Back to the end of Ming Dynasty to be a warlord

Chapter 182
The reason why I choose to start posting freight rates now is firstly because last year was the stage of accumulating experience and adjusting freight rates, and secondly because Yang Chao’s business has expanded this year because the second ship has finally launched.

In the same boat rushing boat, five boats were to be built on the Longjiang ship, and three boats were started, one of which was about to be completed, the other was [-]% complete, and the other was [-]% complete. Now the second boat is being received, next month Yang Chao was also able to receive the third ship.

Leaving Jinchai Building, Yang Chao went to the Ministry of War. The first thing was to urge Xiong Mingyu. Last time he promised to help clear the water, the Ministry of Households has not allocated half a cent of funds so far. Now Yang Chao temporarily decided to build a wooden pier first. Then It is also good that the Ministry of Finance can allocate a batch of timber.

The second is to plead with Xiong Mingyu.

Recently, merchants have reported that Jiang bandits are still rampant on the river, and Yang Chao intends to get instructions from Xiong Mingyu to mobilize troops to suppress bandits.

If it's just traveling between the two banks of the Yangtze River, Yang Chao doesn't care about the writing, because the north and south of the Yangtze River are still the flood defense areas of the Xinjiangkou Shuiying, and it makes sense to pull it out and talk about training, but if Yang Chao wants to go upstream and downstream, passing through other In the defense area of ​​the water battalion, it is convenient to have official documents in hand, otherwise a charge of privately dispatching troops will not be able to escape.

The reason why Yang Chao wants to go to other places is that he intends to help Wang Xiao transport a cargo to Susong from a close point of view. The goods are concentrated in Xinjiangkou and Puzikou by land or river transport. If Yang Chao opens up a few more lines, there will be no such trouble. The customer's freight can be reduced a lot, saving a lot of time, and Yang Chao will have more customers. Freight premiums can also be higher.

Yang Chao's report to Xiong Mingyu was very detailed, because he had prepared in detail enough to list all the news of the Jiang bandits' attack during this period and make a table with the name, place of origin, and size of the ship's owner who was attacked. , How about the losses, how about the casualties, and even attached the crying books of several shipowners.

Yang Chao put a lot of thought into these information, most of them were customers who honestly paid insurance premiums to Yang Chao to accept Yang Chao's escort services after being robbed by Jiang Bandits. Before, they didn't care about Jiang Bandits, thinking they were lucky. They would meet Jiang bandits, but after being robbed, they regretted it and became a firm policyholder. They would not send the ship without Yang Chao's escort.

After Xiong Mingyu saw it, he immediately had an intuitive understanding of the Yangtze River Bandits, he kept stroking his beard, and kept nodding and shaking his head.

"May Jiang bandits endanger water transportation?"

Xiong Mingyu only paid attention to the key issues, and the water transportation was the most important concern of the imperial court.

Yang Chao said: "If the bandits cannot be suppressed in time, the water transport will be endangered sooner or later."

Xiong Mingyu also felt the same way, hated the inaction of the government, with such a big crisis looming, everyone was blind, foolish, shrank their heads into the sand and thought that the danger would not come to them, did they not believe it at all? I also don't want to believe that disaster is coming.

Xiong Mingyu has experienced the wind and rain, but he knows that if he ignores the small danger, there is no guarantee that the situation of Zhang Xianzhong's invasion of Yingtian Mansion will not happen again. , It's going to be late in the festival.

Xiong Mingyu asked: "Mr. Yang Qian thinks what?"

Yang Chao said: "Clear them immediately, without delay!"

Xiong Mingyu sighed, "How come there are no soldiers available."

Yang Chao didn't know that Xiong Mingyu had no soldiers to use.

He had his own idea: "I tell my lord that there are more than [-] soldiers under my subordinates, and I am willing to ask for orders to suppress the bandits."

Xiong Mingyu nodded: "Mr. Yang Qian has the courage to do things. I am very relieved. Can you give me a detailed statement?"

Xiong Mingyu asked for details.

Yang Chao had already prepared: "The first priority is to ensure water transportation. A navy should be set up between Jingkou (Zhenjiang) and Guazhou, and the north and south will go back and forth to wipe out the Jiang bandits. A battalion can be set up between the east and west, shuttle patrols, and protect the business and the people!"

Xiong Mingyu smiled and said, "Are you going to ask yourself to let this thing go to camp?"

Yang Chao replied, "But I don't dare to push back when I have an assignment."

Xiong Mingyu pointed at Yang Chao and said with a smile: "Everyone has said that you don't get up early for nothing, and you don't come to the door if you have nothing to do. It's true. But I don't dare to grant you a post in the water camp, but I can transfer your battalion soldiers." As a ranger, I allow you to cruise back and forth, and you must not make mistakes in suppressing the Jiang bandits."

Yang Chao said: "The next official takes orders!"

Yang Chao had a good plan for a long time ago. It would be good to set up a new battalion and let him lead it alone. The next best thing is to get the patrol power. After all, if he wants to lead a battalion alone, he must be at least like a general. The patrol officer is two ranks higher than him at present, and it is impossible for Xiong Mingyu to let himself be promoted without merit.

Xiong Mingyu said again: "Since you are not allowed to be promoted, what do you want to ask me?"

Yang Chao said: "Battleship!"

Xiong Mingyu asked, "How many warships do you have?"

Yang Chao said: "Only one!"

Xiong Mingyu pondered for a moment: "Forget it, I will dispatch two ships for you."

Yang Chao smiled and said, "Thank you sir."

Xiong Mingyu waved his hand: "It's not too late, you just go back, Xingwen will arrive tomorrow."

Yang Chao left immediately.

Just as he was about to walk out of the lobby, Xiong Mingyu's voice came again: "Yang Chao, I don't care about making money, but don't miss out on bandits."

Yang Chao turned around and bowed, agreeing again and again.

As expected, Xiong Mingyu couldn't be fooled. He could see Yang Chao's plan to use the patrol power to make money, but he didn't care about Yang Chao's money. He only hoped that Yang Chao could also take care of the bandits. Seeing Jiang bandits showing no mercy, and reassuring Xiong Mingyu, he decided to give Yang Chao this job.

After returning to the camp, Carpenter Feng sent another pair of iron armor. It had been 20 days since the last time, and Yang Chao felt that it was too late.

However, the quality of the iron armor is good, no different from the last time, and it should reduce the chance of casualties by more than half of the soldiers on the battlefield.

"Carpenter Feng, it's been 20 days, and you have forged this pair of armors. Can you make the [-] pairs of armors I want?"

Carpenter Feng bowed again and again, and said with an apologetic smile: "The villain must speed up, don't worry, my lord!"

Yang Chao snorted coldly: "Can it be built within this year? If not, I will be replaced."

Carpenter Feng gritted his teeth: "If the adult's money can be paid, the villain will guarantee it."

Yang Chao suddenly realized that it turned out to be a matter of money. Could it be that this craftsman is making one pair and selling another, and then using it as funds to expand his business?

Yang Chao asked: "If it's the capital, you will go to the camp to pay 1000 taels of silver later, and go for it boldly, and I will not rely on you."

Craftsman Feng was overjoyed. He was really limited by the financial problem. Although he agreed with several blacksmiths to help build it, the other party did not trust him and asked him to pay a deposit, because iron armor is a luxury after all. The common people cannot use it, and the army is reluctant to use it. Basically, no one bought it. If Carpenter Feng broke his promise in the end, he didn't want the iron armor after it was made, but it would rot in his own hands.

Carpenter Feng had no money at hand, so he didn't use the huge craftsmen in the war, so he and his apprentices had to use limited funds to make ends meet.

He also talked to Carpenter Feng about his knowledge of production, and told him the concept of an assembly line, but it probably wouldn't be of much use. Yang Chao saw that none of the pieces on the iron armor were exactly the same, and the standardization of parts was not perfect. If it can't be done, what about assembly line work?

It is impossible to standardize the hand-crafted armor, unless it is cast, but the cast armor is very brittle, and it cannot withstand the knife, chop and arrow at all, and it has no protective effect.

Before leaving, he asked Carpenter Feng to tell Carpenter Guo that if he was short of money, he would come to the camp to collect the deposit and hurry up to make the blunderbuss.

Craftsman Feng left with a thousand thanks.

Sure enough, Carpenter Guo came to withdraw the money the next day, but he did not see Yang Chao, because Yang Chao went to the shipyard to collect the ship, but he told Hu Quan, who was in charge of the account in the camp, to withdraw 100 taels of silver for him as a deposit .

Under Xiong Mingyu's direct interrogation, the writing of the Ministry of War passed through the Ministry of War and the Yushi Yamen of Caojiang to the camp at Xinjiangkou. The deputy general of the camp, Yu Chengwu, received the signature and issued it to Yang Chao.

However, the warship that Xiong Mingyu promised was not allocated together. It was easy to ask for documents, but difficult to ask for money, which was the case in any era.

After Yang Chao picked up another boat at the shipyard, he returned to Daying and learned about the situation.

(End of this chapter)