Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

Jiang Han nodded and expressed his condolences.

“Serve the people!”

On the parade ground, slogans were deafening, the world was ruthless, and every family was out of food. It was the teacher who distributed land and food, giving everyone a chance to survive. He also allowed everyone to see the future and hope. Following such a leader, even if you are a traitor, what does it matter?

Looking at the excited soldiers, Jiang Han nodded. The army's morale was good. It had been almost a month since the last raid on the bandits. The bandits on the mountain could no longer stay there and had been ready to make a move. Judging from the movements detected by the small plane, these guys would soon go down the mountain.

I must make a concerted effort to catch all the bandits in this area in one fell swoop!

In the lush mountains, a large flag with a Chinese character "张" fluttered in the wind, and there were endless horsemen. The mountains and plains were full of bandits wearing turbans and holding weapons.

A cavalryman in a short cap ran over quickly and said, "Master, our 100,000-man rebel army has assembled and can leave Yingshan at any time!"

Yingshan and Huoshan are connected to each other, located at the junction of Henan, Huguang and Nanzhili provinces, covering an area of ​​hundreds of miles. Huoshan is close to Fengyang Prefecture and occupied by the Gezuo Wuying, while Yingshan, which is closer to Wuchang Prefecture and Luzhou Prefecture, is naturally occupied by Zhang Xianzhong.

At this moment, Zhang Xianzhong was riding on a big maroon horse. He had a yellow face and a long beard, and was wearing a linen battle suit. A shining long sword hung around his waist.

Behind him were his four adopted sons, Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Ai Nengqi, and Li Dingguo, and next to him was Luo Rucai.

Luo Rucai was nicknamed Cao Cao. He was cunning, treacherous and capricious. It was his idea for the thirteen rebel armies to join forces to capture Fengyang.

This man was good at forming alliances horizontally and vertically and at reconciling relations among the various bandit groups. Zhang Xianzhong valued him very much and would always bring him along when he had any action.

Although they were allies, Zhang Xianzhong and the Gezuo Wuying had always acted separately. The Gezuo Wuying wanted to capture Fengyang and use it as a base to seize money and food, but Zhang Xianzhong was different. His appetite was bigger. What he wanted was Southern Zhili and the two rich cities of Nanjing and Yangzhou!

But before that, we must go to Luzhou first!

Due to Jiang Han's actions, the imperial court lost 30,000 troops. This can be said to be a serious blow to the Ming Dynasty today. After all, there were not many troops to be mobilized from the entire Nanzhili. If it were not for the importance of Yangzhou City, so many troops would not have been mobilized to attack it.

However, these 30,000 men were defeated and most of the troops were captured, leaving Nanjing's already limited garrison even more stretched.

The vicious cycle that resulted from this was that the bandits began to become rampant.

The bandits hid in Huoshan and Yingshan because of the power of the government troops. But now, the government troops in Nanzhili were suddenly reduced by 30,000 people, and the garrison was obviously insufficient. Naturally, the bandits started to show off their skills.

"Reporting to the general accountant, the two Lords He, Liu, and Lin, and the head of Wuwei, the government troops are indeed seriously injured. If our righteous army goes out now, we will surely achieve great success and take over Fengyang in no time!"

While Zhang Xianzhong was ready to make a move, the Gezuo Fifth Battalion naturally also learned that the Ming official army was now only a mere facade but was actually badly damaged. How could they let go of such a godsend opportunity?

In their opinion, Jiang Han should also be a member of the rebel army. When they meet in the future, they can drink with each other and become sworn brothers. Among them, bandit leaders such as Ma Shouying and Zhang Xianzhong had other ideas.

Yangzhou is a big city. Being able to capture Yangzhou and defeat the 30,000-strong imperial army means that this rebel army is definitely extraordinary. If we can recruit them under our command, our combat effectiveness will definitely be greatly enhanced!

Ma Shouying always looked down on other rebel leaders. In his eyes, these so-called rebel leaders were all idiots. To fight a war, one had to learn to use his brain. Those who could capture Yangzhou would definitely be very useful in tough battles like siege. When the time comes, let the enemy fight the tough battles and you can take the credit yourself. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

"What's going on at the court right now?"

Ma Shouying Ma Huihui nodded and continued to ask in response to the scout's news.

"The government troops are currently staying put, probably because they dare not move out rashly, fearing an ambush by us. However, I heard that a new group of people in Yangzhou City, although they are at odds with the imperial court, are also hostile to our rebel army. The leader of that group even said that if our rebel army dares to reach the border of Yangzhou, they will be wiped out completely without leaving a single one alive."

The Scout

"Oh? In this world, is there any reason for bandits to suppress bandits? Isn't this the thief crying thief? Is this guy crazy? Hahahahahahahaha"

King Lin Yangcheng of Zhengshi laughed loudly and showed disdain for the news told by the scout.

"Humph, young people are full of ambition. If they want to start their own business, they must have the ability to do so. If there is a chance, I would like to meet this kid. I wonder if he will still be so stubborn when Yangzhou City is broken."

Sixty miles outside Yangzhou City is an undulating hilly area, which is also the largest gathering place of bandits near Yangzhou.

The small reconnaissance plane discovered early on that there was a large-scale gathering of bandits outside the city, but Jiang Han did not intervene, but allowed them to continue to gather.

The main reason was that these bandits were so fast runners that he didn't know why. His volunteers were all well-trained and well-nourished, but they couldn't catch up with them when they ran. The soldiers from the old camp were even more cunning. As soon as they saw that something was wrong, they immediately fled. As soon as two artillery shells were fired, the enemy had already run a mile.

Could it be that these bandits have Korean ancestry?

After achieving results in the initial operations, these bandits began to become ruthless and when they saw Jiang Han's troops, regardless of whether they were government troops or volunteers, they turned around and ran away without any reluctance. So Jiang Han had no choice but to let them gather on their own.

Letting them gather together on their own is much more efficient than asking him to drive them away, and it also saves a lot of effort. When they are almost gathered together, they can be killed all at once.

"I'm letting you hold a large-scale gathering, and this time I'm going to give you something big."

He knew what these bandits were waiting for, and he didn't mind them waiting. Rather, he was happy to see it happen. The bandits were a bunch of inhumane bad guys with no backup or hidden energy. This was no longer an ordinary evil, and he had to strike hard!

"I just hope that the Ming Dynasty can hold out for a while."

A half-dead Ming Dynasty is a good Ming Dynasty!

After a few days of research, I have a better understanding of the details of this episode, so I feel more confident when writing it.

Volume 207: Chapter Chapter : People's troubles are different

To be honest, Jiang Han had thought about it, if he was given an entire Azur Lane system, wouldn't he be invincible? But unfortunately, there was no such good thing in the world.

But it's also good. If the group of blue ships were summoned here, let alone other things, my kidneys really wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Therefore, the road to rebuilding the navy must be carried out step by step.

Now Jiang Han has begun to poach people in the vicinity of Yangzhou, specifically targeting craftsmen. The firearms manufacturing industry in the Ming Dynasty was very prosperous, and there were military equipment bureaus in various garrisons, especially in the capital, Tianji and Jiangnan areas. Even among the people, there were a large number of firearms workshops, with the number of craftsmen reaching tens of thousands.

The craftsmen lived a very hard life in the Ming Dynasty. After all, this business was not considered a valuable one. Although they were in the upper nine classes, they were ranked eighth among the emperors, sages, hermits, immortals, literati, military generals, farmers, merchants and artisans.

Now that he has become the eighth son, he naturally cannot eat good or expensive food, and all he swallows is crunchy food.

After seeing the conditions offered by Jiang Han and his team, many craftsmen were still hesitant about whether to become thieves. However, there were also people who could no longer make ends meet and came to Yangzhou with the idea that taking a chance might lead to a way out.

When these craftsmen arrived in Yangzhou, they were divided into different categories. All the firearms craftsmen were taken to the military factory, where they were responsible for producing an important weapon: cannons.

Shipbuilding requires cannons. As the saying goes, dignity lies only on the edge of the sword, and truth is only within the range of the cannon. In an era of cannibalism, cannons physically represent the right to speak.

At present, the casting process of artillery in the Ming Dynasty all uses mud molds, that is, water and mud. Of course, urine is also OK, as long as it is not too smelly. The mud mold is made, and then the gold is poured and cast, layer by layer. The mud film must be dried thoroughly, otherwise it will be slightly damp. When it encounters damp metal solution, there will be bubbles, and the cast artillery will have honeycombs, and the barrel will be deformed and easy to burst when released.

It takes a month to dry the clay mold. If it is cloudy and rainy, it will take another month. In the Jiangnan area, it rains every day in spring. One clay mold can only make one cannon and cannot be used again after it is used up.

How can this efficiency work? Jiang Han waved his hand and said, "Upgrade, must upgrade! Use the iron casting method!"

The so-called iron casting method is to use iron to make molds, which is simpler than mud, saves a lot of mold materials, reduces production costs, is not restricted by climatic conditions, greatly shortens the manufacturing cycle, and can also solve the problem of bubble honeycombs.

Now every family is engaged in an arms race. Huang Taiji of Liaodong has already started using the lost wax method. He is really risking his life in pursuit of the truth. How can a time traveler like me be defeated by the natives in technology?

At the same time, he also kept the military factory very confidential. The iron casting method was a groundbreaking technology for that era. Even during the Second World War, Europe was still using the mud mold method and the lost wax method to cast artillery. A batch of artillery took at least one to three months to cast. It was not easy to make artillery in rainy seasons such as spring, autumn and summer, and the pass rate was also very low, only about 20%. On the contrary, using the iron casting method, a batch of artillery took less than a month to cast, was not restricted by seasons, and the pass rate of artillery was increased to about half, which could be said to be a comprehensive victory.

Therefore, this craft is very important and must not be leaked out. Jiang Han specially dispatched a team of volunteers to do nothing but guard this military factory. No one can enter or leave at will without his order. The craftsmen's life is taken care of in the factory. Food, clothing, housing and transportation are all arranged for you. If there is any news outside, they can trace the source immediately. If they find out, your whole family will be killed.

Of course, for now, these are things that will only take effect slowly. There is no immediate combat capability, so Jiang Han can only order the craftsmen to make some modifications and upgrades to the existing large ships. There is no better way.

"Why not try drawing a card...?"

Jiang Han also felt that if he were to develop a navy, his current combat effectiveness would be a bit limited. After thinking it over, he turned his attention to the pool that he had recently opened but was reluctant to touch.

Fusion power pool.

If you ask why, who doesn't draw cards for pretty girls? You wouldn't be happy if you drew a bunch of idiots, right?

Jiang Han is a die-hard mobile game player in the literal sense. He pushes his strength to the maximum to make it easier to pass levels. If possible, he is an ultimate XP party.

↓Physical card drawing, the game is real.

But now, it is obviously not the time to worry about this. One can never be sure of success. What if I can draw out a three-star Iron Blood? Wouldn't I be sure of winning?

Don't say anything, I am the biggest in the world today, I will kill all the leopards! Just charge! It's my turn! Draw a card!

"Dragoon-SWAP, capture failed"

Boil! Come again!

"Congratulations, Ranger"

Come again!

"Congratulations, Jaguar"

Ahhh! One more shot!!

"Hu Feng-SWAP, capture failed"

Hum, hum, humahh ...

"Sir, you need to sign a document...Sir, what's wrong with you?!"

Dozens of minutes later, Pei Huayu walked into Jiang Han's room. What she saw was Jiang Han lying on his small recliner with empty eyes, and his whole body seemed to have lost all color.

"Sir, sir, what happened sir!?"

Pei Huayu hurried forward, not caring about the difference between men and women, and began to examine Jiang Han.

"The sun is so bright..."

She heard the cry from Jiang Han.

"Gambling is an abyss full of disasters..."

"Sir, what are you doing...?"

"Why..." Jiang Han muttered, "I think I'm pretty lucky. My previous deliveries were all good, but why is it so outrageous in this pool of Iron Blood...? Also, why am I so cold when there's a heater in the room..."

Oh! I understand! Jiang Han sat up in shock from his dying illness.

"Sir, what do you understand?"

“It must be this house that’s not okay!!”

Jiang Na was drawing cards in vain, while Ming Ting on the other side was also in unrest.

In the Qianqing Palace of the Forbidden City, Chongzhen was reviewing memorials with a frown on his brow.

Northern Zhili is different from Jiangnan. Although the weather has started to warm up a little, the climate here is still very cold. Zhenzi moved his office to the Qianqing Palace for convenience.

"Has it not rained in Northern Zhili in recent months...?"

Facing Zhenzi's sudden question, the cabinet chief Xue Guoguan stepped forward and replied: "Your Majesty, not yet..."

Zhenzi covered his mouth and coughed twice. He was in a bad mood now. Continuously high blood pressure would hurt the body. Since June last year, northern Zhili areas such as Shanxi, Shandong, Henan and other places have been hit by disasters such as drought, locust plague, famine, and no rain for many days. The Central Plains were full of starving people.

At this juncture, Li Zicheng, who had been beaten up in the northwest, suddenly revived, gathered a large group of troops in the northwest, and headed straight for Shuzhong, all the way into Sichuan.

The bandits in Huoshan and Yingshan also began to take action, causing trouble in Luzhou and the Jiangnan area. What was even more difficult was that Yangzhou was lost.

Yangzhou has been lost and cannot be recovered.

This is an important port that controls almost half of the Ming Dynasty's trade arteries. If such a place cannot be taken back, it would be like the Ming Dynasty is being strangled by someone.

Zhenzi wanted to dispatch troops to quell the rebellion, but dispatching troops required food and silver. The place that needed silver more than Yangzhou was Northern Zhili.

It is now April, the weather is warming up, and all things are reviving. It is also the time when an extremely terrifying creature begins to hatch on a large scale.

locust.

Due to the drought, the conditions for locust eggs to hatch were favorable. Large numbers of locusts began to appear in the fields and then began to produce a clustering effect.

Locusts are very abstract things. When they fight each other, they are scattered all over the ground. Each one looks like a little bean and is very harmless to humans and animals.

However, when these locusts begin to gather in groups, the bond in their blood will be triggered, and the title of "I am the blood of the swarm" will be initiated. The locusts will begin to evolve dramatically in a short period of time. Their originally short hind wings will lengthen, their bodies will grow rapidly, their hind limbs will grow sharp barbs, their teeth will become larger and sharper, and they will change from a big, silly little guy with big eyes to a hideous-looking big man. Their aggressiveness will also be greatly enhanced. They will eat everything they can digest along the way to maintain their powerful consumption after evolution.

That is, all kinds of animal and plant fibers, seeds, fruits, everything. Their bodies will digest all of these things like a furnace, and finally excrete nutritional residue without even a seed left. The so-called animal and plant fibers naturally include animals, that is, human hair.

The evolution of locusts only takes eight to fifteen days. Their elongated flight feathers can support them in high-altitude and long-distance flights. Data research shows that the flight altitude of swarm locusts can reach 3000 meters.

Wherever it went, there was no green, just a black cloud of death.

Henan was the worst hit. As a place in the Central Plains, it has always been plagued by disasters. Whenever a major disaster occurs, Henan is always the first to be hit. However, what is more terrifying than natural disasters is man-made disasters.

Faced with swarms of locusts, local officials instead stepped up their efforts. Landlords also said that they had no surplus food, which further oppressed ordinary people. The price of rice soared like an elevator, and the people suffered terribly.

A large number of people could only find some tree bark and sawdust, and some even ate Guanyin soil. A large number of hungry people were ready to make a move, just waiting for someone to shout and they would immediately rebel.

Rebellion is an old tradition of the descendants of Yan and Huang, the kind that is engraved in their DNA. Ever since the saying "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species born?" came out, the farmers on this land seem to have their Ren and Du meridians opened up. They can endure the most because they are the most honest. As long as they can have land to farm and food to eat, everything is fine. But their anger is also the most violent. I don't care if you are an emperor, a god, or some bullshit star from the sky, if you don't let me live my life, you peasant uncle will die!

Chongzhen was extremely troubled by this matter.

"This locust infestation, my lords, what should we do?"

"Your Majesty, maybe you can call on the people to catch locusts? Locusts are also meat... maybe they can be eaten."

Xue Guoguan suggested uncertainly.

"No!"

An imperial censor immediately stepped forward and said: "Locusts are heavenly insects, sent down by the heavens to punish us because they are dissatisfied with us. How can we eat them? This is disrespectful to the heavens!"

This person was talking freely, totally unaware that Zhenzi's face was growing darker and darker.

What do you mean? God is not happy with the world. Why is he not happy? I am the Son of Heaven. I am in charge of the world. You mean I am a bad ruler? Are you saying I am a tyrant? Are you saying I am so hot that I make the heavens angry and the people resent me?

What do you want to say? Who told you to say that? What are you hinting at? What are you alluding to? What do you want to subvert?