far only a small area has been built. However, thanks to the strong infrastructure of Jinghua, Qi Jiguang's "Guards Headquarters" has been basically completed after hurrying and slowing down. After completing the main building part, all that is left is the fine decoration of the courtyard.
The main building of the headquarters adopts a unique mixed Chinese and Western architecture. The three-story stone brick concrete main building was built using Western building construction methods, but with Chinese-style cornices and brackets added.
The three words "Jingzhonglou" written by Gao Pingshi in his own handwriting take the meaning of Yue Wumu's "loyalty to serve the country", and there is no semicolon in the world.
It is particularly worth mentioning that the woodware used in Jingzhong Tower, such as chairs, tables, screens and other items, are all made of precious wood produced in Nanyang. They were nominally donated by Annan Deputy Governor Huang Zhiting on behalf of the Annan Governor's Office.
These things are not cheap in the capital. According to the market price, they cost more than 20,000 taels of silver. For this reason, Huang Zhiting was praised by the emperor and given a red silk flying fish robe - Gao Pragmatic didn't know whether she could wear it.
At this moment, in Jingzhong Building, Gao Pragmatic and Qi Jiguang were discussing the recruitment of soldiers. Cangzhou belongs to Hejian Prefecture. The economic situation of Hejian Prefecture is not bad, but in Cangzhou specifically, it is not rich at the moment, which is in line with Gao Pragmatic's consistent idea of "the best soldiers come from poor land".
Moreover, this place is close to Shandong, and there have always been a lot of chaos caused by Huang Fan. The public security situation is definitely the worst in Beizhili at least. If Qi Jiguang recruits troops aggressively in Cangzhou, it will help to reverse the local public security situation.
As for recruiting horse troops in Bazhou, that is something that even a blind man can understand. The Liu Liu and Liu Qi uprisings of the Zhengde Dynasty broke out in Bazhou. Their troops traveled to several provinces in the north and south, and it took the court several years to pacify them. You must know that during the Zhengde Dynasty, due to the fact that it was close to the Hongzhi Zhongxing, the national strength was still relatively high. Yes, this shows how powerful the horse bandits in Bazhou are and how brave the people are.
In the past few years, the "career" of the horse bandits in Bazhou has reached a low point due to the attacks by Jinghua and local governments (the government paid for it, and Jinghua's escorts actually worked as mercenaries). Many people want to "change careers", but they have no other way to make a living except for their equestrian skills and bravery. It is a time when life is miserable, so it is a good idea to go to Bazhou to recruit horse troops now. actually.
Qi Jiguang's trouble lay with the artillery army, and he and Gao Pragmatic mainly discussed this issue.
Although the original artillery force of the Ming Dynasty was not small in number, to be honest, it was really amateurish. When fighting, it was basically at the level of "shooting off cannons and listening to the sound". Things like accuracy... depended on luck.
Not to mention Gao Pragmatic, a man who emphasizes controlling enemies with firepower, he couldn't bear this situation, even Qi Jiguang couldn't bear it. But Qi Jiguang also knew the difficulties of cultivating artillery. In particular, he knew that Gao Pragmatic had invested a lot in firearms over the years, and muskets and artillery were being updated very quickly, and the degree of specialization was getting higher and higher.
At this time, if the Imperial Guard cannot quickly build a professional artillery force, it will definitely not be able to satisfy Gao Gongbao.
However, artillery is becoming more and more professional, and it is no longer something that anyone can manipulate as it used to be. After Jinghua used professional sights (sights) for artillery, it became increasingly difficult to sight and control artillery, and purely illiterate soldiers were no longer suitable for gunners.
This would be troublesome, because they both knew very well about the situation in the Ming Dynasty. People who went to serve as soldiers were basically impossible to read, and people who had read would never be able to do so unless they committed crimes at home and were exiled to the army. Go be a soldier.
The two frowned and thought for a long time. Gao Qingshi suddenly remembered something and asked: "Nantang Gong, can you think about it this way: the artillery operation itself has a division of labor, and the most difficult one is It is the main gunner, because he is responsible for sighting and adjustment, and the others are mostly responsible for hard tasks, such as cleaning the barrel, loading gunpowder projectiles, etc."
Gao Pragmatic paused for a moment: "Then we can consider focusing on training the main gunners for the time being, for example, giving them a training class or something, while the other gun crew members will just make do with it. Those jobs don't necessarily require literacy anyway. , computing and other abilities..."
Qi Jiguang said: "The final general has also considered the issue of division of labor. It's just the training that Shao Sima mentioned...how to handle it?"
Only then did Gao Pragmatic remember that Qi Jiguang might not be clear about the word, and said: "Training is to gather these people together and teach them the knowledge they need to master, such as some basic literacy, calculations, etc. In short, it is to cultivate their professional skills. .”
"That's it." Qi Jiguang understood immediately after saying this. He hesitated and asked, "But this artillery skill...who can I ask to teach him?"
Gao Pragmatic also hesitated for a moment. It's not like he had no one to teach him. The Jinghua Guards could now allocate enough people to teach the Imperial Guards artillery, but in this case, it would be a bit... inconvenient to say it.
He thought for a while and then said: "I think otherwise, let the Jinghua Artillery Factory send people to teach - the artillery manufacturer not only has the most professional masters, but of course also has professional test gunners, who will teach the 'users' how to do it." It’s a no-brainer to use their products.”
This idea was actually very common in later generations, but for the current Ming Dynasty, it is very "creative".
Qi Jiguang's eyes lit up and he praised: "What a great idea, as expected of Shao Sima. This method is the best of both worlds!"
Gao Pragmatic knew as soon as he heard it, and Qi Jiguang saw through the trick at a glance - no matter how powerful the Jinghua Artillery Factory was, it would be impossible to send so many test gunners to teach an army of 60,000 people. There must be a trick here. Build a plank road to cross Chencang secretly.
In other words, Jinghua said that it sent people from the artillery factory to teach the Imperial Guards, but in fact these people were still from the Jinghua Guards, they just changed their names.
However, sometimes the name is so important. If the name is correct, it can avoid a lot of trouble and bring a lot of convenience.
Gao pragmatically smiled and said nothing.
Qi Jiguang also immediately jumped the topic and said: "In this case, the source of this artillery, especially the gunners, does not need to be limited to a certain place. As long as they are not rogue rangers in the city, they can be used. It's just... I thought, Since you have to learn a lot, it’s best not to be too old.”
"It's natural." Gao pragmatic nodded and said: "I think it's best not to exceed the age of the weak. If the bones of the body grow early, it would be better to be smaller."
Qi Jiguang was surprised and said: "Why do you need to be in a weak year? The original intention of the general is to find a young man who is fifteen or sixteen years old, who can understand the truth and learn the fastest."
Gao Pragmatic was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that the "ancient people" were relatively precocious because of the high pressure in life. In Qi Jiguang's opinion, the age of being weak was obviously too old, and fifteen or sixteen years old was just right.
Gao Gongbao, who was obedient to the advice, nodded and said: "That's right, it's better to make it smaller, so let's do what Nantang Gong said. I'll ask Nantang Gong to take more care of the specific arrangements."
Qi Jiguang bowed his head slightly in greeting and said: "This is a matter within the general's responsibility. How dare I bother to talk about it." Then he paused and said: "But there is something that I may want to ask Young Sima first."
Gao pragmatic nodded: "Mr. Nantang, please tell me."
"The Jinghua Artillery Factory sends people to teach. Can this expenditure be included in the expenses of the Imperial Guard?" Qi Jiguang seems to know that the Imperial Guard is now a special fund. He has to ask if there is a budget, otherwise the accounts will not be correct by then. Signing up will be a big hassle.
Gao Pragmatic thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Don't take this money out of the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard must concentrate its financial resources to do business."
"Then this..."
"It will be paid out of the money for purchasing artillery - that is to say, the price of artillery will increase a bit, but the cost of dispatching personnel will be paid by Jinghua itself."
Qi Jiguang was stunned for a moment, then showed a playful smile: "Young Master is still good at calculating."
Gao Pragmatic waved his hand: "It's not that I want to calculate, I just want to avoid some trouble."
In fact, Qi Jiguang also knows that Gao Pragmatic is not doing this to make money, and he will probably lose a little, but his thinking is really "flexible".
The key here is that the special funds for the Imperial Guard do not include armaments, which are the unified responsibility of the Ministry of War. When the Ministry of War allocates equipment to the world's armies, it will definitely give priority to the Beijing Camp - even the former poor Beijing Camp will get the best and fastest equipment.
Gao Jingshi is now in charge of the imperial guards personally. His bosses, Liang Benbing and Wu Ge Lao, are both big bosses of the Shi School, so there is no way he can get in the way.
Therefore, after the training expenses for dispatched personnel were transferred from the Guards to the armament expenses, the special funds for the Guards were saved.
The two then talked for a long time about specific projects, such as calculating the total number of gunners needed, the corresponding number of gunnery training required, etc., and they all discussed it clearly.
After things were basically settled, Gao Pragmatic realized that it was already very late, so he said goodbye to Qi Jiguang and returned to the Ministry of War to get off work.
After coming out of the Ministry of War, because I was still in the honeymoon, I naturally rushed to Baiyu Tower early. When he arrived at Baiyu Tower, he noticed something was wrong before he even entered the main building.
Why do the maids and servants Huang Zhiting brought from Annan seem to be packing their bags?
He entered the building inexplicably, returned to his main room, opened the door and saw Huang Zhiting sitting by the window in a daze.
"What's wrong, Zhiting, what are they packing for?" Gao pragmatic approached and asked.
Huang Zhiting turned her head, stood up, walked to Gao Pangshi and gently grabbed his hand, smiling bitterly and saying: "I came to Beijing in a hurry before. It seems that some things have not been done well. Now I am afraid that I have to go back."
Gao Pragmatic frowned: "What do you mean?"
Huang Zhiting sighed, pulled Gao Pangshi to sit on the Western-style sofa aside, looked at him carefully and said, "I told you not to be angry."
Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "You tell me first. Whether you will be angry or not cannot be guaranteed by telling you in advance."
Huang Zhiting pouted slightly, but still said: "There is trouble in Siam... The trouble may be quite big. The news just sent by Gao Mo said that rebels have appeared in three places in Siam. At present, Ruan Huang's strength is limited, so strengthen The security force assigned to him has not yet arrived. He is now trapped in Dacheng and does not know which route to quell first. He is even worried that Dacheng and the three rebels may have private connections. Once he goes out to quell the rebellion, he may not be able to connect with Dacheng. If they all turn against each other, the trouble will be even greater.”
Gao pragmatic frowned when he heard this, but he couldn't really be said to be angry. To some extent, this situation was not too unexpected.
Although the King of Siam did not have much courage, it was only when he was not seriously stimulated. Once a person is severely stimulated, it is difficult to say what he would do.
The Siam plan drawn up by Gao Jingshi was not so urgent. It was Ruan Huang who discovered the opportunity after arriving in Siam, so he changed Gao Jingshi's plan of taking things steadily and secretly and turning it into a swallow.
The whale was swallowed successfully, but it caused another trouble, that is, Narixuan's doubts about Annan. Originally, if Gao Pragmatic himself was in southern Xinjiang at this time, he would definitely have a way to stabilize Na Li Xuan, continue to implement the "slowly plan" plan, and ensure that every step is taken steadily. Although it may be late, but You will definitely achieve what you want in the end.
However, Gao Pingshi was not around at that time, Ruan Huang's plan seemed to be going smoothly, and Huang Zhiting had just won a big victory, so she thought that she might as well finish her work in one battle and win Siam directly. At the same time, what was even more coincidental was that Liu Xin also went to Toungoo City. For some reason, the two girls actually wanted to fight this battle.
Therefore, Naresuan was indeed tragic, but the intensification of hidden dangers within Siam also laid the groundwork.
If Huang Zhiting does not leave at this time, but goes to sit in Siam, then it is estimated that the Siamese people will have to endure it no matter how angry they are. After all, the Battle of Toungoo may have been just "a normal victory on the border of Yunnan" for the Ming Dynasty, but for the countries in southern Xinjiang, it was an earth-shattering event!
The main force of the Burmese army, led by the White Elephant King of Jinlou who alone controlled southern Xinjiang, was completely wiped out by Huang Zhiting with about 30% of his weak troops. The shock of this can be imagined with your toes.
It can be said that as long as Huang Zhiting's handsome flag is still erected on the land of Siam, the Siamese people will not dare to make a mistake even if they eat the gall of an elephant, let alone the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard!
You know, Siam is the defeated general of Burma. The Burmese army has been beaten into stupid dogs. What is the use of the Siam army? Isn't that a free gift?
But who knew that Huang Zhiting left without saying a word after the battle. Most of her victorious army that shocked southern Xinjiang returned to Annan, and the remaining small part stayed in Bago.
Now, isn’t the Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the Siamese people gone? If we don’t rebel now, then we’ll wait until later!
The news from Ruan Huang is also worthy of consideration. At present, his troops are really not suitable for counterinsurgency, especially when the rebels have three groups - if they go out to counterinsurgency, they may fall into the enemy's trap. plan, not to mention that the "mountain" itself is very unstable.
When Huang Zhiting and Liu Xin killed Na Lixuan, they didn't just kill some cat or dog. Naresuan is the deputy king of Siam and their crown prince!
It is completely understandable that the King of Siam lost his beloved son in old age, and that the white-haired man sent the black-haired man away, and that he had a mental breakdown. It would not be surprising at all if he secretly supported the rebels. At this time, Ruan Huang chose to stay in Dacheng. Although it seemed at first glance that he was condoning the rebels, he was actually forced to do so.
After all, if other places are in chaos, they can be recovered slowly. If the great city is lost and the King of Siam is out of control, then he only needs to give an order, and Siam may be full of chaos.
only……
The most annoying thing about Gao Qingjing is that this happened at the wrong time!
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Thanks to the book friend "Single Rider Zhao Bixin" for the reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "zhou4770", "Shaoling Jushi", "Long Live Bomi", "athulla", "Long Live Disrepair", "Huanai Influence", "Long.Shang", "nostalgist", "HAMW05" Monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: Tomorrow is Children’s Day, I wish all the adults and children a happy holiday! By the way, it’s a new month, so you can count the guaranteed monthly passes and so on... Well, I don’t mean anything else.
