Chapter 285 Nine Border Generals

Qinghe Shipyard.

Zuo Yidao was about to cry when he saw the Marquis of Zhongshan again.

Although there were no problems with the Qinghe Shipyard during his guarding, the targets and calculations he suffered were countless.

Although he could block most of the external pressure as a thousand-household of the Imperial Guard and the Jinyiwei, the problem was that Zuo Yidao did not like such a life.

He yearned for a pure and simple life, either guarding the palace or fighting with the Marquis of Zhongshan. On the contrary, he was annoyed by the conspiracy and tricks of these gentry in this ghost place.

So when he saw the Marquis of Zhongshan for the first time, the thousand-household of Zuo immediately grabbed Tang Hao's arm and said with tears in his eyes: "Marquis, don't let me continue to guard this time, even if you leave Tang Mu!"

Tang Mu was immediately anxious when he heard this and glared at Zuo Yidao.

Tang Hao laughed uncontrollably upon hearing this, and then looked at Zuo Yidao with a face full of joking.

"What? You can't handle such a small matter?"

"Are there any problems with Qinghe Shipyard? How is the fleet being formed?"

When it comes to business, Zuo Yidao also stopped laughing.

"Generally speaking, there are no problems. There were officials who wanted to encroach on the authority of Qinghe Shipyard, such as the Ministry of Revenue, but I forcibly stopped them. Then, didn't the Marquis drive those rebels to slaughter a large number of gentry? These guys don't dare to do it anymore."

That's really not daring, or panicking.

At that time, Tang Hao drove Qi Yanming and others to slaughter a large number of gentry, and also bloodbathed the Kong family in Qufu. At that time, these gentry didn't say anything about continuing to plot against Qinghe Shipyard. They wished that Tang Hao would put down the rebellion as soon as possible and roll back to Qinghe Shipyard.

"As for the fleet, according to the previous instructions of the Marquis, the craftsmen are mainly building large sea-going warships. There are now a total of ten Fu ships, twenty 400-ton warships, twenty 400-ton patrol ships, and several Mengchong, Doujian, Haigu, Zouge, and Yingchuan in the shipyard."

When this was said, everyone was shocked, even Tang Hao was a little surprised.

"Why are there so many?"

"Is there something wrong?"

According to Zuo Yidao's statement, the warships in the Qingjiang Shipyard at this moment are enough to equip a miniature version of Zheng He's navy!

Zheng He's navy is a large-scale long-distance fleet with treasure ships as the main body and auxiliary ships. It consists of more than 200 ocean-going ships of different purposes and different ship types, more than 20,000 soldiers, large scale, large number of personnel, and strict organization.

This Zheng He treasure ship can be said to be as tall as a building. The largest one is 44 feet long and 18 feet wide. The largest ship in the fleet is the treasure ship, which is the flagship of the maritime task force led by Zheng He.

However, Tang Hao wanted warships, not flagships like treasure ships. He wanted a mixed fleet of mobile maritime forces that was specifically designed to deal with wars, powerful enough to destroy any enemy at sea!

"Don't worry, Lord. I personally control all matters in the shipyard, no problem."

Zuo Yidao smiled and explained: "The reason why the progress is so fast is because... too much silver is given!"

"Whether it is the raw materials for building ships or the wages of craftsmen, as long as the silver is enough, there will be no problems. If there are any problems, it means that the silver is not enough, just add more money."

Hearing this, Tang Hao didn't know what to say.

Before he left, he left several million taels of silver to Qinghe Shipyard, which came from the family assets accumulated by the military generals and nobles of the Ming Dynasty.

Facts have proved that money can make ghosts push mills, and it can also make people obedient.

Zuo Yidao chose to use silver to open the way. If anyone does not cooperate, he will continue to spend money until the other party is satisfied.

With such a cost-free spending, the progress will naturally speed up.

Is this the charm of silver?

"Okay, well done!"

Tang Hao patted Zuo Yidao on the shoulder, feeling very pleased.

"By the way, Lord, in addition to the fleet, there is also good news about firearms."

"According to the drawings left by Lord, the craftsmen successfully built the Rumi gun. I tried it myself, and the effect was surprisingly good, which can be called..."

As he was talking, Zuo Yidao asked someone to bring a Rumi gun.

Tang Hao took the new weapon and carefully observed it.

The Rumi gun weighs about seven or eight pounds and is about six or seven feet long. The firing mechanism is in the bed. It will fall off with a pinch, and the fire will be re-ignited. There is a steel knife at the end of the bed. If the enemy approaches, it can be used as a saber. The weight is slightly larger than that of an ordinary fire gun.

The shape and structure of the entire Rumi gun consists of a gun barrel, a gun bed, a curved buttstock, a dragon head and trigger, a fire gate, a machine rail, a front mouth, a rear door, and a sighting device called a rear sight and a star sight.

After careful observation, Tang Hao confirmed that it was what he wanted, and was quite happy for a while.

No matter how good the three-barreled gun was, it still had many disadvantages, such as a short range, and the risk of explosion due to poor quality.

In fact, it was because of the quality that firearms were prone to explosion and wounding soldiers, so many soldiers were unwilling to use them, and the development of Ming Dynasty firearms was seriously hindered.

So much so that by the end of the Ming Dynasty, soldiers would rather take a knife to the battlefield than use fire against the enemy, for fear that they would not be killed by the enemy, but would be injured or killed by the fire in their hands.

However, history has proven the advanced nature of firearms. If firearms are used, there will be many advantages. The first is that the lethality is far more powerful than bows and arrows. For example, the three-eyed blunderbuss can spray a large area at a time, and it can also break armor. This is far from Bows and arrows are comparable, and firearms have a farther range than bows and arrows, such as the Lumi gun in Tang Hao's hand at this moment.

Among the blunderbuss, the Rumi blunderbuss is the farthest and most poisonous.

In later generations, Tang Hao was a military enthusiast and had specialized in studying the Ming Dynasty's "Military Bei Zhi", so he had a relatively good understanding of these Ming Dynasty firearms.

He has already drawn all the drawings of the Lumi Gun, the Lightning Gun, the Thunder Gun, etc., and then handed them over to the craftsmen as bounty tasks, clearly marking the price and waiting for a craftsman to complete them!

The Rumi gun is the most advanced standard fire gun in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. It was improved from the matchlock gun that was imitated by the firearms developer Zhao Shizhen in the 26th year of Wanli in the tribute of the Turkish Rumi Kingdom (Roma Sultanate). It is better than the bird system (match rope). Guns) and three-eyed blunderbuss are both advanced, mainly due to their long range and high power.

The Rumi gun has a range of up to a hundred steps, about 150 meters, and is equipped with a fire door device, which can be used in windy environments. This is a function that neither the matchlock gun nor the three-eye system has. The disadvantage is that it is relatively bulky.

The electric gun has the advantages of both the Western gun and the French gun, and the Thunder gun has the advantages of the bird gun and the three-eyed gun.

But no matter what, these muskets are still at the level of matchlocks and are still in the most primitive stage of ignition and firing!

If you want to truly change the troublesome dilemma of firearm operation, you must develop a second-stage flintlock gun!

A flintlock gun is a musket that is ignited by striking flint. Compared with a matchlock gun, it has many advantages, including a faster rate of fire, smaller caliber, shorter gun body, lighter weight, smaller recoil, and longer range. Wait further.

Especially during night battles, the fire and smell of burning matchlocks can easily expose the soldiers' targets. Flintlock guns do not have this worry.

Therefore, the flintlock gun is the way to go. This is a leap forward in firearms!

Tang Hao handed the Rumi gun to Zuo Yidao and told him: "Let the firearms workshop work overnight to produce 10,000 three-eyed guns and 10,000 Lumi guns."

"In addition, tell the craftsmen in the firearms workshop that the most important thing is the flintlock gun. If anyone can solve the problem of the flintlock gun, I will give him ten thousand taels of silver and be promoted to the head of the firearms workshop!"

As soon as these words came out, Zuo Yidao also realized the importance of the flintlock gun.

The Marquis of Zhongshan has never paid so much attention to anything, but this flintlock gun is an exception.

Whether it is a three-eyed gun or a Lumi gun, Zuo Yidao has personally experienced their power, so he is even more looking forward to the flintlock gun in Tang Hao's mouth.

Next, Tang Hao led 10,000 soldiers to temporarily stay at the Qinghe Shipyard to form a fleet and prepare to go to sea.

On the one hand, they were waiting for the general Zhong Qiuyue who came from Jiubian, and on the other hand, they were waiting for the Jin Yiwei to pass back the news.

Zuo Yidao had received the notice in advance and sent his elite troops to Tsushima Island to collect the information that Ma Yong and Deng Boyan deliberately left on Tsushima Island.

Because they were across the sea and in the Japanese country, the transmission of information was not as convenient as expected. They had no choice but to resort to this strategy and barely maintain contact with the Ming Dynasty.

Ten days passed, and Tang Hao finally arrived.

Qiu Yue walked into the handsome tent wearing iron armor and bowed to Tang Hao in a neither humble nor overbearing manner.

Tang Hao looked at this tiger general in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. He was about forty years old, eight feet tall, and as strong as a mountain. He had a Chinese character face, thick beard that covered half of his face, and his nose was slightly wide. Coupled with the slightly drooped corners of the mouth, there is an aura of calmness and authority.

It was obvious that this was the true general who was forged from the Nine-Bian Army Town.

"The last general, Qiu Yue, meets the Marquis of Zhongshan!"

While Tang Hao was sizing up Qiu Yue, the latter also raised his eyes to secretly observe the Zhongshan Marquis.

To be honest, Qiu Yue was very unconvinced with Tang Hao at first, thinking that he had taken away his chance to rise.

After all, the general that the British Duke Zhang Mao and others had been optimistic about before was Qiu Yue. Just when the generals Xungui Group was preparing to use one or two to push Qiu Yue to the throne, Tang Hao unexpectedly came out. Not only was he the founding father of the country, The famous general Tang He and his descendants also played a role in rescuing the enemy in the Nanyuan Tiger Case.

Therefore, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Tang Hao can inherit the pending title of the old Tang family with this rescue effort. Therefore, the Military Generals Group decisively abandoned Qiu Yue and instead devoted all their efforts to support Tang Hao and help him win the title. Hereditary Marquis of Zhongshan.

Facts have proved that the decision made by Zhang Mao and others is undoubtedly wise. Today, Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan, has long become a leading figure in the military generals group. Not only is he a hot new man in the court, but he also holds the soldiers of the Beijing army. The Wuxun Group, which was gradually declining, gradually stabilized the situation with the secret support of the Zhongshan Marquis.

However, this is not good news for Qiu Yue!

Fortunately, the Marquis of Zhongshan had no intention of suppressing Qiu Yue, but instead offered his support again and again.

For example, the last time he put down the rebellion of Anhua King Zhu Zhixiu, Qiu Yue performed extremely brilliantly. It was Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan, who decided the situation in the court and won Qiu Yue a hereditary earl, which officially became the Ming Wuxun Group. a member of.

Therefore, no matter what, Qiu Yue is still grateful to Tang Hao.

This time when Marquis Zhongshan sent troops to conquer Japan, he also brought Qiu Yue with him. It was obvious that he wanted to share the credit, and Qiu Yue was even more grateful.

No matter what, this general of the Nine Frontiers now looked at the Marquis of Zhongshan with a fanatical look in his eyes.

"Get up quickly, no need to talk about these empty words!"

Tang Hao stepped forward and enthusiastically held Qiu Yue's hand, then laughed and said: "Come on, I will take you to see something good."

"In the future, you will be responsible for training this navy Shenji Camp. If you perform well, your title may be further improved!"

Hearing this, Qiu Yue's heart was shocked.

A further improvement in title!

That would be a hereditary marquis!

Can Qiu Yue really achieve such an achievement in his life?

No need to say more, Tang Hao took Qiu Yue to the shooting range, naturally to test the gun.

Qiu Yue thought it was something good at first, but when he saw it was a fire gun, he immediately lost interest.

He grew up in the Nine Frontier Military Town, so he fought with the Tartars for many years. He naturally understood firearms, a standard weapon in the army.

It is precisely because of understanding that he despises it.

Because firearms have a bad reputation in the Nine Frontiers, any normal person would not choose to use firearms.

What is the use of this thing?

In addition to making a loud noise to scare off the Tartar cavalry, what else can it be used for?

And there is also a risk of explosion. The Tartars haven't hit them yet, and the firearms have exploded first, injuring or killing themselves. Who can they go to for justice?

Because of this, the soldiers of the Nine Frontiers are generally resistant to firearms. They would rather fight with the Tartars with real swords and guns than use these rubbish firearms.

Tang Hao took in Qiu Yue's expression, and he could understand it, because this was what the gentry did on purpose, using these shoddy armaments to reduce the possibility of the soldiers of the Nine Frontiers making achievements.

"Look carefully, learn well, these firearms are all made of fine steel, there will be no risk of explosion!"

Hiss...

All made of fine steel?

Qiu Yue took a breath of cold air when he heard this.

This is really a big deal!

Where did the Marquis of Zhongshan find so much fine steel?

Tang Hao waved his hand and asked Zuo Yidao to demonstrate the terrifying killing power of the three-eyed gun.

Looking at the armored scarecrow that was almost shattered, Qiu Yue was so frightened that his scalp numbed and he stood there in disbelief.

"My Lord, what kind of firearm is this?"

"Can it be mass-produced, my Lord? This is simply a weapon to kill the Tartars!"

After a brief surprise, Qiu Yue was ecstatic and asked excitedly.

He was good at the Nine Border Military Town, so he saw the value of this three-eyed gun at a glance.

If this can be mass-produced and popularized in the Nine Border Military Towns, what will the soldiers be afraid of the Tartars?

The reason why the Tartars can suppress the Ming army is because they are naturally strong and unparalleled in riding and shooting. Even now, the Mongolian cavalry is not comparable to the Ming cavalry.

However, if the Ming cavalry could be equipped with all three-eyed guns, a round of volleys when the two sides of the cavalry collided would completely disrupt the formation of the Tartar cavalry. Then, even if the gunpowder was not filled, the weight of the three-eyed gun alone was enough to be used as an iron hammer, and it was directly wielded into the Tartar formation!

"Do you understand? This is a cavalry weapon!" Tang Hao said with a chuckle.

In fact, just as Qiu Yue thought, the three-eyed gun had become an indispensable battlefield weapon for the soldiers of the nine frontiers by the end of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming cavalry, who were familiar with the three-eyed gun, used the three-eyed gun because the hit rate was low when firing on horseback. In order to improve the hit rate, they sometimes used shotguns "two or three lead bullets per gun" and fired within thirty or forty steps. However, the infantry on horseback usually dismounted and fired the three-eyed gun. If they did not have time to dismount, they would take turns to fight and march according to the team line, advancing without retreat.

When used alone, the three-barreled gun fires continuously; when used with a bird gun, sometimes in order to make up for the weakness of the bird gun's weak firepower, three bullets are fired at once, and sometimes in order to increase the killing effect at close range, each gun barrel uses two or three lead bullets, which has great killing power.

Therefore, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, almost all towns in Liaodong used three-barreled guns as standard equipment, and both cavalry and infantry were generally equipped with three-barreled guns.

"But don't be too happy."

"There is indeed some mass production, but the problem lies in the materials."

Tang Hao said in a deep voice: "I think you also understand those crudely made firearms. The quality is not good at all. There is a risk of explosion at any time, not to mention killing the enemy."

"That's why I personally reformed the Laiwu Iron Factory and set up a firearms workshop to use high-quality steel and fine steel to make firearms. This is the problem."

Tang Hao looked at Qiu Yue and said: "Those civil officials and gentry will not be happy to see the Ming army become stronger, otherwise the military generals and nobles will rise again, and the civil officials and gentry will not be able to continue to control the government."

"So they would rather watch the Ming army shrink inside the Great Wall, watch the Ming army continue to decline, and watch someone enrich themselves and use these crude and shoddy things to harm the soldiers of the Nine Frontiers..."

Hearing these heart-piercing words, Qiu Yue was furious!

"Damn it!"

"How dare these bastards?"

"Are the lives of the soldiers and civilians of the Nine Frontiers not lives?"

Tang Hao sneered at the words.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Ever since the late emperor changed the salt law and changed the grain tax to the silver tax, you should know that no one in the court cares about the soldiers and civilians of the Nine Frontiers!"

The change from paying grain to paying silver to paying grain resulted in the abandonment of military farming in the Nine Frontiers, merchants no longer went there, and all the trade settlements stopped. The soldiers and civilians of the Nine Frontiers lost everything in an instant!

To put it bluntly, the salt law reform of Emperor Hongzhi was to damage the interests of the soldiers and civilians in the nine borders in order to fill the increasingly empty treasury!

As for the life and death of the soldiers and civilians in the nine borders, did Zhu Youtang, the chief minister of the cabinet, Xu Pu, and the Minister of Revenue Ye Qi manage it?

No one cares!

Qiu Yue gritted his teeth and then lowered his head silently.

"My Lord, if this thing goes to the nine borders, it can save the lives of many soldiers and civilians!"

"It's not the time yet!" Tang Hao shook his head with a deep look, "Before that, we must ensure that the people who control the court are no longer civil officials and gentry, but His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Only when His Majesty the Emperor supports us, the soldiers and civilians in the nine borders will have a good life!"

Qiu Yue smiled bitterly and nodded heavily.

"I understand."

Tang Hao patted his shoulder.

"Fight this battle first!"

"After we destroy Japan, we will have plenty of iron ore to produce firearms!"

"Japan is not a barren land. We have a lot of mineral resources. The court and the gentry want gold and silver mines, so the iron mines should belong to us!"