The sun never sets

Lin Yongchang smiled and shook his head, saying, "Not this time either. I have to go to the capital to give money to Prince Qing."

Wang Zuolin said: "Then I will introduce some people to you, they are all heroes and brave men here!"

"Okay. I brought fifty horses this time, all for you, brother." After Lin Yongchang finished speaking, he added, "No money is required this time."

Wang Zuolin laughed, but Wuyun Qiqige was a little unhappy, "That's our horse!"

"Who is this?" Wang Zuolin had just seen this little Mongolian girl, but he couldn't figure out where she came from for a moment, so he pretended not to see her.

"The daughter of Prince Orileheke, the pearl of the grassland, Wuyun Qiqige."

Wuyun Qiqige puffed out his chest and shouted, "She's still Lin's wife!"

Wang Zuolin was stunned. Lin Yongchang shook his head and said, "Not yet."

Wuyun Qiqige said loudly again: "Soon!"

Wang Zuolin pondered for a moment and felt that his sworn brother was too wild. Not only did he get involved with the Tibetan Living Buddha, but he also wanted to marry a Mongolian? In the eyes of the people in the Central Plains, Mongolians were a group of barbarians, and their smell was unbearable for ordinary people. Even the profiteers in Shanxi refused to marry the daughters of Mongolian princes, thinking it was not worthwhile. How could Brother Lin be so brave?

"You are still young now," Lin Yongchang said with a smile, "When you grow up, you will like something better."

The girl said affirmatively: "No, I won't!"

Wang Zuolin did not interrupt, but led Lin Yongchang to review the troops arrayed on the snow. This Boxer army was formed by Wang Zuolin's nephews, relatives and former subordinates. The soldiers were all young and strong from the surrounding villages and towns. They looked pretty good, but their weapons were too shabby.

"We still have to find a way to get some guns and cannons." Lin Yongchang said, "Even a rifle or a mountain-splitting cannon is better than cold weapons."

The lance and the mountain-splitting cannon were both weapons from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom era. They were very powerful in close combat, but their biggest advantage was that they were cheap. Compared to foreign guns and cannons that required real money to buy, the lance and the mountain-splitting cannon could be made by just a few craftsmen, and it didn't cost much.

Wang Zuolin said, "There are some, but not many. We also dug up a red cannon from the previous dynasty."

"........Can the cannons of the previous dynasty still be used?"

"It's still usable! And it's better than the cannons made by the imperial court!"

Chapter 23: Epoch-making

Before the Second Opium War, the imperial court spent a huge amount of money to cast many cannons, but the quality was hard to describe. Some cannons had so many pits on the inner wall that a large bowl of water could be poured into them. It is conceivable that such cannons would have a high probability of exploding when fired.

Later, the imperial court came to its senses. It was better to buy than to make, and it was better to rent than to buy. Why make cannons? Just buy them from foreigners. If foreigners were not unwilling to rent weapons, the imperial court would not even bother to buy them. When they needed them, they could rent them for a few days, and return them when they didn't need them. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?

This is the sharing economy!

Thousands of years ago, the Roman Empire used mercenaries in the same way. Later, in a series of wars such as the Great Northern War and the Thirty Years' War in Europe, mercenaries were one of the main forces on the battlefield. They were recruited during wars and disbanded when wars were over. There was no need to maintain soldiers in peacetime or pay pensions. It was a great way to accomplish great things with little money.

It can be seen that the sharing economy has existed since ancient times and is not a product of the Internet age. But unfortunately, the great powers were not willing to lead the Jin Dynasty in the sharing economy, so they were only willing to sell some weapons at high prices, and were unwilling to implement the "Lend-Lease Act" like the lame president.

Wang Zuolin said: "It is said that the red cannon was cast in the last years of the previous dynasty. The Ming army buried the cannon underground during their retreat after their defeat. It was only dug out a few days ago. After cleaning it, it is as bright and clean as new, and as powerful as before!"

"Is it really that magical?"

Lin Yongchang was a little skeptical. He believed that a cannon buried for hundreds of years could be used, but he didn't believe that it was as clean as new. He followed Wang Zuolin to the Laojun Temple outside the city to take a look. Sure enough, it was an exaggeration. The cannon placed in the Laojun Temple was indeed a red-coated cannon made in the previous dynasty, with an inscription engraved on it. It could be used, but to say that it was as clean as new was an exaggeration.

Moreover, this thing is too heavy, at least five or six thousand pounds, and it is basically impossible to maneuver without a gun mount. After it was dug out, it was placed in the Laojun Temple, and several people were sent to guard it. Lin Yongchang touched the cold cannon, and his heart was filled with joy. Men will have a period of middle school, and will like all kinds of weapons, whether it is swords, armor, guns, aircraft, tanks, etc., all of which are liked by men.

"How about one shot?"

"One shot? What do you mean one shot? If you want to come, you have to come twice!"

Wang Zuolin waved his hand and said proudly: "Fire two rounds to give my brother a good hearing!"

His Boxer soldiers stuffed gunpowder into the barrel, and then rammed gravel, rubble and other things wrapped in linen into the barrel. While the soldiers were preparing, Lin Yongchang pulled the curious Wuyun Qiqige back a few dozen steps away and said, "Cover your ears and open your mouth."

"why?"

"When a cannon is fired, the sound is very loud. Covering your ears can reduce the volume entering your ears, and opening your mouth is to balance the air pressure, which can protect the eardrum from being damaged by the sound of the cannon."

The reason for being so far away is not only to protect the ears, but also to prevent the cannon from exploding. Are these antique cannons from hundreds of years ago really that powerful?

The little girl looked at him with admiration, "Lin, you really know a lot!"

She had never heard of eardrums or air pressure. Although she was a princess, she had few channels to obtain knowledge and information. The Mongolian tradition was riding horses and herding. They didn't read much, and now they don't even travel thousands of miles.

"Haha, I know a lot. You teach me how to ride a horse in the future, and I'll teach you some other skills."

Lin Yongchang touched Qiqi's head, then asked Wang Zuolin beside him, "Has this cannon been tested since it was dug out?"

"Tried it."

"Oh, all right."

After a long busy period, Lin Yongchang estimated that it took at least two or three minutes before the Boxer soldiers were finally ready to fire. After asking for instructions again, a soldier carefully lit the fuse with a torch. With a "chi chi chi" sound, the fuse burned quickly, and then the gun body suddenly jumped back with a loud bang.

"boom!"

The shotgun shells were fired, making the woods in the distance crackle and causing many dead branches and leaves to fall. Although they were dozens of steps away, the sound of the cannon firing was still very loud, making the little girl Kiki dizzy. She had never thought that the cannon would be so loud, much louder than the sound of firecrackers. But she did not feel scared, but rather very excited.

Lin Yongchang stopped the soldiers from firing another shot, calmed the horses first, and then checked the effect of the bombardment. Even if it is a few hundred years old antique, a cannon is still a cannon, and its power is not to be underestimated. With one shot, it swept a large area. This red cannon is powerful, but it is too big and too heavy to accompany infantry operations, and it cannot fire modern artillery shells, and its range is not enough. If it fights with foreigners or the new army of the court, it can only fire a cannon unexpectedly, and then it will be blown up by the new artillery.

"What a pity." Lin Yongchang murmured to himself.

Wang Zuolin didn't think so much, but thought his own cannon was very good and powerful. At this time, he heard Lin Yongchang talking, but he didn't hear it clearly, so he asked: "Brother Lin, what did you say?"

Lin Yongchang sighed and said, "Brother, do you know what kind of cannon the foreigners are using now?"

"do not know."

"The great powers are now using breech-loading rifled cannons. The French developed a groundbreaking cannon two or three years ago. The caliber is 75mm, um, about this thick," Lin Yongchang gestured and continued, "It can hit 17 miles away and fire 15 shells per minute. Brother, do you know what this means? That means one French cannon is equivalent to red cannons, and its power and range are far greater."

Wang Zuolin was shocked, but still a little bit unconvinced, "How could the foreigners' cannons fire so fast?"

"But it's that fast. But don't worry, brother. The French 75mm artillery is the most advanced rapid-fire artillery in the world today. The German artillery is not as powerful as theirs.

. "

Because of the Battle of Sedan, the Germans suddenly became the strongest army in Europe. After the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese army initially learned from the French. When Prussia captured Napoleon III at Sedan and the Prussian king was crowned as the German emperor, the Japanese immediately abandoned the French army and turned to learn the tactics of the German army.

Later, the Japanese who learned from the German army defeated the Huai Army on the Korean battlefield, and the German army's reputation rose to a higher level. When Yuan Shikai was training troops in Xiaozhan, the court, whether they knew about the military or not, all agreed to buy German weapons and hire German instructors. Now the whole world knows that the German army is the best in the world, and that is the reputation it earned on the battlefield.

Chapter 24: Artillery

Caliber is justice, and might is justice.

Generally speaking, the thicker the gun, the more justice. If justice is not served, it must be because the caliber is not large enough or the number of guns is not enough. For example, the French 75mm rapid-fire gun is still the best rapid-fire gun in the world even after more than a decade. In the First World War in another world, the French rapid-fire guns were at an absolute technical advantage, but the Germans did not compete with the French in terms of firing rate. Instead, they used large-caliber and long-range guns to defeat the French army.

The artillery of the German general infantry divisions was upgraded from 77mm rapid-fire guns to 105mm light howitzers. The larger caliber of the artillery meant an increase in range and firepower. Although the German large-caliber howitzers had a slower firing rate than the French small-caliber rapid-fire guns, they had more advantages in terms of firepower, range and firing angle.

The French 75mm Miss - the romantic French gave the 75mm rapid-fire gun the name "Miss 75" - is essentially a direct-fire cannon, so the German howitzers can rely on a higher elevation angle to hide behind the line of fire and rely on the cover of the terrain to shoot; the range of the German 105mm howitzers is also much higher than the range of the French 75mm Miss; the shells fired by the German howitzers are no longer shrapnel shells that spray out steel balls and fragments, but high-explosive shells filled with explosives. The gun shield no longer resists fragments, but violent shock waves that are enough to make the artillerymen bleed.

After the outbreak of World War I, the French Army was basically unilaterally beaten by the Germans in the first three months. The rapid-fire guns they were proud of could not get close to the Germans at all and would be torn to pieces by the long-range firepower of the howitzers. Even digging bunkers to build artillery positions was equally ineffective, because even if the high-explosive shells of the howitzers did not hit the bunker itself, the shock wave of one or two close-range shells was enough to kill all the gun crew members, not to mention that the Germans developed armor-piercing explosive shells with delayed fuses that could detonate inside after penetrating the outer layer of the bunker.

The French artillery units were beaten to a pulp by the Germans on the front line, but the senior generals in the rear still swore their eternal love to the 75mm. The French refused to adopt or design larger caliber heavy artillery, and stubbornly insisted that the problem could be solved by improving the 75mm rapid-fire gun so that it could increase the elevation angle for indirect fire attack.

However, the war situation did not allow the French to show their loyalty to the 75mm Miss. As a result, by the end of 1914, the French began to drag their old large-caliber heavy artillery, mortars, and siege guns—many of which were muzzle-loading weapons from the Franco-Prussian War and even the Napoleonic era—from museums and garbage dumps to the battlefield for emergency use.

In fact, the French army was not without good howitzers. They had a batch of 155mm howitzers designed for Bulgaria, which were much better than the German 150mm howitzers. However, the French only exported them and refused to adopt them as standard. Until the end of 1916, when they decided to significantly expand their heavy artillery forces, the French army had to be in this miserable situation of being beaten unilaterally everywhere, using lightweight 75mm rapid-fire guns to fight against the heavy German 150mm and 105mm howitzers.

This is the best proof that "caliber is justice". However, the specific situation still needs to be analyzed specifically. On the European battlefield, of course, large-caliber howitzers are better than rapid-fire guns. That's because Europe has a well-connected railway network. The total length of railways in Europe is close to 30 kilometers. In addition, Europe also has many heavy draft horses. After the artillery is unloaded from the train, the heavy draft horses can be used for short-distance maneuvers.

China did not have such conditions. The Jin Dynasty had neither a well-developed railway network nor a large number of heavy draft horses. In fact, the Jin Dynasty did not have enough good war horses. There were many horses on the Mongolian grasslands, but the horse breeds were not as good as those improved in Europe over hundreds of years.

The Jin Dynasty was not only backward in military, but also in politics and economy, and even in many varieties of crops and livestock. Speaking of artillery, compared with German artillery, the 75mm rapid-fire gun is obviously more suitable for China's complex geographical environment and difficult transportation.

However, the 75mm rapid-fire gun is the French's biggest trump card, and it is still kept in absolute secrecy. It was not until two years later, when the French army proved the power of this artillery on the battlefield in China, that they began to sell it to the outside world. Now, even a French officer who asks a few more questions will be sent to a military court.

The 75mm rapid-fire gun is very suitable for China, and there is another type of artillery that is even more suitable, that is the Type 92 infantry gun. This type of artillery has not yet been invented, but the blueprints are sold in the mall of the [The Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire] system. As long as you spend some administrative points, you can buy a variety of weapons and equipment...

. There are even blueprints for Iowa-class battleships, but they require a lot of points, and there is also a penalty for technological advancement. The specific penalty is based on the time of appearance in history, and it will be 10% more expensive for each year ahead of time.

Wang Zuolin listened to Lin Yongchang's introduction of the world's latest military technology and the parameters of guns and cannons of various countries, and his pride disappeared without a trace. He looked at his own red cannon/red cannon and sighed: "This thing is nothing. Do you think we can use the cannons like the French?"

"can."

"Brother, you are always so confident, but I don't have that confidence." Wang Zuolin kicked the snow on the ground. "You can fire a cannon every time you breathe?" He shook his head and said, "It's unimaginable."

Seeing this man suddenly become depressed, Wu Yunqiqige curled her lips. Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother. When I come back from the capital, I will find a way to build a small steel plant, then a small fertilizer plant, a small machinery plant, a small cement plant, a small brick plant and a small coal mine. When these things are ready, we can almost make guns and cannons by ourselves."

"Why are they all small ones? Can't we have a big one?"

"We have no money, no technology, no workers. We have nothing now. We can only find a way to build some small factories first, and then upgrade them." Lin Yongchang spread his hands, "If you want a big one, you have to give me the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant first."

Hanyang Iron and Steel Works was the earliest state-run steel enterprise in the Jin Dynasty. It was founded in 1890 by the famous minister Zhang Zhidong. It is the first and largest steel conglomerate in China. However, this enterprise has had many problems since its inception. Corruption is only one of them. The biggest problem is that this steel plant, which cost more than 500 million taels of silver, can't produce much qualified steel.

Due to poor planning, the equipment purchased by Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant was not suitable for refining the high-phosphorus ore provided by Daye Iron Mine, and the steel produced did not meet the requirements of railway rails. The steel production was now in a predicament of impending bankruptcy. In order to save this largest steel enterprise in Asia, Zhang Zhidong could only sign a "coal, coke and iron ore mutual sales contract" with the Japanese, which actually meant selling coal and iron ore to the Japanese.

A steel mill that claims to be the largest in Asia cannot produce qualified steel, so it sells iron ore and coal to the Japanese. What kind of thing is this? Alas, Zhang Zhidong is known as a famous official, but his level is worse than that of Li Hongzhang, the paperhanger. The famous officials of our Great Jin Dynasty are just these Crouching Dragons and Phoenixes.

Chapter 25

It takes a long time for a factory to make adjustments in order to produce qualified products. The Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant failed to produce qualified steel. This was of course the fault of a group of people headed by Zhang Zhidong, but when a problem arose, they thought about solving it. Why sell ore and coal to the enemy?

Well, even though China was beaten badly by the Japanese in the Sino-Japanese War, it still did not regard Japan as a mortal enemy. It was not until eight years, or fourteen years after the Anti-Japanese War, that hatred of the Japanese became a national consensus.

In another time and space, the Japanese later encountered similar problems when they planned to build the Yawata Iron and Steel Works. On November 1901, 11, the Tokyo Economic Magazine described the situation when the operation started on November 30 of the same year as follows: "The door of the iron smelting furnace could not be opened, and the molten iron could not flow out. The two houses of parliament and the ministers of the government were all stunned." The Japanese believed that it was due to the use of foreign equipment and foreign technology. These technologies were actually "potted" technologies and were not suitable for Japan's iron ore and other resources.

However, the Japanese did not give up their steel industry. Instead, they recruited former Tokyo Imperial University professor Noro Kageyoshi and others to solve technical problems. After spending a lot of time and money, the first blast furnace was successfully re-ignited in July 1904.

The famous officials of the Jin Dynasty, though they boasted louder and louder, such as "Bismarck of the East", were just so-so in ability and integrity, and were all people of the old times. In the feudal era, they could still pick out sentences, mend things, and be paperhangers. But times have changed, and the old ways are no longer effective.

Although Yuan Weiting was old in his bones, he was new on the surface. However, it does not mean that people like Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong were just eating and not doing practical things. They did a lot of things, but they were limited by their education and vision since childhood, so they did things superficially. From the perspective of later generations, they did a very bad job.

When evaluating a person or an event, we can point out the shortcomings and mistakes, but we must also take into account the era in which we live. Of course, we should not go from one extreme to another, and we should not always think about overturning the verdict. For example, Li Hongzhang was considered a good person in the old times, but he was still a traitor.

Whether from the perspective of nationalism or the old tradition of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, Li Hongzhang is very problematic. Even in this era, Li Hongzhang is regarded as a traitor by many people. No matter how he whitewashes himself, he cannot wash away the fact that he accepted bribes from foreigners and sold out China's interests. He cannot escape the fact that he lost the war and ruined the Beiyang Navy. Let alone the war faction, Li Hongzhang's family wealth is billions, and the Beiyang Navy is his private army. Why did he still beg the court to allocate hundreds of thousands of taels of silver?

You don't care about your own army, but you still rely on others? With this awareness, you are not as good as the warriors in the chaotic times at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Wang Zuolin was not kind to Li Hongzhang

He thought that Lao Li should be killed to thank the world. In addition, he did not believe that Lin Yongchang could run the steel plant well, even if it was a "small" one? Didn't you see that Zhang Zhidong spent 500 million taels of silver and ended up with a mess? On the contrary, the cement plant, brick plant and coal plant are promising. If they can be built, they will definitely make a lot of money. With money, you can buy more food, support more troops, and find ways to get some foreign guns and cannons to arm the army. Wang Zuolin knew this very well.

Actually, Lin Yongchang was not very confident about the "traditional steelmaking method". The technical process should be adapted to local conditions. The iron ore in Shanxi is definitely different from that in Jiangxi, and the impurities contained are different. The production process cannot be copied mechanically. Besides, even if it is a "traditional method", it still requires some equipment for iron and steelmaking.

If we can get the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant... Lin Yongchang thought about it and decided that it would be better to lead the troops to attack. Forget it, let's do it step by step. First solve the problem of whether there is one, and then solve the problem of quality and output. After returning from the capital, we will integrate Zhangjiakou, and then start the [indigenous steelmaking] project. If the speed is fast enough... it will be too late, but even if it is too late, we have to do it.

Lin Yongchang was distracted, greeting the local heroes introduced by Wang Zuolin while thinking about various issues. In the eyes of others, he was capable and skillful, but too impatient. He was in a rush and not calm at all. Of course, Lin Yongchang was not calm. Others did not know what would happen in the future, but he knew.

Seeing China's current poverty, he has a feeling that time is running out. He wishes he could surpass Britain in three years and catch up with the United States in five years...Oh, the British Empire is now the world hegemon. If it surpasses Britain, then there will be no place for the Americans.

The troops Wang Zuolin raised were very common militias in the Jin Dynasty, but they were named the Boxers. Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang and others all started their careers with militias, and Wang Zuolin did something similar. The militias were actually militias, and their purpose was to protect their hometowns. Therefore, most of the soldiers in the militias were related, and they could be brothers, friends, or even fathers and sons. Therefore, they were very brave and united in combat.

The Boxer Rebellion was also a kind of militia. Their morale was relatively high, but their technical and tactical levels and equipment were not very good. Moreover, their orders were issued by many different parties. The team was large but had no backbone, and each fought on its own. As a result, they could create huge waves in northern China, but ultimately they could not avoid the fate of being defeated one by one.

Most of the Boxers under Wang Zuolin knew each other well and had various relationships with each other. Even the old and weak who managed the logistics troops were dissatisfied with the fact that Lin Yongchang, an outsider, was parachuted in as the deputy leader. However, he was generous and gave fifty war horses to the leader. A war horse cost at least 30 taels of silver, and the price could be doubled if it was taken to the capital.

Fifty war horses are worth at least 1500 taels of silver. I would like to ask everyone here, who can just give away so much money? Even if you have money at home, you can't do this.

Then there was Lin Yongchang who brought dozens of cavalrymen, barely an elite force. The leaders under Wang Zuolin had their own teams, and few had so many cavalrymen. With money and military power, the heroes' emotions were suppressed a little. When Wang Zuolin mentioned that Lin Yongchang had a relationship with the Dalai Lama and the Mongolian prince, and that he wanted to follow the path of Prince Qing, everyone's feelings completely changed.

It’s a good thing that such a capable person becomes our deputy leader!

Even Wang Hu, Wang Zuolin's nephew, was convinced and took his wine bowl to take one from Lin Yongchang. Lin Yongchang drank every bowl of wine he received, and drank more than a dozen by himself.

"Chief Lin has a great alcohol tolerance!"

Wang Hu's eyes widened, and he staggered as he said, "Later...later..."

"Bang!" Before he could finish his words, the man fell to the ground and fell asleep.

Lin Yongchang shook his head. He didn't really like drinking, but these people thought that a hero should drink a lot, so he had to drink a lot. He just didn't like drinking, not that he couldn't drink. Looking at the table, no one could fight, they were all drunk.

"Ding! [Commander of the Troops] completed!"

Chapter 26 Martial Arts

【Commander of the Army】

Requirements: The number of troops under your command reaches 1,000

Reward: 100 Military Points

The second mission was completed, and with 100 subordinates, military points were obtained. When Lin Yongchang completed [Shelter] before, he was stunned for a while, but now he was much calmer. He glanced at the system screen, then smiled and said to Wang Zuolin who was trying hard to hold on: "Brother, let's drink another bowl!"

Wang Zuolin's face turned red, his tongue was numb, and his eyes were wide open. He felt bitter when he heard this, but he gritted his teeth and groaned, "Come again!"

After drinking two more bowls, Wang Zuolin couldn't hold on any longer and fell on the table with a "bang". Lin Yongchang was actually dying too. Although it was low-alcohol rice wine, it still tasted a little sweet, but alcohol was not so easy to decompose. Drinking so much alcohol into the stomach would eventually have an impact on the body.

He can understand why many people become alcoholics and the origin of alcohol culture, but he doesn't like alcohol very much. No matter what kind of wine it is, it is essentially a mixture of alcohol and water.