Time back to half a month ago, Chengdu Mansion, Sichuan Governor Yamen.

As soon as a sedan chair landed, the Yiqipin official hurriedly lifted the sedan curtain and ran into the governor's yamen.

This person is Liu Zhibo, the governor of Sichuan, who had just returned from Baoning Mansion at this time, and before he had time to rest, he hurriedly handed a letter from Ge Qizuo, the governor of eastern Sichuan, to Chen Shiqi, the governor of Sichuan.

"You see, Dongxiang County has been captured by thieves on the seventh day of the first month of September, Dongxiang County Commander Zhai Xianghe was killed, Chen Shixun, the son of Chen Ge, Mao Xianggongzi, and Guan Jiaren, the son of Chen Ge, were killed, and two hundred Beijing cavalry, including Gao Baihu, were also killed by thieves."

The governor of Sichuan, Chen Shiqi, had just been promoted from deputy envoy to governor for less than three months, and the previous governor was killed by Emperor Chongzhen for failing to stop Zhang Xianzhong.

Now, there are thieves in eastern Sichuan, which is very bad news for Chen Shiqi, but what he didn't expect was that this bandit not only rebelled and occupied the county, but also killed two heavyweights.

Everyone knows that Chen Yan is a person who must repay flaws, and he is also a popular person around the emperor, and now his son is killed by thieves in his own jurisdiction, but I am afraid that things will become very difficult; There is also that Mao Xiang is one of the four sons of the Restoration Society, and now he has also died in my Sichuan, I am afraid that the Donglin Party will not give up, and this Mao family is also quite powerful in the DPRK.

Chen Shiqi quickly read the letter handed to him by Liu Zhibo, the inspector of imperial history, and also realized the seriousness of the matter.

"This gang of thieves is really hateful, not only did they kill the official's protégé, but they also caused such a big disaster!"

Chen Shiqi angrily slapped the letter on the table, and then said: "Liu Yushi, in my opinion, this matter cannot be reported for the time being, and I have to tell Ge Qizuo immediately that before the thieves are exterminated, the government and the opposition cannot be allowed to know the news!" ”

Liu Zhibo, the inspector of the imperial history, nodded, he was not surprised that Chen Shiqi would make such a decision, and he agreed with it.

Generally speaking, when there is a change in the locality, the local officials can hide it and delay it, not to mention that the two people who died in Sichuan this time were two very related figures, once the news is reported, I am afraid that Chen Ge Lao and the Mao family will take advantage of this to anger the officials in Sichuan, and when the time comes, it is a small matter to lose the black yarn hat, and I am afraid that there will be a disaster of death.

"The only way to do this is to hide it first, and then report it after we have made a great contribution to the extermination of the thieves, even if Chen Ge Lao and others say that we are not effective in protecting the territory, the emperor will not punish us and other meritorious ministers, and according to the reliable information brought by Ge Xundao: There are less than 1,000 thieves in Hanjia Village, and we have 20,000 officers and soldiers in the eastern Sichuan region, so it can be said that it is easy to exterminate the thieves within three months."

Whether it was the governor Chen Shiqi or the governor Liu Zhibo, as well as the local officials such as the Sichuan political envoy and the inspection envoy, they did not think that Yang Ming's Han army could pose much of a threat, on the contrary, they were more worried about Chen Yan and the Donglin Party officials in the court, so they all agreed with the decision of the governor Chen Shiqi, and actively cooperated, dispatched troops, collected grain and grass, and prepared to exterminate Yang Ming and his Han army before the imperial court got the news.

"So fast?"

Yang Ming was slightly stunned, thinking that after he occupied Dongxiang County, the officials of Kuizhou Mansion would definitely report to the governor of Sichuan first, and then the governor of Sichuan would report to the imperial court, so that it would take more than half a year to send troops to suppress it. But he didn't expect that this time, the imperial court would react so quickly.

Because Bai Qian was clever and was a famous gangster in Hanzhong before, he was the best at finding out news, so Yang Ming made him the head of the intelligence organization Jinyi Messenger.

The envoy of brocade clothes is a group of highly loyal people who have been strictly selected by Yang Ming from the old soldiers who followed him to Sichuan from Hanzhong, and have no relatives, and are responsible for investigating the news of Chengdu, Nanjing, Beijing and other places for the purpose of spy personnel, although the number is small, but under Yang Ming's short-term training, he already has basic intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities, and soon infiltrated into the large and small official offices of Kuizhou Mansion, Baoning Mansion, and Chengdu Mansion.

"Childe, this time the situation is special, because Chen Yan's son Chen Shixun and the giant of the Restoration Society died in our hands, Chen Shiqi, the governor of Sichuan, decided to hide it first and not report it, and preemptively attack to exterminate us within half a year", Bai Yun said the general reason, and said:

"Sichuan Governor Chen Shiqi is already dispatching troops and preparing to send 20,000 troops to destroy us in two ways, one of which is the department of Zeng Ying, the general of Kuizhou, and the department of Zhao Ronggui, the general of Chongqing; Moreover, Jinyi envoys from Wanxian and Yunyang came to report that the two armies were ready to send troops after March, and Ge Qizuo, the upper branch of the eastern Sichuan patrol, had also been stationed in Kuizhou and was directly responsible for suppressing bandits. ”

"Got it, you go down first, and continue to find out the news, especially the Shizhu Tusi of Chongqing Mansion", Yang Ming said and then ordered in a low voice: "Chen Dahari, you should immediately send someone to inform the military and political leaders at all levels in Dongxiang County that you must go to the county office before the end of tomorrow, and say that I, Yang Ming, have something important to discuss!" ”

After the arrangement was made, Yang Ming still inspected the Han family iron yard lightly, and these newly hired engineers and workers were still immersed in the excitement of getting the silver dollar, completely unaware that the thieves who gave them the silver dollar would soon face the encirclement and suppression of tens of thousands of officials and soldiers in the imperial court.

And Yun Die, Xu Shuixian, Wang Peng and other insiders of the Han Family Army were also silent after knowing the news brought by Bai Qian, although they were also very worried, they didn't dare to speak casually when they saw that Yang Ming didn't speak.

Stimulated by money, the newly hired engineers and craftsmen had already begun to work in full swing, and even when Yang Ming walked in, they did not drop the hammers and tongs in their hands. Yang Ming also watched with great interest the iron-making scene of the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century, as recorded in the "Heavenly Works", the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty had learned to stir with willow sticks and fry steel with a low carbon content of raw iron and a higher carbon content than wrought iron.

In today's Hanjia Iron Yard, there are several iron furnaces, and a few skilled iron iron-frying hands are patiently stirring the pig iron liquid, Yang Ming also wanted to try it when he saw this, but was pulled by Liu Blacksmith: "Son, don't, this is not for everyone, these masters have learned for a few years to get the know-how inside, and it took them a long time to stir up." ”

Seeing this, Yang Ming had no choice but to give up, and asked Blacksmith Liu: "Uncle Liu, as far as I know, one of the shortcomings of this stirring ironmaking method is that it will produce acidic slag, which will corrode the sand layer and lead to a decrease in iron production. ”

Since coming to the Ming Dynasty, Yang Ming has been discussing some steel smelting issues with Blacksmith Liu from time to time, although Yang Ming is a science student with only a high school chemistry level, and the things he says are also fragmentary and inaccurate later technologies, and most of them are still obtained from online novels, but Blacksmith Liu has memorized what Yang Ming said very seriously, and has been groping, gradually, and also found some doorways.

Blacksmith Liu has now learned to write, as soon as Yang Ming said this, he immediately took out his notebook and wrote it down, and said: "Childe, you said this, the old man has tried, the first few have already asked people to improve these furnaces like this, but the molten steel you said, this is a bit difficult, mainly because you can't find a refractory furnace, and this thing has to be charcoal-burned, and the briquettes don't work, I have tried many times and haven't been able to get the kind of liquid steel you said." ”

"Don't be in a hurry, take your time, how can it be so easy to forge fine steel and good iron, if this is the case, I won't just let Meng Yunpu make flintlock pistols, let's make some big knives and spears first, and according to the crossbow and arrow drawings I gave you, make more bows and crossbows first, with these things, it should be enough to deal with the officers and soldiers", Yang Ming said and called Wang Peng, the third team in charge of guarding the Hanjia Iron Yard: "From now on, this place will be renamed the Hanjia Ordnance Institute, which is our military secret place, Except for the staff here and the insiders of Hanjia Village, no outsiders are allowed to enter, and once found, they can be executed on the spot, and there is no need to report it! ”

"Don't worry, Childe!"

Yang Ming nodded, he knew that if he wanted to produce guns in large quantities in the future, he must first have a complete industrial system, and there must be an industrial base integrating iron and steel smelting, machinery manufacturing and processing, and gunpowder research and development, and this Hanjia Iron Yard is undoubtedly an excellent embryo for the construction of an industrial base. Since Yang Ming had decided to replicate this place in his modern industrial world, he naturally didn't want others to know, especially his enemies.