Observing the names of names can help you better understand the closeness and distance of the other party.
Zheng Haizhu left Liaoyang for a month and came back to find that Mao Wenlong, a guerrilla who was currently not a high-ranking military officer, had always called himself "Mao" instead of "the last general" to a red-robed civil servant like Zhang Quan.
Sure enough, after listening to Mao Wenlong's categorical appeal for war, Zhang Quan asked directly without any official tone: "How many people can you draw out to fight? I don't want to listen to those vain numbers. Just say I knew the numbers before I came to Liaoyang. If your Liao army has a guerrilla battalion of 3,000 people, six of them will be a good result, and the rest will be left to you, the army chiefs, for free."
Zhang Quan's words did not mean to accuse, he just stated the current situation.
To be precise, this is true not only in Liaodong, but also in all important towns on the nine sides.
The generals did not feel that they were ashamed of the imperial court.
After all, after they took their free money, they would use it to support their servants, and the servants they raised could at least serve as elites in battle, unlike many wealthy gentry or members of the clan who were pure beetles in the country.
Mao Wenlong then said frankly: "Back to the minister, the camp troops in Liaoyang are being organized and drilled. There are 2,000 people, 1,500 infantry, and 500 cavalry. They have all fought against the Mongols in the north. There are also some veterans among them. They are in Pyongyang. We have killed the Japanese. These soldiers are definitely not useless peasant soldiers who guard the forts. They are certainly not embarrassed to go out to the city and fight with the Jianzhou Tatars in the field. Mao, there are three hundred other servants."
Without waiting for Zhang Quan to answer, Zheng Haizhu said: "The Mongolian Tatars use riding bows and light arrows. The Jianzhou Tatars, I have seen a lot this time. They use foot bows and heavy arrows. To deal with the Jianzhou Tatars, Son, you need firearms. Uncle Mao, I will get you two hundred muskets, which are worthy of an elite servant like me."
"Ah?" Mao Wenlong looked at Zheng Haizhu with some disbelief.
Zheng Haizhu didn't feel that he had any stage fright in front of the two civil servants and generals.
She had been planning for a long time, wasn't it just to make a contribution and negotiate terms before an opportunity like today?
Of course she wants to make her own products, whether they are dark armor or firearms, show off.
Besides, she, Zheng Haizhu, not only has arms strength, but also personally ventured into Nurhachi's lair, and went to Fushun to see it in person. Why is she not qualified to serve as an adviser?
She turned to Zhang Quan and said: "Mr. Zhang, when I set off from Dengzhou last year, I used the court's post office to send a letter to Songjiang, asking the Songjiang Firearms Factory to quickly recruit more people and sharpen gun barrels. Combining muskets are not big or small cannons. It’s not that difficult. It took two craftsmen ten days to make one. When I left Songjiang, I had already saved thirty of them in the workshop and sent them to Zhenjiang for General Qi to try out. In the two months after Dengzhou sent the letter, the Chinese New Year was removed. In the days of , I have saved at least fifty or sixty more. The Liaohai Sea will freeze in February, and I will go back to transport it. As long as the court gives me a sea route survey, the Liaohai Sea can go south to Songjiang very quickly. Even if I am blown away now, the goods on the other side of Songjiang The manager didn't care about it for a while. When I go back, I'll keep an eye on the work and I can get out a hundred."
Hearing this, Zhang Quan once again looked at the little woman in front of him who was the same age as his daughter.
Not to mention among merchants and civilians, even if he is placed in the court or in the military, this person is still a coordinated and coordinated talent.
"Girl, have you been planning to provide firearms to Liaodong for a long time? How could you have such thoughts?"
Zheng Haizhu said seriously: "Since the founding of our country, when have border conflicts stopped? War must be a daily occurrence. It happened that the seniors and contemporaries I knew well all admired firearms, and even Western artillery, so I thought, I must do this. Selling silk, cloth, rice, and tea, as long as I save a few taels of silver, I have to make firearms."
Mao Wenlong had come to his senses at this time and continued: "How much will it cost you for two hundred blunderbuss?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "Uncle knows, we don't make rags. The dark armor made of cotton and grass blended for General Qin and General Ma will not use a piece of rusty iron in it, and the cotton will not take a day to starch and dry, it is six taels." One piece of silver. Our machine gun has an extended barrel, is well forged and does not explode, and the fire door is tightly covered. The cost is only fourteen and a half taels of silver."
When she said this, she sighed softly, with a hint of laughter, but still looked back at Zhang Quan and said: "Actually, it is only three thousand taels of silver. It is not enough for the Jiangnan gentry to build a small garden and pile up a few Taihu stones, but we can build it for you." The state Tatars are a bit dissatisfied. After all, they are not familiar with firearms, from men to horses. If they encounter them suddenly during a battle, I don't believe that their tactics and morale will not be disturbed."
Mao Wenlong touched his stubble-covered chin and grinned: "Back then, our Liaodong Army and the guest army of the Qi Army went to Korea to fight the Japanese. The old chief Nurhachi pretended to ask for orders from the Ming Dynasty to bring 10,000 Tatars. Fortunately, General Li knew what the old chief was thinking. He was just stopping by the Li Dynasty to grab things and people, so he didn't agree. The old chief didn't go back that time, so he never saw the firearms of the Japanese and our Ming army. Girl Zheng is right, this time we need to equip the Jianzhou Tatars with firearms to suppress their bows."
Mao Wenlong's eyes flashed with enthusiasm for hunting, as if he was already imagining the touching scene of Tatars being blown away by firearms with blood splattering everywhere.
Due to his identity and character, Zhang Quan's face remained calm, but the flames inevitably rose in his chest.
It stands to reason that last year the Inspector General of the Metropolitan Procuratorate had visited Liaodong, and he, the Minister of War, would not have left the capital at the same time.
However, Fang Congzhe, the first assistant, was frightened by the internal fighting in the court, and was afraid that the political opponents would use the issue again, so he asked Zhang Quan on his side to go to Liaoyang.
Zhang Quan did not expect that he would encounter the biggest opportunity in his political career.
Now the Minister of War, Ding You, Zhang Quan is the de facto "my soldier" and "his lord".
Fang Congzhe is also the independent prime minister. As the elder of Fang Ge, he can temporarily and secretly deploy troops and generals.
If you have power, you must use it to the right person.
By now, Zhang Quan had established a sufficiently positive evaluation of Zheng Haizhu, more than he had trust in those officials in the same dynasty as the Capital Staff Bureau and Taipu Temple.
The people of the Ming Dynasty who are so innocent and so useful cannot be allowed to suffer.
"Girl, I'm going to pay you. The imperial court can't use your muskets in vain. By the way, can you make artillery in time?"
Zheng Haizhu answered honestly: "I also wrote to them to build the Tiger Crouching Cannon and the Frankie Cannon. I don't know how it went. But the Hongyi Cannon will definitely not be in time. Even if we invite craftsmen from Guangdong to Songjiang at the beginning of the new year, It takes four to five months to make a red barbarian cannon. However, you can try to buy it from the Frankies of Haojing quickly and hire the gunner as well."
Mao Wenlong nodded and said: "The squatting tiger cannon is useful in field battles, but the Tatars are attacking the city this time. It would be better if there can be cannons on the top of Fushun City."
Zhang Quan pondered: "Then let's continue talking about military strength. General Mao, I can find a way to relieve Li Yongfang's military power and give you the two thousand troops in Fushun City. But even so, your more than four thousand people, plus Firearms are still not enough. According to the report of Ye He's tribe, the Eight Banners of Jianzhou have a total of about 40,000 troops. Now there are Ye He's tribe in the north and more than 10,000 defenders of Qinghe Fort in the south. I estimate that Nurhachi will have to leave half of them to watch. In the backyard, that means bringing 20,000 people out to attack Fushun."
Zheng Haizhu couldn't help but secretly praise that Ma Xianglin, his father-in-law, really knew the military. In history, Nurhaci did lead 20,000 troops when he attacked Fushun.
"Mr. Zhang," Zheng Haizhu said, "this time I was in Hetuala and saw a large number of people cutting down trees. I speculated that even if Nurhachi and Li Yongfang were in secret, they might not have bribed other guards in Fushun and surrounding fortresses. General, otherwise why would we build so many tools for climbing the city? Mr. Wu and I walked around Fushun and felt that they might divide their forces. One of the groups would focus on attacking Fushun City, while the other group would attack the two fortresses of Dongzhou and Magendan. The Ming armies in the three defense areas support each other. Therefore, additional troops must be sent to Dongzhou and Magendan. There are also several other places where people must be deployed."
She paused, and when she saw Zhang Quan and Mao Wenlong both had expressions of "You keep talking," she simply walked to the sand table and told them all her thoughts.
Zhang Quan nodded while listening, while Mao Wenlong was even more impressed.
This girl is really knowledgeable. She can tell you who is stationed in Fushun to face the enemy head-on, who is guarding the fortresses and using tactics, who is going to block the Mongolian tribes in the north, who is making dumplings from several places in the south to build a state to divide the troops, and who is stationed in Shenyang to command. Come on.
It’s okay not to make a joke in the military. What’s rare is that Zheng Haizhu, on the premise of ensuring Mao Wenlong’s meritorious service, also took into account the interests of the commander-in-chief Zhang Chengyin, Qinghe Zou Chuxian, and the old Liaodong warlord Li family, and also proposed to Zhenjiang Qi Jin also came to take a share of the pie, after all, people are good at playing with firearms.
After all, businessmen still know how to settle accounts, and understand the principle of equal sharing of benefits. Military merit is shared by everyone, just like everyone has money, and everyone is happy.
Of course, the girl's most convincing move to Mao Wenlong was to sincerely say to Zhang Quan: "Mr. Zhang, General Qi's two thousand chariots are not enough. We should also ambush a guest army outside Fushun City, and they are cavalry." , it must be the white-poled elite of General Ling’s son-in-law.”
