"Your Majesty, don't worry about this." Wu Jinxi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and then patted his chest and said, "Starting from next year, if we can't produce 20 million jins of iron per year, feel free to take him to task."
While they were talking, the group of people had already arrived in front of a square pond.
I saw a dozen bare-chested laborers holding willow wood and sweating profusely while stir-frying the iron.
I saw that every time it was stir-fried, two or three inches of the willow wood in the hands of the laborers would be burned, and if it was short, it would be replaced.
Wu Jinxi continued: "Please see, Your Majesty, this is the method of frying iron as described in the Tiangong Kaiwu. The iron just smelted from the iron-making furnace is pig iron. It is hard and brittle and cannot be filed or drilled.
After the willow wood is stir-fried, it becomes wrought iron, which is much softer than pig iron but tough and not easy to break. It can be used to forge various iron tools, such as iron pots."
Chongzhen nodded and said: "This is fried iron, but what about the fried steel you mentioned before?"
"Fried iron is fried steel." Wu Jinxi pointed to the large iron ingots that were divided into squares after stir-frying and have not been completely cooled. "It all depends on the craftsman's control of the heat. If it is fully cooked, it is wrought iron."
, if it’s half-cooked, it’s steel, but these craftsmen are still far from ready at the moment, and they still need time to hone it slowly.”
This method may seem crude, but it makes perfect sense in principle.
Depending on the stir frying temperature, you can get high carbon steel, low carbon steel or wrought iron.
Chongzhen glanced at the laborers who were frying iron, and saw that none of them looked very active.
This is understandable. The status of these laborers is not even as good as that of the lowest-level craftsmen. At least the craftsmen still have the right to marry and build separate houses to live in. However, after these laborers are released from work, they will be sent to the collective dormitories, let alone marriage.
Even basic personal freedoms have been taken away.
There is no possibility of positivity in this situation.
Anyway, a day of active work is a day, and a day of being confused is also a day.
At that moment, Chongzhen frowned and said: "Wu Qing, tell these laborers that if they perform well, for example, if they master the heat of frying steel very well, and the steel they fry is both hard and tough, they can be exempted from the status of laborers and change from now on.
As a formal craftsman in the Hanyang Iron Smelting Factory, not only will my personal freedom be restored, but I will also be able to receive wages!"
This is equivalent to becoming the first batch of formal workers in Hanyang Iron Smelting Factory.
"Accept the decree." Wu Jinxi immediately walked up to the laborers and loudly announced Chongzhen's instructions.
Immediately afterwards, the laborers who were working knelt down in the direction of Chongzhen and shouted long live.
…
After returning from the iron smelting factory in Hanyang, Chongzhen formally issued an edict, ordering the chieftains of all sizes in western Hunan, Hubei and eastern Sichuan to gather their chieftain soldiers to arrive in Wuchang before the first day of June to listen to the instructions.
Less than a month after the edict was issued, in early May, the first chieftain arrived in Wuchang.
What surprised Chongzhen was that the first person to rush to Wuchang following the imperial edict was not the nearest chieftain from western Hubei, but Qin Liangyu, the loyal marquis of Shili Xuanfu Division in eastern Sichuan.
When he heard that Qin Liangyu had led the white-pole soldiers to Wuchang, Chongzhen hurriedly went out to greet them.
Qin Liangyu and the white-armed soldiers of the Shili Xuanfu Division rode bamboo rafts down the Yangtze River, so they arrived so quickly. Otherwise, it would have taken at least two months to go by land.
When Chongzhen arrived, Qin Liangyu was arranging troops at the dock.
Looking from a distance, the soldiers with white poles are still the same soldiers with white poles, and the formation is neat and orderly.
But as he got closer, Chongzhen felt a sore nose and almost shed tears, because the equipment of the white-pole soldiers could no longer be simply described as shabby. They were simply a group of beggars.
There are no iron armors, cotton armors, or even war jackets.
Every white-pole soldier wears tattered linen clothes or Geyi.
Both feet were bare, not even a pair of straw sandals.
The only thing that looked decent was the white spear in his hand.
Such an army couldn't help but remind Chongzhen of another army that came out of Sichuan three hundred years later. It can be seen that inheritance is a real thing, and some things are really engraved in his bones.
Qin Liangyu also saw Chongzhen and quickly led his nephews and grandchildren to greet him.
When they arrived, Qin Liangyu bowed to the ground and said, "I, Shi Ling, are the envoy of Xuanfu, and the governor, Qian Shi, is the governor. Together with the commander-in-chief, Qin Liangyu, together with his nephews and grandsons, kowtows to the Holy Spirit to Jin'an."
"I respectfully invite Your Majesty Jin An."
Qin Yiming, Qin Gongming and others also knelt down and paid homage.
"Old General Qin, please get up quickly." Chongzhen hurried forward and personally helped Qin Liangyu up from the ground.
After helping Qin Liangyu up, Chongzhen waved to Zhu Cijiong to come forward, then pointed at Qin Liangyu and said: "Jiong'er, please meet General Qin soon. This is my Ming Dynasty Optimus Prime. You need to learn more from her."
Zhu Cijiong immediately bowed his head to the ground to pay homage and said: "After finishing school, I went to Zhu Cijiong to see the old general Qin."
"Your Highness Prince Ding, no!" Qin Liangyu hurriedly stepped forward to help Zhu Cijiong up, "This is really embarrassing for me."
But Zhu Cijiong insisted on bowing down, and after paying a full salute to Qin Liangyu, he stood up and retreated behind Chongzhen.
Wang Chengen, who followed Chongzhen to greet him, stood up and hid. Hu Guozhu and others couldn't help but look at him sideways, thinking that the emperor's courtesy to Qin Liangyu was truly unprecedented.
In the past, when ministers came to pay homage, the Holy Sage would only wave his hands to signal the ministers to stand up.
Only a few people came forward to help him in person, and only Qin Liangyu was allowed to pay homage to Prince Ding. This shows how much the Holy Emperor valued Qin Liangyu.
Of course Chongzhen attached great importance to Qin Liangyu, how could he not?
No matter which emperor he is, it is impossible for him to ignore ministers like Qin Liangyu.
Qin Liangyu truly dedicated himself to the Ming Dynasty and can be regarded as a model of loyal ministers in ancient and modern times.
What's more, Qin Liangyu was not just a loyal minister. The stone and white pole soldiers that she and her husband Ma Qiancheng personally built were a rare elite division in the Ming Dynasty.
The battle at Hunhe made Jiannu terrified!
It's a pity that the hero is already too late.
Looking at Qin Liangyu's white hair, Chongzhen couldn't help but sigh.
Qin Liangyu seemed to have noticed Chongzhen's sadness and said: "Your Majesty, in the past the old Shu Han general Huang Han was still able to shoot a two-stone hard bow when he was seventy years old. This old minister is only seventy-two this year, and he can still lead his nephews and grandchildren.
, and I, the three thousand athletes of Shili, will fight for the Ming Dynasty on behalf of the Holy One."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Okay, okay, okay." Chongzhen's voice was choked with sobs.
Chongzhen was really moved and didn't know what to say.
Qin Liangyu suddenly said with some shame: "Your Majesty, I originally wanted to gather 8,000 white pole soldiers to come to Wuchang. Unfortunately, most of the few young men left in the clan have been taken away by Mr. Yang, so I can only
We have raised less than 3,000 ding, and I hope that the Holy One will not blame the old minister for his incompetence. Shili Xuanfu Division now only has these 3,000 white poles left."
Speaking of this, Qin Liangyu's voice became choked with sobs, because there were really not many strong men left in Shili Xuanfu Division, but tens of thousands of widows were left behind, and she did not dare to look directly at those widows.
"No blame, I don't blame you." Chongzhen waved his hands repeatedly, "How could I blame you?"
Loyal ministers, Shi Lingxuanfusi really shed his last drop of blood for the Ming Dynasty.
After a pause, Chongzhen turned back and ordered Wang Chengen: "Wang Daban, immediately transfer three thousand sets of armor and stomach, three thousand sets of mandarin duck war coats, three thousand stones of military rations and nine thousand taels of salary and silver from the treasury and deliver them to General Qin."
Chongzhen never handed over military rations and pay directly to the leading generals, and Qin Liangyu can be said to be the only exception.
After thinking for a while, Chongzhen ordered again: "We will transfer a hundred bolts of silk, three thousand bolts of cotton, five thousand taels of silver and five hundred taels of gold from the treasury. These are for General Qin."
This reward is not ordinary generous.
"Old slave, take the order." Wang Chengen turned around and left in a hurry.
Qin Liangyu couldn't help but burst into tears of gratitude after hearing this, and bowed down again: "Old minister, I thank you for your kindness."
However, he secretly thought that the rumors about the Holy Sage's Enlightenment at Meishan were really true. Although the Holy Sage also valued white-armed soldiers in the past, he was never so generous. He would not bypass the Ministry of War and local governors and directly pay the generals for food and pay.
It was given to her, so in the past, the military rations and pay that their white-armed soldiers received were pitifully small.
There were even times when Shili Xuanfu Division had to pour money in.
Shi Ling, the Xuanfu Secretary, has been very poor during these years of fighting for the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, this time she would have to go to other chieftains to recruit another two thousand soldiers, and she would have to raise five thousand soldiers.
It's a pity that the Ma family can no longer afford that much money.
After receiving some rewards, Chongzhen and Qin Liangyu's emotions gradually calmed down.
Chongzhen asked again: "Old General Qin, did you just say that Yang Zhan transferred troops from Shili Xuanfu Division?"
"Replying to your Majesty, this is indeed the case." Qin Liangyu replied, "General Manager Yang has transferred at least 5,000 white-armed soldiers from our Shili Xuanfu Division, and is currently fighting fiercely with Zhang Ni's rebels in the Meizhou area."
"How is the battle going?" Chongzhen asked again, "Is there any gain?"
Qin Liangyu said: "Mr. Yang won several battles in succession at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. He defeated Zhang Ni's general Zhang Yixun and his adopted son Zhang Wenxiu, killing many people. However, when I heard about Zhang Ni's news, I was furious and started to rebel.
The main force of the army is more than 100,000 strong, and more than 200 boats have been recruited to prepare for the decisive battle with Yangzong Town along the Qingshen River down to Meizhou."
Chongzhen said thoughtfully: "In this case, if I summon the chieftain from eastern Sichuan to come to Wuchang at this time, wouldn't it be to draw fire from under the cauldron and secretly help the traitor Zhang Xianzhong?"
"That's not true." Qin Liangyu shook his head and said, "Even Wang Butang, the governor of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, couldn't mobilize the chieftains from Eastern Sichuan, and it was even less possible for General Yang to mobilize them. So the Holy One summoned the chieftains from Eastern Sichuan to come to Wuchang for a gathering.
It will not affect the outcome of the Battle of Meizhou, but the veteran is a little worried, fearing that even the Holy Emperor will not be able to mobilize the chieftain soldiers in eastern Sichuan."
Chongzhen said in his heart, it would be right if he could not mobilize the chieftain soldiers in eastern Sichuan, but it would be strange if he could mobilize them.
In fact, among the chieftains of the Ming Dynasty who had the best obedience, apart from the chieftains of western Hunan, they were the chieftains of Guangxi. The chieftains of eastern Sichuan had a lot of dark history of rebellion, such as the Bozhou Xuanwei Division and the Shili Xuanfu Division were just exceptions.
To be honest, it was intentional that Chongzhen issued an edict to gather chieftain soldiers this time, including the chieftains from eastern Sichuan.
Because the chieftain of Eastern Sichuan did not obey the imperial edict this time, he could use this as an excuse to go north to Eastern Sichuan after finishing cleaning up Shadingzhou.
Of course, if he really went north to Sichuan, taking care of Tusi would be just an excuse, and his ultimate intention must be to take care of Zhang Xianzhong.
"It doesn't matter, I don't expect other chieftains from eastern Sichuan to come." Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "Old General Qin, it is enough for me that you can come here according to the imperial edict."
While the monarch and his ministers were talking, they suddenly heard a crisp slogan coming from a distance.
"One or two, our ears only see the trumpets and drums; three or four, our eyes only see the flags!"
"One or two, like the beating of drums, mountains of swords and seas of fire must advance. Three or four, like the sound of rallying horns, mountains of gold and silver must retreat."
Hearing this, Qin Liangyu couldn't help being stunned, and asked Chongzhen in astonishment: "Your Majesty, this command sounds like a woman shouting? When did the Ming Dynasty have a women's army?"
"Oh, there is a women's army." Chongzhen said hurriedly.
"The leader of the Detachment of Women also admires you quite a bit, the old general. Why don't you meet him?"
Li Xiangjun has admired Qin Liangyu for a long time and has long been looking forward to meeting his idol.
"This is something new. The Ming Dynasty actually had a Detachment of Women." Qin Liangyu suddenly became energetic and said again, "Your Majesty, where is the Detachment of Women? I am eager to see it."
"The Detachment of Women's Army camp is just ahead at the western foot of Snake Mountain."
After saying this, Chongzhen said: "I will take Old General Qin to the camp of the Detachment of Women."
Qin Liangyu hurriedly said: "This is really embarrassing for me. The Holy Spirit can just send one of his servants to lead the way. I don't dare to work for the Holy Spirit to lead the way personally. This is really impossible."
"No problem." Chongzhen waved his hand and said with a smile, "I have never seen the Women's Army in action before. Today is a rare opportunity, so I will go with Old General Qin."
Qin Liangyu said nothing more.
At that moment, a group of people came straight to the female barracks at the northern foot of Snake Mountain.
When we arrived at the training ground of the female barracks, we saw that the female soldiers had finished their formation training and were practicing shooting guns.
Qin Liangyu raised his eyes and saw a tall young female general with her back to this side, methodically directing a group of female soldiers to practice firing muskets.
The female general turned her back to this side and did not see Chongzhen and his party.
The female soldiers did see Chongzhen, but they were focused on training and no one paid attention to him.
Because the military regulations in the new performance book are very clear, their eyes can only see the order flags and their ears can only listen to the trumpets and drums.
Failure to do so will result in severe punishment.
It's just that the female soldiers didn't really play, they just went through the motions.
In fact, this is the main training subject of the new army. For example, the children of the Xu family in Laodong used to practice firing matchlocks every day when they were in Laodong's hometown, and later switched to practicing flintlock guns.
The women's barracks now also practice flintlock muskets instead of matchlocks.
"They all have flints!" the female general scolded.
Hundreds of female soldiers lined up took out flints from their leather bags and loaded them on the triggers.
"Load!" the female general yelled again, and the female soldiers quickly took out a paper shell bullet from the bullet bag slung on their left shoulder, first put it to their mouths and made a gesture, and then carried it to the medicine room.
And pour gunpowder into the muzzle of the gun, then put the paper shell bullet back into the bullet bag, and finally poke it into the barrel of the gun with a stick.
"Play it!" the female general ordered again.
The female soldiers raised their flintlock rifles and pulled the triggers.
