To the north of Xiazhou City, thick smoke billowed, as if there was a fire.
Jin Chongwen accidentally stepped on coal gangue and almost fell down, but was helped by a strong young man and avoided making a fool of himself.
“Is Blacksmith Wu here?” Jin Chongwen thanked the young man and then shouted loudly.
The noisy clanking in the backyard stopped. Soon, a shirtless sweater came out and asked: "Why are you here today? Of those ten knives, there are still three left to finish."
The sound of forging in the backyard started again.
Jin Chongwen raised his head and looked around. He saw a master holding iron on the anvil with iron pliers in his left hand and forging with a hammer in his right hand. A young apprentice raised the hammer with both hands. The two of them had clear rhythm and skillful movements.
It is actually full of strange beauty.
Behind the two of them, there was a strong and strong woman pushing and pulling the wooden bellows. The flames in the iron-making furnace were blazing, and the iron was continuously being calcined.
Jin Chongwen didn't know what they were making. It might be farm tools, but wouldn't it be more profitable to take on the ordnance business? Alas, the commander-in-chief has to promote iron farm tools and make large-scale weapons, how can he keep himself busy? Xia
In the north and east of the city, there are more than a hundred blacksmith shops, making clanging noises and billowing smoke day and night, but it is still not enough.
"The general secretary is like a fire burning his buttocks, rushing to make tools day and night. Even the errands like us can't have peace. Commander Zhang started talking about these ten horizontal knives yesterday, forcing me to come to check them today."
“Which Cao Si are you from?”
"Only the driving officers are assigned to the Cao Division. We and other envoys are not sent anywhere. When the errands of the Yingtian Division are knocked down, I have to squat in the ditch; when the people of the Zhidu Division come up, I have to
I went to count the sheep in the sheepfold, and when I sent someone to the blacksmith shop, I had no choice but to come." Jin Chongwen said with a bitter smile.
“Is it worth the ten cents per month?” Blacksmith Wu took a sip of water and asked.
“A family of six, all with this little money, has to work even if they don’t want to.”
"Let's wait a few more days, there are still three more days to go." Blacksmith Wu put down the water ladle and said, "The commander-in-chief will go on an expedition and he won't be short of these few days."
“How did you know that the commander-in-chief was about to go on an expedition?” Jin Chongwen asked in surprise.
Blacksmith Wu smiled: "Who doesn't know that the general is so anxious? Besides, so many blacksmith shops here have received business, and they are all small instruments that Xiazhou Yuan does not want to make. As long as you are not stupid, you can
I know the commander is about to go on an expedition."
Jin Chongwen smiled sarcastically.
Generally, when a large army goes on an expedition, the Arsenal Department under the Military Envoy will transfer a large amount of equipment, and the Transport Department will distribute it to the army, and the Food Envoy will receive it. Then the Arsenal Department will have to replenish the inventory, and the General Department will produce it as needed, and there will be no time to produce it.
You have to buy it from a private blacksmith shop.
After going back and forth, everyone has already figured out the routine. Whether the general will go on an expedition depends on whether the assistants and assistants in each Cao Si Yamen are in a hurry.
“It’s good that the commander-in-chief goes on an expedition. Once he goes on an expedition, the business of this small shop will be good. It’s best for the commander-in-chief to go on an expedition every month.” Blacksmith Wu picked up the hammer and prepared to continue working.
He escaped from Hedong and opened a shop, of course, to make money, as time is precious.
“You’re still a small shop with more than a dozen people.” Jin Chongwen said with a smile.
"Only a dozen..." Blacksmith Wu shook his head and said, "The Wei family's blacksmith shop in the northeast corner has about twenty master craftsmen, apprentices, and more than a hundred helpers, so the business will be successful."
Hearing him talk about Wei's shop, Jin Chongwen immediately shut up.
It is said to be the Wei family, but in fact it should be called the Weicai family. Weicai Sudu paid for the inspection of Dijinze, and spent a lot of money to recruit party craftsmen to do business in Xiazhou. I heard that he gave half of the shop to his granddaughter
Wei Cai came to the United States and threatened to give the other half of the shop to his grandson after he was born.
No one in the town dared to eat or ask for money from the property of the Dashuai wife family. On the contrary, they tried their best to give them business. Jin Chongwen had to go to this shop several times a year, and he was always worried, worried that the swords and spears produced would not be used.
It won't matter if you accept it then, or if you don't accept it. But for now, it seems that this shop doesn't look ugly, and the quality is quite satisfactory. Not to say it's particularly good, at least it is usable.
After leaving Wu's blacksmith shop, Jin Chongwen returned to the Sima Yamen on the right march to resume his duties. Later, he was stopped by Liang Zhixia, the Kongmu officer of the Yingtian Department of the Sima Yamen on the left march, and went to the south of the city to inspect a certain section of ditch that had just been cleared of silt.
“If you are illiterate, you will have a life of hard work. You will never be able to be a driving officer, let alone an officer. Alas.” Under the crooked neck tree, Jin Chongwen sighed secretly while fanning himself in the hot wind.
The wheat in the field has grown very tall, and it looks gratifying. Next to it is the main thoroughfare post, and carriages and camel horses pass by from time to time. Just now, Jin Chongwen saw a camel and horse team coming from Youzhou. What a good guy.
The Yufeng camel is said to be a Dangxiang tribe that was sent here to deliver goods after being conscripted by Youzhou.
Jin Chongwen didn’t know what kind of goods could be delivered to Youzhou. It might be salt, camel hair, and leather.
The military uniforms of the Dingnan Army were all made of brown cloth woven from camel hair. The armor required a large amount of leather. In the past, when the Tuoba clan was entrenched in Youzhou, all the grassland tribes had to donate a large amount of leather every year. For example, diseases
After the horse dies, you can eat the meat yourself, but the skin must be handed over. Sand fox skins, deer skins, wild boar skins, yellow sheep skins, cow and sheep skins, etc., all have a certain number. Everyone is miserable, but they can't resist. In the end
It was Marshal Shao who defeated the Tuoba clan and solved everyone's difficulties.
But Marshal Shao also needs skins!
Iron armor is too expensive, and the general doesn’t like paper armor, so shouldn’t he have to use leather armor instead? He can’t be like some other vassals and still use cloth armor, right?
Youzhou has many grasslands and many tribes. Jin Chongwen heard someone say in the shogunate before that there are only 1,000 households in Youzhou till now, and they have rented 500 hectares of military farms, and the rest are all from Tibetan tribes.
The Fan tribe did not need to pay grain or silk, but they had to pay for livestock and furs.
The generals are used to make armor, cards, cowhide, wild boar skin, deerskin, yellow sheepskin, and horsehide, all of which require tribute from the Tibetan Ministry. In Xiazhou Nan City, businessmen from other towns often come to buy skins.
There should still be a shortage of armor-making leather in the military states in the mainland. But it is difficult to determine the seven states. There are too many of these items and their prices are very cheap. If they are sold to the mainland, it should be very profitable, right?
Jin Chongwen lazed under the shade of the trees for a full hour. During this period, he saw two camel and horse teams, all of them were Kunfa party members. The camel horses carried well-tied goods on their backs, and there were also large herds of cattle and sheep behind them.
Jin Chongwen had goosebumps watching this scene.
King Lingwu issued an order, and all seven states and twenty-six counties mobilized. The Tibetan herdsmen sang songs and drove their cattle and sheep to Xiazhou, and the Han masters transported millets, wheat, fodder, and the blacksmith's stove glowed red all day and all night.
Yes, weapons were being made one after another. There were also messengers with flags on their backs, galloping on various post roads. Everywhere they went, the post officers were ready with water and horses, so that the commander's orders could be conveyed.
Each state and county.
After a while, the party members on the mountain will also come down, right? Those tall mountain people, taciturn, followed the leader, went down the mountain one by one, gathered in Xiazhou, and served under the prince of Lingwu County.
Beat! Beat hard! Jin Chongwen spit out the grass stalks in his mouth. The commander-in-chief never suffered a loss when he went on an expedition. The life in the town gradually got better with each expedition. What are the towns in Guandong?
In this way, he didn't know clearly, but in the seven Dingnan states, the people's lives were still going well and they were not so resistant to war.
After leaving the wheat fields in the ditch south of the city, Jin Chongwen got on his horse and returned to Xiazhou.
When he arrived at the Heiqu Orchard, he saw a large group of soldiers surrounding the place. After asking about it, he found out that it was Prince Lingwu who was taking his wives and concubines to the orchard.
The opening of the Black Canal was due to the work of the Tuoba tribe. In order to restore the water diversion of this canal, I don’t know how many people died from exhaustion. Jin Chongwen did not dare to stay here, and soon returned to the Yamen.
Along the way, you can see many sergeants returning to the military camp to cancel their leave.
The business of the blacksmith shop is probably also contributed by these sergeants. They are rich and like to let the blacksmith make a spare weapon according to their own preferences, so as to avoid having no weapons to use in the middle of the battle. The baggage craftsman camp in the army can always
You are very busy, and people may not have time to repair your equipment.
Just when Jin Chongwen returned to the Yamen to resume his duties, the Shao Shude family was also preparing to leave the orchard.
The sergeants returned to camp one after another and immediately practiced a few more times before heading out for the expedition. Once the war machine was launched, all seven states and twenty-six counties were mobilized, and it could not be stopped.
This time I went on a northern tour and I couldn’t come back for a few months. I spent less time with my family and more separation.
This is the price of being ambitious, and Mr. Shao has long been aware of it.
