Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 360 Private Factory
"Brother Xia, this time you have traveled thousands of miles from Liaodong, what dangers are there?" Li Zicheng brought Xia Hai, a businessman from Liaodong, to their banquet. Forced by the desire for a black factory that can manufacture muskets, Li Zicheng's tone The room is full of enthusiasm.

"Liaodong came to northern Shaanxi via Monan. The journey was uneventful and never encountered any danger. However, when we entered your northern Shaanxi border, it would have been full of chaos. If it wasn't for our group and dozens of bodyguards and muskets to scare those people away I don't know if they are officials or bandits, they came to you smoothly." Xia Hai said.

"It's really unreasonable to think of the musket that brother Xia brought us! If I see them next time, I will definitely skin them and tear them apart!" Li Zicheng said angrily.

"Then I'll have to trouble Brother Li." Xia Hai smiled on the surface, but secretly said in his heart, he couldn't name these people or remember their faces, how would he, Li Zicheng, recognize them in the future.

Zhang Yuan, the general of the Ministry, knocked on the sidelines: "Brother Li, where is the factory that your businessmen set up privately? There are so many workers, and it may have taken a lot of effort to complete an order for two thousand muskets in such a short period of time." effort."

"Ahem, this can't be easily said. If the people who were rehabilitated by the Liao army knew about our private factory, they would definitely send troops to search our factory. By then, we would completely cut off the source of income." Xia Hai said.

"It seems that Brother Xia still doesn't trust us. I still treat Brother Li as a guest. Everyone here is my confidant, and no one will leak anything." Li Zicheng said.

"This matter has nothing to do with trust. What we businessmen do is business, and we must always have some secrets, otherwise the business cannot be done." Xia Hai said.

"Since Brother Li doesn't want to go into details, then I, Zhang Yuan, have something to say. I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Brother Zhang Yuan, just say it."

"The Liao army has strict laws and regulations. It is very dangerous for your businessmen to set up factories privately under their noses. Once discovered, the factory will be inspected, not to mention, there is a risk of decapitation. The muskets produced have to go It’s not good to transport them over a distance of three thousand miles and travel long distances?” Zhang Yuan urged, “Why don’t you move the factory to our northern Shaanxi and produce muskets nearby, wouldn’t it be very convenient then?”

"That's right, I said, Lao Xia, every time we wait for your muskets, we have to wait for a month to get them. Why don't you put your workshop near here and sell it to us at any time, how great it would be!" Some of Li Zicheng's generals also persuaded him.

Xia Hai waved his hands again and again: "No, no, muskets can only be produced in Liaodong, not other places."

"Brother Xia, why did you say that?" Zhang Yuan asked puzzled.

"Liaodong has the high-quality iron materials and equipment needed for the production of muskets, so it needs to be produced nearby to save production costs. Besides, the wives and children of the workers in the factory are all in Liaodong, and they must not leave Liaodong." Xia Hai said.

"So that's how it is..." Li Zicheng and others listened to Xia Hai's reasons, and they were well-founded, and it was really hard to persuade Xia Hai to move his black factory to northern Shaanxi.

After all, after years of severe drought and military chaos in northern Shaanxi, the few government-run mining farms have been basically abandoned, unable to produce the fine iron needed to make muskets, let alone flintlock guns with more complicated manufacturing processes.

"It's a pity. Next, we need to realize our big plan. The number of muskets will increase unabated. A total of [-] muskets will not be enough." Zhang Yuan said regretfully.

"Yeah, it's going to be difficult this time." Li Zicheng stopped his glass, "We robbed the big family in Qinchuan's three hundred miles, and the money was abundant for a while, but it's a pity that even if we have money, we can't buy guns."

"Brothers, don't be sorry. If you can conquer the pass near Datong, we can transport the produced muskets to you at a faster speed. Besides, it takes time for us to produce muskets," Xia Hai said.

"Do you want to take the road of Datong?" Li Zicheng thought about it. It seemed that the distance from Liaodong to Datong was much shorter than from Liaodong to northern Shaanxi.

After thinking about it this way, if Zhang Yuan's plan is really followed, the new force of Daming in the Heluo area will be wiped out first, and then the Yellow River will be crossed north to attack Datong in Shanxi.Then at this time they can get another batch of muskets produced by Xia Hai and other Liaodong merchants from Datong as supplies, and then attack the capital.

The frontier fortress towns such as Datong in Shanxi have become an extremely important part of their strategy.

"Brother, since the two thousand muskets have arrived, we can launch a counterattack next time. This time, we must show the group of dog officers and soldiers how powerful we are!" Zhang Yuan saw that it was impossible for Xia Hai's black factory to move. So he turned around and focused on his eastward plan for Li Zicheng.

"King Chuang, Eight Great Kings, and Cao Cao were surrounded by Hong Chengchou's thieves in Qingjian County. In recent days, more than [-] people have been killed and injured. This fisherman.

"Although the Eight Great Kings are a bunch of trash, King Chuang was kind to us in the past. We got acquainted with many of King Chuang's subordinates. We still need to support them."

Li Zicheng's generals clamored for going to support Qingjian County.

"Brother Li, you are discussing military affairs, so I don't need to stay here, so as not to leak the secret." Xia Hai saw that Li Zicheng and his subordinates talked about attacking the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, so he said with interest.

"Brother Xia, you are one of your own. You even sold us the muskets that defeated the officers and soldiers. Will we still not trust you? You can stay." Li Zicheng said.

"That's right, brother Xia, we are all our own people. The muskets you sold us were used to kill officers and soldiers. Can you still help them?" The rest of the generals also said one after another.

Although I am not from the faction of the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, but I am from the faction of the Liao Army. In order to disguise the source of the muskets, is it easy for me?Xia Hai continued to sit in his seat with a smile.Regarding Shaanxi Li Zicheng and the others' lively fights, he, who had seen the artillery and giant ships of the Liao Army, could only laugh without saying a word, just like an adult watching two children fight.

"Brother, there are more than 2 Ming troops gathered near Qingjian County at this time, 36 of whom are in charge of encircling King Chuang, Eight Great Kings, Cao Cao and others. Cao Wenzhao and Zuo Liangyu each lead thousands of troops Detour around to support and protect the food road, so that the other troops of the 5000th Battalion nearby did not dare to go to support. We only have [-] troops and it is not enough. We might as well unite with the rest of the troops and let them respect us as the leader. We will defeat the officers and soldiers one by one, and finally launch an attack on Hong Chengchou. If we win this battle, there will be no officers and soldiers in Qinchuan and Heluo who can stop us!" Zhang Yuan said.

"Okay! After the ammunition is distributed among our troops, we will go to Qingjian County to fight to the death with the officers and soldiers!"

(End of this chapter)