Chapter 107 The opening of the Zhangjiakou Railway Liu Zhongmin's troops besieged the city

After nearly three years of construction, the railway from Datong to Zhangjiakou is finally going to be officially opened to traffic, and Emperor Chongzhen and the elders of the Senate in Yaogang, as well as the Mongolian prince, the Burmese king and others, all have to attend the opening ceremony. This kind of face-showing is what everyone is most willing to participate in. Participating in such a festive event not only shows your face, but everyone can also get together to have a lively time.

Emperor Chongzhen also repeatedly invited Zhang Zhimu to participate in this grand ribbon-cutting ceremony. Zhang Zhimu didn't have anything important, so he went with a few masters who could leave the kiln.

Although it was already October, snowflakes had already fallen in Yanbei, but it was still very warm in the carriage. Everyone is reluctant to drink tea and chat together in their own private rooms.

Emperor Chongzhen, Zhang Zhimu, Yan Boju and Concubine Zhuang sat at a table and tasted the best Longjing together, chatting with great interest.

Emperor Chongzhen is very relaxed now, and he is very satisfied with this year's harvest: "Zhang Dongjia, this year is a rare harvest year, since I succeeded to the throne, there has never been such a good harvest, summer and autumn grain are bumper harvests." A lot of cheap grain has also been shipped from overseas, and we can use as much grain as we can in the grain-producing areas. I'm so happy! ”

"Yes! Don't panic when you have food in your hands! Zhang Zhimu said, "I was scared by the lack of food!" With a little silver, I want to save more food! ”

Concubine Zhuang held the teacup, smiled and said, "It's really a blessing for the people of the world to have you thinking about food!" However, the current grain yield is also unimaginable in the past. Two acres of land in the past can't produce the current harvest of one acre of land! ”

Yan Boju also squeezed his small eyes and said with a smile: "I heard Mr. Lu say that this yield can be increased a lot." The current chemical fertilizer is really good, with and without chemical fertilizer, the seedlings in the ground are different. ”

"Huh!" Concubine Zhuang chuckled and said, "I didn't expect that guano is also a treasure now." But I've heard that bird droppings are good when they go to the ground! ”

"This year, we have built several more big ships, and I will let these ships go to the South Seas to transport guano. On the South Seas side, we are basically calm. Our big ships can go there and carry guano at any time. Guano is a compound fertilizer based on phosphorus, which is very effective and should be used everywhere. In addition, we have discovered a potash mine in the west of Xining, where Mr. Lu is preparing to build a factory, and what we are short of is potash. After the construction of this fertilizer plant, we will have complete nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. At that time, we could keep up with the fertilizer in our fields, and the grain production would increase a lot! Zhang Zhimu said.

"Zhang Dongjia, if there is more food, it will not work! Haven't you heard that the grain is cheap and hurts the peasants? Emperor Chongzhen said with some concern.

"One of our most important tasks is to stabilize food prices. When there is a good harvest, we buy a lot of grain, and when the crop is not good, we put grain on the market. As long as the price of food is stable, the people can rest assured. Zhang Zhimu said, "Besides, the living standards of the people we want to live here are still at a simple level of food and clothing, and there is still a lot of room for improvement." Now the people are still vegetarian, after we have more food, we can completely convert food into fish, meat and eggs, so that the people's table is put on the fish, meat and eggs, the people's body will be healthier. Most of the people are still a little malnourished, and we still need to do a lot of things, and the food is far from being in surplus. Besides, how many times can we convert corn into penicillin? ”

Zhang Zhimu went from a very serious national economy and people's livelihood to business all of a sudden, and Emperor Chongzhen, Concubine Zhuang, and Yan Boju couldn't help laughing.

Taking advantage of the joy, Concubine Zhuang asked: "The newspaper said that our big ship also went to the sea to hunt whales. Supposedly, that kind of whale is bigger than a cow? "Actually, Concubine Zhuang didn't dare to say too much.

"Huh! Why is it bigger than a cow? Cows are not enough for whales to swallow. Let me tell you this, some whales are bigger than our passenger boats on the Xiaoling River! ”

"Oh my God! I tried my best to think about it, but I didn't expect the whale to be that big! Concubine Zhuang exclaimed.

"Zhang Dongjia, you should send someone to make a movie about the whaling incident. So we can all know what whales are like! Emperor Chongzhen suggested.

"Yes, yes! Make a movie for everyone to see, not only can let everyone know what whales are like, but also improve everyone's awareness of the ocean! Zhang Zhimu said, "By the way, we are going to organize an ocean-going fleet soon, including fishing vessels, refrigerated processing vessels, and refrigerated transport vessels." With such a fleet, we will have a lot of seafood to supply you in the future. ”

When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he came to his senses, "Zhang Dongjia, I see that our ship is already very big, can we build a canning factory on the ship, in that case, can fresh sea fish be directly made into canned food?" ”

"That's right! Your Majesty, you really reminded me. When I went back, I suggested that Mr. Lin build a canning ship. Zhang Zhimu said deliberately surprised.

Yan Boju said: "This can is the most sought-after thing right now. It's the same beef, we can't make it ourselves! I'd just rather buy a canned food and eat it than eat the beef they make. ”

"The mutton is also made, we can't make this taste ourselves!" Concubine Zhuang said, "If the fish is canned, it is definitely in demand." Hehe! Zhang Dongjia has made money again! ”

"Yes! We don't just make money. Many of the children in those remote areas are malnourished, and with canned food, it is not easy to spoil, so we can transport it over. Zhang Zhimu said, "Whether it is canned fish or canned cattle, sheep and pigs, we should increase production." The nutrition of children in remote areas should be solved first. The sooner this is resolved, the sooner our next generation will benefit! Now that we have this condition, we can't delay this any longer! ”

Zhang Zhimu was very emotional when he said this, which made Emperor Chongzhen and Concubine Zhuang also very moved.

Emperor Chongzhen sighed: "Alas! Unexpectedly, we have now reached the point where we don't have to worry about starvation, and we have to think about the people to eat better. It's like a dream! ”

"As long as the people are fed, they will not make trouble." Concubine Zhuang said.

"Huh! Not necessarily," Zhang Zhimu said with a smile, "When you are full, you still ask for better food." If you eat better, you will have to live more freely, live with more dignity, have the right to speak, and participate in politics! In short, the people's demands will continue to increase. In fact, everyone has the right to live a better life! ”

Zhang Zhimu's words made Emperor Chongzhen and Concubine Zhuang a little surprised. They don't understand why Zhang Zhimu sees things so thoroughly. He has a unique perspective and cares about the quality of life of everyone. It will be the quality of life, which makes them feel novel. It made Concubine Zhuang's eyes a little confused when she looked at Zhang Zhimu.

At this time, Yang Jing walked into the dining car with a telegram. Yan Boju glanced up at Yang Jing, took the telegram and read it, handed it to Zhang Zhimu and said, "Zhimu, it's Ningde's telegram!" ”

Zhang Zhimu already knew that Ningde had defeated the Persian army, and knew that the Persian Empire and the Ottoman Empire were captured, and was thinking about it, so he immediately took the telegram and read it, and handed the telegram to Emperor Chongzhen and said: "Your Majesty, I haven't had time to tell you that we had a war with the Persians the day before yesterday, and today is another great victory!" ”

Emperor Chongzhen took the telegram, browsed it, read it carefully, put down the telegram, handed it to Concubine Zhuang, and asked: "Send the Ottoman envoys away today, and we will march to the south coast of the Caspian Sea, and we should reward Ningde and them, but tell them not to be careless, Persia will also be a big country." It's too far away from us, and they have to do everything on their own. ”

"Originally, we thought that we would meet the Persians again in a year or two. The two big countries are bordered, and it is difficult to have peace for a long time without building a high and low level. We tried a lot of ways to avoid going to war with them now, but we had no choice but to do this first, but there was an advantage to our fight like this, and all the countries in the west knew that it was the Persians who started the war first, and we were forced to fight. Even so, we have to take the opportunity to retake the southern shore of the Caspian Sea and the northern part of the Alborz Mountains. It's where we've always wanted to be. With this foreshadowing, we can fight for access to the Black Sea when the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire are almost finished! ”

"Is this access to the sea really so important?" Concubine Zhuang asked.

"Hmmm! Very important. With this access to the sea, we have one more life! The role of this outlet to the sea will become greater and greater in the future! Zhang Zhimu knew that Concubine Zhuang and Emperor Chongzhen couldn't understand the meaning of going to the sea now, so they could only say this first.

Emperor Chongzhen asked: "When will the railway from Tianshui to Dingxi and then to Lanzhou be completed?" And when will the Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge be built? That's all too important. ”

"The railway will be opened to traffic next summer, and the Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge is a double-decker bridge between the railway and the highway, so I'm afraid it will be late, but by this time next year, it should also be completed." That's also a top priority! Zhang Zhimu said, "If this throat is cleared, our train can go directly to Hami." The Irtysh River Railway, which runs northwest from Hami, has been opened to traffic on a monorail, and it will be opened to traffic on a double track in the spring of next year. We are planning a railway from Hami to Lake Balkhash. ”

"Look! If you want the western front to be stable, the railway will have to be built to the Black Sea in the future. To the north, it will be repaired to the side of the Ural Mountains. Emperor Chongzhen said arrogantly.

"It's going to be repaired, but we also have to take care of the north and the south. We are building the bridge from Zhengzhou to Hankou, and the Hankou Yangtze River Bridge is also under construction. After these are completed, we will have to spend a certain amount of effort to build the railway to the south. In this way, the various parts of the South can be stabilized. Moreover, after the completion of the construction of the railway in the south, the benefits will be seen immediately, which is conducive to healthy development. Zhang Zhimu explained.

"Hmmm! Oh, yes! Emperor Chongzhen also nodded and said, "Our Ming Dynasty is too big, and we have to build everywhere." Some things are really urgent! ”

Concubine Zhuang looked at Emperor Chongzhen and Zhang Zhimu from the side, and said in her heart that the gap between these two people is too big, and the two Chongzhen Emperors are not Zhang Zhimu's opponents. However, Emperor Chongzhen was able to put down the emperor's shelf and get along with Zhang Zhimu so well, which also made her admire Emperor Chongzhen very much.

When the train was about to arrive in Datong, Yang Jing sent another telegram.

The telegram was sent by Li Zicheng, Yan Boju read it, did not speak, but the little eyes that smiled were gone, and handed the telegram to Zhang Zhimu.

As soon as Zhang Zhimu finished reading it, he was also smiling, and handed the telegram to Emperor Chongzhen, who was waiting anxiously, and Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but say, "Great!" I'm worried about Siam! After speaking, he handed the telegram to Concubine Zhuang.

This is a telegram sent by Li Zicheng after they completely occupied Ayutthaya, surrounded the Siamese royal palace, and completely captured the Siamese king's family.

Emperor Chongzhen is still very concerned that the King of Siam's family is not harmed. He said to Zhang Zhimu, "Let Master Fan accompany the King of Siam to the kiln!" You also need to build a palace for the Siamese king's family! ”

"There's no problem with getting a palace, it's over there in Xishan Bubble, everyone is still lively together!" Zhang Zhimu said, "However, I am afraid that the king of Siam will not come to Yaogang so soon." Siam still needs his help to take over. ”

Emperor Chongzhen understood what Zhang Zhimu was doing, and he was afraid that Li Zicheng would not allow King Annan to leave Annan like he did with King Annan, and he said: "You must not let Li Zicheng be detained like he did with King Annan." Siam has always had a very good relationship with us! ”

"Don't worry, the situation in Annan is relatively special, and later it was the king of Annan who insisted on staying in Annan, and the cooperation was very good, Li Zicheng was embarrassed to force him to come to Yaogang!" Zhang Zhimu said.

After receiving the order to attack Siam, the officers and men of Li Zicheng's army, who had long been holding back their strength, divided into several routes from south to north, and attacked Siam at the same time. Where the Siamese army was the opponent of Li Zicheng's army, basically did not put up any decent resistance, and many places were occupied by Li Zicheng's army. What made Li Zicheng and them hate was that the Siamese army fled into the jungle in all directions, constantly attacking them. Later, Li Zicheng also adopted a squad-to-squad approach to deal with the Siamese army. Li Zicheng's army had been in Annam for a long time, and had adapted to the tropical jungle, and compared with the Siamese army, it did not suffer much. In the jungle, the one-on-one Siamese soldier was no match for Li Zicheng's soldiers.

The attack on Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam, was personally led by Liu Zhongmin. Before leaving, Li Zicheng, Niu Jinxing, and Song Xiance talked to Liu Zhongmin once.

Li Zicheng said: "Zhongmin! This big city is the capital of Siam, but I don't think the combat effectiveness of Siamese soldiers is as strong as Annam! Capture the big city with as little destruction as possible! Also, Mr. Zhang repeatedly asked to capture the King of Siam alive as much as possible, and to treat the King of Siam and his family well! ”

Liu Zhongmin said: "Master, I know all about this, you can rest assured!" ”

Niu Jinxing also smiled and said: "General Quan, the king of Annam has contributed a lot to our governance of Annam, and from this point of view, we also want to be the king of Siam!" ”

"Hmmm! I know. Liu Zhongmin said, "I know what you mean, in a word, it is to be the king of Siam who is alive." I must want to capture him alive! However, if he is a tough guy, he looks almost the same, and he wipes his neck, I can't help it! ”

"It's not going to work!" Song Xiance said, "If you besiege the city, you must first send a letter to the king of Siam, promising to guarantee the safety of him and his whole family. I also want to tell him that this is what the emperor of the Ming Dynasty meant! ”

"Let's fight, whatever happens to the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I'll tell him, is it what Mr. Zhang means?" Liu Zhongmin was not happy when he heard that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"No way!" Li Zicheng said, "Zhongmin, you have to listen to the military advisor in this matter." I'm afraid the king of Siam doesn't know who Zhang is yet, so you still say the emperor of the Ming Dynasty! If you can't do it, I'll send someone else to do it!" ”

"Don't! Master, I listen to you! Liu Zhongmin hurriedly said.

In the matter of attacking Dacheng, Song Xiance spent a lot of effort. For this reason, he built a lot of boats, originally intending to force the Mekong and Chao Phraya rivers, but thanks to the help of two flat-bottomed warships from Yaogang, the army crossed the river basically peacefully. After firing a few shots from the Yaogang warship, the Siamese soldiers fled without encountering any decent resistance.

The generals of Siam's main battle faction gathered most of their troops in a few key cities. The national capital of the city was naturally heavily guarded.

When Li Zicheng's army crossed the Chao Phraya River and marched to the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, it engaged in the fiercest artillery battle with the Siamese army since the beginning of the war.

The Siamese army knew that it was necessary to take advantage of the dangers of the Chao Phraya River to fully annihilate the living forces of the attacking army and lay the foundation for the final defense of the city. But they also knew that the Chao Phraya River was too long to defend everywhere. It's just that the Ming army crossed the river from near Ayutthaya, and they could use the concentrated artillery fire to block it.

However, after the two flat-bottomed warships of Yaogang came over and fired a few shots, the Siamese artillery immediately retreated. Let Liu Zhongmin's army cross the Chao Phraya River and surround the city.

The Siamese army still wanted to use the strong cities of the big city to consume the attacking Ming army, and when the hundreds of thousands of Ming troops could not attack and the food and grass were insufficient, they would automatically retreat. In the great city, they prepared plenty of food. In particular, the Hongmao Fan (Dutch), the British, and the French brought them a lot of muskets, which strengthened their determination to hold the city.

However, after the two warships of Yaogang docked at the pier of Ayutthaya, they used artillery fire to clear the cannons on the wall of Ayutthaya facing the Chao Phraya River. They were relieved of the threat of warships on the Chao Phraya River very early.

Liu Zhongmin came to the Fenzhou to study with them the plan of attacking the city, and the captain of the Fenzhou said to Liu Zhongmin: "As for how to fight the land battle, we don't care. But there is one thing, our two warships can open a hole in the wall for your infantry, what does General Quan think? ”

Of course, Liu Zhongmin knew what it meant to make a hole in such a strong city wall, so he immediately clenched his fists and said, "If that's the case, when the battle is over, I will invite you to have a good drink." You open the city wall, and the rest is to watch the excitement and clean up the people inside, it's our business! ”

With the assurance of the captain of the Fenzhou, Liu Zhongmin is already relaxed! Before leaving, Liu Zhongmin took out a letter and said, "I will immediately send someone to shoot this letter to the city, and then you wait for my news!" Hear my letter and fire again! ”