Qi Jin squinted his eyes and looked at his adopted son.
Wu Bondang is twenty-three this year. In fact, considering his age, he is more than enough to be Qi Jin's grandson.
But this is the only bloodline left in the old Wu family. Qi Jin was snatched away from the Mongolian army by Wu Weizhong when he was in Jizhou. The two fought side by side for many years. Now that old Wu has gone to heaven to enjoy his blessings, he, Qi Jin, has to take care of him. The only kindling of the Wu family, he recognized him as the youngest adopted son and took him with him.
Qi Jin wanted Wu Bang Bang to take the imperial examination. After all, in this world, only civil servants gained power, while military men were oppressed.
However, Wu Bondang appears to be elegant and gentle on the surface, but he probably still has the bravery and martial arts blood of his ancestors in his bones. He still likes to hang out with Qi Jin's personal guards and servants, and often asks his adoptive father Qi Jin for military advice.
At this moment, Qi Jin said to Wu Bangdang: "You are right. I also estimate that if Liaodong is in chaos, the imperial court will still have to look for our Qi family army."
The old general sighed again, stood up, and said to Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, I and Bond will take you to see the drill first, and then talk about other things."
An old man and a young boy went out from the back door of the General Military Mansion and walked around a section of the city wall. Zheng Haizhu pointed at the dilapidated wall and asked, "Is this the iron urn city wall from the time of Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty?"
Qi Jin patted the wall tiles and said, "It's from that time. Don't look at it as damaged. The remaining half of the wall is still so strong. Not to mention the trebuchets from thousands of years ago, even now, they can block cannons."
Zheng Haizhu looked up at the Iron Urn City: "The Western countries on the foreign side are all castles owned by small lords, with empty structures. The Western artillery was originally just a replacement for trebuchets to knock down those hollow walls. But we Han people have been since ancient times. The state capital city has a thick body like terraced fields and embankments, and the method of siege is still based on the attacker suppressing the defenders, destroying the firepower on the city, and waiting for opportunities to board the city."
Qi Jin and Wu Bondang, who were about to continue walking, suddenly stopped and looked back at Zheng Haizhu.
For the first time, they knew that there were young commoner women in the world who could talk about weapons and siege tactics with gusto, and they were more meticulous than thinking about hairpins, jewelry, and embroidery patterns.
Zheng Haizhu added: "Of course artillery is necessary. For example, if an enemy attacks the city, it doesn't matter if they are Japanese cavalry or Japanese infantry. If they bombard them directly from the top of the city, are they still copper-headed and iron-clad?" Can't do it? But if you blindly defend the city, you will end up being passive. In the current situation, the Jurchens are just like the Northern Yuan Dynasties, skilled in bows and horses, and good at field battles. Our Ming Dynasty still needs to find a way to fight against the Jurchens, so in terms of armaments, You must have a large number of lightly armed firearms that can be carried by both cavalry and infantry, and don’t be so fond of exploding chambers that you end up being forced to use iron rods.”
After Qi Jin heard the last sentence, he no longer concealed the surprise in his eyes, but young Wu Bondang laughed directly.
As a descendant of Qi Jiajun, Wu Bondang can certainly hear the funny point in Zheng Haizhu's last sentence.
That's what the three-eyed gun is about.
At that time, Qi Jiguang's soldiers were equipped with bird blunderbuss as the main weapon and three-eyed blunderbuss as a supplement. Qi Jiguang clearly disdained the three-eyed gun. Like Xu Guangqi's judgment, he believed that the three-eyed gun had a short and weak barrel, poor accuracy, and was prone to self-explosion. No wonder the soldiers only used the three-eyed gun as a head-killing weapon in close combat.
Qi Jin nodded at Zheng Haizhu: "Girl, you have a bit of a venomous mouth, but it seems that you know a lot about firearms."
Zheng Haizhu smiled candidly: "General Qi, I have experienced naval battles in Penghu. I have personally seen Brother Yan and his friends and the Frankies use firearms. In addition to breech-loaded cannons for bombarding ships, there are also lightweight fast guns. Quick. The barrel of the gun is longer than that of the common gunpowder. The gunpowder takes more time to do work in the barrel and shoots out faster. Naturally, it can shoot farther and has greater armor-piercing ability."
Qi Jin did not understand modern physics terms such as "work", but this was not important. What was important was that he understood what Zheng Haizhu meant.
He curled his lips and said, "Girl, I can't live without your god-like fellow from Fujian. Haha, what pirates are you? If you have money, what new gadgets can't you get?"
Wu Bangde murmured in a mosquito voice: "In the past, when the chief assistant was here, I would protect his old man and he would not be short of money."
"Presumptuous!" Qi Jin heard him mention the dead Zhang Juzheng again and scolded him, "You're talking nonsense, you don't want your head anymore?"
The old general had a sullen face and did not dare to lead
The two young men who spoke again stepped on the unkempt grass that smelled of mud in summer.
He climbed a high slope and then said again: "Girl, I am a rough man, but I still know the basic etiquette. I invite you to the school grounds because I want to thank you in person."
Qi Jinxian pointed to the infantrymen in small formations in the east and said: "Those are our Zhejiang soldiers. They are paid by the imperial court, and their monthly rations are one, two, and five cents. If they go out to fight, they will receive rations per month." Count another two taels."
Zheng Haizhu looked closely and saw that there were about ten people in each small formation. The soldiers held different weapons. The forks on the outside that looked like candied haws on a stick were very eye-catching. They were probably the wolf soldiers.
The battalion soldiers led by Qi Jin were indeed very energetic and lively, completely different from many of the Ming Dynasty guards soldiers who were like old dogs lying on their backs.
"Is this Qi Shaobao's mandarin duck formation?" Zheng Haizhu asked.
Before coming to Zhenjiang to meet Qi Jin, she had already found Lu Xiangsheng as her teacher, and learned the mandarin duck formation that Qi Jiguang inherited from Tang Shunzhi, and used it to get close to Qi Jin.
Qi Jin nodded: "It is the Yuanyang Formation, but my adoptive father emphasized when he was still alive that this formation is suitable for the hilly and ravine areas from Southern Zhili to Fujian, or can be used in street fighting. Suppose it is the desert of Liaodong, with a vast land,** All the * cavalry are pressing forward, galloping like the wind, this formation is useless."
Qi Jin then turned to the west, where there was a large gravel field filled with haystacks and horses running around, and solemnly said: "Miss Zheng, that team of fifty or sixty people is the cavalry that General Ma helped train for a while last year. Their ancestors and fathers , in fact, they are also from Yiwu, Zhejiang. Because they followed us to the north, these children were born in Jizhou. They have been on horseback since childhood and are good materials for cavalry. Unfortunately, although they have inherited military households, in recent years But they could not receive military pay, and some even had to do hard labor like horsemen and trackers. Many of them died of exhaustion or freezing..."
When Qi Jin said this, his words stopped, he blinked his eyes quickly, suddenly raised his hand and slapped his temple, cursed "The mosquitoes in Huang Meitian are so damn fierce", and then wiped his cheeks with gestures.
Zheng Haizhu was always observing and listening attentively, but he couldn't tell that Qi Jin was talking about the descendants of his old subordinates. He felt bitter and was trying to cover up his sobs.
Wu Bangde hurriedly answered: "Miss Zheng, my adoptive father sold some land in Zhejiang and scraped together seven or eight taels of Anjia money per person. He first recruited the first batch of dozens of young people and family members to Zhenjiang, and then We bought twenty horses that were not wanted by the imperial court from the stables kept by civilian officials nearby, and everyone took turns riding them to train to form this cavalry."
Zheng Haizhu rolled his eyes and calculated: "The horses must not only eat grass when they are trained like this, but must also add bean cakes and salt. Our horses in Songjiang Prefecture have to eat a stone of beans and nearly twenty bundles of hay every month, and they get two to three pounds a year." Ten taels of silver to raise. It is cheap to buy horses but expensive to raise them. Just these twenty horses cost five to six hundred taels of silver a year. The annual salary of fifty cavalry is nearly a thousand taels. Not to mention the cost of armor, coats and spears. , this small cavalry consumes at least 1,500 taels of silver every year. Has Mr. Qi reported their positions to the Ministry of War for them?"
Qi Jin sneered: "I went to the Ministry of War early in the morning to find someone to transfer them from Jizhou to Nanzhili. The Ministry of War originally said that the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the Cabinet would approve it soon, but suddenly they said that there was no money, and Prince Fu was getting married. I can't stand it no matter what, so I'll give you one hundred thousand taels to Long live the Lord."
Zheng Haizhu fell silent and did not ask for details.
The old Zhu family is so prolific that the large number of offspring of borers who eat and use the imperial court for free are indeed a heavy burden on the empire.
Not to mention the apple of Wanli's eye like King Fu and his beloved concubine, ah no, the apple of his eye, getting married at public expense will naturally cost a lot of people's wealth and anointing.
But even so, the imperial court's annual income from salt classes is two million taels. Is it true that it can't even approve military pay of two thousand taels?
What's more, these young cavalrymen inherited their father's military status and should have received monthly salary.
Qi Jin saw what Zheng Haizhu was guessing and said bluntly: "After further inquiry, I found out that there was a censor in the court who read several books of my book and said that I wanted to use public funds to raise domestic slaves. Zhang Shilang from the Ministry of War asked someone to intercede. It was said that they were all the nephews of Jizhou's heroes at that time. The old relatives took them in and had no ill intentions, so the matter was settled. Zhang Shilang was really a good man, and he changed things again and asked the Ministry to dispatch horse generals to train the troops, which was tantamount to a warning. Chaotang, old
Husband, this cavalry has a legitimate name, and there is nothing wrong with its appearance in Zhenjiang. "
That’s what happened!
Today, Zheng Haizhu finally understands why on the ship from Yuegang, Fujian back to Songjiang, Eunuch Liu often mentioned to Ma Xianglin that your father-in-law is a crimson-robed civil servant who is rarely willing to stand up for military commanders nowadays.
Zhang Quan, the Minister of War, is like his father, like his daughter. The sound of a young phoenix is better than that of an old phoenix. General Ma and Zhang Quan’s daughter Zhang Fengyi will surely play the harp and harp in harmony and relieve the national crisis together, as recorded in the official history.
The Zhang family is worthy of Qin Liangyu's son. Zheng Haizhu was sincerely happy that Ma Xianglin had found such a match.
The desolate look on Qi Jin's face a moment ago gradually dissipated.
The old man suddenly turned around and bowed to Zheng Haizhu: "Girl, I must express my gratitude here today. The thousand taels of silver you sent has solved my urgent need. It can support this cavalry for more than half a year." expenses."
Zheng Haizhu hurriedly bowed to return the gift, and said with a certain amount of guilt and a certain amount of sincerity: "General Qi, Shi Lang Zhang contributed his efforts, General Ma provided people, I can provide money, General Qi accepted it with appreciation, I really don't know how much I am willing. I only regret that I just started doing business and my output is too little."
Qi Jin looked at the training ground where fighting was practiced and the sound of trumpets was loud, and he sighed: "Girl, I believe that you are a good person that God rarely rewards in this world. I also believe that your fellow countryman who is favored by the imperial court will not They are Japanese pirates. But please also be considerate and considerate of me, the last bit of dignity of the Qi family. Our Qi family army, these Zhejiang soldiers I lead, if we have the opportunity to fight side by side with Leader Yan in the future, we will go all out and cooperate sincerely. But right now , I don’t want to make friends with people from the sea, let alone take money from the sea.”
Zheng Haizhu almost cried when he heard this.
It's not because he failed to help Yan Siqi's circle of friends that he felt frustrated.
It is precisely the stubborn self-esteem of this old Ming Dynasty general that I sigh with emotion.
Are there many examples of civil servants who were born as Jinshi and are full of benevolence, righteousness and morality, "Today the Li family has a godmother, and tomorrow the godfather will be surnamed Zhang"?
However, these generals who are looked down upon by scholars often insist on sticking to the bottom line of their beliefs with two words: no retreat.
Zheng Haizhu did not think that Qi Jin's rejection of Yan Siqi, a maritime hero, was a sign of pedantry and arrogance.
The more principled a person is, the more reliable he or she can be as a partner.
Zheng Haizhu then said cautiously: "Mr. Qi, I understand. I no longer mention bringing my brother Yan to visit, but I have another idea that I want to talk to the old man and Mr. Wu."
"Girl, tell me."
"Why don't you start a new business on your own? Zhenjiang goes north to Linqing and south to Songjiang. Water transportation is busy and waterways are prosperous. It would be a pity not to have shipping insurance."
…
In the General Military Mansion, Zheng Haizhu spread out a piece of paper and wrote a few words: cargo owner, carrier, insurance company, premium, insurance, claim settlement, liability.
"There are just three of us, let me give you an example," Zheng Haizhu put down his brush and said: "General Qi is the owner of the cargo. He asked Mr. Wu, the boss of the ship, to sail a shipment of tea from Zhenjiang to Songjiang. Unexpectedly, Before we reached Songjiang, bang, the ship sank, and all the five hundred taels of tea were lost. Fortunately, before General Qi shipped the goods, he spent five taels of silver in my insurance company, Zheng Haizhu, and bought a Cargo insurance. Now that the cargo is indeed in danger, I, Zheng Haizhu, will pay General Qi 500 taels of silver."
Qi Jin stroked his gray beard, stared and listened, wondering: "This... I gave you five taels, and you compensated me for five hundred taels. You lost 495 taels, why?"
The young Wu Bondang had a bright mind and had vaguely grasped some clues. He was excited and rushed to answer: "Father, you are not the only boat on the canal and the Yangtze River. How can every boat memorize the words and know how to do it?" The ship capsized. So, if there are many, many ships, ask Ms. Zheng to spend five taels of silver to buy insurance. As long as the quantity is large enough, even if a few of them sink, Ms. Zheng will still make a profit. What the cargo owner thinks is that the insurance premium is only a few dollars anyway. Two taels of silver, but if the ship sinks, hundreds of taels will not be wasted."
Zheng Haizhu clasped his hands and said: "This is exactly what Mr. Wu said. It is the law of large numbers and the principle of luck in the insurance industry. To put it simply, it is very
There are many more people to share a risk. This risk may happen to you, or it may happen to me, I don’t know, it depends on who is lucky and who is unlucky. But if you buy insurance in advance, the unlucky guy can recover his losses. "
Qi Jin slapped his thigh and said with a smile: "Young girl, I know what you said. When I train soldiers, what I say is that in a war, if you rush forward, you may not die, but if you retreat, the military commander will definitely let you Die. Even if you die while charging into battle, I will give your mother, daughter-in-law, and baby a pension, so go ahead with confidence, there will be someone to support you."
Zheng Haizhu nodded and said with a smile: "The old man is very transparent. This shipping insurance is to support the cargo owners."
