Although everyone knows that the nine-sided military town at the end of the Ming Dynasty has been abandoned for many years, after listening to Zhou Billy's introduction, I was still a little surprised. Originally, Ningxia Town, in their eyes, should be a military town with dangerous terrain and many majestic passes, but who would have thought that it was a paper paste goods.

Billy Zhou glanced up at everyone's expressions, knowing that everyone might still not believe that Ningxia Town would be so unbearable. He smiled and said, "An intelligence officer from our intelligence department has been in Ningxia Town for several years. Now he is thriving there, and he can be said to have a good relationship with a talkative steward of Qingwangfu, as well as a group of officials and military leaders in Ningxia Town. He basically knew the armament situation in Ningxia Town. ”

Song Tao suddenly asked suspiciously: "Old Zhou, you just said that Ningxia Town used the standard armor of the Ming Dynasty to trade with the Mongolian tribes of the grassland, such a big thing, can the three sides of Shaanxi not know about it?" Ironware, salt tea and other materials are easy to say, you can get them from anywhere, but where did they get those Ming standard armors? ”

Zhou Billy smiled and said: "There are a large number of handicraft workshops in various parts of Ningxia Town, most of which are owned by the government, mainly engaged in the production of military equipment and daily necessities in Qingwangfu. Ningxia General Town set up the "Miscellaneous Manufacturing Bureau", which is an important handicraft factory in Ningxia Town, specializing in the production of military equipment, such as bows, helmets, knives, guns and other cold weapons, and the labor service is dispatched by each office, with 240 craftsmen.

Every year, the Shaanxi political envoy Siguan has 17,600 catties of iron, 140 catties of steel, 670 pieces of buffalo horn, 12 catties of heart red, 180 catties of water glue, 940 zhang of white cloth on the nail surface, 172 catties of lacquer, 33 catties of raw silk and thread, 150 zhang of linen, 130 catties of tung oil, and 18,800 batches of feathers...... Ningxia General Town Miscellaneous Manufacturing Bureau made 640 helmets, armor, bags, waist knives, bows, spears, and circles, 19,200 arrows, and 1,280 bowstrings.

The other seven guards also have their own miscellaneous workshops, including helmets, armor, bags, waist knives, bows, spears, and circles, and 60 craftsmen. In the city of Ningxia, there is an arsenal factory for the construction of various vehicles, a number of craftsmen, and a god hangar for storing guns, iron guns, copper and iron, and gunpowder. These were originally a huge cost of the Ming Dynasty every year. It was used to trim the border guards, but the border troops in Ningxia Town were all dressed in tattered clothes and armor, and their weapons were broken, as if they were asking for food. The weapons and armor made every year by the Ningxia Town Miscellaneous Manufacturing Institute were transported to the grassland and traded with the Mongolian tribes. ”

Song Tao's eyes turned red when he heard this, and he laughed and said, "Our Hetao base area is now so poor that it clangs. This time, Ningxia must be emptied. And those craftsmen, none of them should be missing. ”

Zhou Billy smiled and said: "If you want to talk about craftsmen, Ningxia is more than that, there is an institution for managing construction projects in Qingwang's mansion, and there are 360 craftsmen, including painters, letterers, gold leaf makers, money craftsmen, silversmiths, case back craftsmen, paper makers, looms, embroiderers and other more than 60 types of work. Far away in the Lingwu magnetic kiln village, it is the place where the Qingwang Mansion makes pottery and burns bricks, and there are more than 40 Qingfu potter soldiers.

These craftsmen of Qingwangfu are all craftsmen who have been attached to the palace for generations, and their craftsmanship is extremely exquisite. It's completely different from the military households in those military towns. And these craftsmen are a big family with a family. Although there is only one registered artisan household, the children and relatives of the artisan household are actually raised in the artisan family, and they all have some skills. According to the information sent back by our intelligence officers, there must be one or two thousand artisan households in Ningxia Town, to say the least, and they are generally living in extreme poverty. ”

Li Ming listened to Billy Zhou's introduction and was also very excited. Now the conditions in the Hetao base area are too difficult, and materials and talents are extremely scarce, with these craftsmen. It will definitely be of great help to the construction of the Hetao base area.

"Old Zhou, your intelligence department must clearly investigate the defense situation and important targets of Ningxia Town. Save us from breaking Ningxia Town, and then bumping around like a headless fly. ”

Billy Zhou nodded and said, "Commander, you can rest assured." In the past few days, the Ningxia Town Intelligence Station will be able to send back a detailed map. The defense of Ningxia Town's forts and side walls, as well as the specific locations of each important target, will be marked on this real-time map. It can even be used to house officials, military chiefs, and clansmen. I will also find out.

According to the information they sent back, the granaries of these civil officials, military chiefs and Qingwang mansions in Ningxia Town, as well as some wealthy families in the town, were full of grain. In recent years, they have occupied the fertile and fertile fields of the military camps, driven their military households to become their serfs, and cultivated them day and night, and the hoarded grain can be said to be piled up.

Now the military rations in Ningxia Town have always been insufficient, and they are all old grains mixed with sand. Even so, the border army still had a lot to eat. In the past two years, there has been a great drought in the north, and even the military rations of the border army have been cut off, but the life of the civilian officials and military leaders in the various military towns on the nine sides is still very nourishing.

If we break Ningxia Town this time, we don't dare to say anything else, just in the granaries of those officials, military leaders and Qingwangfu, we can loot a large amount of grain, which is enough for hundreds of thousands of displaced people and tens of thousands of troops in your Hetao base area to eat for two years. Moreover, these large households, each of which traded with the Mongolian tribes on the steppe outside the border wall, all hoarded a large amount of ironware, salt, tea and other materials all year round.

After the company launched the second phase of the northward plan, the towns on the three sides of Shaanxi were also very nervous, and it was only recently that they were relaxed. But none of their caravans dared to go to the steppe outside the border wall, and they were all waiting for the steppe to calm down so that they could continue their smuggling business with the Mongol tribes. Now they have a lot of materials hoarded, which happens to be cheaper for us. ”

Li Ming listened to Zhou Bili's words, and couldn't help but get excited, now the company is in a difficult period, plus the Hetao area is far away from Liaodong, from the Keshiketeng Department to Guihua City by land, it is more than 600 kilometers, and the traffic is extremely inconvenient. At least in the past two years, it is impossible for the company to be unable to provide strong support to the Hetao base area.

To put it bluntly, the Hetao base area is too poor now, and it is right that everything is lacking anyway. There is nothing else, everyone gritted their teeth and came over, but if there is no food, will more than 100,000 people drink the northwest wind?

After listening to Billy Zhou's introduction to the situation in Ningxia Town, even Li Ming's eyes were red now. If it is really as Zhou Billy said, just the food, then their attack on Ningxia Town this time will definitely be worth the trip. (To be continued.) )