Zu Dabi was envious and jealous of Zhang Cheng, and a little bit unconvinced.
However, he is also from a hereditary military family. He has been fighting in Liaodong for half his life. He is very familiar with military matters. The combat effectiveness of an army can be known at a glance.
Just like "the expert will know if there is anything when he reaches out his hand"!
The fighting power of the Yongyi Army is before our eyes, just like the heads of the Tatars killed during the aid to Liao last year, and the heads of the slave thieves and puppet king Duduo. They are both real and can no longer be real.
Zu Dabi, like his elder brother, also puts the interests of the family first. Now that he has made friends with Zhang Cheng, it will be of great benefit to his family.
Therefore, he quickly changed his mentality and decided to follow the instructions of his nephew Wu Sangui and establish a good relationship with Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng in order to provide mutual assistance so that they would not become a threat to the Zu family's eternal wealth.
At the same time, he looked at Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, with a sense of joy in others' misfortune.
Zhang Cheng is now the dignified Earl of Yongning, and there is such a powerful military leader under his rule. Although he has gained a lot of credit for Jiang Yuxu, his rank has now climbed to his head.
From this point of view, Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, may not have an easy life in the future, at least he will not be able to command and dispatch the Yongyi Army.
Just like now, Uncle Yongning waited until he was completely seated before appearing, and he, like everyone else, could only stand up obediently to greet him.
Although Jiang Yuxu was a little reluctant, the etiquette of the court was such that even a high official like him had to kneel down and bow down when he saw a superior earl.
After the obeisance, everyone sat down again, and Zhang Cheng said: "It is really a blessing for Governor Jiang and me to have Zhang Bingxian and others come to Xuanzang today."
Although Zhang Cheng was pretending just now, he waited for Jiang Yuxu, the governor of Xuanda, to sit down before officially appearing, so that he could kneel to him in public, so as to show his respectable status and establish his prestige.
But he didn't want to completely offend Jiang Yuxu, so he showed great respect for him in his words, thinking that he could save the face he had lost by kneeling down just now.
I just heard him continue to say: "I have ordered people to prepare some wine to entertain the guests from Jiliao Town. I also hope that Jiang Governor will reward me and stay in Zhenshuo Mansion to dine with the distinguished guests from far away." That’s good.”
Jiang Yuxu originally had a good impression of Zhang Cheng, but as Zhang Cheng became more and more powerful, he increasingly felt that he could not see through Zhang Cheng's inner thoughts, and always felt a very strong sense of oppression, which often made him breathless. Come.
If he were still serving as the governor of Xuanfu, he would probably have a tit-for-tat fight with Yong Ningbo. Even if he could not completely convince him, he would still have to make him know that not everyone in the world is so easy to be deceived.
But now that he has been promoted to Governor-General of Xuanda, his words and deeds have a far-reaching impact. If, as his predecessor Zhang Fuzhen said, it arouses turmoil in the minds of the brave soldiers, and if this triggers a mutiny and leaves the imperial court with no soldiers to use in times of crisis, what will it be like? Guilt?
Therefore, he also changed his original intention and planned to use the word "loyalty" to hold Yong Ningbo tightly, and through influence, he would become a pillar of the imperial court instead of a rebellious military bandit.
I saw him speaking with a bright face: "General Zu, General Liu and General Xiao Cao are all in the country's Qiancheng. They defeated the invaders and fought against the slaves. They have made great contributions to the country. I am very happy to be able to sit with you today. "
He turned to Xie Sixin and said: "Mr. Xie assists Governor Hong in guarding Liaodong and advises Governor Hong. I have long admired your name. I have to ask for advice today. I hope Mr. Xie will not hesitate to give me some advice."
Xie Sixin was very happy to receive such praise from him, but the expression on his face remained unchanged and his words were full of humility.
Jiang Yuxu was worthy of being a seasoned official, and his words were impeccable, which made everyone in the hall happy. After being polite to Xie Sixin for a while, he chatted about military matters with Ning Qianbing Zhang Dou.
Zhang Dou is also a man who serves his affairs with sincerity. This time he learned that the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, had sent Xie Sixin to visit the Xuan Mansion to observe Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng's methods of raising and training troops.
Because he had many contacts with Zhang Cheng's Yongyi Army during the Liao War, he was very interested in it, so he invited him to come with him to find out how Zhang Cheng managed the Xuanfu and was able to raise more than ten thousand elite soldiers.
The civil and military personnel were divided into two groups, and they talked happily with each other.
…………
At Youshi, when the sun was setting over the western mountains and the sky was still dark, the banquet had just ended.
Governor Jiang Yuxu, grain inspector Zhu Mintai, governor Du Chunwen and others returned to their respective homes, while deputy commander-in-chief Lin Dengyou, staff general Liu Guangwu and others accompanied Zu Dabi and others for another conversation before leaving.
Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng's commander Zhang Chengfang accompanied Xie Sixin, Zhang Dou and others from the military academy and went to the mansion inside the south gate to rest first, while the three generals, Xie and Zhang stayed behind.
There was another person who stayed, and he was Wu Guogui, the general of the Chinese army under Wu Sangui.
Although Wu Sangui sent Zu Dabi to represent him, he came to Xuan Mansion to discuss business cooperation and the purchase of ordnance with Zhang Cheng. Even though Zu Dabi was Wu Sangui's uncle, he still felt uneasy, so he sent his own army Wu Guogui. Came with two of his cronies, Xia Longshan.
In addition to Yongning Bo Zhang Cheng, there were four other people present at the Xuan Mansion: Wu Zhizhong, Wei Zhice, Wang Yuanjing, and Liu Minshen. He Biao and Chen Zheng were responsible for the cleaning of the town, so they went back early to arrange tomorrow's affairs.
Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Xie Sixin opened his mouth and said, "Uncle Yongning should have known that we have come all the way today to ask for your help."
When Zhang Cheng heard this, he said straight to the point: "But you want to buy the guns and cannons wielded by the officers and men in my camp?"
"That's what it means."
As he spoke, Xie Sixin reached into his arms, took out a book, and said to Zhang Cheng: "When Governor Hong was leaving, he gave the student a handwritten letter and asked me to forward it to the Lord for his review."
Liu Chengzu stepped forward to take the book and put it on Zhang Cheng's desk. After reading it carefully, Uncle Yongning said: "Director Hong is really too polite."
He turned his head and continued to face Xie Sixin and others: "Director Hong and I have the friendship of war slaves in Liaodong. Now that Governor Hong has something he wants, I should try my best to fulfill it.
Although the Yunzhou guns and other firearms in our army are difficult to make and the quantity is not large, we can still distribute some first and sell them to Ji Liao's brothers for use. "
Zhang Cheng looked at a few people, and after a moment, he asked again: "But, I wonder how big the needs of Governor Hong and the general soldiers are?"
When Zu Dabi saw Zhang Cheng speaking, he shouted hurriedly: "Liao Town wants to buy ten thousand long muskets, three hundred small cannons, and one hundred cannons."
Just after he finished speaking, he seemed to think of something again, and hurriedly added: "And how to prepare this medicine, I wonder if you can teach it to us, or we can prepare it ourselves, lest Uncle Yong Ning can't spare manpower and make mistakes. The construction period for making cannons."
When Liu Zhaoji saw him asking for 10,000 long muskets, he was afraid that he would not be able to buy it if it was too late, so he hurriedly said: "Uncle Yongning, I also want 5,000 long muskets in Ji Town. Xiaofo Langji and Huahua cannon are worth 100 each." Door."
When he said this, his face turned red, and then he lowered his voice and continued: "It's just... it's just this amount... I wonder if I can give it a little more time..."
Zhang Cheng nodded gently and said to Cao Bianjiao: "Where is General Cao..."
Cao Bianjiao thought for a while and then replied: "Back to Yongning Bo, I and Ningyuan King's General Soldier each want to buy two thousand long muskets used by Yongyi Army, and each of them needs one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition."
Zhang Cheng nodded and thought about it in his mind before asking Wu Zhizhong: "General Wu, you have been in charge of the affairs of the old camp. At present, do we have a surplus and inventory of guns and artillery in the Yongyi Army?"
Wu Zhizhong replied without hesitation: "Returning to the general, the guns and artillery in our army suffered a lot of damage in the battle with the slave bandits in Liaodong. Although most of them can be repaired, after our Yongyi Army expands the six battalions of soldiers and horses, it will also need Replenish a large number of firearms.
Judging from the existing inventory, I'm afraid there won't be much surplus, and it's really difficult to meet the amount you want to purchase. "
Zhang Cheng sighed softly and asked again: "I'll ask you again, if the craftsman camp speeds up the work, how many Yunzhou guns can be made every month."
Wu Zhizhong replied seriously: "General, the workmanship of the barrel of this Yunzhou gun is extremely fine, and there should be no carelessness. If our craftsman camp speeds up the work, we can produce at most 500 Yunzhou guns every month. There is no way. No more.”
Zhang Cheng had a look of helplessness on his face. He looked at Zu Dabi and other Ji Liao soldiers, and then asked Wu Zhizhong: "What is the number of Yunzhou guns in our army's inventory?"
"Back to the general, there are still more than 3,000 or 300 Yunzhou guns in the army's inventory."
"It's so sad!"
Zhang Cheng continued to say helplessly to Xie Sixin, Zu Dabi and others: "Director Hong and several generals want to purchase muskets from our army, and their intention is to kill many slave thieves. I will do my best to help.
Unfortunately, these Yunzhou cannons are indeed not easy to make. Our army does not have much inventory, and the number of pre-orders is so huge that it is indeed difficult to gather these cannons at the moment. "
He then sighed softly and said: "You have been tired from the journey today, so you should rest early. We will discuss the issue of guns and cannons tomorrow. In any case, I can't let you come all the way and come back empty-handed!" "
Seeing this, Xie Sixin also knew that Zhang Cheng was indeed in trouble and it would be difficult to finalize the matter tonight, so he stood up and left, leading Zu Dabi, Cao Bianjiao and others to leave.
Before leaving, Zhang Dou, who was on the road to prepare troops for Ning Qian, even hinted to Zhang Cheng that he wanted to go to the North Road under Yong Ning Bo's rule to see how it was different from the outside world.
Zhang Cheng would naturally not object to this, but asked Zhang Dou to be calm and rest for a few days in the town. Although he would not be able to accompany him there, he would arrange for capable people to accompany him to the North Road. .
…………
"This Zhang Cheng is so unhappy. Could it be that he wants to raise the price while sitting on the ground?" Zu Dabi was on his horse, swaying and talking to Liu Zhaoji and Cao Bianjiao beside him.
When Liu Zhaoji heard this, he glanced forward and said, "Commander Zu, be careful what you say."
He pointed forward with the riding crop in his hand, and whispered: "Be careful of Yong Ningbo's people listening to you."
Zu Dabi puffed his beard and continued with eyes wide open: "I'm afraid he's a bastard. We came thousands of miles to buy his guns and cannons, not to rob him. What do we have to betray him?"
Having said that, his voice was indeed much softer this time.
Although Zu Dashou of the older generation has died of illness and the newcomer Wu Sangui is now in charge of Liaodong, the Zu clan of Liaodong is still the first general of the Ming Dynasty.
As the number one tiger general of his ancestral family, his ancestor Da Bi's status in Liaodong was unparalleled. Even Wu Sangui did not dare to offend him in the slightest.
However, no matter how fearless he is, this place is no better than Liaodong. In the land of Xuan Mansion, Yong Ning Bo is naturally the number one, and Governor Xuan Da is not polite to him.
Although a person like Madman Zuer refused to give in, in his heart he admired Zhang Cheng and Yong Yijun and did not dare to despise them in the slightest.
As a close aide of Hong Chengchou, Xie Sixin was always with Governor Jiliao. He was not a person of ordinary importance to him!
However, facing Bo Yongning and Zhang Cheng, things looked a little different.
This time, he came to Xuanfu as the special envoy of Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, not only to inspect how Zhang Cheng governed the place, but also to purchase guns and artillery for Hong Chengchou's supervising camp.
There were important matters that needed to be discussed with Zhang Cheng, and he did not dare to offend Uncle Yong Ning!
Now riding the horse slowly, although I tried my best to get some words out of Wei Zhice, he was easily dodged by him, and I didn't get any effective information. I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. If it didn't work, I could only wait for Zhang Cheng to give birth slowly. .
"I can only hope that after being hurt last time, the slave thief will not come back so soon!"
…………
After sending off Xie Sixin and others, Yong Ningbo was not in a hurry to take a rest. He still left Wu Zhizhong, Wang Yuanjing, Liu Minshen and others to continue the discussion.
In fact, all the Yongyi Army battalions are almost equipped with guns, artillery and firearms. In addition to leaving necessary stocks, the firearms produced in the future will be used to replace equipment for the garrison defenders in various castles.
However, Uncle Yongning would only replace equipment for the garrison of the fortresses under his actual control, so the amount required was not very large. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with selling some to the general soldiers of Ji Liao.
Although the court will share nearly half of the Yongyi Army's food expenses, the remaining amount is not difficult for Zhang Cheng.
Even if the number of troops after the expansion of the Yongyi Army has exceeded the number regulated by the court, if the court does not need to use more money to raise troops, they will not ask too much about it.
After all, the Ming Dynasty was in financial difficulties. Although Li Daiwen, the former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had been sacrificing social relations, cutting work and food, and trying to help the poor after taking power, the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue had not been relieved due to constant military and famines. .
Now it is even more stretched and has reached an unsustainable point.
Now the imperial court only hopes that Uncle Yong Ning can lead the army to aid Henan as soon as possible, and has no intention of asking about the number of soldiers and horses under his command. Anyway, the imperial court will only pay half of the approved personnel.
Now, all the soldiers in Jiliao are willing to pay money to buy guns and cannons, which opens up another way of making money for Zhang Cheng.
In order to win over Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Li Fuming, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, he had promised them to sell them a batch of firearms at the original price to strengthen the combat effectiveness of their armies.
However, the Ji Liao generals would naturally not give them this treatment.
(End of chapter)
