Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 151 Currency Scheme
Yang Puxiong finally left, of course he didn't stay in Luzhou for a few days in total.

This guy was anxious to go back and report to Xu Shouhui and Peng Yingyu. Lu Jin also wanted him to get out as soon as possible. The longer the enemy's envoy stayed, the more information he would get. He didn't want to reveal all his secrets so soon.

Just like when they came here, Ye Sheng led a battalion of cavalry to "escort" them. When they arrived in Lu'an, they handed them over to Yu Tingyu and asked them to continue escorting them.

Lu Jin didn't take Yang Puxiong's matter to heart. Even if Xu Song broke off relations with him, he would not be able to attack him in a short time. Huguang and Jingxiang alone would be enough for Xu Song to deal with for half a year, and Xu Song was not his opponent now.

In the Marshal's Mansion, Lu Jin called over Ji Guozhang, the soon-to-be-appointed magistrate of Haozhou, and Mei Xianchun, the chief clerk.

Looking at two young men who were about the same age as him, both in their twenties, Lu Jin looked at them and asked.

"Do you know how to govern Haozhou?"

Ji Guozhang said without thinking, "Replying to the commander, now that the New Year has passed, the spring ploughing will begin in two or three months. Therefore, the governor of Haozhou should quickly register the people, allocate farmland, collect agricultural supplies, and prepare for the spring ploughing."

"wrong."

"Huh?" Ji Guozhang and Mei Xianchun frowned at the same time. Other counties did the same thing, so why was Haozhou wrong?

Lu Jin shook his head with a dissatisfied look. Seeing that both of them were confused, he explained.

"Dingyuan is the cornerstone of the north. It has high walls and deep moats, a large population, abundant grain production, and the benefit of salt boiling. It can also serve as a barrier for Luzhou. But if Dingyuan is to play a role, it is necessary to erect another fence in the north. Haozhou is that fence!

"Currently, Haozhou is in our northernmost part. The situation there is complicated. It is adjacent to the Liu Du Rebellion and the Xuzhou Rebellion. If the Yuan court sends troops to suppress them, they will come from the north and will arrive in the first half of this year. Don't even think about growing any food in Haozhou. Instead, you must be prepared to fight at any time."

Ji Guozhang and Mei Xianchun both frowned deeply upon hearing this. They didn't expect that the situation in their government office was so bad.

Lu Jin said again at this time.

"Of course, we still need to divide the land and register the people, but these are not the main tasks. When you arrive, the first thing you should do is to prepare to defend the city against the enemy. You should organize the militia in the city, implement military control, strengthen the city defense, and store materials such as pounding stones and rolling logs, firewood and water, gold juice and kerosene, and food.

“I can tell you something here. The Yuan army will definitely arrive by leap March or April at the latest. If you go there now, you will only have two or three months to prepare at most.

"Haozhou is not far from Dingyuan. As long as you can hold on in Haozhou, Dingyuan can provide you with all the supplies you need. But if you can't hold on to Haozhou, Dingyuan will be exposed to the enemy's front, and then we will all starve together."

Ji Guozhang nodded. He did not ask Lu Jin where he got the information. However, since the Marshal was so sure that the enemy would come in March or April, and this time coincided with spring ploughing, when the enemy came, there would be no way to grow any crops. It seemed that spring ploughing could not be taken care of, and they could only focus on defending the city first.

So Ji Guozhang asked, "General, since the enemy is bound to come, should we fortify the city and clear the fields in advance? Otherwise, it will be difficult to collect food for the city defense at this time. In addition, if we cannot plough the spring and waste a season, people in Haozhou will probably starve to death this year. Is it possible? Is it possible?"

"If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up." Seeing that he was hesitant, Lu Jin urged him immediately.

"Can we evacuate some people to the rear first, for example, move them to Dingyuan or Luzhou first? Otherwise, these people will be left outside the city and might be captured by the enemy, forced to be husbands, or killed to claim credit. It's not a good thing at all." Ji Guozhang said tentatively.

"Well, what you said makes sense."

Lu Jin thought about it. In history, Chelibuhua did just that outside the city of Haozhou. He led 3,000 cavalrymen to suppress the Red Turban Army. However, Guo Zixing and Sun Deya were extremely fierce. Chelibuhua did not have the courage to suppress the bandits, but he was bold enough to rob the people in the name of suppressing the bandits.

It was this fellow who killed innocent people everywhere outside Haozhou City to claim credit, and even burned down half of Huangjue Temple, forcing Zhu Yuanzhang to join the Red Turban Army.

If we really leave the common people outside the city, the consequences can be imagined.

Of course, now it is Lu Jin's Shengwu Army that is guarding Haozhou, so the result is naturally very different. He plans to station two regiments of 9,000 people in Haozhou. So many soldiers are more than enough to guard the city of Haozhou. At the critical moment, one regiment can defend the city, and the other regiment can rely on the city and fight a field battle outside the city.

There is also a cavalry regiment of Zheng Yong stationed in Dingyuan behind Haozhou, which can support Haozhou in front at any time. With such a large force deployed in front, Chelibuhua's 3,000 cavalry will definitely not get any good results. Even if they cannot completely annihilate them, they can stop them outside Haozhou and prevent them from even touching the city wall. They can even beat them up and drive them away.

But once the war breaks out, spring plowing will definitely be delayed, which gives Lu Jin a headache. It would be better to follow Ji Guozhang's advice and evacuate the people in advance. As long as they evacuate to Dingyuan, they can farm with peace of mind and prevent grain production from being reduced too much.

So he said.

"You are right. We can clear the countryside and fortify the city. First, we need to move all the wealthy families outside the city into the city and ask them to move their stored grain into the city. This will not only store food, but also prevent the Yuan army from having a chance to eat locally.

"As for the people of Haozhou, we will gather a group of craftsmen and scholars and send them directly to Luzhou. We will also select 4,000 young men to join the army and send them to Luzhou. As for the rest of the people, those who are willing to farm will be relocated to Dingyuan nearby. We will tell them that they can go back after the war. Those who don't know how to farm or don't want to move will go into the city first.

"You must remember that food will be in short supply this year. We must gather the food and distribute it according to the population. Everyone should eat less and try not to starve to death. Once the enemy is defeated, we must plant summer grain and pumpkins as soon as possible. If there is a shortage, I will try my best to prepare. If that doesn't work, I will have to find a way to exchange for some food."

The more Lu Jin spoke, the more difficult it seemed. Salt and iron were easy to deal with, but there was really no way to produce grain. There was going to be another war this year, so it was just too difficult. He could only save money from other places and tear down the Peter wall to repair the Paul wall.

"Grow pumpkins?" Ji Guozhang didn't quite understand. He could understand replanting summer crops, but what was there to say about growing pumpkins?
Seeing that he didn't understand, Lu Jin knew that this guy had never been to the fields. Of course, Lu Jin himself had never farmed, but he still understood some common knowledge, so he explained it immediately.

“First, pumpkins are not picky about the land. You can plant them in a palm-sized piece of land in front of or behind the house. You just need to build a rack and climb up. Second, pumpkins have a high yield and are rich in starch, so they can be eaten as food.

"Moreover, the enemy came in March or April. If we can repel them in more than a month, it will be the Qingming Festival. It is the best time to plant melons and beans around Qingming Festival. This is a way to prepare for famine. Nowadays, there have been wars for years, so it is not a bad idea to plant more food."

"So that's how it is. I'm grateful for your advice." Ji Guozhang immediately said that he had learned a new trick.

Food is in short supply now, and Lu Jin has no choice but to resort to this last resort. If there is not enough food, he can put less rice and more pumpkin and cook it into pumpkin porridge to fill his stomach, at least he won't starve to death.

Although China does not have the flat pumpkins like those grown for Halloween in North America, it does have long black-skinned pumpkins, also called pumpkins with a dark complexion. Apart from the shape, they taste the same and the key is that they save land and you can plant a few in your own yard without taking up arable land for growing staple food. It can be considered as extra output.

"Okay, that's all. Remember what I said. You don't have much time. When you arrive, immediately prepare supplies for defending the city. First, sort out the city. Those outside the city should move out, and those who need to enter the city should move in."

"Yes, we will keep it in mind." Ji Guozhang and Mei Xianchun immediately bowed in agreement, then took their leave.

They had to go to Haozhou first to prepare for the battle. In a few days, Lu Jin would also go there in person to find Xu Da, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Feng Sheng's new regiment and decide who should be appointed as officers.

But before he left, he had to make some preparations and build a set of tools for digging wells. There was another important news in the previous battle report. Among the Yuan army captured in Lai'an County, there were many cooks from Yangzhou Road. These cooks knew how to make salt. It would be a pity for such people to serve as soldiers. It would be better to move them all to Dingyuan to make salt. It just so happened that he was also short of technical talents.

There are ready-made ones, so you don’t have to train yourself.

Lu Jin took out a pen and paper and drew drilling tools such as the Luoyang shovel, drill, hole repair hook, and Lang spear, as well as cast iron well pressure. These were all available in ancient times, and even if they did not exist, they were not beyond the current level of technology.

Sichuan's well salt technology originated in the Han Dynasty, matured in the Ming Dynasty, and became popular in the Qing Dynasty. It also provided a lot of tax revenue to the rear area during the War of Resistance against Japan in the Republic of China. However, the drilling method was indeed mature in the Ming Dynasty. Lu Jin simply accelerated it slightly and brought the Ming Dynasty technology to the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

As for well pressure, this is indeed different from the overhead crane in Sichuan. The overhead crane is too tall and inconvenient to maintain. Well pressure is a prerequisite technology for deep well drilling technology, and it is a technology that has appeared at the latest in the Song Dynasty. This needs to be well developed.

Currently, well pressure can be controlled by human pedaling. In the future, steam engines can be used as power and the brine can be extracted in the same way as oil extraction using a nodding machine. Once the technology matures, it can be transferred to oil extraction.

If you want to drill for oil, you first need to build a foundation for drilling technology from salt wells and then upgrade the technology.

After finishing the drawings and noting the sizes of various tools, Lu Jin immediately had them sent to the ironworks to start making the tools. Once this batch of tools was completed, he would go to Haozhou.

Once a war breaks out, it is not his character to sit in the back and wait for battle reports from the front. Moreover, now is the time to conquer the world. If he does not show up in front of the frontline soldiers from time to time, it will reduce his prestige as a lord. After all, military affairs should be the priority now.

Only after conquering this world can we govern it according to our own ideas!
After thinking about it, Lu Jin went to the training camp next to Chongwenguan. As soon as he walked out of the door, he heard a childish singing voice coming from inside.

“Ordinary years are always silent, waiting for the moment when the wind and clouds change, gathering all the light, all the heat, igniting, igniting, igniting, and writing a whistling song in the sky.”

"Young soldiers are always on the lookout, just for this earth-shaking moment, burning with the dreams of youth and the blood of heroes, lighting, lighting, lighting, and writing the song of victory with their lives."

Hey, Lu Jin couldn't help laughing when listening to a group of children aged twelve or thirteen singing this song. This song was learned by Lu Jin during military training in college. It was originally a song of the Rocket Force, but he felt that the lyrics were suitable for the artillery to use directly.

The wind and clouds are changing, the earth is shaking, ignition is ignition, and artillery shells are whistling in the sky. If you don't say that this is a description of a rocket launch, it is not wrong to say that it is a launch of artillery shells. After all, the Second Artillery Corps is also an artillery.
Lu Jin stood outside the window and took a quick look. He did not go in to disturb their class. Instead, he went to the office to see his cheap apprentice Meng Zhifang.

After Meng Zhifang was brought back from Dingyuan by Lu Jin, he was still taking extra classes in the training camp. He studied the basics of mathematics, physics and chemistry with Yang Huan, and at the same time he could teach the children in the training camp liberal arts knowledge, teaching while learning on his own.

When Lu Jin came in, he found that the man was frowning and absorbed in reading the chapter on physical optics. It was not until Lu Jin's shadow was reflected on the book that he realized there was someone behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Lu Jin, and quickly stood up and saluted.

"Disciple greets the Marshal."

Lu Jin nodded. "How are you doing recently? Is there anything you don't understand that you need my help with?"

Meng Zhifang smiled bitterly upon hearing this, "To be honest, Marshal, I am still studying mathematics. I am very good at physics and chemistry, and it is very difficult to improve. Maybe it is because I am dull."

Seeing his discouraged look, Lu Jin was really afraid that he would lose his fighting spirit, so he quickly encouraged him.

"Don't underestimate yourself. It's not that you are dull, but physical chemistry is a subject that emphasizes experiments. The conditions are not good enough now. There are not enough teaching equipment. Let alone practicing it yourself, it's difficult for you to even watch it. It's really difficult for you."

Meng Zhifang nodded repeatedly when he heard this. These words touched his heart. Learning physics and chemistry was so difficult in ancient times. It was hard to understand these things just by memorizing formulas and definitions. Although modern students also have a hard time getting started, at least they can use the classroom projector to watch experimental videos and so on. In ancient times, there were no such things. It would be impossible to have a deep understanding just by relying on the pictures in the book.

Meng Zhifang smiled bitterly and said, "It's a pity that the Marshal was unable to bring back the treasures of the master, otherwise the magical experiments in the book would definitely be able to be reproduced again. It's such a pity.

"Now I can only start with the relatively simple optics and mechanics. It is difficult to comprehend other subjects such as electricity and acoustics, and chemistry is even more difficult. I feel that chemistry is even more difficult than physics."

"That's not necessarily true." Lu Jin smiled and shook his head. "When my ancestor Gongshu created this knowledge, he was also penniless. Didn't he make the tools he used by himself and accumulate them bit by bit? If you really want to learn, why don't you make a set of tools yourself?"

Meng Zhifang was stunned and immediately asked, "General, where should I start? Now I see that whether it is physics, optics, or chemistry, glass is needed. Do I have to start by burning glass?"

Lu Jin thought about it and nodded. He thought that he could give glassmaking a try. There was no shortage of materials nowadays. Fengyang, Haozhou, Zhu Yuanzhang’s hometown, had a large quartz mine with a reserve of 10 billion tons. There was also a salt mine in Dingyuan next to it. The raw salt could be used to refine soda ash. With quartz and soda ash, glassmaking would not be difficult.

Lu Jin didn't want any other high-end goods for the time being, as long as he could mass-produce the telescopes, so he said immediately.

"If you really want to burn the glass, you can try, but for now, you can start with a blowtorch."

"Blowtorch? The gas lamp mentioned in the instrument-making chapter of the chemistry textbook?" Meng Zhifang immediately remembered the thing Lu Jin mentioned.

"That's right. If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. You should first make the calcium carbide lamp. This thing can not only be used to melt glass, but also to bake cast iron molds at the ironworks. Once you have studied it thoroughly, you can also ask the ironworks to open a separate furnace to burn calcium carbide in the future. Maybe it will even have military uses."

Meng Zhifang's eyes lit up when he heard this. The first lesson in the chemistry textbook talked about several commonly used methods of chemical experiments, as well as various chemical experiment instruments. It specifically talked about the method of firing glassware, and acetylene lamp was one of them.

The book says that carbon is a combustible substance, and hydrogen is also a combustible substance. Therefore, by heating lime and coke together, calcium carbide, also known as calcium carbide, can be refined. When calcium carbide comes into contact with water, it will produce acetylene gas, a combustible hydrocarbon, and the by-product is calcium oxide.

This experiment is very simple. Lime and coke are what ironworks use. The materials are readily available and there are many craftsmen there. It is not difficult to refine these things.

In fact, the same was true in the West later. The first generation of chemical giants at that time were almost all awesome glass workers. They designed and made all the experimental equipment they needed by themselves. Now Lu Jin couldn't get ready-made chemical experimental equipment and could only rely on manual labor. He couldn't do it himself, so he could only rely on his cheap apprentice.

In addition, even if the acetylene blowtorch is not used to burn glass, it is also very useful for the steel industry and may also have uses in the military. A highly flammable material that does not require firewood and oil can definitely be used in arson, but Lu Jin has not yet figured out how to use it specifically.

Just when Lu Jin was discussing chemistry with his cheap apprentice in the training camp, Li Shanchang came over somehow.

Lu Jin knew that he must have something important to do, so he followed Li Shanchang to an empty room, "Mr. Li actually found himself in the training camp, what happened?"

"It's not an urgent matter, but now that the ironworks has been opened, I just heard that the Marshal asked the ironworks to make well-drilling equipment. I think the salt well is not far away. So I want to ask the Marshal, what kind of currency our army will use in the future. I heard that Lujiang also has gold, silver and copper mines. Does the Marshal plan to mint coins?"

Lu Jin frowned when he heard this. This was talking about the monetary system, which was indeed a difficult problem to solve.

(End of this chapter)