open sea

Chapter 904 Competition
Chen Mu regretted not studying hard, otherwise he should know where Brazil is profitable.

Now he can only rely on his intuition, thinking that Brazil is very big, and he has to try to send people to conduct blind exploration to be sure.

He had a flash of inspiration, but he worried the officials of the military government office headed by Zhao Shizhen and Xu Wei. Although the Ming army landed in Asia only two years ago, after accepting the huge amount of information left by the Spaniards in Panama, the officials in Changsheng County The Shushui Pavilion is already full of manuscripts and books that have been translated or are waiting to be translated.

The water-avoiding pavilion is just like its name. It looks like a temple on the short hill to the south of Changsheng, but it is actually Chen Mu's library. Because the owner of the pavilion is not educated, it is named because it is brushed with tung oil and does not get wet.

The heavy work brought great resentment to Zhao Shizhen. He carried heavy translated books into the military government office, yelling all the way for fear that he might not hold the map tube and drop it on the ground. He did not put down all the objects until he entered the side hall, panting. Complaining to Chen Mu in a rough voice, he said, "Marshal, why are we bothering with Puyi? Wouldn't it be too early to care about him?"

The side hall of the military government office was in a mess. Seven or eight soldiers who followed the left and right on weekdays were busy putting together the long table. There was also a clerk who was holding a golden cup from a Panama church and didn’t know where to put it. A room full of dust and ups and downs was dazed.

Chen Mu sat quietly in the corner by the window, holding the Alan Restoration Army's training report for last month in his left hand and looking at it, and holding a musket rod in his right hand, stretching it into his clothes behind his back and scratching slowly. The beam of light reflected the flying fine dust.

I don't know what he saw, but suddenly he frowned and looked at Zhao Shizhen, and pulled out the walnut cleaning rod on his back: "Hey!"

Zhao Shizhen, who was laying out books and maps, quickly turned his head: "The student is right, it is too early to intervene in Brazil. When the western barbarians officially start war against the Portuguese barbarians, we will send troops to take advantage of the trend..."

Halfway through Zhao Shizhen's speech, Chen Mu said very clearly: "Two things, let someone make me an old man later, forget it, go to the jade shop to see if there is any big piece of material, and be a Ruyi who scratches his back .”

Zhao Shizhen:? ? ?

Still old man happy?Return jade wishful?Let the Ordnance Bureau make you a short-handled five-claw, okay?
For a moment, Zhao Shizhen, who was holding the map roll, acted out a small movie in his mind, scratching the back of the leading actor Chen Mu with iron claws, but the movie was over in the next moment.

Zhao Shizhen cupped his hands and said, "Okay handsome man, what's the second thing?"

"Notify the Beiyang Army that there are six thousand households of banner troops and personal soldiers in Changsheng, and ask all gunners to strengthen their shooting training in their daily training. It is three times as usual. In the past, they used to shoot six times a month, three times each time. Gun, strengthen it in the next three months."

While talking, Chen Mu dragged a charcoal pencil from the table to count on the paper, and said: "The number of gunners under the six thousand households is roughly three thousand. Artillery is also counted, there should be around [-] gunners, yes, that’s all.”

"In three months' time, Changsheng will hold a shooting competition, divided into groups and individuals, and there will be rewards at that time."

Zhao Shizhen's picture scroll was only half unfolded, and his movements stopped when he heard the words. He tried to find a brush but couldn't find it, so he simply drew two strokes on the floating dust on the table with his finger, and asked, "Master, what is this, hold on!" gone?"

He roughly calculated that Chen Mu would let go of [-] catties of gunpowder with one mouthful, enough for a battle.

"Is this enough? After the shooting competition is over, I want the inspection, militia, and border guards to practice together. At least [-] will be released."

Sixty thousand?

Zhao Shizhen was very clear about the various inventories of the military mansion, so he opened his mouth and asked, "Did the batch of gunpowder in the second year of Wanli go bad?"

Chen Mu nodded, praised Secretary Zhao's professional ethics with approving eyes, pointed to the documents on the table and said, "The instructors of the Restoration Army sent last month's training report, and they showed guns and cannons many times in three consecutive months. The power has declined, and there are still several cases of failure to fire, that batch of gunpowder is dead."

"I was unprepared for the war with Xiguo last year. Later, I was a little panicked. I hurriedly prepared all the gunpowder. I thought that at least 20 catties would be destroyed. Who knew Bell, who was stationed in Mexico City, couldn't help fighting so much."

If the gunpowder is damp, it can be used as a medicine after drying it in the sun, but the quality will definitely be affected to a certain extent. At present, Jincheng has a fixed output of nitrate soil. It may not be meaningful in the short term in southern Chile, but there will definitely be no shortage of gunpowder in the future. So Chen Mu didn't intend to be so frugal.

Simply use the expired gunpowder as training medicine, and hit everyone who can fight, and the right is to train the flag army.

"The key to the low consumption of gunpowder is that there was no major naval battle. Otherwise, 20 yuan would be enough." Zhao Shizhen chuckled, then fiddled with the map and said: "The navy is what really costs money. Loaded with 44 cannons, with an average bomb weight of [-] catties, it was pulled out to fire two rounds of tens of thousands of catties of gunpowder, and then it went out."

Not only gunpowder, but also shells.

Even with the relatively low prices of the Ming Dynasty, 240 catties of gunpowder does not count as wages of 60 taels, and 300 catties of artillery shells does not count as wages of [-] taels. If twelve large ships go out and fire a cannon, [-] taels of silver will be gone. Who can afford it?

Compared with it, the cost of the army is really trivial. 300 taels of gunpowder can be used by four thousand musketeers, and each of them can shoot three shots a day, which can last for a month.

"I'm afraid it's not enough, no, the students said they can't use it all up." Zhao Shizhen put his hands in his sleeves and said, "There are still two fleets that haven't returned the gunpowder, and there may be an extra [-] to [-] catties."

"But the commander can't use it like this. In three months, Jincheng may not be able to make up such a big gap. The gunpowder of the Lu division is easy to say, but according to the regulations, the gunpowder of the fleet cannot be empty for a moment."

"It's okay, Master Lu, who is always victorious, is practicing first, and it's time for military training. There is almost enough nitrate in Jincheng. Send people to Yang Tingxiang to buy sulfur from Mexico City, and let the lumber yard in Zouzhi County make charcoal. "

As Chen Mu said, he raised his hand, and counted outwards one by one: "If there is still a surplus of expired gunpowder, you can sell it. Gunpowder is in short supply. Everyone wants it. Alvana can sell it for a while." Four to five thousand catties, the Portuguese in Brazil can also sell one or two thousand catties, but I guess they don't have the money to buy it."

"That's right, there is also Peru. This year, Peru should transport silver to Chang Sheng. We signed the contract to mint coins for them. When their ship arrives, ask him to go back and send a message to the Governor of Peru. There is someone there. It was bought with money...it’s okay, there’s Fei Lao Er.”

"As long as he wants, we can sell as much of our expired gunpowder."

"Master, master?"

Chen Mu was sitting there imagining that the expired gunpowder that would become a ship would be sold to His Royal Highness Philip, when he heard Zhao Shizhen calling himself, his voice was a little weak, and he got up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm telling you, don't beat me or scold me."

Zhao Shizhen took a cautious look at Chen Mu, and quickly spread out the large map of Asia spread across two tables, pressing both ends like a rabbit-like paperweight, jumping far away like a spring, and said faintly: "This is Our military government knows everything about Brazil!"

　Good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)