In a blink of an eye, nearly a month has passed. Under the instruction of Gao Heng, Bu Mige and others entered Lang Son Palace. Gao Heng organized hundreds of prisoners of war to build a church for Bu Mige and others. The location was chosen in Lang Son Palace. . Prisoners of war did not need wages, so the cost of building the church was greatly reduced. Watching the church being built little by little, Bummig and others were extremely happy. They also worked hard and devoted all their energy to the church. Go into the development of new fire guns.
Compared with the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty, these Western missionaries had an obvious advantage, that is, they not only mastered some principles of weapon manufacturing, but also had strong hands-on skills, and could be said to be capable of both literary and military work.
After entering Tuoxian County, Gao Heng immediately summoned the original craftsmen of Tuoxian County, introduced several missionaries to them, and asked Cheng Ping to bring the original craftsmen to join their team to brainstorm ideas.
The expatriates had no objection to these Westerners, and they had seen foreigners in Annan. In addition, this group of people seemed relatively friendly, and they were brought back by the general, so everyone naturally got along with each other. Henan Huairen is also very happy. Everyone knows that weapon development is a very complicated process that requires constant testing and trial production. It will definitely not work without the support of human resources. Cheng Ping and others have just made up for this gap. Bu Mi With more manpower, research can get twice the result with half the effort.
While the missionaries were stepping up their efforts to develop flintlock muskets, Gao Heng was meeting with a guest from the Ming Dynasty.
In the yamen of Lang Son Prefecture, a civil servant was sitting under Gao Heng. This person was none other than Sun Ding, an aide under Fang Zhenru. A few days ago, the special envoy from Zhennanguan finally got in touch with Gao Heng.
More than a month ago, Fang Zhenru instructed Zhennanguan to send someone to contact Gao Heng. However, because Gao Heng and the Zheng family were fighting fiercely, the entire northern Annan was in a state of war, and the nerves of all parties were tense, so It was difficult for the Tang Ma sent out to enter the territory of Annan. It was not until Gao Heng defeated the Zheng army and obtained the entire land of Lang Son Prefecture that all Annan troops withdrew, and the border between Ming Dynasty and Annam was completely relaxed.
Now, between Zhennanguan and Zhengshi, there is a defense zone of the Xinghua Army, which means that Zhennanguan is no longer directly bordering Annan, so Tang Ma successfully entered Xinghua after discovering that the patrol troops had changed. The territory of the Chinese army.
After seeing Gao Heng, Gao Heng asked him to go back and resume his life. The news that Tang Ma brought back shocked Zhennanguan and the entire Guangxi civil and military generals. Who would have thought that a small company that didn't even have a staff at that time was shocked. The little flag officer actually did such an earth-shattering thing.
Originally, Fang Zhenru had been paying attention to the news about Zhennanguan after returning. He also knew that if Gao Heng's force could take root in northern Annan, how much impact it would have on the entire southwest situation, so every few day, he would send someone to ask. When Tang Ma went back and sent back the news that Gao Heng had taken Lang Son as his base, Fang Zhenru couldn't sit still. He couldn't go there in person because of his busy official duties, so he immediately asked Sun Determined to set off, take a trip for yourself first.
Sun Ding then came all the way to Tuoxian County. When he arrived at Lang Son Fucheng, he was surprised to find that the king's flag had been changed at the top of the city, and the flag of the Xinghua Army looked so dazzling.
"Xinghua Army?" While Sun Ding was still wondering, people sent by Gao Heng were already greeting him outside the city, and then brought him into the city. The government office had been requisitioned by Gao Heng and turned into a new military office. . Although Tuo County is the earliest place where the Xinghua Army started, its area is too small and its resources are not sufficient. Compared with the situation of Lang Son Province, it is still very different. Since there is already Lang Son Prefecture, it is better to use it as the center. Very necessary.
Therefore, the command structure of the Xinghua Army was moved directly from Tuo County to Lang Son Province, and Gao Heng also mobilized the people to move. Although everyone has been moving in the past few months, they were still very happy to be able to live in the more comfortable Lang Son Province. What’s exciting is that Lang Son is much larger than the county seat, and it is not a problem to accommodate 50,000 to 100,000 people.
However, the total population of Gaoheng is only more than 50,000, so 20,000 residents are arranged to live in Lang Son Province in advance. Tuo County and Shang Van Province maintain a scale of more than 10,000 people, and there are still a small number of people doing business who are willing to go to Xin'an Port To make a living, Gaoheng's basic base includes one prefecture and four counties, but the population is still far from enough and needs to be continuously filled.
When Sun Ding entered the city, Gao Heng was discussing with Cheng Zilong, Jing Zhao and others, and they were talking about the current financial status of the Xinghua Army.
After many wars, the Xinghua Army obtained a lot of money and food through asking for ransoms from the Annamites, seizures on the battlefield, and funding from Emperor Li and others. After a period of use and distribution, there is currently more than enough money in the treasury. Small balance.
"Military advisor, you are familiar with the logistics situation. How much is the balance in the treasury now?" Gao Heng asked.
"General, the current gold and silver treasures in the treasury are all converted into cash, which is about 500,000 taels and 100,000 shi of grain." Cheng Zilong replied.
Gao Heng nodded. These gold and silver grains seemed to be a lot, but when they were actually used, they would be used up in a short time. Gao Heng said: "These things are reserves. In the long run, we still need to support ourselves."
Jing Zhao immediately said: "General, we have sorted out the materials of Lang Son Prefecture. There is a record of the amount of cultivated land here. You can take a look."
Jing Zhao handed over a slightly yellowed book. Gao Heng opened it and found that the amount of cultivated land owned by each county was clearly stated. He turned directly to the last page. At the end, there was a total, the current total cultivated land area of Lang Son Province. There are nearly half a million acres.
One good thing about Annan is that the climate is suitable. Generally speaking, grains are harvested twice a year, but in Annan, you can easily achieve three crops a year. Therefore, most Annan people are engaged in agriculture, and rice cultivation is very popular.
It's just that the geographical location of Lang Son Province is not particularly good, and there is still a large amount of arable land that has not been developed, but half a million acres of land is still a large number. Gao Heng had some understanding of this. In later generations, he was also the son of a farmer. In later generations, it was very casual for Chinese land to produce a thousand kilograms per mu, which was basically equivalent to nearly ten stones of grain. However, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the yield per mu was very casual. The output is not that much, basically less than five stones.
The climatic conditions in Annan are very good. According to the current agricultural conditions, the yield of five shi per mu is a sure thing. So if someone cultivates the 500,000 acres of land, the one harvest will be 2.5 million shi, and three crops a year will be Seven and a half million dan can feed a large population. Even in later generations, Annan was an absolute food exporter, thanks to its unique geographical location.
As the saying goes, don't panic when you have food in your hands. As long as the Xinghua Army has a large amount of food in its hands, it can accomplish more things. But now, the only factor limiting Gaoheng is population. Without population, there would be no people to farm the land, and so much food would not be produced.
In later generations, due to the popularization of mechanization, it was very easy for a farmer to take care of more than ten acres of land. But in ancient times, it was already a remarkable achievement for one person to take care of three or four acres of land by carrying water and fertilizing. .
The entire Lang Son Province has nearly 500,000 acres of land, which requires at least 100,000 farmers. However, its current total population is only more than 50,000 people. The prisoners of war have to do heavy physical work. As for the soldiers, Gao Heng wants them to be completely out of work. Soldiers who are not out of work are military households, which is no different from the Ming Dynasty's guard system. When it comes to fighting, professional soldiers must have stronger combat effectiveness. In troubled times, a strong army is needed to survive and survive. Without the protection of the army, everything will be ruined. Become in vain.
Excluding these, as well as craftsmen and people in other professions, and excluding the old and the weak, there are actually only 10,000 to 20,000 people currently capable of agricultural production. These people can only look after tens of thousands of acres of land, let alone reclaim wasteland. The existing 500,000 acres of land cannot be managed.
Gaoheng is as big as the first and the second. Without the population, there would be nothing. At this moment, a soldier came in to report the news of Sun Ding's arrival. Gao Heng's eyes lit up. Maybe, this matter could be started from Sun Ding.
Gao Heng immediately told Cheng Zilong and Jing Zhao what he thought, and everyone waited for Sun Ding's arrival in the government office.
Sun Ding was still wearing the scholar's uniform. When he entered Lang Son Palace, he deliberately slowed down a bit and looked at this former border city of Annan. He had heard many times in Lang Son Palace that as an aide to the governor, Annan and Daming were The border war was of course also part of Fang Zhenru's affairs, so the name Lang Son appeared many times in the battle reports.
But when he finally arrived in Lang Son, he still had a sense of curiosity. It could be seen that the buildings here were greatly influenced by the Central Plains, and were basically not much different from those in China. Because of the occupation by the Xinghua Army, the pedestrians on the streets had Becoming an expat, although for a city as big as Lang Son, 20,000 people is a bit less, and there are not many pedestrians on the street, but Sun Ding can still feel that these pedestrians are walking in the wind, their faces are red, and every day Everyone looks very energetic, which is very different from the residents of Ming Dynasty, especially the refugees from the north, who look half-dead.
This is a feeling full of hope, indicating that the lives of these people are getting better and better.
Sun Ding walked into the government office and frowned slightly. In Guangxi, although he was only Fang Zhenru's staff, he had a transcendent status and was one of the few people who could give Fang Zhenru advice. Therefore, Sun Ding's status was very high. If In Guangxi, when he goes to a certain city, not to mention loess paving roads and clear water splashing on the streets, at least the local chief officials will come to greet him, but here in Gaoheng, he obviously does not enjoy this treatment, so of course there are some Not satisfied.
But the moment he entered the government office, Sun Ding also figured it out. Gao Heng worked hard here and made a name for himself. The Ming army did not provide him with any help. Speaking of which, he was not even a small flag of the Ming army. He is not an official, and he has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty government or the army, so why bother to mobilize troops to welcome him? On the contrary, Fang Zhenru sent him to take the initiative to contact Gao Heng, and this Gao Heng was of great use to Guangxi's defense. As the representative of the governor, it didn't matter if he lowered his posture.
Sun Ding tidied his clothes and walked into the lobby under the leadership of the guards. As soon as they entered, they saw three people sitting upright. One of them in the middle was dressed as a military general, who must be Gao Heng.
Gao Heng stood up and clasped his fists and said: "Master Sun is here. I am busy with official duties today and did not go out of the city to greet you. Please forgive me, Master Sun. Let me introduce you. This is Cheng Zilong, the military advisor of the Xinghua Army, and this is Jing Zhao, our logistics chief. Both of them were originally expats here, and when the Xinghua Army was established, they were willing to serve in the army."
Sun Ding had never heard of their names, but Gao Heng introduced them and he immediately greeted them. After the guests and hosts were seated, Gao Heng ordered people to watch tea. Sun Ding could see that Gao Heng's attitude towards him was lukewarm, and he was obviously wary. He didn't know why Fang Zhenru took the initiative to find him. Everyone was here Before opening up, it is normal for people to be defensive.
As soon as the tea cup was served, Sun Ding immediately used the cup lid to gently smooth the tea foam in the cup, and then took a small sip to calm down his mood and organize his thoughts.
"Oh, I didn't expect to be able to drink Longjing at General Gao's place. This is not an ordinary treatment. There is also Longjing in Annan. I heard that people here drink green tea. General Gao is really capable. ." Sun Ding praised. This comes from the bottom of my heart. The tea in the cup is indeed Longjing, it’s just how Gao Heng got it.
Gao Heng smiled and didn't say much. In fact, this is also thanks to Pudman. This guy is a traveling merchant on the sea. It is certainly not difficult to get some green tea from China. Although the price is high, since he has agreed to cooperate with Gao Heng, he has a strong ally. , it is normal to give Gao Heng some of his private collection.
Gao Heng was not particularly knowledgeable about tea in later generations. You must know that Longjing, the top tea of the Ming Dynasty, can only be enjoyed by Annan nobles. Gao Heng did not keep it for himself, but directly took it out to entertain others. Even Cheng Zilong felt a little bit Pity.
Gao Heng said: "As long as Mr. Sun is used to drinking, it will be fine. I don't drink tea much on weekdays. For those in the military, plain water is enough. But during this time, I always drink tea with the military advisor, which changes my taste." coming."
Sun Ding was about to answer the call, but Gao Heng said: "A few days ago, Zhennan Guantangma came to contact me and brought back some news about this place. Mr. Sun is here today. I don't know why?"
"Ahem, cough, cough." Sun Ding choked on a mouthful of tea and coughed several times in a row. He didn't expect Gao Heng to speak so directly, which made many of the rhetoric he prepared useless. It's okay, everyone can simply Be straightforward and avoid beating around the bush.
