Chapter Ninety-Four: The Grand Strategy of the Western Front Fan Jingwen is in trouble

When Ning De and Li Kui arrived on the east shore of the Caspian Sea with their army, they communicated with Jiang Pai. According to the situation, they unanimously agreed to build a graded highway along the eastern side of the Ural Mountains from north to south and then along the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Wherever there is a fight, armies from other directions can rush to the aid as quickly as possible. In addition, with this trunk road, it can also radiate in other directions, which is also very beneficial for the border construction that will begin immediately. However, the consensus was that when the road reached the Caspian coast, it should be built enough to ensure the passage of cars and carriages. In this, there is a secret that only Ningde, Jiang Zhuang, and Li Kui know to their high-level leaders. The goal of the kiln people was to have an outlet to the Black Sea, and at that time, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea were to be dug through by canals. The Caspian Sea is twenty or thirty meters lower than the Black Sea, and after the two seas are opened, the area of the Caspian Sea will expand a lot, and the roads that are being built now will definitely be submerged. It is also for this reason that most of the docks they built along the Caspian Sea were also made of wood. Although many officers and soldiers did not understand this, Ningde did not explain to them out of secrecy.

According to the original plan, Yaogang sent some shipbuilding technicians to build a shipyard here, and many marine diesel engines and marine steam engines were transported from Yaogang. On the Caspian coast, it is very inconvenient to have no motor boats. With motorized boats, not only is it convenient to build boats, fishing production can be carried out, and the entire Caspian coast can be controlled in Ningde. The first thing they wanted to build was a diesel-powered speedboat. This kind of speedboat, with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, is basically an invincible weapon here in the Caspian Sea. The small galleons of those countries are no match at all.

Ning De and Jiang Jian's opinions have received strong support from the family.

Now the railway from Hami to the banks of the Irtysh River has been opened to traffic, although it is still only a monorail, but the transport capacity has been increased too much. Many materials, especially bulk materials, such as reinforced concrete, can be transported directly to the Irtysh River wharf by rail and transported by ship to the Ural Mountains. The road being built along the banks of the Irtysh River is also progressing well. Along the Irtysh River to and from the Ural Mountains to and from their side of the convoys and caravans, barges on the river, constantly coming and going.

Inside and outside the castle where Ningde is located, many shops and taverns are very prosperous.

Since Count Petrov was in charge of surveying the border with Jiang and them, and was also responsible for buying special items from Jiang and them for the Tsar to come here. The Count was a frequent traveler between here and Moscow, and had a very good relationship with the ginger.

After a great victory against the Ottoman Empire, Count Petrov came and bought the muskets and ammunition that Hami had left. After that, I bought some more bullets. Because they use black ** for reloading bullets, not to mention that the range of the musket is not enough, after the gunner fires, the black smoke is particularly large, and it is said that the damage to the gun chamber is also very large. So the Russians bought a lot of shotguns and bullets again. However, at the same time, Count Petrov bought more than 100 new muskets from Jiang Ping, and it turned out that it would be a shame for the Russian nobles to not have a single musket in their homes, and of course they would have to buy new ones no matter how expensive they were. In fact, with each new gun, Count Petrov could not earn less money.

The new gun was specially ordered by Jiang Pai for Count Petrov, and this time when the Count finished the inspection and robbed him, Jiang Pai invited him to eat Chinese food that he was very willing to eat, Jiang Pai told him something that made the Count very unappetizing.

"Count Petrov, we are very good friends, I have heard very bad news, I must tell you!" ”

"My friend, if you have something to say, we'll just say it! That's how a good friend should be! ”

"Some time ago, we heard that there was a batch of fire robbers in the hands of someone in Hami. I sent someone over to check it out, but I didn't find anything. I asked about it from our kiln, and they all said that there were no weapons to be shipped to Hami. But I'm not at ease, Lord Earl, you know that our Ming Dynasty is really too big, and all kinds of forces are very complicated. We have a group of powerful officials in the imperial court, as well as a group of our kiln gang people, and then there are powerful merchants, all of whom are very influential in the Ming Dynasty! ”

"General! I know all of this, so let's talk about the specifics! "The earl has been in contact with Ningde for a long time, and he has some understanding of the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

"I learned through inquiries at home that Wu Sangui, who lives in Japan, has just finished reloading their weapons, and there is a batch of about 10,000 or 20,000 muskets."

Hearing this, Count Petrov stopped the chopsticks he had just learned to use.

Jiang Jian continued: "We have a batch of more than 5,000 muskets, which we want to sell to the Nanyang side to use against the Fran machine people. In order to support them, we received only a small amount of silver. Our men also saw that the muskets had been loaded onto the ship. But the ship didn't reach its destination at all! I suspect that someone deceived the musket in this name. ”

"Five thousand muskets, that's a lot of silver. Who can have such a great ability? Count Petrov asked with a glare.

"We have some people in the Ming Dynasty who have such strength," Jiang said, "plus I heard the news that after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the mission arrived at Yaogang, I think things are complicated!" ”

Hearing this, Count Petrov was frightened, "Yes! The Ottomans have the strength to buy these muskets! Don't sell them, my friend! ”

"Hey! That's what I'm worried about. However, we did not find any clues about these robbers in Hami. Otherwise, I'll have taken this batch of robberies! ”

"Oh my God! That's five thousand muskets! Don't fall into the hands of the Ottoman Empire! Count Petrov was anxious to draw a cross on his chest.

"My concern is that the Ottomans have spent a lot of money and bribed our powerful officials and businessmen to make this lucrative business together. People who can do such a business are not ordinary people. It's hard for us to get to the bottom of them. ”

"It's horrible!" Count Petrov, "How much silver do you merchants of the Ming Dynasty have?" These more than 5,000 muskets are tens of millions of taels of silver! ”

"Huh!" He smiled and said, "Needless to say, we kiln gang people, even our big merchant gangs can get this silver!" Besides, they have a reputation on our ticket number, and they can do business without using cash! ”

No matter how good the dish is, Count Petrov can't eat it, "How is this good?" These Ottoman merchants are very cunning, they are the ones who bought you out! They are the only ones in the world who can afford these muskets! You've heard that people in Hami saw these muskets, and they unloaded the train from Hami and took them away! ”

"That's a big deal! However, we have all heard and analyzed, and you can't report to your tsar just because you have heard about it, right? Jiang asked with concern.

"This matter is a matter of the survival of our empire, and we must immediately return to Moscow and report the situation to the Tsar. We don't know the situation, we can't attack the Ottoman Empire right away! Alas! You're going to kill people if you do that! "Count Petrov was in a hurry, and told him that they were going to attack the Ottoman Empire at once.

"Hey! I said, Lord Earl, what you said is not good! Jiang Jian was also a little angry, "There is something I haven't told you yet, but you blame me first!" ”

"Humph! What do you have to complain about? ”

"Then let me ask you, it was okay to say that we quietly sold you muskets so that outsiders could not know. But not only did you speak out, but even the officers we sent to you as instructors, and the money you bought to loot flowers, the Ottoman Empire now knows about it. What you're doing is not authentic! ”

"No, we're not going to leak it!" Count Petrov argued with his hands waving.

"Come on! You know that you just want the Ottoman Empire to know that our two countries have good relations and to sow discord between us and the Ottoman Empire. But you are also reminding the Ottoman Empire to go to the Ming Dynasty***. Jiang Jian unceremoniously picked out the matter.

Jiang Pai said this because the Ottoman Empire got so many muskets, the Russians will definitely know, it is better to tell the matter first, pick yourself up, and settle down!

Count Petrov's meal did not taste good, and the next day he returned to Moscow with more than a hundred new muskets.

Jiang Jian also couldn't help but admire this count, he went back and forth between here and Moscow, as if he were home. Although he has now used the kiln gang steel spring carriage, it is also a road of nearly a thousand miles!

Jiang Ji knew that the return of Count Petrov to Moscow would not make small waves.

The main military forces of Yaogang are in the west. On the western front, there is Jiang Jian in the north, and Ningde and Li Kui in the south. Militarily, Yaogang is not worried at all. In particular, Jiang Pai and Ningde jointly proposed to build a strategic highway along the eastern side of the Ural Mountains from north to south, which shows that Jiang Pai and Ningde have a very strategic vision. Therefore, Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He fully supported their proposal.

When discussing this matter with Zhang Zhimu, Zhang Zhimu had no opinion, but said worriedly: "The situation on the Western Front is much better than I expected, but there is some trouble on the Persian side, and we had better not fight with the Persians!" ”

"Yes! Fight, we are not afraid, but if we fight again, the fighting between all the countries in the entire west will stop, and they will fear that we, like Genghis Khan, will work together against us! Ouyang He also agreed with Zhang Zhimu's idea.

"There's no way either, the Persians won't want to have a strong country around them, and they're rightly worried." Chen Yufeng's eyes did not leave the map and said, "But it is better if the Persians have to do it, anyway, I have been thinking that we should take down this place near the Caspian Sea by the Persians." There's no reason to be worried! ”

"In this way, it will disturb the Ottoman Empire and the Russians to fight. This is not what we were hoping for! Ouyang He said, "We'd better wait for the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire to fight each other, and then we will clean up the mess." Then we will be justified! ”

"Huh! It seems that the Persian Empire will not be a country on the shores of the Caspian Sea anyway! Zhang Zhimu said, "On the Persian side, we will retreat the army according to what you said." If the Persians think that we are afraid and have to take an inch, we will have a reason to cut them down. ”

"Now that we have good relations with the Ottoman Empire, we can ask the Ottoman Empire to intervene in this matter, so that we can communicate with the Persians and explain to everyone that we do not want to go to war. The Ottoman Empire failed to mediate, and when we fought, it was not that we were belligerent! Ouyang He suggested.

"Wonderful!" Zhang Zhimu blurted out this wonderful word.

Chen Yufeng also smiled and said, "Mr. Ouyang, this is a good idea, send a report to Ningde and them immediately." If you contact the Ottoman envoys, ask them for mediation immediately. As long as the Persian Empire does not start a war, let them make conditions! ”

Zhang Zhimu said: "It is best if we can win two years, so that we can have time to consolidate the Western Front, and also let the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire see each other." ”

Ouyang He looked at the map and said, "In these two years, we can build the railway to Lake Balkhash." At the same time, canals from Lake Balkhash to the Aral Sea and from the Aral Sea to the Caspian Sea were excavated. After the entire western front is connected, we will be more worry-free! ”

"With the railway to Lake Balkhash, we can build a large copper smelter on the north shore of Lake Balkhash. At that time, the northern line was not only a place to spend money, but also to earn money. Zhang Zhimu said.

"Haha!"

Listening to Zhang Zhimu's words, Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He both laughed.

Chen Yufeng said: "Zhimu! The Turks' more than 10 million taels of silver are enough for us to toss on the Western Front for a while! And the Russians, those are also not a small number! ”

"There is a lot to be done on the entire Western Front, and the money invested is also a bottomless pit. Let's just say that the roads, railways, and canals we want to build are tigers that eat silver! Zhang Zhimu said.

"It's not all this money thrown in at once," Mr. Ouyang said, "and it won't be long before we'll have income on the Western Front." With all this money, we will be able to invest more in the Western Front. However, I have also seen that with a big investment, there is a big income. Besides, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire have just begun, and their days of spending money are ahead! ”

"The people sent by Mr. Lu Bingyi to Liaodong to design the Songliao Grand Canal have all returned, and their design plan will come out before the end of the year. I think from next year, they will be able to go west to survey and design the canal from Lake Balkhash to the Aral Sea! Zhang Zhimu said, "Mr. Lu, they will soon develop to the west." In this way, not only can the wool and cashmere and other things of the herdsmen over there be sold at a good price and increase income, but also bring sufficient raw materials to our textile industry. These raw materials are turned into textiles and then sent out, but I don't know how much profit there is. Our Agricultural Development Committee also sent people to Yarkand to study the cultivation of cotton. There is a long period of light over there, which is suitable for growing long-wool cotton. In the future, it will also be our cotton base. ”

The fate of the west was doomed in the conversation and laughter of Zhang Zhimu, Chen Yufeng, and Ouyang He.

Yaogang News broadcast a news, which did not attract more people's attention, but Zhang Zhimu paid special attention.

Lin Zongwei and the two whaling ships they built returned with full loads on their first voyage. These two steamboats, based on the experience introduced by the Japanese, made it easy to spot whale schools. They used their whaling cannons to shoot at the whales that were breathing, and when the whales were almost struggling, they dragged the whales onto the boat by cable car. The whale is broken down and boiled out with fish oil and cod liver oil.

Zhang Zhimu knows that whale oil can be used to make high-grade lubricating oil, high-grade soap, and many high-end uses. The number of whales at sea is huge now, and it is not yet time to need protection. Cod liver oil is a good thing, but there are too many malnourished people now, especially when many students have worked hard in their studies and have serious dry eyes. Taking a little cod liver oil is very beneficial. The whaling industry is now an industry that can be properly developed.

There is also that after the opening of the railway from Tongguan to Kaifeng, the seafood caught by the frozen fishing boat at sea can be transported to Kaifeng and transported to Xi'an and other places in Yaogang through refrigerated carriages, especially the cold storage of Yaogang, which has transported a lot of marine fish and shrimp. It's a good thing, but it's not sold very well in Yaogang because a lot of people don't know how to cook seafood.

Zhang Zhimu heard about it, but asked Huang Yukun to buy a lot of sea shrimp.

The current sea shrimp is really a wild green-backed sea shrimp. When he returned home, Zhang Zhimu didn't use any complicated cooking methods, so he directly boiled it in salted water and made a salted shrimp. As a result, the whole family said that it was delicious, and a small pot of shrimp rushed to eat it.

Huang Yukun said: "Such a good thing, no one buys it there?" ”

Xiaohu said: "I can't do it, I don't know how to eat it when I buy it!" ”

Zhang Zhimu said to Xiao Hongyu: "On the radio, by the way, on TV, you can open some programs that introduce how to eat all kinds of seafood." Eating more seafood is good for your health! ”

"Hmmm! We used to have seafood too, but it was left out for a long time, not like this when it came out of the water. It's not that delicious! Xiao Hongyu said, "Our people's food is still very monotonous, and our TV program should do more such programs to make everyone eat richer!" ”

"In the future, we will have more and more large fishing boats, and everyone's recipes will be richer! Delicacies from the mountains and seas will also be the food of ordinary people in the future! Zhang Zhimu knows that the fish resources in the ocean are too abundant now. These resources must not be disappointed.

All the progress made Zhang Zhimu very satisfied, but it was the same, Li Yunhe's time for the test flight of their plane was delayed again. This is also no way, the things of heaven are big things, and there can be no ambiguity at all.

Just when Zhang Zhimu felt a little anxious about this matter, an even more bad news came, and Fan Jingwen, a bachelor who was sent to Siam, was in trouble.