Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 471: Purchasing weapons at one’s own expense and fighting for the court?

now,

He looked at the aggressive Wu army fleet and prayed in his heart that it was not aimed at him.

Okay,

The fleet headed towards Baitu River.

"County Master, they~"

"Don't care, don't ask, don't look. The city gates are open. Tell the people in the city to do what they need to do~"

……

Just tell me,
Kong Renyi walked down the city wall and walked back to the back house in a square step.

Although the county magistrate could not leave the county, he could still find some fun.

Listen to music, drink some wine, read some books, recite some poetry, it's still your own little piece of land.

That's enough~
This is not 100 times better than the days before.

In Qufu,
Except for the people in Confucius Mansion who could laugh out loud, everyone else had to live with their tails between their legs.

In Qufu,
The Confucius Mansion is the sky, and the rules of the Confucius Mansion are more important than the sky.

Ordinary people might be beaten to death if they accidentally violated taboos.

……

Zhangjiaduo,
An ordinary village with no special features.

The Cao Gang drove away dozens of poor Zhang families.
They occupied this place, built hundreds of houses, and also invested in the construction of a pier.

There are hundreds of canal boats moored in the nearby river on a daily basis, and the number of gang members living here is as high as 800.

5 miles around,
No good people dare to live there.

The Cao Gang is no ordinary gang; it has been a leader in the underworld since its inception.

There are many gangs and the relationships are deep.

Broad knowledge and unconventional ways.

……

After the canal transport system was in name only,

Everyone had indeed lived through two hard years, relying on stealing, robbing, kidnapping, fighting and brawling to make a living.

then,

It happened just in time for the Jiangbei Campaign, after which the vast territory of Jiangbei entered a period of ruling vacuum.

The official ran away and the gentleman died.

Various gangs sprang up like mushrooms after a rain and grew rapidly.

Eventually, the Cao Gang won and became the dominant force in the Huaiyang region.

They flattered the Qing court from above and admired the Wu court from below.

Living too moist
This perfectly verifies the saying:
In troubled times, the martial arts world flourishes!

In the prosperous age, the world is in decline!

……

"Boss, if we default on the Fourth Legion's debt, will we get into trouble?"

"Anyway, they will be changing guard tomorrow, and soldiers have to obey orders. Once they go, they will have to travel thousands of miles and won't be able to come back. Besides, we only said that we will delay the delivery for two days, so it doesn't count as defaulting on the debt. When the next batch of garrisoned Wu troops arrives, we will still have to give gifts to make friends~"

Boss Fan was holding the woman in his arms, holding a wine glass in his hand, his face flushed.

The second in command drank alone, always feeling uneasy.

After thinking about it,
He also suggested:

"Or, let's move to another place tonight. What if those soldiers from Yangzhou come out to cause trouble for us~"

"Don't be afraid of a bird, Lao Er. The older you are, the less courageous you become."

……

It turns out that

When people are in the underworld for too long, they will lose their sense of reason.

The two leaders are both old members of the Cao Gang and are used to fighting and killing on a daily basis.

Since the three founders founded Luojiao,

This 3000-mile canal,
Apart from the officials, the Cao Gang is the largest.

If they wanted to ram merchant ships, they would just ram them; if they wanted to extort grain farmers, they would do so boldly; and there were countless armed fights with the people on both sides of the canal.

now,

They even went to the countryside to collect taxes and grain openly. They were simply too crazy.

……

The big boss got drunk.

He opened his thick palms as big as a palm leaf fan, shook them back and forth, and asked:

"Second brother, do you know how much money we made this month?"

"It should be 10 taels."

"Wrong, it's a full 25 taels."

The room was seething.

The drunken boss stood up and said proudly:
"I, Fan, put righteousness first. Every ordinary gang member will receive 2 taels, every ship captain will receive 5 taels, and every gang boss will receive 200 taels. Work hard, and let's become bigger and stronger together."

"Thank you, brother."

……

The head of the house, Fan, was drunk and full of courage.
He actually took the initiative to provoke:

"Tell me, is there anything in Jiangsu that our Cao Gang cannot handle?"

"Brother, it really is."

"Who? Who is the one who did it?"

"A settlement of Shandong people on the west bank of Weishan Lake."

There was dead silence in the house.

Boss Fan glared with bloodshot eyes and slammed the table hard.

bang~
"Before the New Year, I will definitely bring people to raze the Shandong settlement on the west bank of Weishan Lake to vent the anger of my fellow villagers."

"it is good!"

Everyone was howling like wolves and ghosts.

……

For hundreds of years, people from Jiangsu and Shandong provinces have been fighting over the ownership of the unowned fields near Weishan Lake.

Without him,

This is not just a few acres or a dozen acres, but several thousand acres of fine farmland.

The people in southwestern Shandong are tough.

Northwest Jiangsu is not weak at all.

Boss Fan was drunk and fantasized that if he led his men to demolish the Shandong settlement on the west bank of Weishan Lake, would his personal reputation in his hometown reach its peak?

When I returned home,
Can you experience the feelings of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang?
……

outside the house,

A group of Cao Gang disciples are on armed patrol.

If you look closely, you'll find that uniform clothing has been achieved.

He was wearing black clothes and trousers, straw sandals, his braids were wrapped around his neck, and there was a sharp blade hanging from his waist.

Not far away,
There are four blacksmith shops lined up in a row.

Forging weapons in broad daylight.

The products are mainly swords, spears, and even armor.

Neither the Wu court nor the Qing court had expected the Jiangbei Cao Gang to expand so quickly. They collected their own taxes, forged their own weapons, and formed their own armed forces. Their actions were almost no different from those of rebels.

……

Two patrolling teams of the Cao Gang met by chance on the road.

"I pay my respects to General Zhang Qian."

"You are too polite, Mr. Wang."

Just listen to the conversation,

I really thought I was in the military.

In fact, it is the name used within the Cao Gang.

Everyone was eager to become an official, so they flattered each other in private.

now,

Everyone in the Cao Gang has a corresponding official title.

When they went to the countryside to collect taxes, they claimed to be officials, asked the common people to kneel down, and loudly declared their positions.

……

Zhangjiaduo, the entrance of the village.

The lookout suddenly struck the gong and shouted:

"Oh no! Wu Bing has entered the village."

The Baitu River beside the village,

A 1-ton wooden flat-bottomed warship led the way, followed by a 50-ton sand ship gunboat, and more than a dozen small rowing troop transports slowly appeared in everyone's sight.

In the hall,

The second in command immediately broke out in a sweat:
"Boss, please make peace quickly?"

"No, no. Wu Jun is too bullying. Call, call the brothers to grab weapons."

Seeing that the eldest brother was drunk, he actually wanted to use force against the army.

The second in command didn't care about his behavior and rushed out immediately.
Run to the river and wave your hands:

"Welcome the Heavenly Soldiers!"

"The delay in delivery is entirely our fault. We will double the compensation. Please get off the boat and have a drink."

……

No one paid any attention to him.
The two leading warships had flames on their sides.
One after another, the solid shells drew beautiful arcs and fell into the village~
Inside the battleship,

The gunners looked relaxed, just like they were doing target practice as they slowly and steadily fired solid bullets into the village.

The caliber of the inland navy's artillery is not large, with 3 pounds as the main gun and 6 pounds as the auxiliary gun, but they are both a dimensionality reduction attack on adobe houses.

Hit means collapse,

The noise was alarming and dust was flying everywhere.

……

not far away,
The troop transport slowly approached the shore and lowered the gangplank.

The soldiers filed ashore.

In addition to flintlock rifles, they even carried a 1-pound rapid-fire cannon and slowly launched the encirclement.

When boarding the ship,
Everyone disassembled the three major parts and quickly assembled them after landing.

quickly,

They encountered a Cao Gang armed group of more than 40 people who rushed out of the village.

"Aim and shoot."

"fire."

After several volleys,
The Cao Gang disciples holding sharp blades 30 feet away disappeared, either dead or jumping into the water.

……

The 2-pounder was light and suitable for accompanying the light infantry and providing support fire. Zhangjiaduo was shrouded in smoke.

The little force that the Cao Gang had managed to accumulate was like playing house in front of Wu Jun. They were crushed and defeated roughly and easily.
The most outstanding team of elite soldiers in armor, holding long swords, surrounded Brother Fan~
then,

On the way to charge, the armor was pierced by lead bullets!
……

Gu Yidao stood on the deck with his hands behind his back.

Talk to people around me:

"I racked my brains, but I still couldn't figure out why the Cao Gang wanted to steal my goods? Can't these people respect the army a little bit?"

After killing for half an hour, more than 300 people were captured.

As the highest commander, Gu Yidao gently uttered four words:

"Eleven draws to kill!"

……

Killing one person for every 10 people is not a cruel ratio.

Mainly to establish authority!
Gu Yidao randomly picked one person from the survivors.
He struck him on the left side of his face with his sword:

"You are now the new gang leader. Tomorrow, deliver the rice you owe us to the old place. Even a pound more or less will not do."

"You will have to bear the cost of my sending out troops. I will give you half an hour to fill up the cabin under me."

"Yes Yes."

The captives dared not say anything and quickly handed over the gold and silver in the gang.

not much,

They dug out 5 taels of silver and some gold and jewelry.

……

Half an hour later,
The fleet sailed away.

The Cao Gang survivors were speechless as they looked at the stronghold from which billowing black smoke rose.

"Gang leader, what should I do?"

The new gang leader put his hands behind his back and raised the letter in his hand:

"This is a letter from General Gu supporting me as the gang leader. Who supports me and who opposes me?"

Everyone looked at the fleet disappearing into the horizon.
How dare I say no~
then,

The new gang leader took office smoothly.

the first thing:

He rode quickly with the letter to Huai'an Prefecture to report to the Grain Supervisor Yu Yunhe.

The second thing:

Quickly recruit people from hometown to fill the gap.

Putting aside the matter of Zhangjiaduo, the Cao Gang still has to do business with the Wu Jun!

otherwise,

Will be ruthlessly abandoned by both parties at the same time~
……

The next day,

The last unit of the 4th Corps stationed in Yangzhou reluctantly boarded the ship and embarked on the arduous journey of the Westward Expedition.

Although there are boats to ride, fresh food, fresh water, and riverside scenery to enjoy,
But everyone was still reluctant.

Okay,

They know the importance of things.

Keep your "reluctance" in your heart, not on your lips.

……

Jiangning City Arsenal.

The treasurer's eyes widened in disbelief and asked:

"What did you say? Say it again?"

The visitor repeated helplessly:

"Someone is going to buy weapons at their own expense."

"Who is tired of living? Want to rebel?"

……

For a long time,

The treasurer rubbed his dough in disbelief.

Embarrassed asked:

"There's no problem with the warrant, and I can cooperate. But can you tell me why?"

"You ask me, how would I know~"

original,

In order to march westward, the 4th Corps requested to purchase weapons at its own expense.

Commander-in-chief Huang Si was not surprised at all, as his fellow villagers continued to take unconventional paths.

It is said that

At that time, the corners of His Majesty's eyes twitched twice, and he signed in a flamboyant manner:
"Approved. Sold at market price. No restrictions on types."

then,

Only then did the current scene appear.

……

The 4th Legion fleet anchored outside the city of Jiangning. Each fleet had one person, carrying gold, silver and purchase orders, go ashore to enter the huge arsenal to select weapons.

The treasury officer privately grabbed a soldier who looked honest and loyal:
"Brother, didn't the higher-ups give your legion enough weapons?"

Loyal people,
explained:
"Yes, we just feel that the weapons are not sharp enough."

"So, you're going to pay for weapons with your own money? Fight for the court?"

"Yes, yes."

"Are you rich?"

"I have a little savings, which is OK. The main thing is that I value my life, and I would rather suffer for money than for my life."

The treasurer was stunned.
He looked at the receding figure and said, "Nice."

……

The market price of Wu weapons is normally twice the cost price.

The export price is not good~
This first-class arsenal located in Jiangning City covers an area of more than 2500 acres. If the surrounding open space is included, the total area is even more than 3000 acres.

It is one of the two largest arsenals directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Army.

The largest source of weapons is from manufacturers in Maanshan~
The moment the unarmed soldiers of the 4th Legion walked in, they all exclaimed in amazement~
Wow ~
A forest of guns and a forest of cannons.

It's spectacular.

The treasurer finally regained some confidence.
Said loudly:

"Brothers, from left to right, there are the long gun area, the short gun area, the artillery area, the cold weapon area, the tool area, and the bullet area."

"There are further subcategories under the broad categories. Please look at the labels on the wooden shelf. They are very clear."

"Please remain solemn, pick up yourselves in order, and pay attention to safety."

……

A group of soldiers pushing a cart began to follow the map, and they could pick up light weapons by themselves.
The treasurer was surprised to find that

This gang was particularly fond of flintlock pistols.

They are not taken one by one, but moved in boxes.

Each wooden box contained 1 pistols padded with straw and matching simple tools.

Rifled guns are also the favorite of this group of people, and they carry a whole box at a time.

……

Outrageous things,

Still to come.

The "honest brother" in the eyes of the treasury officer stared at a 1-pound mortar and shouted:
"That's good."

Everyone gathered around.

Praise loudly:

"Yes, it's really good."

"Look at the caliber. It must be very powerful."

The treasurer came out slowly.

Cough 2 times:
"My dear colleagues, I understand your desire to kill the enemy with all your heart, but this mortar is really expensive."

"How many?"

"With shells, propellant, and tools, the market price is 800 taels."

"wanted."

"..."

later,

Even the warehouse guard team came to help with the moving and earn some pocket money.

This group of unremarkable old men have unfathomable pockets and are very generous.

Now that the weapons have been selected, we naturally cannot forget the gunpowder.

The 4th Army purchased 15000 pounds of gunpowder collectively.
[1 pound = 0.9 jin, which is very close to 1 jin. Book lovers can regard pounds as jin, which will not have much impact. ]

They wanted to buy more, but were rejected without hesitation by the treasury keeper.

It's not about the money!

……

A whole day was wasted on the moving work.

The 1st Corps stationed in Jiangning rushed over upon hearing the news and gathered on the city wall to watch this outrageous group of comrades leaving the city with large and small bags.

Someone murmured:

"It's not that I'm being sarcastic, it's just that this is the first time I've heard of someone paying out of their own pocket to fight for the imperial court~"

"Oh, there are so many new things these days."

"What else is new?"

"There's a luxury clothing store over in Beiting Lane, with two floors, and the women's clothing hanging out there~tsk tsk."

"What?"

"Too thin, too tight, absolutely immoral!"

"You look very excited."

"Really? Am I excited? I'm clearly despised!"

"After work, can you take me to have a look?"

"what?"

"Criticism."

……

Anyway,