In the winter of the third year of the Apocalypse, the sky in Mobei was cold and frozen.

Lin Dan Khan, however, caught the Mongol tribes in Mobei by surprise before the winter came, and grabbed a large number of cattle, sheep and tents in Mobei.

This time, Lin Dan Khan only brought 50,000 people with him to conquer Mobei, but only 50,000 people were invincible in Mobei. Because winter is coming, the pace of conquering the Mobei tribes has been temporarily stopped. But to Lin Danhan's delight, Huang Taiji actually came to take refuge with 20,000 defeated soldiers.

Only then did Lin Dan Khan know that the wild boar skin had died, and the Houjin he had established had also been destroyed by the Ming Kingdom. Huang Taiji found a place to settle here with Lin Dan Khan very smoothly, and after the beginning of spring, he will follow Lin Dan Khan to conquer the Mongol tribes in Mobei who are not subject to Lin Dan Khan's rule.

At the same time, Lin Dan Khan had a deep fear of the Ming Dynasty, he used to think that even if the Ming Dynasty was developing, it was impossible to threaten Mongolia. However, in the battle between the Later Jin and Ming dynasties in Liaodong, the combat effectiveness displayed by the cavalry had already made Lin Dan Khan feel a great threat.

From the information obtained from Huang Taiji, it was known that the cavalry of the Ming State was extremely strong in combat and had far surpassed the Mongols. If the Ming State had a large number of cavalry, Lin Dan Khan couldn't imagine it, and the consequences would be too terrible.

"Fortunately, there are only 20,000 cavalry in the Ming Kingdom, and I have 300,000 soldiers in Mongolia. But in the future, war horses can no longer be sold to the Ming people, and the horse trade must be stopped next autumn. "Lin Dan Khan immediately made a decision after sensing the crisis.

However, what Lin Dan Khan would never have imagined was that the elite cavalry of the Ming Dynasty was not 20,000, and after only one year, this number could rise to 50,000.

……

In the winter of the third year of the Apocalypse, Zhu Youxiao was relatively leisurely. In terms of government affairs, Shen Yu took care of it well, with the recovery of Liaodong. and the defeat of Tusi An Bangyan in Guangxi, there is nothing to worry about.

The military reform formulated by the High Command was soon carried out rapidly with Sun Chuanting's return to Beijing.

The Liaodong Army has been disbanded, and it is the Central Army that replaces the Liaodong Army. However, because the war has subsided, Zhu Youxiao has transferred most of the Central Army from Liaodong back to Beijing for training. Only 20,000 cavalry remained in Liaodong, as well as five infantry divisions.

Those military attaches of the Liaodong Army. They also had to dismiss their families and go to Beijing for further study. The only military attache who was not transferred to the capital was Mao Wenlong.

The military system of Dongjiang Town was based on the model of the New Army, while the Ming Army still had to sweep away the remnants of the Jiannu in the vast mountainous area. Mao Wenlong's Dongjiang Army was the main force in the turbulent mountainous areas, while the cavalry remaining in Liaodong was the main force sweeping the plains.

At the beginning of spring next year, when the ice and snow melt, it will be the time for the big sweep. And after the winter, the Ming army's sweeping activities also began to decrease.

After the Jin was destroyed, the Mongols were engaged in a war of internal unification.

Therefore, before the winter came, Zhu Youxiao transferred a large number of central troops from Liaodong back to Beijing for training. Strive to complete the comprehensive training of the Central Army before the end of the Mongol internal war.

Including changes in troops, equipment, and tactics, the Central Army at this time has become an infantry composed of musketeers, and then artillery and cavalry are linked.

If the artillery and cavalry were left, the infantry division of the Ming army at this time only had musketeers, and it really had little combat effectiveness in the face of cavalry.

But if there were artillery and cavalry, then the result would not be completely different. Cavalry can provide cover for infantry, and artillery can bombard enemy cavalry.

As an imaginary enemy, the Mongol cavalry could not overwhelm the infantry as long as it was not overwhelmed. Then the next thing will be to fall into the situation of being slaughtered by the Ming cavalry.

At this time, it was indeed impossible for the infantry division of the Central Army to catch up and destroy the cavalry, but it was still very easy to resist the cavalry charge on the open steppe terrain.

In the winter of that year, the imperial court began to recruit conscripts in large numbers in the northern provinces. The reason why most of the conscripts were recruited in the northern provinces was mainly because they were closer to the battlefield and the frontier. It is more convenient for soldiers to come to serve and return home after retirement.

Only the Marines and the two infantry divisions deployed in the South were conscripts from the South.

Since the production corps needed a large number of soldiers, the number of signs rose from the original 200,000 to 350,000.

It is planned that in the fourth year of the Apocalypse, fifteen production corps will be formally established. All of them were arranged to the north of Liaodong, that is, Jilin Province in later generations, to engage in military tuntian.

Before the winter, the Royal Institute of Science and Technology completed a new phase of enrollment, and the third phase of enrollment admitted more than 500 people.

A month ago, Zhu Youxiao announced the enrollment information of the Royal Military Academy and appointed Lu Xiangsheng as the main examiner. Lead the admissions team to the provinces to recruit students.

The enrollment of the Royal Military Academy can be regarded as the most concerned thing for Zhu Youxiao recently.

This time, the admission criteria for the Royal Military Academy are relatively strict, and applicants must have a good reputation for talent and fame, and at the same time, they must not be more than 25 years old.

With the military victory over Houjin and the announcement of the rewards by the imperial court, the enrollment of military schools was no longer as unpopular as before.

Many young talents with fame and fame, after learning about the enrollment of the Royal Military Academy, began to decide to abandon their pen and follow Rong.

However, because of the relatively high application standards, there were only more than 300 young talents who finally took the entrance exam, while the Royal Military Academy only recruited 43 people in the end, and the others did not pass the exam. These forty-three people were all interested in military affairs, had studied military books, and were physically stronger than ordinary scholars.

Naturally, it is impossible for a military school to admit a group of scholars who are not interested in military affairs and who are physically weak to enter the military academy. Being able to recruit these 43 people is already a relaxation of the standard.

After Zhu Youxiao received Lu Xiangsheng's report on the enrollment situation, he was also quite satisfied. Although only forty-three people have been enrolled, there will definitely be more and more students who apply for military schools in the future.

There are only so many opportunities to enter the military with literature, and the future is not necessarily better than entering the Royal Military Academy. Entering the Royal Military Academy, you can get a military rank after graduation, so as to enter the army. For such literate officers, the starting point is basically above the battalion level.

"Your Majesty, the machine factory reported that the steam engine has been developed, do you want to go and take a look?" Yang Guang ran briskly into the Qianqing Palace to report the good news.

Hearing the news of the steam engine, Zhu Youxiao immediately couldn't sit still, and hurriedly ordered: "Hurry up and prepare for driving." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Soon Zhu Youxiao was dressed neatly under the service of the palace maids, and then walked out of the Qianqing Palace. Ride on Emperor Luan's drive to the machine factory.

When he came to the machinery factory, Xu Guangqi was already outside. Zhu entered the machinery factory in a hurry, and Xu Guangqi began to demonstrate to him the first steam engine with practical functions in the Ming Dynasty.

This steam engine was very primitive, and there was absolutely no such thing as a split condenser, cylinder insulation, planetary gears, parallel motion linkages, centrifugal governors, throttle valves, and pressure gauges. However, this steam engine can successfully drive the water pump, and in a clattering sound, the water pump is smoothly driven by the running steam engine.

Zhu Youxiao, who saw the steam engine, was a little excited. However, when he thought of the boiler explosion accident, he hurriedly asked, "Will the boiler explode?" ”

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the power of our steam engine is relatively low, so when it is damaged, it is contracted inward, and it is very safe to use." Xu Guangqi replied, "However, this steam engine consumes a lot of coal, and a large part of the heat is lost when it enters the cylinder, condensing on the cylinder wall that has just been cooled by water. The next step is to solve this problem. ”

Educated suddenly became different, Xu Guangqi studied the mathematics, physics and chemistry works written by Zhu Youxiao. It soon became clear that there was a problem with the steam engine.

"Okay, keep improving. However, this model can also be put into production first, and promoted first in mining areas where coal prices are relatively low. Zhu Youxiao instructed that this can cultivate manufacturing talents, and at the same time, it can also start training maintenance personnel. The steam engine gradually formed a complete industrial chain.

The economic growth of the Ming Dynasty in the future will obviously be driven by the industrial revolution produced by the steam engine.

"In addition, we don't have a qualified lubricant yet, and we have tried a lot of oils, but they quickly lose their effectiveness at high temperatures." Xu Guangqi said.

"Lube?" Zhu Youxiao was stunned. What brand of lubricant did Westerners use during the Industrial Revolution? Looks like they didn't have petrochemical industry at that time!

So what kind of oil do they use?

"Whale oil?" Zhu Youxiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered the history of large-scale whale hunting by Westerners. Whale fat is an excellent lamp oil, and after being refined at high temperatures, it can also be used as a natural lubricant.

Zhu Youxiao only remembered at this time that Da Ming didn't seem to have a whaling industry.

Whaling is clearly a promising industry, and if you catch an adult blue whale, you can get around 70 tons of fat.

In terms of oil production, it is 1 blue whale = 2 fin whales = 2.5 humpback whales = 6 minke whales.

If you can get a lot of whale oil, then it must be a good seller. What Daming does not lack is the rich. They are absolutely willing to pay for whale oil that smells of smoke when lit.

In addition, whale skin can also be used to make tanning, whale meat can be eaten, and whalebone meal and offal can be used as fertilizer. Baleen is also a good material that can be used to make a variety of goods.

There are also sperm whale stones that are still made into perfumes.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao suddenly thought of more natural resources. Seals, otters, crocodiles, bison, although not as productive as later generations, have a lot of natural resources on those unexplored continents.

It was by plundering these natural resources that Westerners allowed them to complete the bloody industrial revolution.

There are still a large number of fish in the ocean, as long as these resources are developed, Daming will not worry about not enough food to eat. Instead of struggling with how to dig in the soil, it is better to go to the sea to find resources, and to develop resources in the rich land overseas.

Of course, there are a lot of fish in the ocean. But how to catch the fish and how to transport the fish back is a problem. There are no refrigerators or cold storage these days.

Hunting wild animals is bloody, of course, but humans are at the top of the food chain, and there is nothing wrong with hunting. After all, it is born to kill, and there is no reason not to kill if there is no life. However, it should be noted that wild animals must be killed in moderation and cannot be exterminated. The motive for killing should also be correct, and there is nothing wrong with killing it only if you eat it. If you kill someone just to see a wild animal unhappy, that's also called sin.

Whaling or something, the official can issue a license and stipulate the number of kills per year. Whaling is not allowed without a license, and coastal whales will not be greatly reduced by killing.

Back at the palace, Zhu immediately ordered the establishment of a fishing company and studied whaling methods.

A few days later, the Navy came with the news that Colonel Zhu You was very happy, and after several months of hard work, the Royal Navy finally established its first stronghold in Hokkaido, and more than 300 people had emigrated there.

What are the many things in the waters of Japan? There are a lot of fishery resources! There are also many whales.

There are also whales along the coast of China, but most of them are some whales and baleen whales, and the number is not too many.

Relying on Hokkaido to develop the whaling industry is obviously a good choice, and at the same time, it is possible to develop animal husbandry and forestry in Hokkaido.

At the end of the third year of the Apocalypse, Zhu Youxiao already had more than 300 ocean-going merchant ships in his hands, because the navy was still developing and had a bad relationship with the Spanish and Dutch, so he did not go to Nanyang to run trade, so he still ran transportation in the coastal provinces.

However, there is no threat in the waters of Northeast Asia, and you can run everywhere. It is entirely possible to start with a rough exploitation of the natural resources of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and even Alaska in North America. (To be continued......)