Wang Peng, the prefect of Datong, climbed step by step from the Qipin County Order to the position of the current prefect of Datong. The current situation of the Ming Dynasty can be said to be well understood.

Therefore, as soon as Wei Zheng finished speaking, Wang Peng replied with an approving face: "Dashuai, as far as the lower officials know...... Since the Houjin Tartars began to plunder the Ming Dynasty, the limited financial and material resources of the imperial court have all been concentrated on the border army. ”

"Under such circumstances, it is difficult for the sailors, who are not very important, to obtain any silver from the imperial court except for military salaries."

"Therefore, today's imperial court sailors, because there is no silver, many warships have to be eliminated because of their old age. As for the soldiers of the sailors, because the military salary was not enough to live, they began to leave the army and return home to work as fishermen......"

"As the marshal just said, as long as we can afford to pay the silver, we can recruit enough sailors from the coast, or even directly from the sailors......

"Don't worry about the warships...... On the southeast coast, there are shipwrights who can build warships. If the marshal wants to, there is no problem in building a shipyard by himself. ”

"If we want to make a purchase, as long as we can afford the money, we can buy a fully equipped warship directly from the sailors, there is no problem in the slightest, let alone those warships that are not equipped with weapons......"

Wei Zheng nodded and affirmed: "Since this idea is feasible, then we will form our own sailors in the name of forming a fleet......

"Strategist, you directly transfer one million taels of silver from the treasury of the Governor's Mansion to form the fleet first. After reaching a certain scale, go directly to the Jiangnan area in the name of forming a fleet. Recruit sailors. Buy a warship. ”

"Also. In the name of this commander, the Armament Department was informed that from now on, in addition to studying the construction of army muskets and artillery, the Armament Department will also set up a new branch to specialize in the study of equipping muskets and artillery ...... on naval warships."

The Haw Par Army is following the self-defense campaign, seizing the time, concentrating on the time, and secretly expanding its strength.

Sun Chengzong, who still hangs the sign of the governor of Shanxi. With a shocked face, watching the training of the Haw Par Armies and Musketeers.

When he saw the fact that the muskets equipped by the Haw Par Army could be fired without the use of a fire rope, and the range was an astonishing one hundred and fifty paces, twice that of ordinary arquebuses, the whole person was stunned.

With a shocked face, he directly found the captain and asked, "This little general, can you tell the officer, what kind of musket are you using, and how powerful is it...... The whole Haw Par Army is equipped with this kind of musket. ”

Half a year has passed. The officers of the two battalion levels of the Haw Par Army basically entered the martial arts school for a short period of three months. So. For the performance of the various firearms that the Haw Par Army has been commonly equipped, the captain can almost recite it backwards.

In addition, he had already obtained the permission of Shangguan, and the captain who was stopped by Sun Chengzong, after saluting a military salute very neatly, he opened his mouth and said: "My lord, this kind of musket equipped by the brothers is called Suifa musket, which can penetrate a layer of leather armor at a distance of one hundred and fifty steps, a distance of one hundred and twenty steps, which can shoot through a layer of iron armor, and a distance of eighty steps, which can shoot through two layers of iron armor. ”

"On the field battlefield, our firing muskets can completely suppress the Tartar archers and their very good cavalry shooting."

"In addition, because the muskets were fired using fixed ammunition and not with arquebuses...... When an ordinary arquebus fires two shots of lead bullets, the brothers can shoot at least five shots of lead bullets with the latest equipped sui fire muskets......"

"As for the equipment of this musket in the Tiger and Leopard Army, Xia Guan is only a small team general, so I don't know very well."

"However, Xia Guan knows that the infantry of the Haw Par Army, where Xia Guan belongs, has 15,000 musketeers, and all of them are equipped with this kind of musket."

Sun Chengzong nodded, and quickly shifted his gaze to a team-level staff officer that Wei Zheng had transferred to him from the headquarters of the Tiger and Leopard Army. With a shocked face, he asked bluntly.

"Staff Officer Zhou, you are from the headquarters of the Haw Par Army. The young general doesn't know how this kind of musket is equipped in the Haw Par Army, and you should know it very well. Don't forget, before leaving, your Lord Wei's explanation, as long as the official wants to know, you must know everything about the official. ”

The staff officer standing behind Sun Chengzong's side nodded and replied: "According to the latest statistics, the 15,000 infantry troops under the Tiger and Leopard Army are all equipped with muskets. ”

"Of the 15,000 cavalry, 10,000 are already equipped with short-barreled muskets for cavalry. The 15,000-strong Tuntian army already had 5,000 musketeers equipped with this kind of musket. ”

"At present, our army is reloading this kind of musket at a rate of 3,000 men per month."

"The marshal's request to us is that within two years, 50,000 tiger and leopard troops and 100,000 local garrisons must all be equipped with this kind of musket."

Sun Chengzong, who saw the strong combat effectiveness of the Tiger and Leopard Army with his own eyes for the first time, was speechless at this moment because of the shock.

Not only that, but a monstrous wave was also set off in his heart.

After a long cup of tea, the shocked expression on Sun Chengzong's face slowly dissipated. Then, it was slowly replaced by a hint of heartfelt solemnity.

After taking a deep breath, he asked Staff Officer Zhou in front of him: "Equipping 3,000 musketeers a month means that the Haw Par Army can produce 3,000 of these fired muskets in a month." ”

Staff Officer Zhou nodded again in affirmation.

Then, he replied proudly to Sun Chengzong: "Three thousand muskets are only our current output." In two months, the output of the firing musket will exceed 5,000 ......"

"I don't know if Master Sun remembers the craftsmen sent to me by the Imperial Court to the Governor's Mansion of Shanxi more than a month ago. It is precisely because of the participation of these craftsmen that our firearms production will continue to make breakthroughs. ”

"Otherwise, the monthly output of the muskets will not even be ...... fifteen hundred."

You can produce and craft muskets by yourself, plus the Haw Par Army was formed by Wei Zheng and held the military salary issued by Wei Zheng...... All of these are told to Sun Chengzong that the Tiger and Leopard Army no longer has any dependence on the imperial court, and it can be said that it is the private army of Wei Zheng.

Just when the expression on Sun Chengzong's face became more and more solemn, Staff Officer Zhou, who was sent by Wei Zheng, perhaps wanted to see the expressions of the important ministers of the imperial court in front of him, and continued to introduce Sun Chengzong.

"My lord, in addition to this powerful fire-fired musket, our army is also equipped with two kinds of firearms that the imperial court does not have. Otherwise, it would be impossible for us to wipe out tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry on the field battlefield at one time, and even Dolgon, a fierce general, died in our hands. (To be continued......)