12dz Chapter 348: Stone Mining
Chapter 348: Stone Mining
Zhao Sheng stood in the study, staring at the detailed map with a serious expression, his face full of contemplation.
He tapped the map with his pen from time to time, and carefully considered every county that might be damaged.
He believed that in the current unpredictable situation, there were two places most likely to be attacked first, one was Yanzhou and the other was Qin.
However, this so-called judgment is nothing more than a guess based on his keen intuition and years of experience.
"Yongsheng, it seems we need to adjust our previous layout. In the past, our strategic planning was a bit lax. As far as the current battle situation is concerned, although Luancheng has a good geographical location, the weight of the troops is too tilted to the north."
Whenever Mr. Zhao encountered important matters, he would always consult with Mr. Zhao Yongsheng.
It’s not that there is no one available in Luancheng now, but Zhao Yongsheng’s execution ability has won his trust.
"Master, do you mean to transfer the military power of Weizhou to Luancheng?"
Zhao Yongsheng frowned slightly and asked tentatively.
"That's not necessary. However, I plan to withdraw 100,000 Li family soldiers and station them in the Dingzhou camp. I will also withdraw some troops from the camp to reinforce the surrounding areas of Weizhou."
Zhao Sheng said slowly.
Throughout the entire game, Zhao Long had been in Weizhou for several years and was able to command the troops there with ease, which was really not easy.
Zhao Sheng made this arrangement in order to reduce the burden on Zhao Long.
Moreover, he secretly guessed that Zhao Long should have settled down and married in Weizhou, with his wife in Shigang Village and perhaps a concubine. Of course, this was just his speculation.
"Also, Yanzhou is planning to form a corps equipped with muskets and artillery. I think it would be most appropriate to have these people trained in the Dingzhou camp. This way, we can simultaneously train the soldiers in the camp and minimize ammunition loss."
Mr. Zhao continued to explain his plan.
It was difficult for Zhao Yongsheng to fully understand what Zhao Sheng said for a moment.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the deployment of troops has always been an extremely sensitive and tricky matter.
It is difficult to leave the homeland, and mobilizing an army is likely to cause chaos in the short term.
However, he has always unconditionally supported Zhao Sheng's decisions. This is the loyal Zhao Yongsheng.
……
The iron ore mined from Liangyu Mountain, after smelting, can only produce iron ingots of relatively good purity. The final fine processing has to be completed in workshops in Jing County or Luancheng.
In this era before highly automated equipment, those ammunitions were almost all made by hand by craftsmen. Fortunately, Luancheng had a large population and an abundant labor force.
Shi Li received intelligence gathered by Pu Xuesong and learned that the mountain not only contained coal mines, but also iron mines with rich reserves and high production. His heart, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly became restless.
"What do you think, should we do it or not?" The "whether we should do it or not" he mentioned meant snatching it from the aristocratic families.
"Intelligence shows that these aristocratic families are the same ones who captured Jinyang. They wield powerful weapons. Can we defeat them? Even if we manage to win temporarily, they will probably counterattack us in the end."
Kui Zheng looked at the information in his hand with worry, his tone full of concern.
"What are you afraid of? Just do the job and run. It's so much easier to grab what's already available!"
When Hou Lin heard what Kui Zheng said, he immediately became angry and shouted angrily.
"Sir, what you said makes sense. We may not win if we attack. Even if we win temporarily, we may not have the last laugh." Shi Li pondered for a moment and felt that it made sense. He couldn't help but say with regret.
"Then what do you say we should do?" Hou Lin was so angry that he leaned his head against the wall and asked angrily.
"We can still talk about it. We also have our advantages."
Kui Zheng pondered for a long time, leaned over, approached Shi Li and said.
"Sir, tell me, how do we talk about this?" Shi Li lowered his head and turned to ask Kui Zheng anxiously.
"From what I know, although Wang Danwang is returning to Jinyang, these noble families have also gained a lot of benefits. Since this mineral vein is in our Liangyu, if they can mine it, then naturally we can too. We can each do our own thing, and they can't interfere."
Hearing Kui Zheng's words, Shi Li's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "That's great!"
……
Time passed quickly, and in just over a month, the exploration team sent by Shili was lucky enough to discover another treasure land with rich coal resources near Liangyu Coal Mine.
So, Shi Li led a large number of workers without hesitation and started the excavation work in full swing.
Bingzhou, a vast land, has been rich in mineral veins and resources since ancient times.
Here, skilled craftsmen who are good at mining are everywhere, and recruiting them is effortless.
When the aristocratic families learned of Shi Li's actions, they were so angry that they gnashed their teeth and were furious.
They originally wanted to send people to cause trouble and teach Shi Li a severe lesson.
But after careful consideration, they decided to report the matter in detail to Fan Xitong and let him decide how to deal with it.
After receiving this news, Fan Xitong was in a dilemma for a while, hesitant and unable to make up his mind.
In desperation, he had to rush to Zhao Sheng again to discuss countermeasures.
"Brother Fan, there's no need for us to engage in fierce conflict or confrontation with them regarding this matter. Since they have such a strong desire and determination, we might as well help them achieve their goal.
This will also help us solve the current urgent problem of insufficient coal mining manpower."
Zhao Sheng smiled and comforted the anxious Fan Xitong in a calm tone.
"Does that mean we have to take over all the coal they dig?"
Fan Xitong frowned and asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Brother Fan, we must not narrowly pursue monopoly of livelihood industries. Moreover, for them, we are the closest and most demanding buyers. Why not cooperate with each other, achieve mutual benefit, and develop together?"
After hearing Zhao Sheng's sensible and far-sighted words, Fan Xitong pondered for a moment, and finally realized it. He nodded repeatedly and said:
"Brother Zhao is absolutely right. There's really no need to fight with them over such a small gain and damage the relationship."
Therefore, Fan Xitong immediately wrote a letter to clearly convey their opinions to the staff stationed in Liangyu.
As expected, after Shili dug out the coal, he soon discovered a difficult problem.
Due to the long transportation distance and high cost, it is extremely uneconomical.
In desperation, they had to send people to find the coal mine on the Shijia side and express their willingness to sell the coal they dug to them.
After the family received the news, they discussed it and finally happily accepted the coal they sold, and made it clear that they would buy it all regardless of the quantity.
With the timely replenishment of large amounts of coal from Shili, the coal mines in Jing County were able to temporarily stop production, and all manpower and resources were put into the important work of iron ore mining and iron smelting.
In less than three months, Zhao Sheng successfully launched a large-scale weapons replacement work in the new army Luancheng.
The troops sent from Yanzhou and who underwent rigorous training in the Dingzhou camp were also equipped with a brand new and advanced weapon.
The formation of a new type of army not only puts higher demands on the performance and quality of weapons, but also carries out comprehensive innovation and upgrades in the configuration and production of equipment.
From the exquisite and practical bullet belt, to the sturdy and durable belt, to the lightweight and comfortable backpack, every detail has been carefully designed and produced.
The workshop in Luancheng once again entered a busy and intense stage of accelerated overtime production.
Moreover, these textile-related jobs, due to their delicate and tedious nature, require mostly skilled and dexterous women to perform them.