Chapter 195: The bigger the cannon, the better

In May and June of the tenth year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen accepted the opinions of Yang Sichang and other ministers, decided to change the suppression of bandits to recruiting and pacifying, and ordered Xiong Wencan to preside over the matter.

The two tribes of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, as well as the Shaanxi and Henan civilian army, were still roaming in Shaanxi, Jin, Sichuan, Henan, and southern Zhili, and had a victory or defeat with the official army. There was no sign of being surrendered at all.

The Eastern Earl Jurchens outside the pass focused on the grassland. The Eastern Mongolian tribes were either attracted or defeated by Huang Taiji, and they were increasingly strengthening the Jurchens' strength. The so-called Mongolian Iron Cavalry, in front of the Eight Banners of the Jurchens, performed worse than the Ming army.

These are all major events, but for Li Meng, the biggest event at the moment is the cargo unloaded on the ship not far away.

The gap between time and space for hundreds of years is not only the difference between food and clothing, but also the difference between ancient and modern times, but in extremely subtle places, but Li Meng saw something surprising on the boat not far away.

Looking at the Mile Mile Mile, you can see the big ship not far away. The sailors gathered together to hang a cannon with pulleys and slowly put it down. There were several sampans outside the big ship, and there were also several sailors on the sampan, carefully adjusting the direction of the laid-down cannon body.

Next to Li Meng was a top figure from the Zheng family. He was also the one who stayed in Meilou in Nanjing that day. He smiled beside Li Meng and explained:

"It's so good for the general to know that these six cannons were made by those craftsmen in Macau, and the so-called red-clothed cannons in the court may not be much better than these."

"What a big cannon is this?"

After hearing Li Meng's sudden question, the leader of the Zheng family was stunned and then reacted, unable to help but exclaim, thinking that General Li was indeed extraordinary. What a big statement. If he hadn't had dealt with a ghost in Fujian many times back then, he really didn't know how to answer. He replied with a smile:

"Two thousand kilograms, our head of the family has already used this kind of cannon on the ship, and no one can beat it at sea. The old uncle of the villain said, since the adults want it, the Zheng family will buy the best one for the adults. Each cannon costs nearly four hundred taels of silver!"

After saying this, the leader of the Zheng family laughed:

"It's a joke for the adults. The villain used to be in charge of the accounting. I think the few thousand taels of silver are a lot, so I have to take it out and talk about it."

Li Meng smiled at him, put down the Qianli Mile Mile Mile Mile. A cannon had been transported to the shore. Nearly a hundred people under Li Meng were piled up on the shore. Some people put ropes on the ears of the cannons, and some people were preparing to cushion underneath with wooden boxes that had been prepared long ago. Dozens of sailors from the Zheng family were there to help.

The shouting sounded like a piece. Six bulls were slapped on the end of the rope. The cannon rolled onto the wooden box truck. Someone drove the bull, but the cannon did not move. Chen Liuzi, who was standing on the shore, shouted loudly. More than 20 people stepped forward and pushed the cannon. The bulls were roaring and the strong men shouted. The cannon slowly began to move.

The leader of the Zheng family observed Li Meng's face and wanted to see what Li Meng thought of these six cannons. The Zheng family thought that the best cannons found by the Zheng family, and the foreigners in Macau also said that the best cannons in Europe are the cannons of this level.

These six cannons were made by foreign craftsmen, so the quality is naturally safe. Moreover, the Zheng family has great face in these ports in Nanyang, and the other party has done their best to buy them.

But this "best cannon" did not make any smile on Li Meng's face. The leader couldn't help but feel a little depressed. However, he saw Li Meng holding the Qianli Mile Mile Mile and looked at the direction of the ship a few more times, turned around and asked:

"Are these six cannons of all sizes?"

After receiving a positive answer, Li Meng sighed in his heart. The two thousand and hundreds of kilograms in front of him were much thicker than the cannons seen in the army now, but the human power of six cows and dozens of people could only be pulled step by step, with a very slow speed. What effect can it have on the battlefield?

When the cannon was unloaded, it didn't have any attached racks or wheels. It also had to be configured here. At present, it was probably just this wooden box truck, which was also a bulky thing.

On the battlefield, mobility is the key. Although the cannon has great power, if it moves so slowly, it will only be a burden. This kind of cannon seems to be only suitable for the fortress, but he has no intention of building a fortress in Jiaodong. Li Meng shook his head, thinking that this matter was also blamed on himself. He only said that he had bought the cannon, but there were no specific parameters. The Zheng family did his best and could not be said to be wrong.

Li Meng turned around and looked at Denglas who was called by him and asked:

"When you were in the West, what cannon did the troops use?"

Deng Yangren saw that the artillery was not as enthusiastic as the people in Jiaozhou Camp. However, this person was very smooth. Although he was impatient, he did not show it. He also pretended to be quite interested. He heard Li Meng ask, he quickly bowed and replied:

"Report to the master, the army should be used...below 1,000 pounds."

The weights and measures between Spain and the Ming Dynasty must be different. Deng Yangren obviously converted the specific units in his mind and gave this vague unit.

Without a specific unit, it is impossible to be sure which type of artillery is suitable for land combat. It takes a long time to travel from Shandong to Macau. Could it be that the Zheng family has been so busy that they can buy all the artillery of all specifications and then pick out the ones they use by themselves?

At best, Deng Yangren was a mercenary and could not require him to be proficient in everything. His originally excited mood suddenly became much lower.

The leader of the Zheng family next to him is very talented and has a strong ability to observe words and expressions. Although Li Meng's expression was faint, he could see that he was not in high spirits. However, the leader of the Zheng family also had remedies. He sighed in his heart that Mr. Zheng Sha was far-sighted and that a few cannons that didn't necessarily please Li Meng. This judgment was true. He smiled and said:

"This time, this artillery is nothing. The Zheng family has also prepared a gift for the adults."

Li Meng was not interested in this gift. He was just a woman of gold and silver. He also had to maintain a good relationship with the Zheng family. He said with a smile:

"I have appreciated your intentions. Recently, there is a lot of salt in the salt field. I will reduce the price of one yuan for each leverage. This has been the case in the past two months."

Although it is said that it is merciless, according to the amount of salt purchased by the Zheng family, it is almost several times the price of the cannon this time. After hearing this, the leader of the Zheng family understood that his cannon did not make the other party moved. He just turned around and greeted his subordinates repeatedly:

"Please ask those guys to get ashore."

Li Meng listened by the side, and it was indeed a person who was sent. He thought that Nanjing City was indeed boundless. This time, I don’t know whose leader was. Li Meng’s idea was the so-called fixed thinking pattern.

Although the large ship carrying artillery could not be docked in this simple small port, the ships of Xiaoji are not a big problem. Several ships had been parked there for a long time. However, when everyone in Jiaozhou Camp saw it, they thought it was the passenger ship that the Zheng family was riding this time, so they didn't care much.

The third cannon there was also shipped ashore. Chen Liuzi had already led several officers around him to go down and attack. Except for Li Meng and Denggras, the rest of the Jiaozhou camp were extremely excited. In the notes of the people of the time, this cannon was called a "divine weapon" and "shot out of one cannon, and it was decayed for more than ten miles". It was considered the strongest thing in the hearts of the warriors.

Although the soldiers in Jiaozhou Camp were elite, they always had low self-judgment because they had no comparison with those outside. However, after this cannon, their energy and spirit were obviously different, and everyone was full of ambition.

A cavalry came from a distance, wearing the symbol of the messenger, and was also the personal guards of Wang Hai. Everyone was familiar with him. After a brief question, the people from the outside asked him and put him in.

The cavalryman, who ordered him to walk up to him, and after saluting, said in a deep voice:

"Sir, it's Jining Qingyan Affairs."

When Li Meng heard the words "Jining Qingyan", he waved his hand at the person beside him and said to the leader of the Zheng family. Whether it was from Jiaozhou Camp or from the Zheng family, they knew that Li Meng had something to do, so they dodged one after another. After Li Meng's more than ten personal soldiers dodged, they formed a circle to guard the distance.

The cavalry took out two letters from his arms and gave them respectfully to Li Meng. Li Meng opened them. After reading them carefully, he asked a personal guard beside him to seal the envelope, handed it to the cavalry and said:

"Hurry it to Jining and handle it as stated in advance."

The cavalry didn't say much, and after he gave the salute, he hurriedly went there. The artillery was delivered, which was also a big deal for Jiaozhou Camp. Another head of the other party came. Li Meng always had to check it one by one before he could do his best. He was about to speak, but he heard a noise from the passenger ship not far away, and a sound of scolding came:

"Langlang Qiankun, what exactly do you pirates like you should do? Are you not afraid of the king's law?"

"A hero, hero, I still have some savings in my family, and I also have a few rich relatives and friends. As long as we are put back, I will definitely give it a lot of rewards."

"If I say this is useless, if I extort money or kill us, I would have done it at sea. It would be a joke to be like this kind of woman."
Chapter completed!