the world is at stake

The boat is small, like a canoe, and can accommodate at most two people.There is a clay pot for water and two wooden oars on board.A discarded fishing net made of hemp rope hangs from a nearby branch.

"Good news, there are people living here."

Zhou Qingfeng put away his spear, took out his double-barreled flintlock pistol for self-defense, and walked along the path to the depths of the forest by the river bank.After walking about a hundred meters, he keenly heard movement in the woods.

"Stop." Zhou Qingfeng couldn't see through the dense forest.But he raised his hand to signal to the soldiers behind him, then raised his pistol to the sky and pulled the trigger.

A bang sounded from the forest, followed by the sound of someone turning around and running away after being frightened.

Branches break, birds flutter, and wild animals panic.Zhou Qingfeng quickly followed the movement and saw two short figures fleeing swiftly in the forest.

Hi……!

Zhou Qingfeng yelled, but the fleeing figure didn't stop.After all, he was not familiar with the environment, and lost sight of the other party after running for tens of meters.

In front of a broken branch, Zhou Qingfeng looked down at the footprints left on the ground, and then at the animal trap hidden not far away, he laughed and said: "Excellent mountain infantry, you have a lot of brains." .”

Back on the river bank, Zhou Qingfeng asked the soldiers following, "Who brought sugar?"

Because it is an expedition, each Xinhua soldier always has enough dry food for three days in his rucksack, as well as sugar for emergency supplements.

The sugar is brown sugar shipped from Guangdong by Quanzhou merchants.Due to the small amount, it is made into white sugar and used as military supplies and medical supplies, and is not sold to the outside world.

However, a small amount of outflowing white sugar has become a rare treasure, and the price is very high.

Zhou Qingfeng put half a catty of sugar as a gift on the small boat on the shore, and made an arrow on the ground with stones, pointing to the location where the 'Liaodong' was docked.Then he led the team away.

Nothing happened that day, and the armed expedition team returned to the steamer at night. The ship stopped in the middle of the Yalu River and anchored overnight.The next day, the team continued to go ashore to build a military depot.

At noon, several spies appeared in the woods on the other side of the river.They are generally not tall, their hair is messy, they wear animal skin clothes, fish skin boots, and their weapons are mostly wooden spears and wooden bows.

Zhou Qingfeng held up the bronze binoculars on the north bank to observe for a long time, and another person rowed a small boat across the 500-meter river, hoping to meet the local residents and have a good chat.

Several people on the other side saw him coming alone, although they were on guard, they were not very afraid.One of the leaders came out and shouted a few times, but the ancient Liaodong tone sounded weird, making it impossible to communicate at all.

The two sides chatted with each other for a long time. Although they didn't understand very well, they understood that they were not hostile to each other.Zhou Qingfeng took out another patterned steel dagger to send each other off, bringing the relationship closer.

The opponent's leader drew out the dagger, and cut lightly on his own finger, blood was seen immediately, which showed its sharpness.He laughed happily, patted Zhou Qingfeng on the shoulder boldly, and waved to invite him to follow him.

Zhou Qingfeng said to wait a moment, and used the two flags he carried with him to send a semaphore to the 'Liaodong', saying that he was safe now and that he would continue to investigate the areas where the locals lived.

Fang Bo on the boat expressed his understanding and hoped that Zhou Qingfeng would return before dark, otherwise he would send someone to look for him.

After explaining the situation, Zhou Qingfeng and the locals walked through the dense forests of Northeast Asia for more than an hour, and arrived at the village hidden in the forest.

Suddenly a guy in official uniform came out of the village, dirty all over, with a sad face.He was shocked when he saw Zhou Qingfeng, and spoke in Chinese, "Your Majesty is from the Ming Dynasty? Did you leave the refined sugar yesterday?"

"Ah... That's right. Who are you?" Zhou Qingfeng was even more curious. He thought he saw an official from Ming Dynasty, but the official uniform of this person in front of him looked strange.

"Han Ai, I'm a Korean interpreter." The guy in official uniform saw that Zhou Qingfeng was tall and strong, with armor on, fully armed, and bowed his head, "Your Majesty must be a general of the Ming Dynasty, come to save us?"

Uh... Zhou Qingfeng hesitated for a while, and said vaguely: "I'm here to exterminate the Jianzhou Jurchens and kill the slave chieftain Nurhachi."

Han Tongyi was even more overjoyed, dancing and dancing, "I've been saved, I've been saved, I've been waiting for help for several months, and I'm already heartbroken. The soldiers from tomorrow have finally arrived. I don't know what to call the general? What kind of military position? How many troops did you bring?" ?”

Zhou Qingfeng was even more inexplicable, and continued to ask vaguely: "My surname is Zhou, so you can treat me as a thousand households. I just came to investigate the situation, and I don't know the specifics. You'd better tell me in detail."

"Of course." Han Tongyi puffed his chest and said, "Master Qianhu, please come with me. The village is simple and rough, and there are many vulgar people, but there is also a quiet place."

The village is quite chaotic, it feels like a refugee gathering area.Farmers and hunters have them. Most of the tools and weapons are made of wood, and iron is extremely rare.Clothes are poorly made, mostly animal skins and linen.

It can be seen that the residents here are very poor.

Han Tongyi took Zhou Qingfeng to a wooden house in the village, and there was no tea, only two wooden bowls were placed and poured into the mountain spring.He scratched his dirty head and told the current situation.

The first thing is that the Kuandian Fort of the Ming army was lost.

A few months ago, the Jianzhou Jurchen obtained a large amount of iron and food, and suddenly sent troops to the south, occupying the five fortresses of Kuandian, Yongdian, Tandian, Changdian, and Hedian in the Ming Dynasty's Dongningwei.

The generals of the Ming army stationed in Kuandian surrendered and were demoted to the defense.The soldiers and civilians of the guard were organized into the Eight Banners, under the jurisdiction of a Niu Lu Ezhen.

"Last year, the slave chieftain claimed to be the 'Wise Khan of Restoring the Nation', the founding of the country, and openly competed with the Ming Dynasty. Since the end of the year, its power has suddenly increased, and its money, food, and military equipment have increased several times.

He sent troops to capture Kuandian, and there were many more firecrackers in the queue, which could shoot long distances and penetrate armor.The Ming army in Kuandian was irresistible and had to surrender. "

Han Tongyi spread his hands and said: "After taking Kuandian, the slave chiefs did not give up. They sent Fei Yingdong as the general and the fifth son Mang Gurtai as the vanguard, crossed the Yalu River, and marched towards Pyongyang.

Our North Korean marshal Jiang Hongli led an army of 1 to fight against him, but he was defeated by his firecrackers.Fei Yingdong threatened me to ask for [-] people, [-] catties of pig iron, and [-] shi of grain. If they don't give them, they will come again. "

Han Ai said weepingly, "Now the Jianzhou Department is arresting people as slaves everywhere, and all the people in the mountains and fields have fled. In this village, there are Liao people, Jurchens, and even Korean nationals.

The lower body is a general interpreter, who is placed here, ready to bow down and welcome the slave chiefs to the south at any time.The Jianzhou barbarians in Kuandian often send people to ask for money and food. The woman treats me like a slave.

Jiannu oppressed too much, and I hoped for the army of the Celestial Dynasty as I hoped for my parents, and today I finally got my wish.There are thousands of households in Zhou, but I am driven, and I am willing to do the work of dogs and horses. "

Chapter 32 Am I a Rebel?

The small village in the forest is small, and most of the villagers escaped from the north bank of the Yalu River.There are a lot of them, but they lost the only means of production, and most of the temporary shacks they built were ground shacks, and they lived by hunting and gathering.

In June and July, the temperature in Northeast China is still above [-] degrees.Rainfall is extremely abundant.But if they don't get relief, this group of people will definitely not survive the winter.

Led by Han Tongyi, Zhou Qingfeng walked around the village and found that there were very few old and weak people, most of them were young and strong in their twenties, and there were three to four hundred of them.

There are Jurchens who are unwilling to submit to the Jianzhou Department; there are Han Chinese who fled to avoid taxes from the Ming Dynasty;

Since the Ming Dynasty, North Korea, and Jurchen failed to establish effective control here, these people in front of them can only be called the people of the mountains and fields, and whoever is strong will conquer whom.

"Han Tong translated."

"exist."

"Do you want to be a Ming countryman?"

"Ah...? I was born in North Pyongan Province, North Korea."

"I just asked you if you want to be a citizen of the dynasty?"

"My lord Zhou praised me. Even if I serve as a dog for the Celestial Dynasty, I will be deeply impressed."

"You... just be my dog ​​first."

With a few words, Zhou Qingfeng felt that he was playing the piano to a cow.He was not familiar with the area around the Yalu River, so he wanted to win over the North Korean interpreter as a guide, but he didn't expect that the other party would be a dog when he opened his mouth.

All right, be a dog if you are a dog.

Han Ai and Han Tongyi were overjoyed when they heard that Master Qianhu of Tianchao was willing to accept him as a dog.He knelt down on the spot and kowtowed several times, "Han will be Mr. Zhou's running dog from now on, and he will be so heartbroken that he will repay him with death."

Zhou Qingfeng sighed.

"From today onwards, the people in the village will be used by me. You count the population immediately. In a group of ten people, three shifts in a row, three rows in a row, choose the leader and lead the team, and follow me to the river bank to choose a place to station .All food and clothing are provided by me.”

It takes time and effort to transport people from Songjiang.Around the Yalu River, there are at least a few thousand people in the mountains and fields who do not want to submit to the slaves, which is also a considerable labor force.

Han Tong will do the translation when he gets the order.This group of people in the village is in dire straits, so it's a good time to recruit them.Not long after, he brought over a dozen so-called 'company squad leaders' to meet the lord of Tianchao.

The 'company squad leaders' are the leaders at all levels in the village.Zhou Qingfeng took out a small notebook, talked with them one by one, asked and recorded their names, origins, background, family members, and current situation, and made a formal appointment for them.

Although there is a language barrier, asking in person can greatly shorten the relationship between superiors and subordinates.Zhou Qingfeng spent half a day doing a simple investigation, and he was more confident.

The villagers have a psychological comfort, and it is easier to recognize Zhou Qingfeng's prestige.

Han Ai acted as an interpreter by the side, speaking different dialects and slang to Zhou Qingfeng.In his opinion, Mr. Zhou is generous and kind, he often laughs, and occasionally pats the vulgar villagers on the head and shoulders, saying a few words of praise.

This is not like a high-ranking official at all, but like a hero.

The living conditions of the people in the mountains and fields are harsh, and they have always been fierce and rebellious.They are both awed and suspicious of the tall and strong celestial master.

But talking about the family's food and clothing, asking about the past and current situation and other daily topics, the mountain people who were regarded as savages by Han Tongyi were talking and laughing, crying, or kneeling and kowtowing, and they rushed to talk to Master Zhou. Pour out your sorrows.

The village has long run out of food, so it can only rely on catching some fish and shrimps in the river and catching some birds and animals in the forest to make a living.

The simple shacks do not shelter from the cold at all.It’s okay in summer, but what about winter?Once the weather is freezing, there is only one dead end.

There are many sick people in the villagers, and there are more than ten people who are dying.Many were wounded by wild animals, but most were due to fights with other nearby mountain people for food.

After talking too much, the sound of crying rose and fell.Zhou Qingfeng said at the right time that he would lead everyone to live a good life, and there was no objection in the village.

Some experienced village leaders took the initiative to explain where there are many wild animals along the river, where are the best places to settle down, and where are the places that are most likely to be hit by floods.

Zhou Qingfeng only knows that the Yalu River Basin has a lot of rainfall in summer and is prone to floods.But what happened 400 years ago, he really doesn't know.

Some local people suggested that he can save a lot of trouble and make adjustments in a timely manner.

In the afternoon, forty or fifty villagers followed Zhou Qingfeng back to the riverside with hope.They cringed and wondered at the sight of the smoking steamship.

The easiest way to dispel doubts is for Zhou Qingfeng to distribute some food, cloth, salt, even medicine and ironware from the 'Liaodong' to them.

After more than a year of tossing by the medical team, the first batch of low-toxic penicillin has been mass-produced and promoted and used in the Xinhua site.Zhou Qingfeng's expedition team brought [-] units of penicillin injection packaged in [-] glass bottles.

A dozen seriously wounded were carried to the river bank.They all failed to do a good job of wound cleaning, and both were traumatic infections.Four or five are dying.

The military doctors and health soldiers of the expedition performed a miracle by themselves, cutting off the stinking carrion with a scalpel, cleaning the wound with foreign matter, cleaning it with alcohol, and then bandaging it with gauze.

The important thing is to get a penicillin injection after passing the skin test.

The wounded among the villagers basically had a low-grade fever, and some were talking nonsense beyond control.However, after injection of penicillin, more than half of the wounded had a fever the next day, and the rest recovered within three days.

At this time, looking at the strange steamboat on the river, I feel that the masters of the Celestial Dynasty have strong soldiers and thick armor, like gods.

This is not only to produce materials, but also to save lives. More than 340 mountain villagers are excited and feel that they have found a strong support.

At nightfall, Zhou Qingfeng personally operated the telegraph and sent a telegram to Xiao Jinlang in Songjiang.

"The 'Liaodong' arrived at the mouth of the Yalu River and settled in the revitalization area of ​​Dandong. There are dense forests here, rich in timber and hydraulic resources. Please bring a batch of hydraulic machinery with the supply fleet to deal with building materials on the spot.

The expedition team found many mountain refugees in the local area, and learned that Jiannu had obtained a large amount of iron and food in recent months. They captured Kuandian ahead of schedule and used a large number of firearms.Consider that the 'federal' adversary has stepped in.

Most of the refugees are poor, and the number may exceed [-].

I have accommodated more than 300 basic laborers, and if possible, they will be organized as security forces.They are familiar with the local geography and will be a great help to us.

In addition, the forestry resources here are very rich, and Songjiang can be supported when necessary. "

The telegram was handed over to Captain Fang Bo for confirmation, and the two signed and archived it, translated it into Morse code together, and sent it out.

Every time he sent codes, Zhou Qingfeng finally understood why sending telegrams was so expensive in the early days—it took a lot of knuckles to send out '0' and '1' one by one with the keys of his hands.

The telegram needs to be relayed all the way and sent back through the stations along the way.The recipient of each telegram has to confirm back and forth and forward it again.The sending and receiving system is quite complicated.

By the time the telegram reached Xiao Jinlang, five or six hours had passed.By the time Zhou Qingfeng received Lao Xiao's call back, it was already the next morning.

"The 'Liaodong' started off smoothly, which is gratifying. The follow-up 'Liao' four ships will continue to transport personnel and supplies to Dandong. From now on, they will arrive every two days. You can safely and boldly recruit local labor.

In addition, the two shipyards of 'Jiangnan' and 'Zhonghua' have built six berths and are going all out to build them.The mechanical group completed the first phase of improvement of the steam engine, the power was increased to 15.00 horsepower, and the coal consumption was reduced by [-]%.

The design of the new ship type has been completed. After the completion of five "Liao" class ships, a new "Hu" class transport ship will be rebuilt, with a tonnage increased to 150 tons and a flat bottom to increase the cargo hold volume.

Songjiang is indeed short of wood, especially shipbuilding wood.If Dandong can provide forestry resources, it will undoubtedly be of great benefit to our shipbuilding. "

After reading the telegram, Zhou Qingfeng was determined.

The 60-ton 'Liaodong' can carry more than [-] tons of supplies, except for [-] tons of coal, the rest are food, cloth and tools.This material is worth tens of thousands of gold in Liaodong.

Han Ai brought more than a dozen 'company squad leaders' to follow Zhou Qingfeng on board the 'Liaodong', and was greatly shocked by this big ship.When hundreds of sacks of grain were moved out of the cabin, they cheered to the point of tears.

Food, it's food!

There is a way to survive, and there is a way to survive by joining Daming!

Axes, hacksaws, machetes, spears, iron pots, and a large number of iron products also appeared.This can greatly improve the lives of local mountain villagers, and with these, they can completely rule the roost.

Because the power in Liaodong is too poor, there is nothing else except for the ruthlessness of the people who are not afraid of death.

Zhou Qingfeng issued an order to Han Ai, appointing him as the battalion commander of the agricultural reclamation camp, leading a team to cut down trees.The more wood you cut, the more grain and iron utensils.

In addition, some young and strong villagers were incorporated into the army.They are familiar with the surrounding mountains and fields, and they are the best guides when they are full of food, and they can lead patrols.

Two days later, the 'Liaobei' arrived in Dandong, bringing in more soldiers, craftsmen and supplies.Fang Bo commanded the 'Liaodong' to return, dragging seven or eight giant trees that had just been felled by cables at the stern of the ship.

Due to the ocean shielding, this place in Dandong is inaccessible.Towering trees of more than [-] meters can be seen everywhere along the coast, most of which have a diameter at breast height of more than [-] centimeters and are the best building materials.

However, due to inconvenient transportation, the resources here have never been effectively developed.

Two days later, the 'Liaoxi' and 'Liaonan' arrived at the same time to replace the 'Liaobei'.The transportation of personnel and materials became stable, and the hydraulic machinery and installation craftsmen needed by Zhou Qingfeng were sent.

Seeing the continuous appearance of large ships, Han Ai and the villagers in the farm reclamation camp admired the skills of the master of the Celestial Dynasty so much that they threw themselves into the ground.He put on a gray two-pocket uniform, and devoted himself to the work of recruiting mountain villagers and logging and building houses with full enthusiasm.

When the hydraulic machinery was being installed, Han Ai deliberately went to see it.

The Yalu River is not the slow-flowing Wusong River. Waterwheels cannot be placed directly in the river, diversion channels must be dug first, or tributaries must be used to build them, otherwise there will be a risk of flooding and being washed away.

This construction process not only made Han Ai curious, but also other villagers in the farm reclamation camp.They never met.

After Mr. Zhou came, he began to divide the labor, let a certain class specialize in cooking, a certain class in logging, a certain class in chopping branches, and a certain class in charge of patrolling.

The division of labor and cooperation can greatly improve production efficiency. The villagers eat and drink enough every day, and they like to watch steamboats when they rest.But steamships don’t allow people to go aboard casually, so the site where hydraulic machinery is installed is always surrounded by spectators.

Xinhua's craftsmen are already familiar with building hydraulic machinery. The waterwheel was assembled as early as in Songjiang, and the related transmission gears and bearings were also debugged. Before the diversion canal was dug, the sawn bed frame was installed.