If the layout hadn't been started a long time ago, the good terrain of Suzaku Mountain might not have fallen into Fang Jie's hands. The Suzaku Mountain, which stretches for hundreds of miles, divides Huangyang Road into two. A large area in the west is blocked by the semicircular Suzaku Mountain, while the Langru Mountain Range runs north-south to the west, almost enclosing it. Although it was a fertile field thousands of miles away, the aborigines had basically moved out because it was too closed, and it was the only place in the Sui Dynasty that did not practice officialdom.
During the Taiping period, this place seemed a little remote. There were many tourists in Shanmei, but no one wanted to live there for a long time. There is Suzaku Mountain in front of it, which is a natural barrier. Although the wasteland behind the mountain has not been cultivated for many years, as long as it is opened, it will be good land.
Before Fang Jie went south, Wu Yidao had already arranged for people to recruit soldiers on Huangyang Road, and about seven or eight thousand people were building a cottage, working in full swing.
The branch of the Huangniu River passes by the foot of Zhuque Mountain. Although the river narrows, large ships can barely pass through it. Fang Xie’s first big move after arriving here is to widen the channel connecting a lake with a radius of tens of miles to the branch of the Huangniu River. , Tens of thousands of people are busy with this matter in the next two months. After the six-seven-mile-long river is widened, large ships can enter the lake to stay. The branch of the Yellow Niu River is feasible but cannot turn around. After opening up this small lake, the lake will become a water village, and it will be much more convenient for large ships to dispatch.
After the project of widening the river channel, another water channel is opened on the other side of the lake, so that the water flow forms a cycle, just like the roundabout of a modern road. The fleet enters the lake from the far entrance, and exits through another road. waterways, so as to avoid the danger of river congestion.
If the waterway is open, it seems that the door of convenience is always open for the Black Banner Army. With the ability of goods to travel all over the world, the needed housing materials can be delivered continuously from the waterway.
The artisan recruits are building a cottage on Suzaku Mountain, while the soldiers of the Black Banner Army are opening the river.
In the first three months, Fang Jie didn't have any plans to enter the army. And at this moment, there is no need to hide it anymore, and the recruiting of recruits can also be done on the bright side. The people of Huangyang Road hated Luo Yao's left front guard, so there were not many people who came to join them. The principle of Fang Jie's recruitment was still to choose the best to stay. Both young and old people gave five catties of grain and fifty copper coins and let them go home. Of course, as a result, many people signed up for the money and rations, but Fang Jie didn't allow anyone to find out, as long as they didn't receive it repeatedly, they would give it out.
For such an approach, Wu Yidao and others were full of praise in private.
Now that the foundation is not stable, it is indeed a big deal to grasp the hearts of the people. Just as Fang Jie said during the discussion, don't let the common people think that the Black Banner Army Zhuqueshan Camp is a group of bandits and robbers, but an army that loves and protects the people. Only when the local people recognize it can the foundation be truly stabilized.
During these days, Fang Jie has been staring at the river. The soldiers are very motivated, so the progress is very fast. After the preliminary preparations such as diversion are in place, the speed of widening the river is relatively fast.
Standing on the high embankment, Fang Jie looked at the soldiers working hard below with clairvoyance and smiled, "After the river channel is widened, we can build water villages in the lake, General Duan, this is what you are best at. I'll leave it to you."
Duan Zheng smiled and said: "General, from my point of view, this is not a long-term place... and our fleet has more than 200 warships, most of which are merchant ships, so more trestles are built in the lake for loading and unloading. The goods are immediately available, and as for the water village, there is no need to build it too large and strong."
Fang Jie nodded: "That's right, this is only a temporary place to live. But here you can attack, retreat, or defend, and you can't abandon it. How to build the water village is up to you. If you need people, money, and food, you just need to go to Lord Hou." Just ask for it."
Wu Yiyi said from one side: "I'm almost done with the business that can only be bought and sold."
Fang Jie laughed, and suddenly saw a tall figure in the distance walking along the river with his head down, as if he was thinking about something. Fang Jie pointed to the man and told his soldiers, "Go and invite Andrew here. How did this guy come so far?"
This Andrew is from a place called Ross Principality to the east of the sea. He is a firearms craftsman entrusted by Wu Yidao, a businessman from Eastern Chu. This man was a criminal in the Principality of Ross. Because he was framed and his family property was taken away, he beat him to death in a fit of anger and was taken into prison. The Eastern Chu merchant bought him with one hundred taels of silver and a piece of Sui porcelain. After he got down, he asked him to recruit several craftsmen who made firearms, all of whom were low-level people living in poverty, and sent them to the Sui Dynasty together.
He has golden curly hair and blue eyes typical of foreigners. He is very strong, but he can't fight at all. He once had the experience of being broken in a tavern, and the opponent was a sixty-year-old man.
The soldiers hurried over to invite Andrew over. Andrew heard that General Fang was looking for him and trotted over here. After he arrived in the Sui Dynasty, he was very fascinated by the culture of this country. From his understanding, Fang Jie was a big man in the Principality of Ross who was equivalent to the Duke.
"My lord, what do you want me to do?"
Andrew bent down to salute with the understanding of the Ross people, and he could barely express his meaning clearly in Chinese.
"How did you come all the way out so far?"
Fang Jie pointed in the direction of the cottage.
Andrew replied with some sadness: "I miss my family, my lord, if you have a way, can you bring my family here too? I am a criminal, as long as I return to the Duchy of Ross, I will be arrested again But I still have a younger sister and younger brother who need me to take care of them. If I am not by their side, their life must be very hard. Old Engel, that pervert has long been ill-intentioned to my younger sister, and I am very worried about them."
"oh?"
Fang Jie turned his head to look at Wu Yiyi and said, "Master Hou, if possible, we can ask the merchants from East Chu to bring Andrew's family, as well as the families of several other craftsmen, so that they can feel at ease. work."
Wu Daodao hummed: "I have already sent people to do it, but it is not easy to bring dozens of people out of the country of Ross."
Fang Jie nodded: "No matter how difficult it is, we must do it well... Andrew."
Fang Jie said to Andrew: "Don't worry, I will definitely bring your family. Besides, I have something to ask you."
Fang Jie thought for a while and said, "The things we make long blunderbuss are all bought from Eastern Chu merchants at a high price, such as gun barrels. These things can't be made in the Sui Dynasty yet. Do you think there is a way? , can you transport all the required machinery and equipment from the Principality of Ross?"
"My lord!"
Andrew exclaimed: "It's too difficult... It's a military-controlled item, and it's too difficult to ship it out. If those guys who manage the warehouse are not greedy for money, there is no way to buy these parts."
"There's always a way."
Fang Jie patted him on the shoulder and said, "As long as you can find a way to transport the machine from the Principality of Ross, I will fulfill your request. You know, I have the ability."
Andrew looked back at the scene of tens of thousands of soldiers working on the river, and believed in Fang Jie's words: "I know you have this ability... Okay! I will try my best to find a way, but... you can really grant me one wish ?”
Fang Jie nodded, "Unless you want to be emperor."
Andrew shook his head quickly: "No, no, no, I don't want to be the emperor, I just want... just... let Miss Yinyu be my wife, she is simply an angel, and I am deeply fascinated by her. If she can become My wife, I am willing to give everything in exchange for it!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and Jiu Se Cai, who was following behind, couldn't hold back his laughter with a puff. The muscles on Wu Yiyi's face couldn't help twitching a few times, and then he looked at Fang Jie.
Fang Jie was also obviously taken aback. He was silent for a while, stretched out his arms and put his arms around Andrew's shoulders and asked seriously: "Andrew, in your hometown, if two men like the same girl at the same time, how do you solve it?"
Andrew replied: "Duel!"
Fang Jie hummed, stopped and looked at Andrew and said more seriously: "How is the relationship between the medical officer in the cottage and you?"
"Very good, that's a good man! We often drink together, and he always invites me to drink your Dao Sui's burning knife. The wine is too spicy. I still like the beer from our Ross Principality. It tastes great. If I have a chance, I will invite you You can have a drink with sausage, it’s delicious in the world. I also told the medical officer that I will give him a barrel of beer in the future!"
Andrew said.
Fang Jie said very seriously: "He may have to take care of you for a while..."
…
…
Naturally, Fang Jie wouldn't really beat Andrew up, and of course he wouldn't mind doing it if Andrew challenged him. Wu Yidao was not joking when he said that he would betroth Wu Yinyu to Fang Jie. If Fang Jie hadn't half-jokingly pulled Andrew aside, San Jinhou might have thrown this stupid man into the mud at the bottom of the river.
"This is really difficult!"
In the workshop laboratory, Andrew Fangjie’s whimsy was beyond comprehension: “I have simplified the loading of the long gun as far as possible, so that the speed of firing and loading has increased by at least one-third compared with before. My lord, you Although the above-mentioned continuous shooting is a genius idea, I really can't do it, with my current ability, I don't think it's just me, no one else can do it."
Fang Jie nodded, knowing that the continuous-firing firearms are indeed a bit too advanced for this era, and the muskets of the Principality of Ross are not as good as the continuous crossbow in terms of lethality. Even if equipped with an army, if the enemy has tens of thousands of arrows, the musket has no advantage at all. The shooting range is not longer than that of a hard bow, and the lead bullets are less powerful. Looking at this thing now, it can only be regarded as a sharp weapon for mid-range combat, and it requires a lot of equipment.
The reason why Fang Jie asked Andrew to study continuously is because he firmly believes that the times are advancing, and technology is also advancing. Although the current firearms are still very weak, the future generations will suffer heavy losses in the battle between cold weapons and hot weapons. The solution will not be forgotten. He will never forget how much he suffered in this respect in his previous homeland.
"Leave this first."
Fang Jie asked: "What about artillery, is it possible that it was built in the Sui Dynasty?"
Andrew shook his head again: "Impossible, only a few of us and those apprentices, without a factory, it is impossible to cast artillery."
Fang Jie couldn't help sighing, although he knew the answer a long time ago, he was still a little disappointed. There is no mature casting process in the Sui Dynasty, and it is only a matter of thinking about making artillery.
"if… "
Fang Jie made a gesture and said, "If the artillery can be installed on the warship, then our fleet can easily control the river."
Andrew looked at Fang Jie like a monster: "I really can't believe that you have never left this country. Your thinking is completely different from other people. They are surprised and suspicious when they see these things, but you seem to know a lot A lot of things are not surprising at all.”
Fang Jie smiled and said that just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard someone outside say in a cold tone: "Because he is the chosen one, and the chosen one knows many things that others don't. Knowledge is not acquired."
Fang Jie's heart was shocked, and when he turned his head, he saw Sang Sasa, the Great Master of Meng Yuan, who appeared at the door at some time.