Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 304 Repeatedly Pulling the Jurchen Man to the Point of Vomiting Blood (Part 1)

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the capital is filled with joy as ordinary people buy New Year's goods in preparation for the festivities.

At this time, Yangcheng, Gaoping, and Qinshui in southern Shanxi were in chaos and embroiled in continuous warfare.

Under the constant harassment of the elite troops of Hanzhong, the three cities of Zezhou, Yuanqu and Lingchuan all experienced a fierce battle. The workshops that made cannons were wiped out, and even the artisans who made cannons were all killed.

Gao Yingxiang was in a real bind.

The three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou were also having a major headache.

This can't go on. If all the artisans who know how to make cannons are wiped out, then we're doomed.

Gao Yingxiang's troops were no match for the Hanzhong army. Without the help of artillery, Gao Yingxiang could not defend any number of cities, and their stronghold would be destroyed by the Hanzhong army sooner or later.

The Hanzhong army knew the power of artillery, which is why they went berserk and kept harassing the enemy in the freezing cold.

Currently, three of the artillery workshops in the six cities to the south of Shanxi have been destroyed, and the remaining three are at risk of being attacked by the elite troops of Hanzhong at any time.

They couldn't order Yangcheng, Gaoping, and Qinshui to close their city gates and defend them at all costs. Not to mention anything else, they couldn't even close the city gates just to collect firewood.

If there were no firewood for warmth in the dead of winter, all the soldiers guarding the city would freeze to death.

Moreover, supplies in the city are limited. Food, eggs, and meat must be purchased from outside the city from time to time. Therefore, unless a large army attacks and there is really no other way, most cities will not keep their gates closed for a long time.

The problem is, if the city gates aren't closed, the elite Hanzhong army will disguise themselves as civilians and enter the city to burn down the cannon workshops.

How to do it?

After much deliberation, the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou came up with a wicked plan.

They actually ordered Gao Yingxiang to gather the elite border troops and rebel elites who had defected to the enemy and to ambush them inside and outside the cannon-casting workshop!
The elite guards hadn't yet discovered this insidious plot.

As a result, when the elite secret guards led the elite troops of Hanzhong Army to sneak into Qingshui City, they were ambushed.

They had just rushed over to prepare to make their move when countless elite border troops and rebel elites poured out from inside and outside the cannon-casting workshop, and the hundreds of them were immediately surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

This time, not only did they fail to wipe out the cannon-making workshops in Qingshui City, they were almost wiped out themselves, and in the end, only a few dozen people managed to escape the city.

Zhu Jue never expected that the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou could come up with such a vicious scheme.

He's busy expanding artillery production.

Around 9 a.m. that day, after he had finished processing the memorials, he led Yuan You, Zheng Zhilong, Wang Chengen and others to the northeast outer city.

At this time, dozens of workshops in the outer city of the northeast were filled with craftsmen, who were working enthusiastically.

Accompanied by Bi Maokang, Song Yingxing, and others, he toured the area before asking, "Lord Meng, Chang Geng, how is it? When will the artillery production capacity be increased to six hundred cannons per day?"

This time, Bi Maokang cautiously said, "Your Majesty, if we let them work overtime, it won't be a problem to renovate fifty factories before the end of the year. At that time, our production capacity will be able to increase to more than three hundred doors per day."

If they don't take a break during the holidays, the renovation of over a hundred factories here will be completed by the end of the first lunar month next year, at which point the artillery production capacity will increase to over six hundred pieces per day.

That's fast enough.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Do they want to rest during the holidays?"

No, that's not it. These days, who wouldn't want to make money?

Bi Maokang shook his head repeatedly and said, "They don't want to rest. They all want to earn double the wages so that their families can have a good New Year. The key is Jizhou Town."

If we work frantically to finish this job, by the end of January next year, the hundreds of factories here won't be able to produce boilers anymore, and whether the hundreds of factories over there will even be completed is another question.

Oh, so it wasn't a problem here.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly, then asked, "Father-in-law, will the factory in Jizhou Town be completed by the end of January?"

"How should I put it?" Yuan You carefully explained, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, but the situation in Jizhou Town is different from here."

The factory renovation here involves working inside the factory buildings, which have boilers and furnaces, so it's not cold at all, and working overtime is no problem.

The factory construction in Jizhou Town involves outdoor work, which is extremely cold even during the day in the freezing weather. It's even more unbearable to work there early in the morning and at night. Overtime work is unlikely, so it's really difficult to continue. I estimate that finishing by the end of February would be considered fast.

This means that hundreds of factories would have to shut down their boilers for a month.

How many boilers are there?

This boiler cannot be shut down; if it is, it will affect countless places.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then decisively said, "If they can't work overtime, then add more people. Aren't there more than 200,000 craftsmen doing other jobs? Let them go and help first."

Even if they are not good at building factories, they will still be paid three times the wages to dig foundations and move bricks. If there are still not enough people, then Tian Guozhang will recruit young and strong farmers to help, and they will be paid three times the wages.

In short, you don't need to worry about money. The progress over there must be the same as here; those hundred-plus factory buildings also need to be completed by the end of January.

Spending so much money like that is naturally not a problem.

Upon hearing this, Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

As they were discussing, Lu Wenwei suddenly strode in, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

This guy actually came all the way here in person; something big must have happened in Shanxi.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

This matter involves Zhang Yun, the King of Hanzhong, also known as Pan Yunteng. Can I just say anything about it?
Lu Wenwei glanced cautiously at Bi Maokang, Song Yingxing, Yuan You, and others, but did not speak.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue waved his hand and said, "We're all family here, so don't hold back. Just say what you need to say."

Then I'll tell you.

Lu Wenwei cautiously said, "Your Majesty, we have been ambushed. Gao Yingxiang has ambushed several thousand elite troops inside and outside the cannon workshop in Qingshui City. Our men ran over but were surrounded before they could even make a move. As a result, out of five or six hundred men, less than one in ten survived, and less than fifty managed to escape."

The three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou are truly wicked!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue frowned, then decisively said, "Give all the fallen soldiers a pension of one hundred taels each, and distribute it to their families. You can give them a number, then go to the Imperial Treasury to collect the silver and distribute it to them as soon as possible. The New Year is coming soon, and we can't let them lose their families and not be able to have a good New Year."

Lu Wenwei repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

This is really troublesome. There are ambushes in Qingshui City, and there must be ambushes in Yangcheng and Gaoping as well.

If they fail to destroy the artillery workshops in these three locations, who knows how many cannons these three cities will produce by next spring.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then solemnly said: "As the saying goes, a kind heart cannot command an army. In war, one cannot be afraid of sacrifice. The key is to see if the sacrifice is worthwhile."

Even though we know they've set up an ambush, we still have to go, because artillery is too damaging to the attacking soldiers. At this point, the casualties might be in the hundreds, but if we wait until they build their artillery and then launch a direct assault on these three cities, the casualties could be in the tens of thousands.

Moreover, these three cities happen to block the way to the north of Shanxi. Besieging them would require too many troops, and the supply lines would also be threatened.

Therefore, we cannot be afraid of sacrifice at this moment. We must destroy their artillery workshops if we can. You should send someone to tell Yun Teng to send more people, send those who are not afraid of death.

Of course, we can't send people to their deaths. You can send your elite guards to infiltrate during the early morning or late evening when it's dark.

They could also disguise themselves as ordinary people going out to collect firewood, whether by pushing a cart or carrying it on their shoulders. The firewood was soaked in kerosene, and when they rushed over, they would set it on fire and throw it into the cannon-making workshop. No matter what, the cannon-making workshop had to be burned down.

They could also throw burning firewood around to create chaos, making it easier to escape in the confusion.

Is this a reckless attack regardless of casualties?
Upon hearing this, Lu Wenwei nodded solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

(End of this chapter)