Chapter 95: The three armies have not moved, food and grass go first
From the moment he left Nanjing, He Xi stopped thinking about things in Nanjing.
He Xi and Lu Zhongheng were on the same boat, and He Xi took Lu Zhongheng to look at the magic weapons hidden in the bilge.
It is more than three meters long and has a dark black bare gun body. There are several clamps on the gun body and it has been strengthened. The muzzle is as smooth as a mirror without any burrs. Lu Zhongheng put his hand into the muzzle and stroked it carefully, as if he was stroking his lover's skin. Said: "I haven't seen you for a few years, but the Ministry of Industry actually has such craftsmanship. I think the first batch of artillery we built back then had a gap as big as the mouth of a bowl. I tried it, and it could hold a full bowl of water. Just like that, it's okay. It must be used. And this is the first time I have seen such a big cannon. How powerful is it? How many cannons are there."
He Xi said: "This is the latest product produced by Taiping Iron Works. It was originally planned to be placed on the wall of Jinling City. However, I argued hard in front of His Majesty and finally got it. There are thirteen guns in total. There were test guns. But I didn’t go to see it. I can try the artillery again when I get to Ningbo.”
Lu Zhongheng said: "Then let's try it on the boat?"
He Xi shook her head and said: "No. This ship can't do it. The recoil of this gun is very strong. It will probably sink the ship."
Lu Zhongheng is actually not very proficient in naval battles. After hearing what He Xi said, I stopped asking. He sighed and said: "These thirteen cannons have helped us a lot. Otherwise, we still don't know how to deal with Nanyang affairs. There are only a few thousand troops. I have never commanded so few in so many years." Soldiers and horses?"
He Xi was stunned and said: "Didn't we mobilize more than 20,000 people from the coast? And there are three guards from Zhou Wangsan? Why are there only a few thousand people?"
Lu Zhongheng said: "You don't know something right now. The three guards of King Zhou are all empty, not to mention that the three guards of King Zhou are not satisfied with the number at all. After receiving the order, when recruiting soldiers, it is better to supplement the manpower from other guards. It will take at least a few months. Even the three guards of King Zhou are fully staffed, and they can take action now with an order. But if the landlubbers in the north don't get sorted out, do you dare to let them board the ship? "
"The only ones who can really take action are the soldiers drawn from the coast. However, the three armies have not moved, and the food and grass go first, not to mention the Nanyang navy first. Especially the food and grass that maintains Nanyang. It is estimated that at least half of the manpower is needed. We can have it in hand Thousands of soldiers and dozens of warships are already good enough. Don’t think too much about other things.”
He Xi actually understands this truth. I just didn't think about it. After all, the battle to conquer Yunnan had an army of 300,000 people, but the real soldiers were only over 100,000, and the rest were just transfers.
However, He Xi did not expect that there would be so few troops at hand for this southern expedition. What can thousands of people do?
He Xi said: "Java is at least a country of ten thousand chariots. What can it do with just a few thousand soldiers?"
Lu Zhongheng said: "Don't worry, I told your Majesty. Your Majesty guarantees that these thousands of troops will be the most elite soldiers in the entire southeast. They are all between the ages of twenty and thirty. They have run battle formations and even beheaded." A veteran soldier of merit. There will be no problem for sure. I have seen the armies of small countries in Southeast Asia, and they are just a piece of scattered sand. When they fight in formation, I can defeat tens of thousands of them, but it is only a matter of a few seconds."
Lawrence Lu's confidence in these words did not come from nothing.
Because in terms of political structure, Nanyang is now in the Spring and Autumn Period of China. That is to say, the army of national economy is nothing more than the king's private army. The other armies of the country are just private soldiers of other nobles. The country is essentially an alliance of nobles. It is in the era of transition to a feudal dynasty. Whoever can centralize power more will be more powerful. This is why Vietnam can dominate Southeast Asia.
It can be said that the training and command of these armies are not unified. Not to mention, in terms of weapons, the Ming army still has advantages.
If the purpose is not to occupy, thousands to tens of thousands, Lu Zhongheng said there is no problem at all.
No matter how greedy Lu Zhongheng is for money, he is still a veteran in every battle. He doesn't joke about war.
After all, when the Portuguese arrived in Nanyang, there were only a few thousand people. Although at that time, it was the decline of the Javanese dynasty. There is not even one in Southeast Asia who can fight. It was different from Majapahit’s heyday.
But the foundation is still the same.
He Xi didn't have that much trust in Lu Zhongheng.
Lu Zhongheng was too greedy for money, which made He Xi doubt Lu Zhongheng's military judgment. But this suspicion cannot be expressed.
He Xi pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty said that this time all the customs duties at Southeast Customs will be diverted to military expenses. I haven't been in Southeast for a while, how much money does Southeast Customs have?"
Lu Zhongheng said: "The bottom line is 500,000 taels, and we will discuss it when the details arrive."
He Xi pondered for a moment and said, "Do you think it is possible to outsource the task of transporting supplies to maritime merchants?"
Lawrence Lu was stunned and said, "Why?"
He Xi said: "This can save logistical strength to the greatest extent. Put more strength into the battle. As for the maritime merchants, they all belong to the Ming Dynasty. I don't think there will be any objection. Anyway, they will give you money."
In He Xi's view, this time going south, we must achieve military-civilian integration. The Ming Dynasty's army opened up markets for the Ming Dynasty's merchants, and the Ming Dynasty's merchants assisted the Ming Dynasty's army in military operations. Five hundred thousand taels is a lot. But it's obviously not enough.
However, He Xi was not too worried.
We have an army, but we are afraid of not having money, especially in a relatively chaotic place like Nanyang.
Even in He Xi's plan, there may not be military contractors or colonial companies like the East India Company. You must know that due to the special reasons of the Ming Dynasty, the first batch of maritime merchants were supported by nobles. The founding nobles of the Ming Dynasty were a group of fierce men with a serious excess of military ethics.
If the maritime merchants they support cannot fight, they will be laughed at by the entire Ming Dynasty’s upper class circle for several years when they return.
Introduce Ming Dynasty's excess military virtues into overseas expansion. This is He Xi's long-term plan. It’s just that Lu Zhongheng can’t understand this.
Lu Zhongheng’s first thought was business.
It's about making money.
Lu Zhongheng thought to himself: "I really want to know what is in He Xi's head? You can think of this method. Isn't this giving yourself money?"
Lu Zhongheng knew very well that there would be absolutely no problem in providing logistics to these companies for transportation. Because they all know the basics. Although it was not stated clearly who was behind the company, everyone in the circle knew that if something happened, it would not be the face of the company that would be lost, but the face of a certain earl or a certain marquis.
They are all on the battlefield, and they all know that there is no way to fight the war without continuous logistics. They would definitely not be willing to put the responsibility for Nanyang's defeat on them.
Moreover, Lu Zhongheng personally estimates that there should be no major problems in this section of the South China Sea. After all, the power of Java has not yet reached the South China Sea. Generally, small countries would not dare to touch the Ming Dynasty's ships. The biggest problem is actually the storm at sea.
However, if there is really a storm at sea, even if it is an army ship, what can be done? Before this kind of power of nature, all that can be done is to let nature take its course.
"Good idea." Lu Zhongheng said; "However, I don't think this is the top priority. When we go to fight against the enemy, the top priority is to send envoys to inform the countries in Southeast Asia and let them know what to do."
He Xi nodded.
Just rely on the tens of thousands of people in Ming Dynasty. There is no problem at all in having a stronghold in Nanyang. But the war with Java was somewhat insufficient. We can only rely on the power of the Southeast Asian countries. In a situation like Nanyang's, it can even be said that the role of vertical and horizontal alliances is more important than real swords and guns.
He Xi said: "Before I left, I had already communicated with the Ministry of Rites. The Ministry of Rites has given a hundred blank official photos. We only need to choose the right person. Fill in the name, and he will be a seventh-level member of the Ministry of Rites, who can represent the Ming Dynasty as an envoy. Southeast Asian countries.”
"We need to discuss how to deal with the Southeast Asian countries."
Lu Zhongheng said; "The matter in Java can wait for a while. We can wait until we understand some of the situation. But the countries that pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty can already start. If you don't tell me, I will discuss this matter with you. of."
