"Dashuai, with these hydraulic machinery, the weapons and armor manufacturing of our Jiaozhou battalion will not be as nervous as it is now. (Provide the latest chapter reading >"

Since the establishment of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau, this is the first time Li Meng has come to Laiwu, the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau is busy preparing up and down, the population and other scale of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau of the Jiaozhou Battalion are much larger than Laiwu County itself, and the status of several organizers of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau is also much higher than that of Laiwu County.

I thought that after Li Meng won the title of Duke of Qi, at least there must be corresponding ceremonial etiquette, and the Weapons Manufacturing Bureau greeted him according to the specifications for welcoming Guogong.

Who would have thought that after Li Meng came over, he was still a soldier, he didn't take a car in a sedan chair, and there were no attendants and maids around him, but he just followed the personal guards and guards, from Jinan City to Laiwu City, and on the way he marched forward.

When this group of people arrived in Laiwu City, Laiwu County ordered a respectful salute, shouting Qi Guogong, Li Meng responded indifferently, and when the organizers of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau were also ready to call Guogong, they were stopped by Li Meng and said coldly:

"It's not time to pay attention to these false etiquette, according to the name of the camp!"

Hearing Li Meng say this, he was full of respect and listened to the order, Ding Xu, the mine supervisor who had been confined in Laiwu for a long time, had already proved his loyalty and ability to the Jiaozhou battalion, and in the current situation, he was no longer worried about what resistance these Shandong town guards would cause to Jiaozhou.

However, although the firearms supervisor in Tianjin City quickly entered the state of work, it was still in the observation stage, and he was ordered to stay in his house after Li Meng's arrival.

After getting the idea of hydraulic machinery, the Laiwu Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau separately separated a part of craftsmen to manufacture these hydraulic machine tools.

There is no shortage of water power in Laiwu City, here to make iron and iron, the demand for water is very large, Dawen water and Xiaowen water are sufficient, small reservoirs or simple barrages. The improved hydraulic machinery can be driven. After these hydraulic machines were almost completed, this was the news to Li Meng, the Duke of Qi in Jinan.

According to the local regulations of the weapons manufacturing bureau, if there is any major technological innovation, it must be notified to the shogunate of Jinan City for the record, but Sun Hedou, Guo Dong and Ding Xu did not expect that this news actually let Li Meng come in person, the concept proposed by Dewalter did cause a leap in production technology, but to what extent did they realize the importance of this matter.

After Li Meng came to Laiwu. The first order was to elevate Dewalt to a master. Weapons manufacturing local substantive level. In addition to the sponsorship, it is a craftsman. And the master craftsman is an honorary title. In the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau. There are only ten craftsmen with the title of master craftsman.

The treatment of the master craftsman is equivalent to that of a thousand totals. And it is supported by Shandong for life. It can be said that it is a rare honor. It is equivalent to a kind of knighthood systematically in the Jiaozhou battalion.

Everyone came to the water workshop on the edge of Xiaowenshui. Hydraulic anvil hammer process. An apprentice holds an iron plate and carefully shoves it into the anvil hammer that keeps going up and down. Hear the loud bang in Dangdang. The iron plate was gradually hammered into the shape of a chest plate. Guo Dong on the side explained with a smile:

"Great. Once upon a time this cuirass. It is necessary to constantly beat the experienced master in the manufacturing bureau. before it can take shape. Slow production. And it consumes a lot of physical energy. You can't produce a few pieces a day. After the division of labor and cooperation of the program is completed. This armor forging procedure is also a shortcoming. But with this hydraulic anvil. Wait until the next few anvil workshops are built. We have a list of land in the camp. At least half a year ahead of schedule. ”

Li Meng watched the front monotonously thrash up and down. Following behind him, Wang Hai whispered and said:

"This thing. I've also seen it in Nanzhili. Isn't it just the rice and water milling? ”

Everyone who could hear Wang Hai's joke laughed along with Hehe. Li Meng also laughed, and then said to himself:

"There are all these water-powered things, and the west side is used for mechanical manufacturing, and we still use it to grind noodles and rice."

No one heard his whispered words, and after Li Meng finished speaking, he shook his head, calmed down his feelings, turned around and said to the people behind him:

"Don't underestimate these machines, their land is worth as much as 100,000 armor soldiers!"

When everyone heard Li Meng's evaluation, they all screamed in surprise, in their eyes, these hydraulic machines were just things made by ingenuity, Li Meng actually gave such an evaluation.

Li Meng immediately ordered with Wang Hai solemnly:

"From this day onwards, the perimeter of these water-powered workshops will be tightly guarded, and those who enter and operate these machines will be monitored, and a brigade and a battalion of soldiers will be sent to bring over."

Laiwu is regarded as the heartland of Shandong, and there are Jiaozhou battalion soldiers stationed all around, and even the manufacturing bureau on the side is hosted, and they all feel that this order of the marshal is a bit of a fuss, but Li Meng's words are an order, Wang Hai immediately stood upright, and Yuan Wenhong on the side directly took out the planks and paper and wrote it.

"Which river is the water you use?"

I didn't expect an innovation to make the marshal pay so much attention, and the whole of the Weapons Manufacturing Bureau was a little flattered, Li Meng suddenly asked, Sun Hedou and Guo Dong couldn't react for a while, in the end, it was Ding Xu, the eunuch in the inner palace had much better ability to observe words and emotions than his colleagues, Ding Xu hurriedly replied:

"Dashuai, the tributaries of the big and small Wenshui used here."

"Send someone upstream to investigate, make sure that the water is sufficient, and if there is a grange or other people competing with you for water, let them move elsewhere, and at the same time you bring me a charter, and find a new place with plenty of water to ensure the operation of the hydraulic workshop."

The Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau, which has always suffered losses in the requisition of resources with other departments, got Li Meng's permission this time, and was really frightened and happy, Sun Hedou, Guo Dong, and Ding Xu bowed down together to thank them:

"The handsome man is compassionate, and the manufacturing bureau must do their best. Li Meng nodded noncommittally, someone had already told him about De Walter's merits, Li Meng took a few steps towards the hydraulic rolling mill, and said in a deep voice:

"Water mill and water mill, we have used it for thousands of years, look at their foreigners' things, we have passed a lot, this manufacturing bureau is the ancestor of my Shandong hundred workers. Be sure to put your brain into these things. Improve a lot, other people's good things, we don't feel embarrassed, generously take and use, use well, it is our own things. ”

Specially let the experts do it, Li Meng consciously didn't know much about the things in this place, and he didn't have much contact with it in modern times, so he rarely interfered.

But this time I heard about the causes and consequences of the transformation of the hydraulic machinery and process distribution. I can't help but sigh with emotion, some things are not said, and the people below will not understand it themselves.

Sun Hedou answered with resonance on the side:

"Since the Weapons Manufacturing Bureau saw the ceremony, I thought that this was the world's first-class craftsman, and it was inevitable that there would be some complacency. The value is careful, and there are records, and the specifications of the things made are unified, but the craftsmen of the manufacturing bureau and even the measuring tools were approved and unified a few days ago, not to mention any standards, and everything in the manufacturing bureau in the future must also have clear records. Be precise. ”

Guo Dong on the side interjected and said:

"Dashuai, these foreign craftsmen may not be much stronger than our craftsmen, but there are some new things that we haven't thought of, the villain pondered, this is only a dozen craftsmen, there is such an effect, if it is more, isn't it more effective, the craftsmen below are saying. I didn't expect there to be so much craftsmanship. The previous horizon was too small, and I had to learn a lot. ”

What these two people said made Li Meng quite satisfied. In any case, it is good to have a desire to improve and a determination to learn. Li Meng nodded, opened his mouth and commanded:

"This matter is to be discussed with Master Ning, there are a lot of foreigners on the ground of the Ming Dynasty, and there are also those in the Wa Kingdom and Nanyang, but those who know how to make craftsmen are estimated to be apprentices at most, so don't give too much hope."

Several organizers are bowing down together, everyone rarely sees Li Meng so interested, he is accompanied by the organizer of the manufacturing bureau, all the workshops that use water power are walked around, carefully look at these quite primitive hydraulic machine tools, it is indeed very convenient, the most difficult process of armor can be completed by machine tools.

Moreover, the hydraulic blower can make the iron-making furnace reach a higher temperature and obtain better quality steel, although Ding Xu's tone was calm when he introduced this matter, but Li Meng was in good spirits.

What can high-quality steel bring, no one in this era can be more aware of the importance of the land than Li Meng, for a while, Li Meng also sighed in his heart, he came to this era, worked hard for ten years, trained a strong army, and seized a huge territory and great wealth.

Its own military technology should not be so far from the West, and Shandong's economy, which should have been sluggish or regressive, began to move forward because of the situation opened up by Li Meng in Shandong.

The stable situation, the great exhibition of commerce, and the army of this era, under the birth of these factors, manufacturing technology has also begun to leap forward.

Although it is still just an imitation, although it changes the experience of a few apprentices from Europe, this is a progress after all, you know, in the late Qing Dynasty, even water mills and water mills have become very advanced things in many places, and the whole thing is a big regression, and it can only be allowed to destroy China's economy by the incomparably powerful machine industry of the West.

After the tour, Li Meng was quite interested, there was no red tape in the Jiaozhou camp, even if the handsome arrived, it was just to cook a few more dishes in the place where the organizers ate.

Mine supervisor Ding Xu is quite emotional about this, the civil and military generals in various places guard the eunuchs, every meal is as luxurious and rich as possible, simplicity is regarded as shabby, that is the most embarrassing, and will be laughed at by colleagues and subordinates, but this Shandong is nothing more than enough for this diet and clothing, most of the people are focused on official business, the style of the Ming Dynasty and the style of this Shandong are compared, and the judgment is suddenly high.

When he went to the living room for dinner, Ding Xu remembered something, walked a few steps quickly, and reported to Li Meng's side:

"Marshal, the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau has a hidden concern at this time, but I don't know if to talk about it?"

Ding Xu, who was not born in the traditional system of the Jiaozhou battalion, inevitably had some problems in officialdom when he spoke, and around the bush, Li Meng glanced at him and asked in a deep voice:

"What's the hidden worry, why don't the other hosts know!"

Ding Xu bowed a little wider, and said:

Several of the other organizers focused on the manufacture of weapons. but with the supply of this raw material. Coal and iron mining has little to do with it, and the hidden worries mentioned by the lowly job have not delayed the business. ”

Seeing Li Meng nodded, Ding Xu continued to speak:

"Dashuai, casting artillery consumes a lot of copper, and the copper on the side of the Lingshan Commercial Bank can still be supplied, but I talked to the shopkeeper who delivered the goods from the trading house, saying that most of these copper materials are from collecting copper coins, and this copper coin is a circulating thing, if it is used to cast cannons. Sooner or later, there will be less money in circulation. ”

Such worries are extremely reasonable, if Ding Xu had not stayed in the palace and had contact with and understood the matter of this wealth, I am afraid he would not be able to say this opinion.

There is no copper mine in Shandong, and there are some special weapon parts for casting artillery, most of the materials used are copper, and the raw materials can only be purchased from the copper on the market and exchanged for copper money, and the demand for artillery in the Jiaozhou battalion is great, and the artillery is used in the city defense fortress and the army's field battles. Especially in today's military expansion, the demand for artillery has increased, and the consumption of copper materials is even greater.

However, there are several extremely industrial and commercial cities in Shandong, and in addition to large sums of gold and silver, the retail trade in these cities is mainly paid in copper coins.

Because all over Shandong, ordinary people. Even the life of the Tuntian households in the Tuntian Grange is much better than that of other provinces, and merchants from all walks of life gather in Shandong, and the business is prosperous, and the demand for this copper coin is also very great, if the number of copper coins on the market has decreased sharply, and gold and silver are rarely used for daily circulation, it will inevitably cause great chaos.

At present, Ning Qiangui of the Lingshan Commercial Bank and a subordinate account manager have a share of the copper coins collected to the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau to manufacture weapons. How much to put on the market. It's really racking my brains and it's extremely distressing.

In order to overcharge copper coins and copperware. Lingshan Commercial Bank offered a slightly higher price than the market to exchange copper coins and purchase bronze ware. As a result, the common people of Shandong, and even the Tuntian Grange exchanged copper coins and copper utensils to the Lingshan Commercial Bank, and the Lingshan Commercial Bank divided the copper coins into two parts, one part was put into the market, and the other part was handed over to the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau, and the copper coins that were put on the market returned to the Lingshan Commercial Bank again and again.

If you count the inferior money of poor quality in the copper coins, as well as the old money that has been used for many years, every time the Lingshan Commercial Bank collects copper, it is a loss.

However, according to the needs of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau, a large amount of copper materials for various purposes is still needed, and in the countryside and Tuntian Grange in Shandong, there has been a phenomenon that everyone comes together to buy the daily necessities they need on a regular basis, so that because the amount is large, they can use silver, because copper coins are sold to the Lingshan Commercial Bank as profitable materials.

The small traders have gone bankrupt, the life of the people is becoming more and more inconvenient, and the value of copper coins is getting higher and higher.

Every time it is circulated, there will be a large number of copper coins in the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau into various weapons, and the copper on the market is getting less and less, and the natural value is also increasing.

The bankruptcy of small traders can be made up by Lingshan Commercial Bank and Wenru Commercial Bank, but these bankrupt small traders are also unstable factors, but the abnormal fluctuation of the value of copper coins has a great impact on social stability.

This is a vicious circle, sooner or later there will be big trouble, and after chatting with the shopkeeper of Lingshan Commercial Bank, Ding Xu, the mine supervisor, also figured out this truth.

The eunuchs of the inner court, except for a few high-spirited and bright powers, the rest are more or less greedy for money and paranoid about drilling.

After Ding Xu, the mine supervisor, was circled by Li Meng in Laiwu, he also sighed for a long time, disheartened, thinking that he would die on the ground in Shandong in this life, and he would be a cow and a horse.

Who would have thought that Shandong General Li Meng would actually make such a big situation, it didn't take much effort to do this, it was all Qi Guogong, and after Ding Xu was accepted into the system, he could get in touch with a lot of news that he didn't know before, the more he knew about the Jiaozhou battalion, the more he felt that there was a bright future in this group.

Now Ding Xu does not have a little hatred for Li Meng, but is very grateful, at this time, it is difficult for others to get into this Jiaozhou camp in Shandong even if they sharpen their heads, but they were easily caught in, what a good luck this is.

In the past two years, Ding Xu has brought all his relatives from his hometown to Shandong, and he plans to live here for a long time and become a part of it.

Since he planned to take root, Ding Xu pondered how to be favored and appreciated by the handsome. In the Jiaozhou battalion system. It is useless to rely on bribery and currying favor, you must have real talent and real learning, but now all the yamen in the Jiaozhou battalion are performing their own duties and are running at a high level, and if you want to appreciate it, you must be unique.

This time Ding Xu finally found an opportunity to bring up this problem that everyone has not paid attention to, and after he finished speaking, after seeing Li Meng's solemn expression, Ding Xu knew that he had done the right thing.

Li Meng, who was originally in high spirits, was not in a high mood when he was eating. Sun Hedou and Guo Dong didn't know what was going on, and wondered what Eunuch Ding had said to Dashuai.

What Ding Xu said is indeed a big problem, Li Meng thought about the various places under his rule, there should be no copper mines, this is really a problem, but it also shows that on the other hand, among these senior officials under his command, most of them are loyal. Lack of ability.

Copper coins and copper materials for casting artillery ground, but Ning Qiangui was so embarrassed, it was indeed very disappointing to Li Meng, during the meal, Li Meng was already ready to go to Henan and Nanzhili through Wenru Commercial Bank to collect copper coins to supplement the insufficient part of Shandong. Ning Qiangui's vision was inevitably too narrow.

However, Li Meng also knew that his method was a short-term action, and the current situation in Shandong would definitely impose an embargo on various materials in Shandong in the future, and before he obtained a higher position, the contradiction between the copper used to cast artillery and the copper used to cast copper coins would always exist.

In a short period of time, this is a real headache.

Shandong's garrison in Hejian Province was originally led by Wang Tao, with a total of 9,000 people, but now Shandong is guarding two prefectures in Beizhili. And Yongping Province borders Shanhaiguan. It was almost the front line, and Li Meng sent 20,000 soldiers and horses from Nanzhili.

There are almost 30,000 soldiers on the Beizhili side. This is the largest battalion under Li Meng in addition to the base camp. Although Wang Tao has made great achievements, he is still lacking in commanding and managing so many troops.

What's more, in this place of Beizhili, Yongping Mansion is facing the Tatars, and in other directions, it is also facing more than 200,000 Ming officials and troops in Beizhili, although there has been no problem for so many years, but the Mongolians on the grassland also have the possibility of coming in, and the situation in Beizhili is too complicated.

Wang Tao was only a general before serving as the chief general of the first army, and it was a bit inappropriate to put it in such a position, and it was originally 9,000 people, guarding a mansion between the rivers, and now it is a territory of two prefectures, and adjacent to the front line, this candidate will have to be reconsidered, Yanzhou Army guerrilla Zhang Jiang was appointed as the chief general of the Beizhili garrison, commanding 30,000 horses, and Wang Tao is as a deputy general, Li Meng, the garrison in the Beizhili region, rarely used his modern geographical concept, this army is called Hebei

In Shandong, Li Meng directly managed the three prefectures of Jinan, Dongchang and Yanzhou, and Zhao Neng guarded the three prefectures of Qingzhou, Laizhou and Dengzhou.

The Jiaozhou battalion, which was originally based on the battalion, began to be restructured, and the original two battalions were merged into a regiment. Garris's suggestion is related.

The two battalions had a total of 2,000 men, 1,600 spearmen, the 40 by 40 phalanx was more solid, and the 400 musketeers would have a more concentrated firepower when the regiment fought alone.

At present, the Jiaozhou battalion is stationed in more and more places, and according to the current situation, there will be many cases in which each regiment will fight alone, and Li Meng is already preparing to assign artillery to the regiment, and the initial plan is that each regiment will have three three-pounder guns.

Since the emergence of the establishment of the battalion commander, many officers at the level of the battalion commander have made meritorious contributions but have only improved their salary, and their official positions cannot continue to be promoted.

However, the name of the commander of a regiment is still under discussion, and it is logical that the commander-in-chief, the battalion commander, and the officers of this regiment should also be called the regiment commander, and the name of the regiment commander is too ugly for Li Meng, and he always thinks of some messy villains.

In April, Li Meng was busy and anxious, Zheng Zhihu had been waiting with his eyebrows low and pleasing to his eyes, and he didn't dare to complain, even if he knew that during this period, Li Meng actually met a guest - Liu Qingsong, the right political officer of Shandong. New, thank you, subscription, monthly pass smash over