readsfreenovel Chapter 136 Inspection
Chapter 136 Inspection
Meng Bian put down the letter. This news was important and unimportant. As a vassal king, since he had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, his life and death were in the hands of the enemy and he could not blame anyone else.
"Miss Gu, this news is not that important to me. In the past ten years or so, countless Ming vassal kings have died. What's more, all of them were killed in Beijing. It has no effect on the situation in the world," Meng Bian opened his mouth and said slowly.
"Sir Meng, the news I want to tell you is not about the news itself, but the signature and source," Gu Qingmei said with a smile in her eyes.
Meng Bian picked up the letter again and looked down. It said: "May 20th". It was only one month from today, June 16th. From Beijing to Jiangnan, Meng Bian was shocked. What did this mean? Could it be that Gu Qingmei had a source of intelligence in Beijing, and it could be delivered to her quickly? Thinking of this, Meng Bian said seriously: "Miss Gu is as capable as a man. I wonder if Miss Gu is willing to help me find out about the deputy commander of the Ministry?"
Gu Qingmei was stunned. She didn't expect Meng Bian to let her be an official. Then she smiled and said, "Master Meng, you are joking. How can a woman like me be an official?"
Meng Bian stood up and said solemnly: "Miss Gu, please don't worry too much. I am sincere and I will not hide it from you. Since I took charge of the Intelligence Department, although I cannot say that I have made no achievements, I am still lacking in military intelligence. If Miss Gu is willing to help, I will be very grateful."
Gu Qingmei also stood up after hearing this and said with a firm look: "I am willing to serve, drive out the Tartars, and recover our lost territory." Her voice revealed a hint of determination and heroism.
……
Walking on the streets of Suzhou City, Gui Zhuang looked with emotion at the neatly organized shops on both sides and the children playing on the roadside. Gui Zhuang looked at a stall, sat down, ate snacks and chatted with the old stall owner.
The old man was very talkative and let Guizhuang get everything he wanted to know, such as the living conditions in Suzhou city. Nowadays, Suzhou people have become the core source and backbone of the combat power of Meng's army. Almost every household in Suzhou city has a male in the army. As for the families of the fallen soldiers, they can get a certain amount of pension every month. Now the children of martyrs, both boys and girls, can study in public schools in the city. The old stall owner also said that the Governor's Office has issued a notice that it is preparing to accept the children of officers and soldiers in the army into public schools for free.
Gui Zhuang was a little curious. After finishing his snacks, he came to the door of the public school under the guidance of passers-by. Gui Zhuang had only heard of private schools but never public schools. Looking at the vast public school, Gui Zhuang sighed in his heart. How could Meng Jun develop such a great momentum in more than a year? It was because he seized the right time, set up the banner of expelling the Tartars and recovering the country, and used generous military pay to improve the status of military families, and let the children of soldiers go to school for free, thus solving the army's worries.
Thinking of this, Gui Zhuang sighed. Gu Yanwu still had a better vision. He had traveled a long distance to follow Prince Lu, but his army collapsed after a military defeat. But now Meng Jun had become the backbone of the Ming Dynasty, with great influence. Countless scholars and officials came to join the Governor's Office in an endless stream.
Now he had nowhere to go. He didn't want to go to Guangdong to get involved in the internal strife between the two courts, but he was also unwilling to retire to the mountains and forests. Looking around the world, his only choice was to go to Meng Jun. Gui Zhuang decided to look for his close friend Gu Yanwu first.
At this time, Meng Jun had decided to go to Zhoushan Island to inspect the manufacture of military weapons. Meng Jun was determined to produce a large number of firearms in order to defeat cavalry with infantry. Without firearms, he could still compete with the elite cavalry of the Qing army in the water network of Jiangnan, but if he was on the northern plains, he would be unable to move forward without cavalry.
But cavalry is not so easy to train. Meng Jun searched everywhere, and captured 10,000 horses from Bolo, but now there are less than 15,000 horses. Moreover, these horses are precious and need to be raised carefully. According to the estimation of the Governor's Office, a cavalry of 12,000 people can be formed in the end. Of course, more than 10,000 cavalry can also be the key force if used well. But it is different with firearms. As long as the production is increased, a farmer can go into the battlefield after a few months of training. It is a completely different story.
On Shen Tingyang's boat, Meng Jun stood at the bow, looking at the waves, and suddenly felt heroic in his heart. If he had a strong navy, cooperating with the firearms battalion, he could gallop along the thousands of miles of coastline from Shandong, Hebei, and even Liaodong, and there would be great potential for him in this world.
At this time, Shen Tingyang looked at Meng Jun, who was full of energy and confidence, and couldn't help but smile. He then took a few steps forward. Meng Jun heard the footsteps and turned around, only to see Shen Tingyang slowly walking forward and standing beside Meng Jun.
Meng Jun turned his head and continued to look at the sea, then said: "General Shen, if we can gallop across the sea, is it possible for us to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Japan?" There was a hint of longing in Meng Jun's voice.
When Shen Tingyang heard this, he was stunned and surprised at Meng Jun's wild idea. Now the Qing army occupied eight-tenths of the world, but at this time Meng Jun was thinking of using the navy to conquer other countries. However, deep in his heart, Shen Tingyang was also ignited by Meng Jun's words and some long-hidden passion and desire in his heart.
Shen Tingyang shook his head and chuckled, "The governor is joking. If we need an army of 100,000, how many large ships will be needed, and how many ships will be needed to transport food and supplies? If we can really build so many large ships, why do we need to transport troops by ship? We can just use the ships as a route and attack Japan directly from Korea." After saying that, Shen Tingyang also laughed out loud.
"Hahaha, using boats as a road to go directly to Japan, General Shen is truly impressive," Meng Jun also said with a smile.
Afterwards, the two chatted for a while, and Shen Tingyang said with regret: "It's a pity that we failed to completely annihilate Bolo. If Bolo was destroyed, I'm afraid the emperor would not be able to survive either."
Meng Jun said calmly: "Man proposes, God disposes. Nothing in the world is perfect. When Bolo entered Fujian, he was already a defeated army. Zheng Zhilong had an army of 200,000 and thousands of ships, but he still surrendered. Isn't it ridiculous?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Tingyang hurriedly explained: "Commander-in-chief, I have never blamed you, but I can't help but feel regretful."
Meng Jun smiled and said, "General Shen, don't worry too much. I hate Bolo for running away. I blocked him from front and back but he still escaped. I think this may be God's will."