I’m The King

In June, three thousand Yuyang County soldiers drove to Xinhui County, which borders Hejian County. At the same time, Ye Zhen's Central Army also sent one thousand foot soldiers to Anlu County, which is adjacent to Xinhui. At the intersection of the two sides, small frictions appear frequently. It seems that the two sides are already at war, and they may start fighting at any time. It seems that there are many Yuyang soldiers, but the world knows that the soldiers of the East Army cannot be regarded as ordinary troops. It's really hard to say who wins and who loses when it comes to fighting.

But under the military confrontation, there is another storm concealed. The salt and iron of Yuyang County, the weapons and horses of western Liaoning are in constant communication with each other from these two places. The two armies, It is not so much confronting each other, as it is to protect these transactions and cover up the secret at the same time.

Of course, with such a large transaction volume, it is naturally difficult to keep it secret for a long time. However, in the eyes of both parties, even if these people are known to the world, the things of face must be maintained.

In addition to these strategic material transactions, private caravans are getting closer and closer. Xinhui and Anlu, which were originally on the fringe of the two counties, have slowly become prosperous. more and more.

The Yan Kingdom imperial court controlled the release of strategic materials in Hejian, Liaoning and West. It was extremely difficult for salt and iron to flow in. In addition to self-produced, it relied on smuggling. Despite the efforts of the bold Yan merchants and the commerce of the world, there is no guarantee of endless supply. Once the imperial court is ruthless, this road will be cut off. It is a long way from Zhao Guodai County. Although this line has never been broken, it costs too much. After opening up the Yuyang County line, Gao Yuan temporarily went to this point to worry about it.

But this is not a long-term solution. Throwing his lifeline to an ally who might bite him at any time is not what Gao Yuan wants, but in front of Gao Yuan, it is to win Donghu. The land of Liaodong is rich in minerals. The Donghu people are in Baoshan and don't know it, or they know it. However, due to the lack of technical strength, it was unable to cultivate in large quantities.

Fighting Donghu is not only a situation of hostility between the two sides, but also because Gaoyuan must control this area. Only by winning Liaodong can Gaoyuan truly have the capital to compete in the world.

It was for this reason that Gao Yuan did not hesitate to use weapons and war horses to ensure that Yuyang County would send these strategic materials in an endless stream before he and Donghu decided the outcome.

Both parties take what they need.

Jiang Xinliang and Gao Yuan are busy, too busy.

Jiang Xinliang was busy strengthening the army. He knew very well that as long as the 30,000 Yuyang Army in his hand became a strong army like the Zhengdong Army. Even if he can't cross the world like Gao Yuan, he can become a pivotal force in the Yan State, enough to influence the Yan State's political situation. Otherwise, even if you hug your thigh, you may be kicked by this thigh at any time.

not to mention. He now independently supports Zaiyu, which borders the State of Zhao. With Jing Rufeng’s victory at Hangu Pass, the external military pressure has been greatly eased by the State of Zhao. The people of Qin had to shrink the front, while the pressure of Zhao State on the western front was reduced. He will look at the east again. He had to guard.

Gao Yuan is also busy. Too busy. The battle with Donghu is imminent, and he must be prepared in all aspects. The last time Yan Guoji went to war with Donghu with all his strength, but this time, he independently supported it. Last time, all parties sent more than one hundred thousand troops, but this time, he had a full plan and his strength was only thirty thousand. This has to be coupled with Xu Yuan's outstanding tricks in Pioneer City. As a result, the Northern Field Army expanded to 20,000 in just six months. In the direction of the Eastern Army, He Lanxiong currently has only more than 10,000 people under his command, and all non-combatants must also be counted.

This is not a battle of equal strength.

Grain and grass reserves, transportation, ordnance manufacturing, and distribution are all headaches.

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

In the West City, there are concentrated iron refining and various weapons factories, countless furnaces are blazing, and the heat rises from these factories and slowly diffuses throughout the city.

Walking in this block of countless factories, even if you are outside, you can feel the heat, and in a moment, Gao Yuan feels sweaty and heavy.

"With such a high fever, how can the craftsmen endure long-term work? In this regard, do you have any solutions?" Looking back at Wu Kai, the guardian of Jishi County who accompanied him, and Van Denke, who is in charge of all military production. Although the mansion is being destroyed in a hurry, it shouldn't cause the craftsman to be surprised."

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

"Yes, the county guard!" Fan Dengke was originally from Langya, a senior steward of the Ye family. With more than 10,000 craftsmen being married to the west of Liaoning, he is now Sima in Jishi County, one of the most important His mission is to manage the military workshops in the West City.

"The Governor, in order to improve work efficiency, we divide the workers into three shifts. Under normal circumstances, work shifts every four hours, without rest. Even at night, construction is still underway. During this period, the weather turns hot and the factory buildings It was extremely hot, so it turned into a two-hour shift. At the same time, in the factory, herbal tea, mung bean soup, and decoctions for medical officers were all prepared."

"Well, if you want to be more thoughtful, even so, you can't be careless. It's best to ask more medical officers to be here at any time." Gao Yuan nodded.

"Yes, the next official will do it right away."

"In addition, according to the requirements of the soldiers in front, how are some weapon changes going on?"

"Except for the previously produced stocks, the latest productions are all based on the feedback of the frontline soldiers and made corresponding changes. For example, the iron helmets with eaves are used on weapons such as spears and short daggers. The opening of the blood tank is extremely simple. Once I received suggestions for improvement, I immediately changed all the previous production methods."

"What about the others?"

Van Denke's face was distressed, "The governor, like the soldiers reported that the bed crossbow is bulky, the rate of fire is too slow, and the crossbow has a short range. It is difficult to solve for a while, but the lower officials are organizing manpower to explore."

Gao Yuan stopped, "At the moment our enemy is the Donghu people. The Donghu people are mainly cavalry and cavalry. If we can strengthen the strike capability of long-range weapons, we can reduce the loss of soldiers who use their flesh and blood to shake the cavalry. Therefore, research in this area should be strengthened. Let’s do this. You organize experienced masters to set up the Zhenshang Research Institute, which will be allocated by the Governor’s Office. The job of these masters is to manage the research on how to improve the performance of weapons, including The performance improvement of bed crossbow and crossbow riding, but not limited to these, these craftsmen, as long as they produce achievements, not only rewards, but also officials.

Van Dengke's spirits lifted up and he conferred officials on craftsmen. This is a precedent in the Central Plains, but when you think about Guo Quan, he is relieved, "In this way, the enthusiasm of craftsmen can be greatly improved, and he may be able to find ways. "

"Don't be afraid to spend money on the research institute!" Gao Yuan raised his head to look at the rising smoke, and said: "No matter how much money is spent on research, the lives of the soldiers in the front will not be as precious. Many, but all of them are one-stop ten generations, Van Dengke, don't underestimate your work. Every time you develop a weapon of ordnance, you may be able to save the lives of countless soldiers on the front line and control a war. Victory!"

"The next official understands that even if he doesn't eat or drink, he doesn't sleep, he will definitely resolve the opinions put forward by the frontline soldiers in the shortest possible time and come up with weapons that the governor is satisfied with."

"Haste is not enough!" Gao Yuan shook his head, "To do this, you must first sink your heart."

"Yes!" Van Denko replied.

"The Governor, go to the warehouse and have a look. With the improvement of our iron smelting technology, now our weapons are getting sharper and sharper," said Wu Kai on one side.

"Okay, go and see!"

In the workshop area, there are rows of tall warehouses of exactly the same shape. The guards stand upright in front of the door. Every time a stick of incense, there is a group of patrols walking by in neat steps. At the door of the warehouse, huge wooden boxes yarded from the ground to the roof. Above the empty space of the warehouse, a soldier was putting a huge shield into the wooden box neatly. On one side of the stack.

He picked up a shield with his hand and danced a few times, but Gao Yuan said, "A lot lighter than before?"

"Yes, the Governor, as our iron smelting technology improves, the quality of the refined iron produced is getting better and better. In the past, the wooden shield was outsourcing with iron skin, and its anti-strike ability was poor. It could not stop the heavy weapons of the cavalry. The shield is too heavy, and it is extremely inconvenient for soldiers to use. But now, the iron sheet made of newly smelted fine iron is covered on the wooden shield. Although the anti-strike ability is slightly worse than that of the iron shield, it is better than the lightness, so now it is mainly Produce this kind of 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 the time he was in, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. The half shield in front of you, It still weighs more than ten kilograms, but compared with the previous iron shields weighing tens of kilograms, even if a small amount of protective power is sacrificed, it greatly increases the combat power of the soldiers. But it is to receive more.

In this warehouse, there are various types of shields. There are half-human shields for infantry, large shields for formation, and small round shields for cavalry. Compared with the previous ones, in terms of quality, it is indeed Great progress.

After connecting several warehouses, I saw the warehouse full of weapons, Gao Yuan's heart finally stopped a little, the Northern Army suddenly increased by more than 15,000 soldiers, but this was unexpected before. The armed forces of the Northern Army were in a hurry. For the past few months, they have been sending weapons there.When these weapons arrive at the Prophet City, the Northern Army will truly have a certain degree of strength.

Donghu's move to increase troops to Hetao has never stopped.The pressure Sun Xiao is facing is increasing day by day.He has no reinforcements to send over, and can only use weapons to solve their worries.

The battle of the loop, is it finally about to begin?