Mount and Blade Central Asia

The Armenians were the group that reaped the first wave of benefits, so at least among the upper class of Armenians, their loyalty to Timur came from the heart.

But at the same time, when Hiltberg entered Erzurum with his Mongol followers, he could see the undisguised hatred in the eyes of the Armenians in the city.

This is a nation with a serious division between the upper and lower classes, or to be more specific, the Armenian nobles deliberately maintained this state, spreading hatred towards the Timurid Empire and the entire Muslim world among the common people, while they themselves were honest and loyal citizens to ensure that they had the room to make choices at any time.

This is a small policy that requires tacit understanding and cooperation among the aristocracy, and the Armenians have obviously done a good job in this regard, from the Arab Empire era to the present.

If Hiltberg had not learned enough from Timur, he would not have been able to see the cleverness and filthiness in this, but now this has turned into his advantage.

These insights enable him to transcend the enthusiasm of the rulers and the hatred of the common people and look at everything with a more calm attitude.

As a vested interest, the Urartu family least wants to see changes in the regional situation, as doing so will affect their business.

The rise of the Qara Sheep people has substantially affected the trade between the East and the West. Li Rufeng can rely on the southern line to continue to maintain the prosperity of Aleppo, while Erzurum is completely surrounded by the Qara Sheep people.

Moreover, Erzurum is too close to Van, and the threat of the Black Sheep People is imminent. The Ural family needs to call on other Armenians in the name of the Khanate to rise up against the threat of the Black Sheep People.

So at the dinner, Mustafa, the ruler of Erzurum, could not wait to express his willingness to respond to the call of Khalil Sultan, raise troops to defend the king, and be an ally of Li Rufeng and support him.

But the basis of all this is based on the fact that they have to deal with the Black Sheep people first.

Mustafa also stated that he could mobilize an army of at least 1,200 people, but they lacked cavalry and could not compete with the Black Sheep People on the plains.

Hiltberg did not believe a single word of this assurance. He had no doubt that once the threat of the Black Sheep was temporarily lifted, the armies of these Armenian lords would disappear in an instant like endless water.

Chapter 424: Fellow Villager Shares Technology with You

"Five hundred sets of armor? He's crazy!" Little Mil was forging iron ingots in front of his forge, and his strong and powerful arms were waving the hammer, shaking out the impurities in the metal bit by bit.

Li Rufeng's large order really shocked these blacksmiths. They had never received such a large order before. After all, they were all second-rate blacksmiths who were left over.

As a blacksmith family that moved to the city of Martin later, the Mir brothers naturally became the most skilled blacksmiths in the entire city, and Big Mir even became the president of the Blacksmith Guild.

But obviously, neither Little Mir nor Big Mir could satisfy the lord's ever-expanding ambition and the money that went with it.

Little Mil still remembered that when he was in the city of Martin, although he was busy in front of the forge every day, he mostly did some repair work, and maintained the frequency of forging a scimitar every week and putting together a set of armor every few months.

Mardin was not a big city, and the consumption rate of iron in the city was very stable. Most of the time, the blacksmiths' job was just to forge metal strips, metal nails, big nails, and small nails for repairing armor.

Therefore, the blacksmiths in this city did not have the ability and experience to produce armor on a large scale. Instead, the two blacksmiths from Mersin, Orado and Rokan, were quite efficient.

Li Rufeng's first order was for 500 sets of metal armor, and all of them were chain mail, which was not difficult to manufacture. They were also the three-quarter version, a simple version of chain mail shirt that did not require metal hoods and sleeves.

But even so, it is enough to keep the entire blacksmith area busy.

Just because of the Mersin blacksmiths' superb skills, the blacksmiths from Mardin were gradually reduced to "second-class people" in just a few days...

Li Rufeng discovered that the blacksmith Orado's workshop could produce an average of three mail shirts every day, and this speed was likely to increase further as the apprentices continued to master the processes at hand.

Old Luo Kan's progress was a little faster. He was almost the first person to understand Li Rufeng's standardized processes and assembly line operations, so the apprentices in his hands were like parts in a factory, and he could easily assemble three to four mail shirts every day.

As for the other blacksmith shops, the progress was much slower. Big Mil and his brother could complete one and a half pieces of mail armor a day, while the worst blacksmith shop needed three days to complete a qualified piece of mail armor.

Of course, all this is based on the premise that there are sufficient numbers of chain links to make chain mail.

So Li Rufeng quickly made adjustments and arranged those blacksmiths who obviously had poor skills to specialize in metal drawing and ring bending processes. It was enough for them to provide qualified metal ring sheets.

Although this made the blacksmiths of the Mardin faction resentful, it was obvious that after the initial period when no one was available, Master Li's temper was not so bad. Sooner or later, he would let the people of Aleppo understand one concept, that is, Aleppo does not support idle people.

On this night, the mysterious old Luo Kan from Mersin Railway Construction came to see Li Rufeng.

As the most skilled and productive technical talent in the city, Lao Luokan, like other talents valued by Li Rufeng, has the right to meet him at any time.

When Old Luo Kan entered Li Rufeng's study, Li Rufeng was frowning and writing and drawing on paper, trying to find more "treasures" from his miscellaneous knowledge to improve Aleppo's productivity.

Chapter 425 Shocking 'fellow villager'!

Haishaer came, but after confirming Lao Luokan's identity, he was politely sent away by Li Rufeng because -

Eureka!

Li Rufeng triggered a random event, and a fellow villager shared a mysterious technological secret with you, greatly improving your understanding of nuclear fusion...

Well, this world is not that outrageous after all. It is indeed impossible for Old Luo Kan to master the knowledge of nuclear fusion, but he shared with Li Rufeng... the steam forging hammer.

So what you said before about my hydraulic forging hammer not being good was actually quite reasonable!

"Is this using the expansion of high-temperature gas to achieve reciprocating motion?" Li Rufeng frowned as he held the sketch handed over by Lao Luo Kan, and asked again using more precise words.

"That's right, sir! It's based on the principle that gas expands when heated!" Old Rokan's eyes were shining brightly, as if he had suddenly transformed from an honest and hardworking blacksmith into a mad scientist. "I designed a prototype back in Ankara, but those old-fashioned people destroyed it before I could find the right sealing material!"

When he said this, old Luo Kan's tone was full of resentment, and it was obvious that he had not forgotten the hatred until today.

"I've been searching for a solution in Mersin for so many years, and luckily I found it." Old Rokan explained to Li Rufeng enthusiastically, "The secret lies in the black oil. When it's cooked at high temperatures and then flour and sugar are added..."

Li Rufeng stared blankly at Old Luo Kan describing this steam forging hammer, which already possessed the characteristics of an early steam engine. Although he used many vague, religious terms when explaining some of the principles, and although his description contained many errors that were obvious to Li Rufeng—

But this is a steam engine!

Li Rufeng couldn't understand why a fellow villager suddenly appeared and shared steam technology with him?

He was a time traveler, but he stayed in the castle all day, doing all kinds of things just to have a good life, eat some delicious food, sleep with some beautiful girls, and make more friends and fewer enemies.

The only contribution he made in the field of technology was the introduction of standardization and assembly line, two concepts that were not even considered novel in this era. Li Rufeng sometimes felt that he had merely clarified the concepts rather than invented them.

And here was Old Luo Kan, a "native" who had been kicked out of a secret organization and made a living by working as a blacksmith. However, he had great ambitions and invented the steam engine...

Li Rufeng felt waves of shame and excitement. He wished he could shake Lao Luokan's hand right then and there and tell him to stop talking because I, Wang Duoyu, have invested in your project!

In reality, it was almost the same. Li Rufeng pretended to study the blueprint for a long time, then suppressed his excitement and said to Old Luo Kan, "You can boldly try to make another prototype. If it really works, you will be the chief technician of Aleppo in the future."

"Money and manpower aren't a problem. If you need anything extra, just come to me directly. If I'm not here, talk to Bartel." Li Rufeng gave a final reminder. "Also, since you said this new book might attract unwanted attention from the Ahch Brotherhood, it's best for us to proceed in secret. What do you say?"

"Appropriate confidentiality is necessary, I agree." Old Luo Kan nodded excitedly, and left in high spirits with the note approved by Li Rufeng.

But he didn't notice that Li Rufeng's expression was a little complicated.

Li Rufeng is thinking about the possible impact of steam technology... Although this is not his era, and he is not sure whether it is his own world, his spiritual homeland, the Ming Dynasty, does exist here.

In fact, if Aleppo had not been in a remote corner, and if Timur had not been defying the will of the Ming Emperor for more than a decade, not only suspending tribute but also detaining the Ming envoys, Li Rufeng might have been able to meet his Ming "fellow countrymen" in Aleppo.

But now, those Ming merchants obviously wouldn't risk shipping their goods to this dangerous land. The Ming Dynasty was rich in resources, and its goods were sold all over the world. There was no need for merchants to travel thousands of miles back and forth. They could just sit at Quanzhou Port and wait for the Semu and Huer merchants to come and buy them themselves...

If Li Rufeng had not interfered with history, a few decades later the Portuguese in the Iberian Peninsula would have gone all out because of the severance of trade routes to the East and started the adventures of the Age of Discovery. Their original intention was just to bypass the control of the Ottomans and Mamluks and buy some cheap Ming goods.

But now the early steam engine that Lao Luo Kan took out really made Li Rufeng confused.

Obviously, as the leader of a new force, Li Rufeng needs such new technology to overtake others on different tracks.

Yet he must consider the inevitable spread of this technology and the consequences that will follow.

How Japan was forced to open its doors by the black ships and how the Qing Dynasty fell into decline, it can be said that all of this is directly related to this small steam engine.

Old Luo Kan probably didn't expect that Li Rufeng valued this new technology even more than he did. He was simply excited that he had found a wise leader, but he didn't know that this wise leader was now struggling with whether to find a dark and windy night to kill him, making this incident another regrettable coincidence in history.

Of course, this thought only flashed through Li Rufeng's mind in a flash.

Because Old Rokan isn't just one person; there's an entire organization behind him called the Ahch Brotherhood. Apparently, many people within that Brotherhood know about Old Rokan's research, and they've even destroyed his prototype machine...

Why are they so enthusiastic about this technology? Perhaps it’s because they see the potential of this technology and the industrial revolution that will follow.

Li Rufeng put all these doubts aside and decided to hold off for the time being and observe carefully. The existence of the Four Wind Gods had already disrupted his familiar worldline, so adding a little unexpected surprise wouldn't be too much of a stretch. If all else failed, Master Li would personally send this thing to Samarkand and have the Ming Dynasty delegation take it back with them on their return...

But what Li Rufeng didn't know was that while he was thinking about his spiritual hometown thousands of miles away, there was already a fellow villager from his hometown in Aleppo who was secretly observing the city.

An Oriental man wearing a hood, with obvious Mongolian appearance, but softer features and a relatively fair complexion, was strolling around the market, occasionally throwing a few copper coins to buy some small items, but his eyes would occasionally glance in the direction of the lord's mansion, obviously waiting for some news.

Chapter 426: Spy from Hometown

Weng Guo joined the Jinyiwei when Prince of Yan led his army to surrender Nairbuhua of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the 23rd year of Hongwu (1390). He was appointed as a small flag officer and then sent to Mobei to monitor the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

As a result, in the 26th year of Hongwu, Nairbuhua was accused of treason, and Emperor Taizu ordered the abolition of the Jinyiwei. Veterans like Weng Guo were thrown into the Hami Guard to monitor the movements of the Chagatai Khanate.

This wasted eight years, until the fourth year of Jianwen, the year when Emperor Jianwen abdicated, Weng Guo was reinstated, but he ended up being assigned one difficult task after another.

Thanks to Onggo's Mongolian appearance, he was promoted to a centurion and led his troops westward. He secretly lurked in Samarkand and contacted the detained envoys. The news of Timur's eastward expedition was sent back by Onggo's men in advance.

With Timur's unexpected death, the vast empire fell apart, and the war of succession raged on. Behind this, there was also the shadow of the Jinyiwei system. Of course, Weng Guo himself did not have such great power. He knew that there was someone above him, but he did not know who it was...

As for why Wenggo appeared in Aleppo, it was because he was given a new mission after Timur's death. Wenggo had a talent for languages. After throwing him there for a few months, he could communicate with the locals by gestures and guesswork. There was no one more suitable than him in the yamen.

His original mission was to go to Shiraz to find a suitable place to stay for the Ming Dynasty's long-distance fleet. However, Weng Guo heard in Shiraz that an oriental lord had gained power in Aleppo. Out of respect for his job, he reported the news. Then, the "superior" who Weng Guo still didn't know who he was and where he was gave him a new mission and asked him to go to Aleppo to find out the situation.

The Ming Dynasty, which was founded by overthrowing the Mongolian regime, never let down its guard against the Mongols, from Emperor Taizu to the current Emperor Yongle.

The Mongol Empire's conquest of the Song Dynasty truly brought a bit of a "map" shock to the modern era. When their advance in one direction proved impossible, the Mongols chose to draw a circle on the map, conquering half the world and establishing a second front from the southwestern Song territory...

Later, after Timur fought wars in the south and the north under the name of the son-in-law of the Golden Family and detained the Ming Dynasty delegation, the Jinyiwei had been strengthening their surveillance of this emerging "Mongol regime."

Although Timur is dead now, his two heirs are still a threat to the Ming Dynasty. Weng Guo feels that Khalil should have no chance, but his way of governing is quite similar to that of Taizu, who employs people regardless of their background. If he had not rushed into power and failed to keep a low profile, he would inevitably be a threat in the future.

Shah Rukh was quite experienced, and each of his moves was very methodical. Weng Guo estimated that it would not take long for him to put the situation in the country in order.

So perhaps the higher-ups were secretly trying to support a pro-Ming local faction to counterbalance the Timurid Khanate? Weng Guo could only comfort himself in this way, otherwise he was afraid he would overthink it and think that he was being exiled further and further away because he had offended his superiors.

After all, after all these years, who, except Weng Guo himself, still remembers that he was once a Northern Yuan person...

Aleppo, Aleppo is considered the border point of the Mongols' westward expedition!

But there actually is a Han Chinese lord in this place... Although these Western barbarians couldn't see it, Weng Guo was a serious official of the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei. He could naturally tell at a glance that Li Rufeng was a pure-blooded Han Chinese.

This is rare in this land. Although the Mongols brought a group of Han craftsmen and soldiers when they marched westward, because those who migrated there at that time were basically young and middle-aged men, over the past 100 years, these people have basically been assimilated into the local bloodline.

As a member of the Jinyiwei, when choosing to develop his subordinates, Weng Guo would naturally give priority to those with Han Chinese ancestry, but there were not many of these people who could speak Chinese.

But Li Rufeng was obviously different. Although Weng Guo had not yet had direct contact with him, he would not make a mistake just by looking at his appearance.

Could it be that someone in the delegation had a child this year? But the age doesn't match.

Weng Guo found a restaurant to have his lunch. It was true that he was of Mongolian descent, and his appearance was more Mongolian, but God was my witness, when he grew up, the living customs of most cities in the Northern Yuan Dynasty were no different from those of the Han people.

He was more accustomed to Eastern food culture. Before being exiled to Hami, the mutton in a basin was the most Mongolian dish he had ever tasted...

But now what Wenggo can eat every day depends mainly on his location. For example, when he was in Samarkand, what he ate was no different from what he ate in Hami, except that there were more spices and the meat was cheaper. He had to thank Timur for this... He really brought down the price of meat products in Samarkand.

Most of the nomadic peoples in the Central Asian plains had to pay taxes to the conqueror, and they fed the entire Transoxiana region at the cost of starving their own people.

In this area of ​​Syria, Weng Guo has fewer delicious foods to eat, but considering that almost no one is left here, it is good to have something to eat, and Weng Guo will not complain too much in this regard.

But it was obvious that Weng Guo's stomach was not used to the combination of chickpeas and yogurt. He had a very uncomfortable afternoon and was even fined 15 copper coins by a patrol soldier for urinating and defecating on the roadside, which was more than the money he spent on food.

From this point alone, Weng Guo was even more certain that the lord was from the Ming Dynasty. There were not many lords who were so particular. What's more, he didn't even change his name, Li Rufeng... Could he be a descendant of the Li family of Duke Hanguo?

At that time, Han Guogong's family was involved in the Lan Yu case and some died, some escaped. It is possible that one of his concubines was sent abroad. While speculating about Li Rufeng's background, Weng Guo returned to his residence and reunited with his men.

This time, the men he brought to Aleppo were basically Semites, which made it easier for him to act. Compared to collecting intelligence, Weng Guo was more proficient in analyzing intelligence, so he needed to first see what this Rufeng Shaman had done here and what kind of person he was before deciding how to contact him.

After all, the task given to him by his mysterious superior was to investigate whether the Eastern lord could be a capable person. If so, his superior would help him to support a pro-Ming regime in the western part of the Timurid Khanate to pull the power of the Timurid Khanate.

The Black Sheep were also an option, but after they discovered that they secretly believed in the change of the world, they gave up the idea...

Chapter 427: When the Youth is Full of Vigor and Vigor

On February 17, 1409, the conflict between the Black Sheep and White Sheep had escalated from a border conflict to attacks on each other's large gathering points.

Overall, the Black Sheep people have the upper hand, while the Aries people are constantly retreating and giving up large tracts of land. The Aries King Kara Osman seems to want to use depth to exchange for strategic advantage.

It was also because of this that the Mongols, Transoxiana people and Kurds under Li Rufeng took the opportunity to eat up many of the herds that the Aries were unable to support. A large number of cattle and sheep, as well as poor horses that were not qualified to be war horses, were sold to the Aries at a very cheap price.

During the whole process, grain, which was easier to store than meat, became an important circulating currency. It was obvious that the Aries King had made up his mind to stalemate with the Black Sheep people to the end.

He was betting that Li Rufeng and the Timurid Khanate would not sit idly by and watch the actions of the Black Sheep People.

The nomadic tribes under Li Rufeng did benefit greatly from this, but Qinggelinayan's influence on the Mongol tribes under his control was obviously not as great as before.

Although Qinggelinayan's younger brother, Dangertai, did not openly oppose Li Rufeng, he obviously did not care much about the advice from Aleppo. Neither Li Rufeng nor his brother Qinggelinayan could interfere with the decision he made.

On the military front, Dangertai received the support of Centurion Baoledebagen and made a choice on that day that made it impossible for Li Rufeng to continue to ignore the rift between the two sides.

Dangertai and Baoledbagen are recruiting young men from the Mughal tribes under their influence. They have accepted the invitation of the Aries King to intervene in the war between the Black Sheep and the Aries as allies.

This obviously conflicts with Li Rufeng's plan and is something Li Rufeng cannot tolerate.

Li Rufeng has always regarded the human resources of the Mongol tribe as his treasure. They are not only the best rangers, but in addition to their strong combat capabilities, these Mongol people also naturally have a deterrent bonus of +2 in this land. Leaving many things to them can save Li Rufeng a lot of trouble.

Qinggelinayan's decision to live in Aleppo was a very clear signal to many Mongols, that is, from that moment on, Li Rufeng had become the most influential person among the Mongols.

For the sake of Qinggelinayan's face and also to ensure a peaceful transition of power, Li Rufeng and Qinggelinayan tacitly agreed not to publicize the matter, but it was obvious that Dangertai was trying to gain benefits for himself.

For this, he even did not hesitate to stab his elder brother in the back. Although Qinggelinayan suspected that Dangertai was most likely a puppet placed in the front by Baoledebagen, there was no regret medicine in this power game. If someone made a mistake, someone had to pay the price.

For this reason, Qinggelinayan had to send his confidants in the cold weather to invite the Mongol tribal leaders to Aleppo for a meeting as soon as his health had just improved.

He understood his brother. Although Dangertai was conflicted and willful, he was not the kind of person who would give up everything for power. There must be something more fascinating that led him to this path.

He had to figure out what was going on first...

"Baoledebagen has close ties with the Mongol chieftains of the Aries Tribe. He's married to three wives, all daughters and sisters of those chieftains," Qinggelinayan confessed to Li Rufeng. "I did indulge him a bit in this regard before, but it was also to maintain my relationship with those Mongol chieftains."