After returning to Fengmeng Town. Xiao Biesheng is newly married, and the intimacy of Li Meng and Yan Ruoran's husband and wife is naturally indispensable, but it is not just here to enjoy family life, there are still many things to be busy.

Before setting out on the expedition, Li Meng instructed the steward to recruit sailors and seafarers in the coastal areas of the three prefectures of Rosideng, Laizhou, and Qingzhou. At present, all the restless young people in Shandong are proud to be able to serve under Li Mengdi in the Jiaozhou camp, but they have always been those on the road from the beginning to the present. And it is biased towards the children of military families.

Daming has reopened several sea bans, and the original effect of the ground has no effect, but it has greatly promoted the exhibition of the pirate industry.

Zheng Zhilong and the Zheng family are the products of this kind of policy. On the border of Shandong, because the imperial court has always been stationed with a large army. And the geographical location is not too good, there has not been too much pirate formation, in the seaside are some small work, in Jiaozhou camp to rectify the security of the three prefectures, many people were swept to the end of the typhoon, dare not continue to do these no capital business.

There are many such young people on the seaside of Shandong, who claim to be the children of good people, but in fact, they used to be small pirates who had no capital to buy and sell. At this time, I am just at home.

The soldiers of the Jiaozhou battalion are only the children of those big clans in Shandong. The children of the military household guard are already sufficient. Now there is also a Tuntian Tianzhuang Zhuang Ding. There is no shortage of young and strong. The Jiaozhou battalion recruited soldiers for the sake of the excellent source of soldiers. Therefore, it is necessary to do the most basic investigation of where the soldiers come from and how they are at home.

These young people by the sea, who have no background and are not good people, are naturally excluded, and these people are crazy characters. Fishing and farming by the sea is really unsettled. What's more, the Jingwei Committee is really too bad this year, but the Jiaozhou Camp 6 is strictly guarded, but there is a behemoth like the Zheng family on the sea, which is really suffocating these people.

This time, Li Meng entrusted Rossi to recruit young people with sailing experience at the seaside. Originally, it was planned to recruit more than 600 people, but who would have thought that thousands of people would come to apply, it would have been a disaster year. It's not easy to live. There is a way out. It's still the long-awaited way out, and everyone is not flocking here.

Five merchant ships. Three warships, these ships simply don't need these thousands of people. The condition offered by the housekeeper Rosie is that he can move his family to the Jiaozhou area and give priority to admission. There is a guarantee in Laizhou and Qingzhou. Priority is given to those with relatives.

Even so. There were more than 1,100 people left, and Luo Xi and the staff of the Jiaozhou battalion still knew Li Meng's style quite well. Since the number of people is over the limit. Then they just stayed. Young and strong are always useful places. Those who have not been admitted are also simply registered. Give them a small amount of compensation to let them go back.

Sure enough, Li Meng was not too many, and the Zheng family's five merchant ships and two warships were given to Li Meng. But most of the sailors on each ship were from the Zheng family. Of the more than 1,100 people, only about 200 people were able to get on board each time. On the battleship, Li Meng could only send dozens of people

This is also a means of prevention for Zheng Jiadi. Li Meng bought a battleship like this. In any case, it also makes people feel that they are fighting the idea of the sea and the ground, and they need to be careful.

Li Meng is also simple. and Zheng Jiadi made a request for a new land. Said to continue to buy boats. As long as you can learn from this kind of warship. Even if the warship comes to Jiaozhou once every two years, it doesn't matter, as long as everyone is arranged. Li Meng only wanted to use these people in case of emergency, and the rest of the time, all the right to use them was in the hands of Zheng Jiadi.

At present, the person in charge of the Bafu Commercial Bank in Jiaozhou City is already a cousin of Zheng Zhilong's close branch. There is also some weight in the speech. Li Meng's conditions are too favorable. He had also seen those young men in Shandong, who had been selected, and they were all quite good sailors and soldiers. Li Meng paid for the boat. And on weekdays, they don't ask for the right to use these warships and young people, and they can even see each other once every two years, which is simply pie in the sky. built a warship for the Zheng family out of thin air, and equipped it with soldiers, how can such a good thing not be inherited. I immediately agreed.

It is said that this battleship is a local thing. Although the Zheng family said that it was given to the Jiaozhou battalion three ships. But if you add another warship. There is also a deep wariness. It's just that Li Meng recently became the chief soldier of Shandong. The head town of Shandong soldiers and horses is also a number of generals. This Zheng family relaxed the restrictions and accepted the friendship with heart.

At the end of May. Li Meng, the chief military officer of Shandong, began to recruit soldiers and horses. Expansion of the Jiaozhou Army, despite the children of the landlords and wealthy families. The pirates on the seashore were young and strong, and even some soldiers under the command of foreign generals came to recruit, but they were all eliminated one after another under the very high standards.

Of the above three types of people, only 500 people were recruited in total, and none of the pirates were recruited. This has caused a lot of complaints from people in the seaside area.

The source of troops for the expansion of the army is in the Tuntian Grange. Zhuang Ding, the semi-militarized training ground guard team, was directly assigned to the Jiaozhou Army according to his usual performance, and these soldiers were different from the more than 10,000 soldiers and horses in Li Meng's hands now. They were not paid according to the salaries of the imperial court.

These soldiers were only provided with food and military uniforms and weapons by the Jiaozhou battalion, and these soldiers were paid for cultivating the land and harvesting in the Tuntian Grange, and in addition to the part they left to support their families, they could also leave a hundred percent after serving in the Jiaozhou army for many years. The land would then be available to them indefinitely. And only charge 20% to 30% of the field rent.

The first political out, after the head of each Tuntian Grange preached the notice. Most of the tuntian households hesitated at first, but later enthusiastically signed up for the army. This is a once-in-a-lifetime good thing, originally a homeless person on the verge of starvation, after being taken in by Tuntian Grange. Although the whole family is barely fed. But there is no freedom.

This opportunity is in front of you. It's not just that you can earn back this freedom for yourself and your family by joining the army. You can even put together a family business. Even if it's hard, it's worth it.

Although it was a large number of local households who actively participated. But only those who can participate in the village protection team have a chance, those who joined the Tuntian Tianzhuang in the twelfth year of Chongzhen's 12th year are not among the hungry people, these new members also have to cultivate the land for those who left the military Tuntian households, just to fill this labor gap.

After Li Meng made this decision, he roughly estimated that the army should be expanded by 20,000. The generals stationed in various state capitals were all announced, and Ma Gang, Chen Liu, and Zhao Neng had to divide 40 or 50 percent of their troops and horses, and the backbone of the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level should be transferred. went to teach and train the New Army, and Li Mengdi's headquarters sent two ** horses out to enrich the New Army troops.

Weapons Manufacturing Bureau near Fengmeng Town. Guo Dong is already busy, this expansion of the army, the inventory of weapons is almost empty, and a large number of weapons have to be built.

Hou Shanqin of the Lingshan Commercial House led a caravan with a large amount of silver to the arsenal of Nanjing City. and the head of the arsenal, Xu Xiaochu, bargained. Buy weapons and armor.

Although the size of the army has suddenly tripled. However, the financial pressure is not too great, as most of the demand is allocated from the existing resources of the Tuen Tien Grange. The reserve of armor and weapons is also large enough. It's still a lot easier.

Not all of this can be done overnight. The incident is slowly going on, and life on Li Meng's side must continue. By the beginning of June. Although it is said that there is no rain in the weather, the Jiaozhou area is still supported.

On the seventh day of the sixth lunar month, it was a beautiful day, and Li Meng took his whole family, cronies, officers and family members to the beach. Yan Ruoran and other female dependents in the family stayed at home for more than half a year, and they were also stuffy. The daughters of rich and noble families also have great rules in this era. Li Meng was not at home, and they couldn't go out. Li Meng took them out to breathe and relax.

The three brothers, Sun Hedou, Sun Hejing, and Sun Heding, also came here with their families, although they were supervised. But the daughter and children of the Sun family are still extremely happy. This is also Sun Hedoudi's request. said that his brother had been in the fort for a long time. If you want to come out and walk around, you just take this opportunity to come out together.

Deng Yang, Dungrass, Father Federer, and Su Anqi also followed. All in all, this group of people is very lively, the atmosphere is cheerful and happy.

When you come out to play in this weather, you can see the sea in the nearby scenery. Although Yan Ruoran has been in Jiaozhou for several years. But I never saw the sea once. The same is true for Gu Hengbo and Liu Ru, who just came out to open their eyes.

As for the place to visit, it was the place where Li Meng commanded and watched the battle when the Jiaozhou battalion was first built and the salt pole was fought against the pirates. Slightly higher than the other, you can see the seaside and the distance below. This is actually where the Lingshan Salt Fields were first placed.

This place has been transformed into a port because of the suitability of the place, and the military households who originally worked here as a construction site in Xuejiadao Thousand Households have all gone to the Lingshan Salt Farm to do it.

A group of people are on this height. There have long been people with canvas brackets to separate several places from the surroundings. Spread felt. Put on the furniture, wine and food are all prepared and delivered by the people of Lingshan Guard, look at the sailboats and busy people on the dock below, and look at the blue and endless sea in the distance. It was very pleasant.

Zhao Neng's mother, Ma Gangdi's parents. Wang Haitian parents. There are also * such old military households have also been invited out to open up a separate area. Zhao Nengdi's mother came forward as the man's elder at Li Mengdi's wedding banquet, and Yan Ruoran also wanted to do her daughter-in-law's duty well. led the rest of the girls over to laugh with the old lady. Everyone laughed non-stop.

Everyone was leisurely, but Li Meng couldn't be idle, and the guards set up a marching tent for him alone. There is a need for people to see. Subordinates who handle various official duties are rushing in.