Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

Accompanied by a rooster crow, Guo Shao woke up from his sleep. There are no chickens in the palace, it is eunuchs imitating roosters to crow.

Guo Shao opened his eyes and was stunned for a moment, because there was a "strange" woman lying beside him, her smooth bare shoulders were still outside the quilt. It took him a while to come back to his senses, this woman is Lu Qiongxian, and the images and sounds from last night became fragments like a spent disk, pouring into his mind sporadically.

She curled up, still asleep. The women seemed to dislike each other, but Guo Shao felt for a moment that although Lu Qiongxian had a bad reputation, she was still cute and a little pitiful when she was asleep.

Guo Shao turned his head to look at the window, it wasn't very bright yet. But the eunuch's crowing is very accurate, even more accurate than a real rooster's crowing.

He gently pulled the quilt lightly, covered Lu Qiongxian's bare shoulders, and pushed the corners of the quilt under her body to compact it, and got up from the wide bed.

At this moment, a lazy voice said: "I don't want His Majesty to conquer the world, but he is a careful and gentle person."

Guo Shao turned his head and said, "I have business to do, so you can sleep in later."

This girl always speaks things that people love to hear. The faint king must like such a person, such as the former king of the Southern Han Dynasty.

At this moment, she said quietly again: "Leave after sleeping, it's always sad at this time...Your Majesty, will you still look for me?"

Guo Shao didn't say a word, he was the least willing to make promises. He picked up a purple round-neck robe and put it on. At this time, Lu Qiongxian got up wearing a coat, and came to comb Guo Shao's hair.

She whispered: "I feel that my bones are all loose when I stand up."

Guo Shao laughed and said, "I will take it as a compliment."

He made some preparations, washed up, had breakfast, and went straight to Jinxiang Hall by car. Going up from the inner side of the Jinxiang Hall, the layout inside is very complicated... There seem to be countless corridors, small courtyards, and houses. If ordinary people can enter here, they will definitely get lost.

But the few halls facing the outside are grand and square, with a very simple layout. This Jinxiang Palace alone, also known as Guo Shao, felt that it was like the politics of a dynasty. The outside was grand and even dull, but the back was inextricably opaque.

Today, Guo Shao neither discusses politics with the ministers, nor meets the great court. He first came to the study and asked people to take the memorials and files during the expedition.

Opening the file, I first saw the administrative structure written by Fu Jinzhan that combined the waste from the gunpowder workshop with the farm. Looking at the handsome and neat lowercase script, Guo Shao felt a wave of turmoil in his heart.

Fu Jinzhan's fingers smoothing his clothes flashed in his mind, as well as the meticulous management of the things in front of him. Even the purple robe he is wearing now is stitched by Jinzhan stitch by stitch. Guo Shao didn't show any signs, and he had an unspeakable feeling in his heart.

He let out a breath and continued to look at the things on the table.

At this time, he found that there was a very important thing that could not be done. The last time he was on the front line, he ordered to equip the warships of the Flood Dragon Army with new bronze cannons, but it has not been successful so far.

There are many blueprints below, Guo Shao flipped through them and said, "Come here, call Han Tong, Zan Jurun, and Li Xin to the East Hall to see me."

"Follow the order."

After waiting for a long time, two eunuchs at the door opened the wooden door, and the three of them strode up, clasping their fists and bowing: "Your Majesty, I am waiting to see you, Your Majesty will live forever."

Guo Shao raised his sleeve and waved it, and said directly: "We have also obtained the shipbuilding structure of the Dashi merchant, but if the sea-going ship does not have guns, how can it have an advantage in water warfare? It is still useless to fight with swords on board, no matter how far you sail."

Guo Shao thought: "Naval battles cannot form an absolute advantage, how can we fight the East Island?" If you can't fight the East Island, where do you get the gold and silver coins to spend huge military expenses? ! According to the current rules, the cost of fighting is extremely high, and a Pingxia battle is so smooth. After returning to the rewards, after the reckoning, the loss went to grandma's house.

The soldiers only know that the superiors are treating them generously, and now they are rich in the world. The treatment of the brothers cannot be lower than before, but they don’t know where the money comes from... Most of the tax collection is in kind, but a lot of cash is needed for expenses; now it is actually the result of the recruitment system.

Guo Shao knew from the dossier written by Jinzhan that there are very few treasures looted from the palace treasuries of the southern countries in the inner treasury. Guo Shao also knows that in recent years, the army has been used year after year, and the wars have been too frequent.

He didn't care what happened, and expressed his position first: "You must put the cannon on the warship!"

Han Tong turned to look at Li Xin, and Li Xin said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The most different thing about the big food ship and the Central Plains ships is that the hull is long and narrow, and it has vertical sails, which is convenient for long-distance sea travel; but the shipbuilding skills are not much better than the Central Plains ships.

The disadvantage of the big food boat is that it is too small. The bronze cannons are too heavy. According to His Majesty's wishes, we need to install cannons on both sides. If there are only five cannons on one side, it will weigh ten thousand catties. Once the cannons are fired, the hull will almost capsize.

Chen and other craftsmen tried their best to build a wooden rail gun mount for the artillery, which was supported by iron chains. When the cannon is fired, the cannon body moves back along the wooden rail, and the impact is buffered by the iron chain. I wanted to use this to reduce the force of the aftershock, but found that it still didn't work...the only way is to use a big boat! "

Guo Shao listened to his nonsense for a while, and almost blurted out: Since the ship is going to be big, wouldn't the hull be enlarged? !

But he is not a shipbuilder, although he has read a lot of files and learned a lot. But interlacing is no joke. He immediately asked: "Can the big food ship be made into a big ship?"

Li Dao said: "Returning to Your Majesty, I asked the master craftsman of the shipyard. The shipbuilder can't zoom in like this. The constraint lies in the keel."

"Dragon bone?" Guo Shao had heard of this word before.

Li Xin said: "The larger the ship, the heavier it is. The hull must be strong, and the keel must be stronger. The keel of a large food ship will fall apart if it is built too big.

We can also build large boats, but they are flat-bottomed boats, which are fine on rivers, but unstable on seas and cannot withstand strong winds and waves. "

Guo Shao was at a loss, and he said he couldn't help. If it is about the structure of firearms, he can still figure out|make a matchlock gun, but sailboats...he really doesn't know much.

He knew that Zheng He's treasure ships in the Ming Dynasty were very large, but now it's not the Ming Dynasty, and he has nowhere to get the shipbuilding plans of the treasure ships.

"Think about it again." Guo Shao waved his hand. Can't force others to make things difficult, even if he is the emperor, he can't tell the ministers: if he wants an aircraft carrier, can he satisfy the emperor?

Han Tong and the others didn't accomplish anything, so they didn't dare to say anything, so they said immediately: "I will wait for Xie En to leave."

At this moment, Guo Shao suddenly thought of Lu Qiongxian. She said that she could find a shipbuilder?

...

A barracks of the Crane Control Army was very lively. The founding father Li Chuyun rode out of the barracks with a few entourages in commoner clothes. Li Chuyun looked into the barracks, and his entourage said, "Mr. Li, shall we go in for inspection? The subordinates will go down and talk about it."

Li Chuyun immediately waved his hands and looked down at his attire: "No need, the old man is just looking at it casually."

He turned his head and said to an old man: "The current Crane Control Army is not what it used to be. Now the infantry of the Imperial Army are all in the Crane Control Army."

The old man clasped his fists and bowed, "The soldiers seem to be receiving their salaries."

Li Chuyun stroked his beard and said, "People from the Ministry of War are sending out."

The old man nodded with a clear face.

At this moment, some soldiers were seen coming out with sacks twisted and papers in their hands. Li Chuyun stepped forward immediately and said, "Is the military salary you received in full?"

"Foot is foot, but it's all here..." At this time, a soldier looked at Li Chuyun's beard, and someone shouted: "Isn't this the founding father, General Li!"

Li Chuyun smiled without saying a word. Everyone hurriedly performed the military salute: "Meet Mr. Li."

"What are you twisting?" Li Chuyun asked.

A soldier opened the sack and said, "Salt, cloth, and these. The officials in the Ministry of War said it was a ticket. When the grain ships from various places arrive in Beijing, they will go to the grain ship at Shuimen Wharf together with their respective generals to collect wheat and rice by ticket."

Li Chuyun said: "Don't worry, the imperial court has a letter, you can get it if you take it."

The army didn't seem very dissatisfied. The entourage asked for a ticket and showed it to Li Chuyun. Li Chuyun saw that there was half of the number on it, and his fingerprints were still on it. The method of the Ministry of War is still safe. The soldiers have to follow their respective generals to sign up for the rations, and there are numbered notes|receipts, usually there will be no mistakes.

The main thing is that this ticket will be realized soon, so there seems to be no need for everyone to boycott|resist. Just as Li Chuyun asked in the first sentence, is there enough? Just enough.

Li Chuyun didn't stay any longer, and left the barracks with his entourage.

Not long after, the old man beside him said: "The imperial court seems to have little money."

Li Chuyun nodded and said: "Hundreds of thousands of imperial troops live on military pay. When there is a war, they have to pay for their families before they go out, and rewards when they come back. This has been a rule for decades, and the expenses are really not small.

The officials are currently reorganizing the town soldiers of Zhubian Town, Liu Renzhan, Gao Yanchou, Zhe Dejian, and Yang Ye. The combined number of troops in the hands of these four people is more than 100,000. Adding the original two batches of 200,000 guards, the number of guards may increase to 400,000 in the future.

The guards don't get paid, but they are different from the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. They still have to receive money, and the central treasury pays for all expeditions, garrisons, and training... There is no way for the officials to let the central control the world's soldiers and horses. First of all, the central government has to pay for military supplies. "

The old man said calmly: "As long as the matter can be solved with money, it is not a critical matter for the court."

Li Chuyun turned his head and glanced at him, the two looked at each other and didn't continue.

Li Chuyun said: "What's your opinion, Elder Zhong?"

The old man said: "This matter is the result of strong stems and weak branches, and the actions are too radical. Soldiers are collected quickly, but finances are collected slowly. There will be a shortage of money."

Li Chuyun said: "The officials are like that, they act like thunder, and if they want to do it, they will do it boldly!"

The old man said calmly: "However, the world has been unified in all dynasties, and warriors have not been treated in this way." He added, "Han and Tang were feudal territories, but Yi Cheng separatist and civil strife."

Li Chuyun pondered for a moment, "The civil servants have something to say again. Those people don't hurt their backs when they stand and talk. If the imperial court neither grants land nor money, what method will our soldiers use to make the brothers go up and fight for their lives?"