Li Xiao knew that after nearly a year of expansion, the strength of the Golden Wolf Battalion in Jintang City now has two total soldiers and horses, A and B, each of which has three sentry horses, of which each sentry horse is 5 teams of shield soldiers and 10 teams of spearmen. The entire Golden Wolf Battalion www.biquge.info has a total of 30 shields and 3,060 people, 60 spearmen and 6,120 spearmen, 400 Xuanhu heavy cavalry, 400 flying harriers, and 1,200 auxiliary soldiers. The total strength of the army is 11,180 people.

In addition, Li Xiao also specially transferred 100 trebuchets from Iron Dragon City to Jintang City some time ago, as well as more than 6,000 long-range earth-shaking thunderbolts and infantry sky-shaking thunders.

As a result, the number of trebuchets in Jintang City reached 200, and the number of various earth-shattering thunderbolts was nearly 10,000.

Now Jintang City, is actually one of the best in Xuanfu Town, its base circumference is 16 miles, the whole city is covered with bricks, the city wall is as high as 15 meters, including the moat, the jack of the dark gate, the corner tower, the fort tower, the suspension bridge and other kinds of protective measures are quite comprehensive, compared with the predecessor of the former Jinjiazhuang Fort, it can be called a world of difference.

Li Xiao believed that with such a strong city and more than 10,000 soldiers from the Golden Wolf Battalion, it was actually enough to hold on for a long time. However, because Jintangcheng was an extremely important sub-stronghold of Li Xiao's army, and it was the absolute stronghold of Li Xiao's control of the economic lifeline of the Mongolian tribes, he would never allow Jintangcheng to be carelessly lost. Therefore, Li Xiao decided to immediately take the 600 Xuanhu heavy cavalry, 600 flying harrier light cavalry, 600 rampant sentry heavy infantry, 50 Lu Mi gunners, and 1,000 auxiliaries of the Chifeng Battalion to Jintangcheng, Xuanfu Town, to support.

With nearly 15,000 elite soldiers and horses guarding the city, plus a large number of trebuchets and earth-shattering thunder, Jintang City, a Xiongcheng city in Saibei, should be enough to hold on.

Before leaving, Li Xiao explained again that after he left Chifengwei, Chifengwei's various important personnel arrangements.

He decided that Chen Zilong, the praise painting, would take charge of the specific operation and various matters of the entire Chifengwei, with the assistance of Xu Xiuqing, the head of Chifeng City.

In addition, for the Ocean Island, which is now being developed, Li Xiao is most concerned about the construction of the Taipingwan Shipyard on Ocean Island.

Among the 200 shipbuilders sent by Zheng Zhilong, Lin Dazhuang, the most prestigious and oldest shipbuilder, served as the director of the shipyard and managed the operation of the factory and all the shipbuilders. At the same time, in order to speed up the progress of the work, Li Xiao selected another 300 able-bodied homeless people to be apprentices to him, hoping that the shipyard could be put into production as soon as possible.

Seeing that he was so reused by General Li Bing, Lin Dazhuang was very excited, and he loudly thanked Li Xiao for his reward in an official dialect mixed with a thick southern Fujian accent, and told Li Xiao that he would promise to build the shipyard as soon as possible, and then build a new ship for Li Xiaojun's sailors.

As for the garrison general of Ocean Island, Li Xiao arranged for Jin Tongwu, the former deputy chief of the Chifeng Battalion B General C Outpost, who had surrendered with Li Dingguo, to serve as the supreme commander of the Ocean Island garrison, and 200 shield soldiers, 400 spearmen and 400 auxiliaries were assigned to him, a total of 1,000 soldiers and horses, and were stationed on Ocean Island.

Jin Tongwu, who was appointed, was very excited. Now he finally has the same chance as Li Dingguo. He loudly expressed his loyalty to Li Xiao, and promised that this Ocean Island, which was the base of Li Xiao's naval division, would be firmly guarded and foolproof. His statement made Li Xiao very satisfied.

Of course, now on Ocean Island, Li Xiao has also set up administrative institutions such as the Civil Affairs Division, the Commercial Division, the Industrial Division, the Money and Grain Division, and the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Division, so that production and life on the island can be more orderly.

After all the affairs of the northern aid Jintang City were prepared, on the eve of the expedition, Li Xiao went to the room of the county lord Zhu Yujiao to visit his beloved wife and eldest son Li Cheng.

At this time, the nurse had finished breastfeeding her eldest son, and the child made a satisfied sound from her mouth, and was held in her arms by a maid and coaxed to sleep.

And the county lord Zhu Yujiao, who was still in confinement, was half lying on the bed, looking at this little thing that was held in the arms of the maid and was yawning and preparing to fall asleep with a very concerned and loving gaze.

Li Xiao entered the room, took his fleshy eldest son from the maid's arms, and looked at the infant child with a loving face, as if looking at an extremely precious treasure.

"Husband, are you going to leave tomorrow?" Zhu Yumei asked softly.

Li Xiao handed over the child to the maid, walked to Zhu Yumei's bedside, half-hugged her in his arms and said: "Yes, everything is ready, I will leave tomorrow, but I am most concerned about my wife and children for my husband." ”

Zhu Yumei smiled and said, "Husband, you don't have to worry, the children and all the things at home will be taken care of for your wife." If you go, it is estimated that it will take a long time before you can return to Chifeng City, and you are outside, so you have to take more care. ”

Li Xiao kissed the tips of her soft hair: "Then please leave everything at home to your beloved wife, and you should also take care of yourself." ”

Zhu Yu muttered softly, and then whispered: "Husband, then you go to Wan'er and Zhuo Naxi tonight and say goodbye, after all, they are all so concerned about you." ”

Listening to Zhu Yumei's words, Li Xiao trembled inexplicably in the depths of his heart.

The day after sending out the Taiwan Colonization Group, the empathetic Zhu Yujiao agreed to Li Xiaoying's request to marry Zhuo Naxi as a concubine, and the other wife, Zu Wan'er, was also very happy and had no objections.

As a result, Zhuo Naxi was officially admitted to the house by Li Xiao as a concubine. Later, in Li Xiao's mansion, a separate room was opened for her, which became her concubine Li Xiao's lonely residence.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao's gaze at Zhu Yumei softened, and he smiled: "My beloved wife has a heart, this is a natural thing." ”

Zhu Yumei chuckled, then lowered her voice and said in Li Xiao's ear: "Husband, this time I went to Jintang City, I will officially accept the Mongolian princess Ingmar, and it is time to give this infatuated girl an official title." ”

Li Xiao didn't feel that his face was hot, he sighed, and hugged Zhu Yumei in his arms more and more: "County Lord, you are really a lovely person, Li Xiao promised you." Alas, being able to marry you is really a blessing from the previous life. ”

Zhu Yumei's face was red, like a kitten, squeezed into Li Xiao's broad arms, and the two lingered for a long time before Li Xiao said goodbye and left.

Later, Li Xiao went to Zu Wan'er's room again.

He touched Zu Wan'er, who had been pregnant for three months, with a slightly bulging belly, and told her to take good care of herself and the child in her belly. Li Xiao comforted her for a long time before leaving Wan'er's room.

In the end, Li Xiao fell asleep and rested in Zhuo Naxi's room.

When he heard that Li Xiao was going to Jintang City to fight against the Qing army, Zhuo Naxi had mixed feelings in his heart.

Although Zhuo Naxi is now wearing Hanfu and Han makeup, which is no different from a Han woman, she knows that her Han husband is going to fight to the death with her own ethnic group, and the feeling in her heart is still very complicated and indescribable.

"Husband, take care, you will definitely return victorious."

For a long time, Zhuo Naxi looked directly at Li Xiao's caring eyes and said word by word.

Li Xiao snorted and hugged her tightly in his arms with a smile.

After an extremely intoxicating upheaval, Li Xiao, who was lying on his back on the bed panting, heard a whisper in his ear that made his heart tremble.

"Husband, come again, let the concubine give birth to a son for you。。。。。。"

Zhuo Naxi, who was drenched in sweat and had a face like a peach blossom, her eyes were confused and charming, and she climbed up Li Xiao's belly like a smooth white snake。。。。。。

The next day, May 21, Li Xiao led 600 Xuanhu heavy cavalry, 600 flying harriers, 600 rampaging teams, 600 rampaging sentry, 50 Lu Mi gunners, and 1,000 auxiliary soldiers to the north of Xuanfu.

Li Xiao and the others stayed overnight, and on the eighth day of the sixth month, they successfully arrived at Jintang City.

Li Xiao, who had been away from Jintang City for more than a year, saw from afar that the whole city was covered with bricks, well-defended, and 16 miles in circumference, and he was very happy.

The current Jintang Castle is even more magnificent than the last time I saw the Jintang Castle without bricks and a pure rammed earth structure.

An Qian, the head of Jintang City, Duan Shidi, the commander of the Golden Wolf Battalion, Wu Zhuang, the deputy battalion commander and others, saw Li Xiao's arrival and hurriedly came out to greet them.

Li Xiao smiled and exchanged a few words with everyone, and then went into the city with everyone.

After entering the city, Li Xiao saw that there were many new weaving mills and weaving factories in the city, and the wool degreasing factory had also expanded to three.

On the way to the official office, An Qian reported loudly to Li Xiao with a happy look on his face; "Lord Li, in mid-May this year, the amount of wool received by our army and the Mongolian departments was twice as much as last year!"

Li Xiao's eyes lit up: "How can I receive so much wool?" ”

An Qian said with a smile: "Lord Li, these Mongolian tribes, last year in the trade with our army, greatly tasted the sweetness, so this year, all tribes have increased the number of sheep, resulting in a large increase in wool production, in addition, in addition to last year's seven Mongolian tribes, there are also more Mongolian tribes such as the Keshiketeng Department, the Haoqi Special Department, and the Uzhumuqin Department, which also came to Jintangcheng to trade wool, which has greatly increased the number of wool, which has doubled compared with last year." ”

After listening to An Qian's conversation, Li Xiao was very happy, it seemed that his Jintang City was becoming more and more famous among the Mongolian tribes, which was exactly what Li Xiao wanted to achieve.

Using force to establish a foundation and trade to maintain relations between them, Li Xiao believes that with the continuous expansion of the woolen industry in Jintangcheng, his economic control over the Mongolian tribes will be further expanded and deepened.

"Lord Li, now those Mongolian tribes are rushing to sell wool, shouldn't our army take the opportunity to lower the price?" An Qian blinked and smiled.

"No, the gentleman cannot stand without faith, and since the purchase price has been set, it cannot be easily changed, so as not to lose the hearts of distant people. Moreover, there are still many Mongolian tribes who are not in a state of wait-and-see hesitation, but our army cannot do such a thing. Li Xiao shook his head and smiled, vetoing An Qian's statement.

An Qian nodded and replied; "Okay, just do as Master Li wants. You know, after those Mongolian Tartars exchanged their wool for the high-quality iron tools and sea salt produced by our army, every caravan was very happy, and they all praised Master Li for benefiting the Mongolian tribes. ”

After An Qian finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

Li Xiao was very happy in his heart, and he secretly thought that it was necessary to use these necessary things that were urgently needed on the Mongolian steppe to control the economic lifeline of the Mongolian tribes, so that they could become irreplaceable dependent on themselves, so that they could use both grace and power, and finally successfully subdue the Mongolian tribes.

Li Xiao then patted An Qian's shoulder and said gently and solemnly: "Manager An, now that the amount of wool has doubled, you must ensure that the factory has enough capacity to eat and produce twice as much wool." This is the top priority for the development of Jintang City. ”

An Qian hurriedly said: "Lord Li, don't worry, now in the factory, all the spinning machines you improved have been used, there are eight to ten vertical spindles on one machine, and the loom has also added a shuttle device, but the production speed is more than four or five times that of the original. In addition, many new factories have been set up, and this production capacity is not what it used to be. If I am not boasting, even if the amount of wool doubles on the existing basis, I can eat all of it. ”

Li Xiao laughed and said: "This is very good, if the number of wool really doubles in the future, Mr. An should take the first credit!" ”

The group talked and laughed, and unconsciously came to Li Xiao's official residence in Jintang City, and Li Xiao immediately began to hold an emergency meeting with all the officials and generals.

After hearing Li Xiao say that it might be less than 20 days later, the Qing army came to invade the customs, and they were all greatly surprised.

"Lord Li, this is a big matter, but where did you get such news?" The commander of the Golden Wolf Battalion, Duan Shi, hurriedly asked.

"The personnel of our army's security department in Liaodong have already detected the enemy's movements, and this incident is bound to happen, so our army must seize the time to make preparations." Li Xiao said quietly.

He sighed in his heart, how can this history, which is only known to later generations, tell you the reason. So he casually made an excuse and explained it to the surprised crowd.

After Li Xiao finished speaking, An Qian reacted first, and he hurriedly said: "Lord Li, if the Tartars attack, our army needs to move into the city quickly in the coal yard outside the city, as well as the sulfur mining plant, as well as many shops outside the city, right?" ”

Li Xiao pondered for a while, nodded towards An Qian, and said to Duan Shidi: "During this period of time, Battalion Commander Duan, you need to release the sentry cavalry every day, let it closely monitor the movement of the border pass, and as soon as there is an enemy situation, immediately issue an alarm, so that all the workers and merchants outside the city can withdraw into the city. ”

Duan Shidi proudly promised: "Please rest assured, Lord Li, the humble post will be strictly investigated every day to guard against the enemy's situation." ”

Wu Zhuang, the deputy commander of the Golden Wolf Battalion on the side, interjected: "Lord Li, do you want to dig tunnels around Jintang City to block the enemy army like the last time you guarded Jinjiazhuang Fort?" ”

Li Xiao looked at this martial artist, and saw that this original rogue new annex army, with his own martial arts and hard work, was promoted step by step, and now he has become the deputy commander of the Golden Wolf Battalion, and he was very emotional.

Li Xiao looked directly at Wu Zhuang's inquiring eyes and shook his head: "Wu Zhuang, there is no need to dig a tunnel." The last time we defended Jinjiazhuang Fort, the tunnels dug by our army were forcibly filled by the enemy with civilians and prisoners, and in addition to killing and wounding a large number of our people, we were unable to kill a single Tartar. It can be seen that such a move to dig a tunnel is time-consuming and laborious, but it is difficult to be effective, so it will not be dug. ”

After Li Xiao finished speaking, there was silence in the room for a while.

In the last battle to defend Jinjiazhuang Fort, Li Xiaojun only narrowly won. Moreover, the battle was too bloody and tragic, and the scene of Li Xiaojun's Tartars and the people killing frantically together was still fresh in everyone's memory in the room.

At this time, An Qian asked hesitantly: "Lord Li, in your opinion, will these Tartars attack our army's Jintang City in the same way as they attacked Jinjiazhuang Fort last time?" ”

After An Qian finished speaking, Duan Shidi and Wu Zhuang also subconsciously looked at Li Xiao.

Li Xiao straightened up, his face was firm, he looked around at the crowd, and then said slowly: "Don't attack me, but don't attack me!" The key for our army now is to seize the time to make preparations, and train the soldiers in the city every day, so that when the enemy really comes to attack, our army can be invincible only when it has taken precautions. ”

After listening to Li Xiao's firm words, Duan Shidi and Wu Zhuang promised in unison: "Please rest assured, my lord, we will definitely train the soldiers and horses, make all kinds of city defense preparations as soon as possible, and ensure that the Tartars will not return!" (To be continued.) )