Zhang Mingshi took a sip of wine and said, "Then let's call on Genghis Khan's grandson, and together we can clean up Nurhaci's family. Who's his name is Qin?"
Ma Xianglin said: "Horqin. General Zhang, when I was at Shanhaiguan, General Du mentioned that Horqin has a high prestige among the various Mongolian tribes in Monan. It also occupies a land with abundant water and grass and rich products. It thrives and thrives, and is an excellent string master." Look down on.”
Zhang Mingshi glanced at him and sighed: "No matter how elite you are, aren't they still riding horses? Xianglin, your Sichuan soldiers who can fight will be divided between Zhang Chengyin in Liaodong and Jun Jun in Shanhaiguan, and you can't get them back? What a pity."
Zheng Haizhu interrupted Zhang Mingshi: "I told you not to instigate relations between Xianglin and the imperial court. Not all of the 8,000 people in Shanhaiguan were transferred from Shu. At least half of them were recruited by the Ministry of War after the Battle of Fushun. The people should be given to Xianglin for training, right? How about the Dusong people, I have never dealt with them, so I don’t know. Zhang Chengyin will not treat the two thousand guest troops that Xianglin sent to Liaoyang badly."
Zhang Mingshi grinned and waved his hands carelessly, with an attitude of "Auntie, whatever you say is right."
Zheng Haizhu continued to stare at him seriously: "But Lao Zhang, as generals, you really cannot lack people. The cavalry from Shanhaiguan has to come to Xuanfu Town in a roundabout way. As for your firearms soldiers, train them It is not as difficult as cavalry to come out. I will urge Lord Long Live to issue an order quickly so that the young and strong men of the sect of the king can come on duty as soon as possible for training. Also, you not only have to employ people, but you also have to train camels."
"What's the use of training that thing?" Zhang Mingshi asked curiously.
Zheng Haizhu said: "You have been guarding Yunnan for so many years. How much can the Yunnan horse carry?"
"Two or three hundred pounds."
"A camel can carry five hundred kilograms, and its endurance is much better than that of a horse. It is not picky about what to eat, and may even go without eating for a long time. Lao Zhang, five hundred kilograms. Our cannons can carry anything that is not an eagle, a falcon, a snake, or a big snake. Carry it on your back to save manpower and horsepower. Furthermore, camels can not only be used to carry baggage, but can also be used directly on the battlefield..."
When Zheng Haizhu said this, he turned to Ma Xianglin and said: "You can't carry firearms on your horses, but the humps of camels can. Xianglin, do you remember that we met the Spaniards in Penghu and saw them on the side of their ship? That little cannon that’s lighter than a turtle dove?”
Ma Xianglin squinted his eyes for a moment to recall, then nodded and said, "Yes, it's two or three feet long, and the opening doesn't seem to be much thicker than your matchlock gun. There's a mechanism underneath, so it can be fired around?"
"Yes, later I asked the Portuguese who was invited by Brother Yiguan from Haojing. That thing was translated into plain text and was called a revolving gun. Our Songjiang Firearms Factory tried some and sent them to Yu Zigao's navy in Fujian. Use it. Now that I think about it, although the lead bullets used by the swivel cannon are very small, they are powerful enough to kill people and horses within a hundred paces. Why not use them when fighting enemies in the desert?"
Zhang Mingshi clasped his hands together and said, "That's right."
Before he was imprisoned by the Ming Dynasty, he was the best at using firearms at the border of Yunnan. He was so good at it that he naturally understood it after hearing it for a few times.
"I understand, the entire wooden frame between the camel's hump is like the side of a ship. You said that the caliber of the cannon is very small, and it will not hurt the camel after being discharged. Then this thing is great, it can turn around and hit the cavalry, and it can also Move with the camel.”
Zheng Haizhu smiled and nodded.
The camel cannon they discussed actually appeared in history in the subsequent battles between the Qing government and Junggar. It was summarized by Zhang Mingshi that it has small recoil, good maneuverability, and is of little use in siege and defense, but in field battles, especially for The cavalry approaching at high speed is very lethal.
"Old Zhang, I'll leave some money for you, and let Mr. Chang find someone who knows camels to take it with him. Let's buy the camels and let those beasts listen to your firearms soldiers firing cannons for a while. Camels are timid and are better than others. No war horses are allowed. As soon as next spring begins, I will bring Mr. Song Yingxing and Song here to show you how to adjust the gun mount on the camel's back, and what major changes will be needed to change the revolving gun from the ship's side to the camel's back. "
…
In the evening, when we enter the border town, the fresh air is biting.
This small gateway town to the south of Xuanfu is full of lights and bustling people.
After Longqing opened the border, it became a hub for merchants from all over the Mongolian, Manchu, Ming and Western Regions. As long as the weather was not bad enough to block the roads and freeze the horses to death, Xuanfu Town was a large wharf that was as lively as the canal pass. At night when the curfew is lifted, there is no shortage of the charming scenery of Suzhou and Hangzhou.
Chang Zhongxin, a Shaodong family member of Shanxi merchants, asked Zhang Mingshi, Wei Zhongxian and others after asking Zheng Haizhu what he wanted, and invited Zhang Mingshi, Wei Zhongxian and others to the best flower house in the town.
Zheng Haizhu took the royal guards assigned to her by Liu Qiao, and called the pawns from the next post station, and walked towards Chengguan.
Unexpectedly, under the city wall, there was no need to read the Jinyiwei sign, and the postman did not have to ask for a guarantee. The guard asked Zheng Haizhu for a few coins, and then let the group go up.
"Azhu." Ma Xianglin called from behind and walked up the city wall.
He didn't go to a brothel.
"Although this place is not an administrative center or a vanguard, the defense is too loose." Ma Xianglin frowned.
Zheng Haizhu patted the rustling wall tiles and sighed softly: "I heard your father-in-law say that there used to be more than a dozen guard posts and Qianhu posts in Xuanfu Town. If the number of soldiers was full, there would be 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers. The camps and forts are even more densely covered than before. However, just like Liaodong, there is still time."
Ma Xianglin said nothing and looked into the distance. The last ray of sunset smeared on the beacon tower of the Great Wall, but that little bit of golden red was fleeting.
"You still have time".
This seems to have become the mantra of the women around me.
When the boat with water in the bottom was sailing to Taiwan, when Nurha Chidong invaded Fushun, when Zhu Qianhuang was about to bomb Wang Gong's factory, when Ma Xianglin lost consciousness in the prison cell where his father lived in the imperial edict, the words "it's not too late" all came to mind. Ringed in my ears.
At this moment, General Ma, who was silent, heard the people around him whisper again, as if mumbling to themselves, and said: "Actually, I don't know if it's too late. Just rush forward like you cavalry. , shrink back and die faster.”
Ma Xianglin noticed the hesitation and vulnerability in his best friend's tone.
He turned his head and stared at Zheng Haizhu and said: "When I was a child, I heard my eldest sister ask my mother if she was afraid when she saw the enemy troops approaching. My mother said that she was not afraid, because there were people on the left, right and behind her."
Zheng Haizhu smiled: "General Qin said it well! Well, if it were Fengyi, she would probably say, don't be afraid, I will shoot them to death one by one before they rush over."
The corners of General Ma's mouth, which had always been tight, finally relaxed, and there was a hint of tenderness in his starry eyes.
These are indeed words spoken by a wife who is as sassy as a calf.
Zheng Haizhu walked west along the city wall and said as he walked: "On the day when Lord Ye Jianyan sent you to Xuanfu Town as a punishment, I asked my friends in Donglin after leaving the palace, and then I went to your house and asked General Qin and Feng Yi put her heart in her stomach. Because Cui Jingrong, the governor of Xuanda who is now in office, is not from the Donglin faction, but he has been supported by Ye Xianggao throughout his official career. Fang Congzhe gave him little shoes to wear in the past few years, or he said that he Ye Xianggao's protégés and former officials in Beijing tried to get around the border affairs, which were dragging on his salary. The current Xuanfu commander-in-chief, Zhao Menglin, had returned to his home in Shaanxi to recuperate a few years ago. When border affairs were in emergency, He went out to serve as the chief military officer of this important town on nine sides. Therefore, Xianglin, Governor Cui and Mr. Zhao, I believe they will be the 'comrades' in your mother's words."
