The sun never sets

If all these 500,000 people could be brought to the battlefield, it would be no problem to defeat the Japanese. But this was impossible. Not to mention the conflicts among so many armies, each of which had the responsibility to suppress the local forces. Even if so many people could be sent to the battlefield, logistics supply would be a huge problem. I was afraid that before the battle even started, most of these hundreds of thousands of people would starve to death.

The north wind was howling and the snow was flying. When Lin Yongchang arrived at the Youqi station with a full cart of goods, there was already a thick layer of snow on the ground, but it had not yet completely frozen. The wheels were stuck in the snow, and every step forward was very difficult. The mule pulling the cart was very dissatisfied with such hard work and made a neighing sound, but in front of the herdsmen's whip, it could only bury its head and pull the cart.

"Ah, my friends, you are back in such weather!"

The Mongolian prince who looked like a Taoist priest was very surprised. He didn't expect that someone would come to give him gifts when it was snowing heavily. He was drunk before and told Lin Yongchang to take whatever he wanted. When he woke up and heard that dozens of mules and horses were missing, he didn't care much. Unexpectedly, less than ten days later, Lin Yongchang came again and brought many gifts.

When he came out of the steaming room, he saw Lin Yongchang directing everyone to unload pepper, salt, cloth, grain and other things. Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "I was going to give the money from selling the horse to the prince, but after thinking about it, I used the money to buy some things. I don't know if you like it or not."

"I like it, absolutely!"

The Mongolian prince looked at the wine jars that were taken down from the cart, swallowed his saliva, rubbed his hands and said: "There are so many things, but I don't have money to give you. How about you go to the stable and get some animals?"

"Ah?" Snowflakes fell on his head, making it feel cool. Lin Yongchang touched his bald head and said, "Why do you have to pull animals?"

"With so many things," the Mongolian prince gestured with his hand, "it will take a lot of livestock to pay for them."

Lin Yongchang laughed and said, "I exchanged the thirty horses for 300 taels of silver. I took 50 taels and used the rest to buy goods. These are all yours!"

In fact, the 30 horses were sold for more than 300 taels, and the remaining money was distributed among the entourage and herdsmen who went to Zhangjiakou together.

"These are all mine?" The Taoist prince was very surprised, and then he angrily cursed, "Those profiteers!"

The Shanxi merchants who came here to do business always kept the prices of cattle, sheep and horses very low, and sold all kinds of goods from the mainland at very high prices. All Mongolian princes are in debt, and this prince who looks like a Taoist priest is no exception. When he was born, the banner owed a large sum of money to the Shanxi merchants, and even now, the debt has not been paid off. Not only has it not been paid off, but it has increased.

The Taoist prince also tried to cheer up, but it was useless. No matter what he did, the debts did not decrease at all. Later, this Mongolian prince, like other colleagues, just lay down and accepted his fate. Anyway, other colleagues just lay down and accepted the hammer. Everyone has been living like this for more than a hundred years. If you owe money, you owe money. Just lie down and don't think it's a big deal.

"We Mongolians are straightforward, while Han people are treacherous!"

Taoist Wangye took Lin Yongchang's hand and said enthusiastically, "Let's go to the kang and have a few more drinks!"

The Mongols were a nomadic people. They lived wherever there was water and grass, and this continued until the end of the Ming Dynasty. However, after the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, pastures were allocated to each Mongolian tribe to prevent them from moving around. As a result, the Mongols became semi-settled. The princes and leaders of each banner lived in large houses, and some even lived in cities. In winter, they had heated beds, which was much more comfortable than living in tents.

There is a lack of fuel on the Mongolian grasslands, but there is cow dung. Cow dung is a very good fuel after drying. Although it smells a bit strong, it is not a disadvantage. Even after more than a hundred years, many Indians still use cow dung as the main fuel. Now the weather is cold, and the prince just lay on the heated kang, and he felt very cold when he came out.

After coming to this world for more than ten days, Lin Yongchang learned some Mongolian. He could not write, and his listening and speaking were barely passable. Fortunately, this Mongolian prince could speak Chinese, so there was no problem for both sides to communicate. Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "Next time, I have something urgent to do in the capital. When I come back, I will bring something for the prince."

"The capital, I've been there when I was young." The Mongolian prince showed a nostalgic look, and then said: "I will give you a hundred horses, a hundred cows, two hundred sheep! And my most precious daughter!"

Lin Yongchang was surprised. The more cattle, sheep and horses, the better. The Dalai Lama gave him 500 people, many of whom were herders, and a large grassland near Zhangbei County. It didn't mean that it belonged to him, but that he could graze on the grassland. The grassland was large and could easily raise thousands of animals. But what was the point of sending a daughter over? And she was so young!

The girl who was pulled over by the Mongolian prince looked only in her early teens, with a rosy face, wearing thick furs and furs on her head, and looked very strong. The girl stared at Lin Yongchang with wide eyes, looking very curious and a little shy.

"This is my little daughter, Wuyun Qiqige!"

In Mongolian, Wuyun means wisdom, and Qiqige means flower, together they mean the flower of wisdom. There are many girls with this name in Mongolia. In a tribe, Wuyun Qiqige is called Wuyun Qiqige.

Qige, at least a dozen people agreed.

"Forehead........"

"She can ride a horse and make butter tea!" The prince put his little daughter's hand in Lin Yongchang's without hesitation and said loudly: "From now on, we are a family!"

"........."

Damn it! Lin Yongchang thought: I just want to get war horses and cavalry from you, but you want to be my dad!

Chapter 20: A Place to Stay

Lin Yongchang finally took Wuyun Qiqige away, not because he liked Mongolian Lolita, but because he could get 20 Mongolian cavalry from the prince who looked like a Taoist priest, and he could get more in the future. Maybe he could use this as an excuse to do something on the Mongolian grassland.

Those cavalrymen were real soldiers, professional warriors like the Dalai Lama's followers. Although the Mongolian cavalry still used spears and swords and were no longer the absolute main force on the battlefield, professional soldiers were still much stronger than the mob.

Most of Wang Zuolin's Boxers were no match for the Mongolian cavalry, and with equal numbers, they probably couldn't defeat the Lama followers. For the sake of the twenty Mongolian cavalry, Lin Yongchang took in the ten-year-old Wuyun Qiqige, as well as the little girl's nanny and servants, a total of more than thirty people.

Lin Yongchang asked Qiqi, "Can you ride a horse?"

"My name is Qiqige!" The little girl looked up and shouted, "I can ride a horse!"

"Well, then you can take the carriage."

Lin Yongchang turned to Orileheke, Wuyun Qiqige's father, the Mongolian prince who looked like a Taoist priest, and said, "We are leaving now."

Oerlehek looked at the falling snowflakes, muttered something, and said loudly: "Why don't we wait until the snow stops before we go?"

"It's urgent, we can't stop!"

The herdsmen had already set off with their cattle, sheep and horses. Lin Yongchang carried Wuyun Qiqige onto the carriage and then mounted his mount. He felt a burning pain on the inside of his thigh, but he still had a smile on his face, as if the pain was on someone else. "Your Majesty, I am also a Han Chinese!"

After saying this, he gently kicked the horse's belly, and the horse moved forward on the ice and snow.

Oerleheke muttered, "I knew it a long time ago. Do you think I'm stupid?"

In Mongolian, Oerlehek means "brave", but he is not brave, or he is past the age of bravery. Now he uses his brain more than his hands. Otherwise, why would he send his little daughter away? Not only to save 20 mouths to feed in the flag, but also to tie her to Lin Yongchang. If there is any benefit, he can get a lot. If the situation changes, it's just one daughter, what's the loss? He has several daughters.

On the way back to Zhangbei, Lin Yongchang found that his relationship with Tibet had increased from +14 to +49. This was probably because he had agreed to help the Dalai Lama go to Beijing. As for why there was a delay, it could only be said that this was the difference between reality and the game, or it could be the difference in the speed of the world. In Europa Universalis, a day passed in less than a second. Perhaps if time was extended, there would be this kind of delay.

When he returned to Zhangbei, the Dalai Lama had already prepared 500 people for him, including 150 followers, and the rest were herdsmen and serfs. In fact, the status of followers was only slightly better than that of slaves. In Tibet, they were treated as commodities by chieftains and headmen and could be killed at will.

"There is a village prepared for you outside the city. It was originally the temple's territory, but now it belongs to you."

The Dalai Lama had not thought of giving the village away, but after hearing that Wang Zuolin of Zhangjiakou had only met once and appointed Lin Yongchang as deputy leader, and also sent Wuyun Qiqige Borjigin's daughter out, the Dalai Lama realized that he was the only smart person. Lin Yongchang was so dazzling that he was definitely not an ordinary person, and the sooner he invested, the better.

Giving money to people is one thing, giving land is another. For living Buddhas, people are renewable resources, but land is not. As long as there is land, wealth and population can be continuously generated. So the Dalai Lama did not think of giving the land to Lin Yongchang at first, at most he just wanted him to use it. Now that he saw that others had placed a heavy bet, the great lama felt that he should also invest more capital, so he directly allocated a village.

The land in the village, together with the fields, buildings, and population on it, were all the property of the Gelugpa Yellow Sect, and were one of the industries that the lamas had managed to acquire in Zhangbei County over the past few decades. Even though Thubten Gyatso was a living Buddha, it took a lot of effort to give it away, and it was only reluctantly approved.

"Village?"

The Dalai Lama said casually: "It is just ten miles outside the city, called... It doesn't matter what it was called before, it will be called Linjia Village from now on."

"............", Lin Yongchang was stunned for a while. In the past, he always looked calm and confident. It was very rare for him to show such a surprised expression.

The Dalai Lama was quite pleased with what he saw. It was just a village, what was that? If they could stop the British, they could give up ten villages. If they couldn't stop the British, Lhasa would have no choice but to surrender to the British. The lamas couldn't run away, Lhasa was the home of Tibetan Buddhism.

In the Holy Land, when the Ming army came, they surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. When the Jin army came, they surrendered to the Jin Dynasty. If the British attacked them, they would do the same thing.

If the English surrender, how can Zhangbei's land and property be preserved? The other monks just can't see it!

But the reason why Lin Yongchang was stunned for a moment was not because a village was very valuable, but because he had completed the task of [Shelter] and obtained 100 administrative points. He was considering what to buy in the system mall of [The Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire]. But after looking around, it seemed that there was nothing to buy for the time being. He didn't have a cannon, and it would be useless to buy [Basic Knowledge of Artillery Shooting].

Besides, it's not like I don't know parabolas and calculus. I can figure out the firing table by myself by spending some time and firing a few more shells. It's not worth spending precious points on a technique that I can figure out on my own. Other skills, like [Postpartum Care for Sows] and [Technology and Prevention of Raising Ducks], are not essential.

Lin Yongchang also didn't need the technical and process specifications for synthesizing various chemicals. As long as it was a synthetic chemical that had appeared in another world, he could basically make it himself. Catalysts and invertases were more difficult to make, but it wasn't impossible to find a way around them, or to slowly explore them. Administrative points should be used in areas where they were most needed and he couldn't DIY them himself. For example, steel smelting, engineering equipment, gun manufacturing, etc.

He has participated in metalworking internships and has cut screws and some small gadgets, but he only knows the basics of steel smelting and mechanical engineering. Different fields are like different mountains, and it's not that he is modest. He knows a lot about petroleum, chemical engineering, and geological exploration, but when it comes to how to smelt steel, he just knows the process but not the reason.

So, should I buy a few books on "How the Steel Was Tempered", "Steelmaking by Traditional Methods", and "Non-Blast Furnace Steelmaking Technology and Process"?

Chapter 21: Escape from the Chaos

At the end of the 19th century, the world had entered the "electrical age", and the internal combustion engine replaced the steam engine as the most important mechanical power. However, China did not even have electric lights. Compared with the great powers, its strength was not just a little bit behind, but a whole era behind.

If China wants to be independent, it must develop heavy industry, and steel and chemicals are the top priorities. Only by laying the foundation of steel and chemicals can we manufacture guns and ammunition, and produce fertilizers and explosives in large quantities. The development of the chemical industry must also be based on steel smelting. Even if the traditional steelmaking method does not use blast furnaces, other equipment must also use steel. We can't always buy equipment from foreign countries, right?

However, there is only one village now, and there is neither money nor talent to build a steel plant, so... I'd better keep the administrative points for now. In a sense, after completing the [Shelter] mission, the [Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire] system is truly opened. After completing [Shelter], many subsequent missions are unlocked, some of which are very special. You don't need to achieve any goals, you just need to have enough points to complete them.

For example, [Reorganize the government]: When administrative points reach 300, you will get 100 diplomatic points and 100 military points at the cost of consuming 100 administrative points. Now there is only one village, so it's a bit ridiculous to say that you want to reorganize the government, but as long as you give points, who cares if it's ridiculous or not.

Similar tasks include diplomacy and military, which consume 100 points and get 200 points. This is equivalent to giving out benefits. You don't have to do anything. As long as you click on the three tasks, you can get an extra 100 points each for administration, diplomacy, and military. You need to have 300 points in your hand first.

Lin Yongchang thought about it and decided to keep these 100 administrative points first. When he had accumulated 300 points, he would complete the task of [Reorganizing the Internal Affairs of the Dynasty]. The same goes for [Reorganizing the Diplomatic Affairs of the Dynasty] and [Reorganizing the Military Affairs of the Dynasty].

It doesn't mean that you have to keep it. If you encounter an emergency or the right time, you should spend it. Pixiu is cute, but you can't be too Pixiu. It's not good to just take in and not spend. You make money to spend, and the same goes for points. As long as it's worth it, it's okay to gamble everything.

"Mr. Lin, I'll leave the matters in Beijing to you."

The Dalai Lama's words pulled Lin Yongchang back from his thoughts. He nodded and said, "I will go find Li Wenyong now."

Li Wenyong was a servant of Prince Yixin. He managed a large area of Wangzhuang in Zhangbei County and opened an opium den in the city. He was not only rich but also powerful. Even the county magistrate had to give him some respect. But Li Wenyong never liked the life in Zhangbei. There was nothing here, just a lot of cattle and sheep, cow dung and horse dung. There was nothing fun.

Opening an opium den was profitable, but he made more money in the capital! And when he was in front of the prince, he usually interacted with at least fourth-rank officials. But after being exiled to Zhangbei, he only interacted with low-ranking officials!

When Lin Yongchang came to the door, Li Wenyong was lying on the kang smoking, and a maid was still massaging his legs. When he saw Lin Yongchang, he was overjoyed and asked, "Is everything done?"

"Well, we can go to the capital now."

"No hurry, let's finish smoking this load of opium first!"

Li Wenyong narrowed his eyes, his face showing an intoxicated look, happy like a god. "Master Lin, you really don't want to try it? Although what I have here is not the best

Stuff, but definitely not bad!"

Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "When I have time, I will send some pounds to Mr. Li. I guarantee that he will be able to use them."

"Pounds? English money? What do I need that for?"

Li Wenyong waved his hand and said lazily, "The Boxer Rebellion is going on everywhere. It's best not to touch anything related to foreigners. Otherwise, if those senior brothers find out, it won't be a joke. I'll tell you the truth. We've been in Zhangbei for several years. Why are we in such a hurry to go back to the capital? Aren't you afraid that the Boxer Rebellion will become too fierce?"

"Oh? What does this have to do with the Boxer Rebellion?"

"You!" Li Wenyong pointed at Lin Yongchang with his finger, "You are still too young. Think about it, where does this opium come from?"

"Grown in the ground?"

"Ahem, ahem!" Li Wenyong wanted to say something, but suddenly he started coughing, his face flushed red. "Grown in the field... Haha... Yes, it was grown in the field! But decades ago, they were all shipped here by foreigners. Shipped here by foreigners, do you understand?"

"Oh, I see."

Lin Yongchang showed a look of sudden enlightenment and pretended that he had just realized it.

Li Wenyong was very pleased, feeling both physically and mentally satisfied. "If I continue to stay here, I might be caught by the Boxers and killed. It's better to go back to the capital as soon as possible. Zhangbei, I can't stay here any longer!"

"Then I'll go to Zhangjiakou first and wait for Mr. Li to join me."

"No hurry, I'm almost done. After smoking opium, I feel refreshed and ready to hit the road!"

After Li Wenyong finished speaking, he felt something was wrong. The word "on the road" contained an ominous meaning. However, he was smoking opium now, and he felt lazy all over, and he didn't want to use his brain too much. It was ominous, but for Li Wenyong now, nothing was more important than smoking opium!

Lin Yongchang wanted to go to Zhangjiakou first to sell some cattle, sheep and horses. The Dalai Lama gave him 100 kilograms of gold to go to the capital, but money is never too much, and the more money you can make, the better. In addition to selling livestock, he also had to discuss some other things with Wang Zuolin. But since Li Wenyong said he wanted to go together, then let's go together.

After waiting for Li Daguanshi to finish smoking opium, he still savored it on the kang for a while before getting on the carriage and heading east in the wind and snow. Li Wenyong had already sent his family and valuables to the capital. Even if he couldn't get Prince Qing to transfer him back to the capital, he would stay in the capital for a while until the storm was over.

As the saying goes, "Avoid a small riot in the city, a big riot in the countryside." Although the Boxer Rebellion caused a lot of trouble, it was not comparable to the Hongyang Rebellion. It was not a big riot, but at most a medium riot. It was better to go to the capital to avoid the limelight. As for the Boxer Rebellion, the court would have to intervene sooner or later, and Li Wenyong still had great confidence in the court.

After learning about Li Guanshi's thoughts, Lin Yongchang wanted to write something, but in the end he said nothing. What could he say? Will there be a big riot in the capital next year? According to the principle of "avoiding home during a big riot", Zhangbei, or even the Mongolian grasslands, is the safest place? Will the Eight-Nation Alliance land at Dagukou and then fight their way into the capital?

If he told, Li Wenyong would definitely ask him how he knew. Some things are hard to explain, so it's better not to say them. Besides, his friendship with Manager Li was only 30 dollars, not that level yet.

Chapter 22: Cannons of the Former Dynasty

Wuyun Qiqige rode a docile mare, running from the front of the team to the back, and then from the back to the front, looking very lively and active. Lin Yongchang originally wanted to let her stay in Zhangbei County, and let the twenty Mongolian cavalrymen look after their village, pasture and a large number of livestock.

The snow was too heavy, so most of the livestock that Oerlehe Kege had placed on the pasture near Zhangbei County, and only brought some horses out. Those many livestock needed to be looked after, and the herders were all the Dalai Lama's men, so letting Wuyun Qiqige's personal soldiers look after them would help to keep a check on them.

But Wuyun Qiqige insisted on going to the capital. She had not been to Yanjing yet, but she often heard people mention that the city was a dream city, unimaginably majestic and huge. Lin Yongchang thought it would be nice to take the little girl to the capital. Who didn't want to go to the capital to broaden their horizons when they were young?

So he left Doji and Sangji, the two followers of Lin Yongchang, in Linjia Village and ordered them to pick out the old and weak cattle and sheep and kill them for food, and take good care of the rest. Doji and Sangji patted their chests and said they would take good care of them. If a sheep or a cow was missing, they would cut off their heads and make them into ritual instruments.

Lin Yongchang is not a cannibal, so why would he want their heads? He doesn't like thangka instruments, nor does he like using human bones to beat drums. Blood sacrifices have happened in the Central Plains before, but since we are about to enter the 20th century, we should develop in a civilized direction.

Qiqige rode over happily on his horse and asked, "Lin, what are you thinking about?"

Lin Yongchang's riding skills are very unique, in one word, "steady". He rides on horseback without any fancy moves, and is far inferior to the Mongolian cavalry next to him. Even the little girl Wuyun Qiqige's riding skills are much better than his.

"Some business matters. By the way, Qiqi, what do you want to eat today?"

"I told you my name is Qiqige!" The little girl wrinkled her nose and said, "I don't care what I eat.

OK. By the way, let me teach you how to ride a horse! "

“.........”.

It's not impossible. Lin Yongchang has never been the kind of person who cares about face. There is no order of learning, the first to achieve is the first. Wuyun Qiqige's riding skills are indeed very good, there is nothing wrong with learning from her. It should be said that the Mongolians are very good at riding and are very good cavalry. But they are too lax. The semi-settled life for hundreds of years is too comfortable, so the Mongolians have forgotten how to fight.

However, the biggest advantage of the Mongolian cavalry is that they are cheap. They cannot defeat Yuan Weiting's new army in Xiaozhan, but the Mongolian cavalry is so cheap. If used well, they can produce very good results, and they will not feel sorry for the heavy casualties.

Zhangbei County is only a hundred miles from Zhangjiakou, and it only takes three days to get there. The carriage that Li Wenyong took was slower, and it took four days to get there. The main reason was that Li Wenyong had to stop and rest every few hours, not because he was tired, lying on the carriage covered with thick fur, how could he be tired? The reason he stopped was because he wanted to smoke opium.

Drug addicts feel uncomfortable if they don't worry for a day, as if there are ants crawling inside their bones. When they are addicted to smoking, they all have snot and saliva running down their noses, and they will do anything to have a puff. Drug addicts are like gamblers. The farther away from them, the better. It is best not to have any contact with them.

Lin Yongchang left Li Wenyong behind and rushed to Zhangjiakou with Wuyun Qiqige and dozens of cavalrymen. Wang Zuolin heard that his cheap brother... sworn brother had returned so soon, and he also brought dozens of Tartar cavalrymen and his elite soldiers to greet him.

Hundreds of soldiers wearing cotton clothes and sheepskin hats, carrying spears, muskets and hunting rifles, formed a not very neat line on the snow. Although they were not very elite and their weapons were outdated, the hundreds of armed personnel were still very intimidating, and the Mongolian cavalry and Tibetan followers who followed them were a little nervous.

Lin Yongchang was not nervous at all. Over the past few days, he had gradually integrated into this world and was no longer ready to draw his sword and chop people at any time like before. Limited by the limitations of the times, many people's lack of knowledge made it seem very simple. Lin Yongchang could see what the other person was thinking at a glance.

Wang Zuolin rode his horse to Lin Yongchang, dismounted, and landed steadily on the snow. His riding skills were very good, not inferior to the Mongolian cavalry next to him, and more than one level higher than Lin Yongchang. "My dear brother, you came back so quickly! This time we must have a good drink!"