With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

crisis.

When Ebilun pointed out the biggest weakness of the Manchus, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Everyone here knows how this world came to be.

It was not true that the Manchus were invincible.

Instead, it was internal strife among the Han people that led to their betrayal and allowed them to reap huge profits.

With no reinforcements arriving in Jinzhou, Zu Dashou and Hong Chengchou surrendered. In the Battle of Shanhaiguan, Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui developed a grudge, and Wu Sangui surrendered, joining forces with the Qing army to defeat the Shun army.

Upon arriving at the fortified city of Beijing, the former officials of the capital opened the gates one by one to welcome their new ruler.

After that, the Qing army swept through the land with unstoppable momentum, and wherever they went, people surrendered at the mere mention of their name.

However, the Manchus did one thing very ruthlessly.

They believed from the bottom of their hearts that traitors could never be trusted and could only be used.

Otherwise, why would they specifically compile a biography of traitors?

Therefore, the way to deal with a traitor is to block all his escape routes.

Even if there is a rebellion, few people will follow the traitor.

The Han people's greatest reliance is on themselves.

So they began a relentless massacre and forced the surrendered Han Eight Banners to do the same.

The effect is very obvious.

There are also many examples of people who surrendered and then rebelled again, such as Liu Zeqing and others.

Such a person isolates himself from his people, and when he realizes his mistake and wants to rebel again, no one will follow him.

Therefore, generals like Liu Zeqing can't stir up any trouble; they can be easily crushed.

"Moreover, our previous shaving order, which 'choose the head if you keep your hair,' has caused discontent among many Han people. In addition, the land enclosure and forced labor have also sparked rebellions in many places. I think we should give the Han people some smiles before we take down Li Tian." Ebilun was not only talking about the crisis, but also pointing out a way out.

Of course, they were the masters and would never bow down to the Han people. Giving them a smile would be the greatest favor they could do.

Dorgon then spoke up, "Ebilun is right. We should restrain ourselves a bit before resolving Li Tian's problem."

"However, the news of the defeat in Fujian must be suppressed and must not be allowed to spread."

"The Regent is wise," Ebilun said with a smile and a cupped-hand salute.

Dorgon continued, "Besides being the best at fighting, we Manchus are also the best at manipulating the Han people."

"We still need to use Han people to deal with Han people. The closest troops to Jianning Prefecture right now are the troops led by the Three Princes."

"They attacked the remnants of the Ming dynasty in Guilin with considerable success."

The Three Shun Kings, led by Gongshun King and General Kong Youde, with Huaishun King Geng Zhongming and Zhishun King Shang Kexi as their assistants, are currently active in Hunan.

"Previously, I sent Kong Youde back to Wuchang to await my orders for troop rotation. I had the intention to order Kong Youde to lead his troops to join forces with General Chen Tai of Jingnan to jointly eliminate the Fujian rebels."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Prince Gongshun, Kong Youde, was crucial to the rise of the Manchu Qing dynasty and was one of the founders of the Manchu conquest of China.

When Kong Youde surrendered, it brought about tremendous changes for the Manchus, who were then the Later Jin.

A massive fleet, incredibly powerful red cannons, and countless craftsmen.

This would allow the Manchus to possess more advanced weapons and superior armor.

Most importantly, Kong Youde was loyal enough, had a deep understanding of dealing with Han Chinese armies, and was extremely ruthless in his methods.

No one present had any objections, but Jirhalang was dissatisfied, though he dared not express it.

He used to be the regent, but Dorgon's machinations nearly killed him.

He was still somewhat afraid of Dorgon.

"Since everyone agrees, let's draft an imperial edict ordering Kong Youde to pacify Fujian. First, offer him amnesty; if that fails, then we'll send troops to attack."

Soon, the next day, an imperial edict was dispatched at full speed to the south.

Even at the fastest speed, it still takes ten days to half a month.

Meanwhile, the Manchus were discussing how to deal with Li Tian.

Li Tian's development has not lagged behind in any area.

The benefits of allying with the Ming forces became immediately apparent.

Firstly, in terms of commerce, one can travel south along the Jianxi River from Jianning Prefecture to trade with Fuzhou and overseas.

"Commander Lu's government is very interested in our Hanyang rifles; they want to buy our guns."

After Han Yu returned, he also conveyed some of the intentions of the Lu Regent's government.

The most obvious intention was to buy Hanyang rifles.

"We can't sell the Hanyang rifles to them, at least not now."

Li Tian decisively rejected the idea, but then added, "However, we can sell them the gun barrels that have been dismantled from Hanyang rifles."

"Although there are some differences between the musket barrels of this era and those of the Hanyang-made muskets, they are still quite similar."

"Moreover, the gun body is made entirely of wood, and there is no technological content involved, so there is no need to worry about it being counterfeited if we sell it to them."

Having acquired an unlimited number of Hanyang rifles, Li Tian had his men dismantle many of them, and the parts were still piled up in the warehouse.

Some of the metal parts will be melted down and made into other weapons, but the wooden gun barrels will have to be put aside for the time being.

If they can't be sold, they'll be burned as firewood or used to make charcoal.

In short, we cannot waste anything.

"Okay, I'll go and talk to them." Han Yu agreed, then found some Hanyang-made gun barrels and a few shotguns, and led the people from the Ministry of Commerce to Fuzhou.

Zhang Huangyan held a piece of wooden gun barrel made in Hanyang and examined it carefully, constantly stroking it as if he were caressing a piece of jade.

He then raised it and aimed it forward, as if he were holding a real gun.

He then put it down; "Good stuff, excellent workmanship, every single groove for the barrel is the same."

"It's even better made than a shotgun barrel. With such a long butt resting on your shoulder, it will definitely reduce recoil when firing a bullet, making it more accurate."

Zhang Huangyan then looked at Han Yu; "We'll buy the guns, but I can only offer twenty coins each."

Han Yu pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "We are allies, fighting against the Qing Dynasty together. This price is a deal."

Zhang Huangyan was overjoyed upon hearing this, believing he had struck gold. The wood was of excellent quality and could be used to make other weapons, even if not muskets.

Han Yu was also happy. It was a business with no initial investment. He felt he had made a profit from selling a piece of wood for so much money.

In short, the timber in the warehouse has found a market.

Han Yu immediately told Li Tian the good news.

"Commander, the deal is done. For the first order, the other party wants 100,000 gun barrels, at 20 coins per gun barrel."

"Okay, I understand." Li Tian nodded slightly.

The sale of 100,000 gun barrels for 2,000 taels of silver was a drop in the bucket for the New Army's treasury.

However, this is a good start.

Li Tian would not sell parts such as the barrel, trigger, and spring, as these items are classified information.

People in this era aren't fools, and Li Tian believed that given enough time, the other party would definitely be able to replicate it.

However, even if it is sold, the other party will not be able to use it for the time being, since the gun barrels of this era are completely different from those of the Hanyang-made guns.

If it's not used up, the purchase volume will naturally be low.

Li Tian arrived at the engineering department, where a tall tower stood before him, with wisps of white smoke rising from its tip.

The high-walled furnace has been built and is now running, its high temperature accelerating the end of this era.