Chapter 586: Weapons

In June, three thousand soldiers from Yuyang County arrived at Xinhui County, which borders Hejian County. At the same time, Ye Zhen's Central Group Army also sent a thousand infantry to Anlu County, which is adjacent to Xinhui County. , the sentries from both sides met, and small frictions occurred frequently. It seemed that the two sides were already at war with each other and could start fighting at any time. It seemed that Yuyang had many soldiers, but everyone knew that the soldiers of the Eastern Expedition Army could not be regarded as ordinary armies. In a real fight, it's really hard to say who will win and who will lose.

But under the military confrontation, there is another storm hidden. The salt and iron from Yuyang County, the weapons and war horses from Liaoxi are constantly communicating with each other from these two places. These two armies, Rather than confronting each other, they are protecting these transactions and keeping the secret secret at the same time.

Of course, with such a large transaction volume, it is naturally difficult to keep it completely secret for a long time. However, from the perspective of both parties, even if these people are known to the world, they still have to maintain their face.

In addition to these strategic material transactions, private caravan exchanges have become more and more frequent. Xinhui and Anlu, which were originally on the edge of the two counties, have slowly become prosperous, with people gathering and business inns. more and more.

The imperial court of the State of Yan implemented strategic material control over Hejian and Liaoxi. It was extremely difficult for salt and iron to flow in. In addition to self-production, they relied on smuggling. However, under the control of the Zhengdong Prefecture, the salt and iron mineral reserves were too small and completely insufficient to supply its own needs. Despite the efforts of bold Yan merchants and traders from all over the world, they could not guarantee an endless supply. Once the imperial court becomes aggressive, this road will also be cut off. It is a long way from Daijun in Zhao State. Although this line has never been cut off, it is too expensive. After opening up the Yuyang County line, Gao Yuan temporarily stopped worrying about this.

But this is not a long-term solution. Throwing his lifeline to an ally who may bite him at any time is not what Gao Yuan wants, and what Gao Yuan has in front of him is to capture Dong Hu. The land of Liaodong is rich in mineral resources. The people of Donghu are in the treasure mountain without knowing it, or they know it is there. However, large-scale cultivation cannot be achieved due to insufficient technical strength.

In the fight against Donghu, not only were the two sides hostile, but also because Gao Yuan had to control this area. Only by winning Liaodong could Gao Yuan truly have the capital to compete in the world.

It was precisely for this reason that Gao Yuan did not hesitate to use weapons and horses to ensure that Yuyang County would continuously send these strategic materials before he and Donghu decided the winner.

Each side gets what it needs.

Jiang Xinliang and Gao Yuan were both very busy.

Jiang Xinliang is busy strengthening the army. He knows very well that as long as the 30,000 Yuyang Army in his hand becomes as strong as the March to the East Army. Even if he can't control the world like Gao Yuan, he can still become a decisive force in Yan State, enough to influence the affairs of Yan State. Otherwise, even if you hug the thigh, you may be kicked away by the thigh at any time.

not to mention.

He now independently supports the Zai region bordering Zhao State. With Jing Rufeng's victory at Hangu Pass, Zhao State's external military pressure has been greatly relieved. The Qin people have to shrink the front line, and Zhao State's pressure on the western front has been reduced. Maybe He will look back to the east again. He had to defend.

And Gao Yuan is also busy. Busy as hell. The war with the Donghu people was imminent, and he had to make preparations in all aspects. Last time, Yan State concentrated all its efforts to fight the war with the Donghu people, but this time, it was he who supported it independently. Last time, all parties sent out more than 100,000 troops, but this time, he went all out and the number of troops was only 30,000. This must be coupled with Xu Yuan's outstanding tricks in Pioneer City. The Northern Field Army expanded to 20,000 soldiers in just six months. As for the Eastern Army Group, He Lanxiong currently has only over 10,000 men under his command, including all non-combatants.

This is not a battle of equal strength.

Grain storage, transportation, ordnance manufacturing and distribution are all headaches.

Jishi City in June is much hotter than other places. While the breeze was still blowing outside the city, the city felt a little breathless, and this was because of the countless workshops concentrated in the West City.

West City is home to refined iron refining and various weapons factories. Countless furnaces are blazing with fire, and heat rises from these factories and slowly spreads throughout the city.

Walking in this block composed of countless factories, even outside, you can feel the heat wave. In a moment, Gao Yuan felt that his clothes were soaked with sweat.

"With such a high temperature, how can craftsmen endure long-term work? Do you have any solutions in this regard?" Looking back at Wu Kai, the governor of Jishi County who accompanied him, and Fan Dengke, who is responsible for all military production, " Although the house is in dire straits now, we can’t let the craftsmen have any accidents because of this.”

"Dengke, please explain it to the governor!" Wu Kai said.

"Yes, Sheriff!" Fan Dengke was originally from Langya and was considered a senior steward of the Ye family. He was married off to western Liaoning along with the more than 10,000 craftsmen. Now he is the Sima of Jishi County. One of the most important things is His task is to manage the military workshop in Xicheng.

"Captain, in order to improve work efficiency, we have divided the workers into three shifts. Under normal circumstances, we work in four-hour shifts, with no rest. Even at night, we are still working. During this period, the weather is getting hotter, and inside the factory It was extremely hot, so we switched to a two-hour shift. At the same time, the factory was fully stocked with herbal tea, mung bean soup and the decoction prepared by the medical officer. "

"Well, you have to be more thoughtful. Even so, you can't be careless. It's best to ask a few more medical officers to be here on call at any time." Gao Yuan nodded.

"Yes, I will go and take care of this matter immediately when I turn around."

"Also, according to the requirements of the soldiers at the front, how are the changes to some weapons going?"

"Except for the stocks produced in the past, the latest production has made corresponding changes based on the feedback of the frontline soldiers, such as iron helmets with brims, weapons such as spears, spear blades, and daggers. Opening health slots and other tasks are all extremely simple. As soon as I received suggestions for improvement, I immediately changed all the previous production methods.”

"What about the others?"

Fan Dengke looked troubled, "Captain, the problems reported by the soldiers such as the bed crossbow is bulky, the firing rate is too slow, and the crossbow has a short range are difficult to solve for a while, but I am organizing manpower to explore."

Gao Yuan stopped and said, "Right now our enemies are the Donghu people. The Donghu people are based on mounted archery, mainly cavalry. If we can strengthen the strike capability of long-range weapons, we can reduce the losses of soldiers who use their flesh and blood to attack the cavalry. Therefore, research in this area needs to be strengthened. Let's do this. You organize experienced masters to establish a Zhenshang Research Institute, with funds allocated by the Governor's Office. The job of these masters is to conduct research on how to improve the performance of weapons, including The performance of bed crossbows and riding crossbows has been improved, but it is not limited to these. As long as these craftsmen achieve results, the governor's office will not only reward them, but also give them officials.

Fan Dengke cheered up and conferred officers on the craftsmen, which was the first of its kind in the Central Plains. But thinking about Guo Quan, he felt relieved, "In this way, the enthusiasm of the craftsmen will be greatly improved, and they may be able to find ways. "

"Don't be afraid of spending money in the research institute!" Gao Yuan looked up at the rising smoke and said: "No matter how much money is spent on research, it cannot be worth the precious lives of the soldiers at the front. Our Eastern Expedition Army follows the route of elite soldiers. If we don't have enough soldiers, There are many, but they are all equal to one and ten. Fan Dengke, don’t underestimate your work. Every time you develop a weapon, you may be able to save the lives of countless soldiers on the front line and influence a war. Win or lose!”

"I understand, even if I don't eat, drink or sleep, I will definitely resolve the opinions raised by the frontline soldiers in the shortest possible time and come up with weapons that satisfy the Governor."

"Haste makes waste!" Gao Yuan shook his head, "To do this, you must first calm down."

"Yes!" Fan Dengke responded respectfully.

"Captain, go to the warehouse and take a look. As our iron smelting technology improves step by step, our weapons are getting sharper and sharper now." Wu Kai said on the side.

"Okay, let's go and take a look!"

About a mile away from the workshop area, rows of tall warehouses of exactly the same shape stand majestically. In front of the door, guards stand solemnly. Every once incense stick, a group of patrols walk past in neat steps. Pushing open a room At the door of the warehouse, huge wooden boxes are stacked from the ground to the roof. On the open space of the warehouse, soldiers are neatly putting huge shields into the wooden boxes. After filling one, they nail the wooden boards and carry them to the warehouse. On the pile on one side.

He picked up a shield casually and waved it a few times, but Gao Yuan let out a sigh, "It's a lot lighter than before?"

"Yes, Governor, as our iron smelting technology improves, the quality of the refined iron we produce is getting better and better. In the past, wooden shields were covered with iron sheets, which had poor resistance to strikes. They could not stop the heavy weapons of the cavalry from being smashed. The shield is too heavy and is extremely inconvenient for soldiers to use. But now, the iron sheet made of newly smelted refined iron is covered on the wooden shield. Although the resistance to blows is slightly worse than the iron shield, it is better than the iron shield, so now it is mainly Produce this shield."

Fine iron, in Gao Yuan's eyes, is steel, but the quality of the current steel is obviously far inferior to the quality of the steel of his era, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. The half shield in front of him, It still weighs more than ten kilograms, but compared with the previous iron shields that weighed dozens of kilograms, even though it sacrificed a small amount of protective power, it greatly increased the combat effectiveness of the soldiers. Between entering and exiting, But I gained more.

In this warehouse, there are various types of shields, including half-human shields used by infantry, large shields used in formations, and small round shields used by cavalry. Compared with the previous ones, the quality is indeed Much progress has been made.

After walking through several warehouses in succession, Gao Yuan finally felt relieved when he saw the warehouses full of weapons. The Northern Group Army suddenly increased by more than 15,000 soldiers. This was something he had never thought of before. The weapons reserves of the Northern Army Group were suddenly in short supply. In the past few months, they have been transporting weapons there. Only when these weapons arrive in Prophet City will the Northern Army Group truly have a certain strength.

Donghu's movement of increasing troops to the Hetao has not stopped, and the pressure Sun Xiao faces is increasing day by day. He has no reinforcements to send there, so he can only use weapons to solve their worries.

Is the battle in the Hetao finally about to begin?