The large increase in iron means that more iron and iron tools can be obtained for both military and civilian use. This is very important. Without a sufficient amount of iron, it is simply impossible to have enough armament. The nomads suffer at a loss, and it is at this point that they suffer. They could not make iron themselves, and could only plunder from the Central Plains Dynasty. Lin Dan Khan got 50,000 sets of iron lance cavalry equipment from the Ming army in one go, and he couldn't be strong if he didn't want to!

Steel is also further refined from pig iron, and the output of pig iron increases, and the output of steel will naturally increase. This point was very obvious after Ningxia City was conquered. It turned out that the supply of pig iron raw materials in the Weizhenbao craftsman's workshop has always been a bottleneck, resulting in the number of 100 steels not going up. If there is not a sufficient amount of 100 steel, there will naturally be no sufficient number of moon guns. Now, there are three blast furnaces supplying a large amount of iron, and the number of 100 steels has immediately increased exponentially, and the output of Yueyue has also gone up.

Xu Xingxia walked around the three blast furnaces, carefully observed, and felt a little regretful. How nice it would be if these three blast furnaces were not iron-making, but steel-making! With the progress of society, the demand for steel is much greater than that of pig iron. Especially in armament, a large amount of steel of acceptable quality is required. Obtaining steel in the way of 100 steels is quite inefficient and costly. He said: "Can you make steel directly? ”

Pig iron has too high a carbon content (2.0%-4.5%) and is too brittle to be processed into other shapes. The carbon content of wrought iron is too low (less than 0.05%) and too soft. Only steel has the most moderate carbon content (0.05%-2.0%). Therefore, increasing steel production is the key. The problem is that none of the three current blast furnaces seem to be able to make steel directly. If steel is to be made, new blast furnaces must be built and more advanced refining technologies must be introduced.

Liu Guangliang said: "This Zhou Qinghai has the best skills, let him answer!" ”

The 100 households of Zhou Qinghai he introduced were definitely the old men of Fort Leifu. To be precise, he was already working here when the three blast furnaces were first built. When Bobai rebelled, he almost died. Fortunately, in the end, he was blessed with a great life and lived to the present. As the most qualified ironsmith, he was as familiar with the three blast furnaces as his own fingers. He also knows some basic common sense about steelmaking.

According to Zhou Qinghai's introduction, the main steelmaking method at that time was called the steel filling method. Its basic principle, in fact, is very simple, that is, the wrought iron is first smelted, and then the pig iron is melted and slowly penetrated into the wrought iron, so as to obtain steel with the right carbon content. Since charcoal is used as a raw material, it is difficult to reach the specified temperature in the furnace. After switching to Taixi coal, it contains a large number of impurities. As a result, Ningxia Town has always been unsuitable for direct steelmaking.

However, Zhou Qinghai's introduction aroused Xu Xingxia's great interest. His demand for steel is very strong. The town of Ningxia is not suitable for steelmaking, and that is relative to the whole country. The Ming Dynasty is rich in land and resources, and there are indeed many places suitable for steelmaking. However, now, on his territory, only Ningxia Town can make steel, and there is no suitable or inappropriate statement at all, only whether it can be said or not. As long as you can make steel, you have to get started.

Xu Xingxia said expectantly: "If you make steel in Fort Leifu, what conditions are needed?" ”

Zhou Qinghai thought about it carefully and said slowly: "You need a special steelmaking blast furnace, you need to hire special craftsmen to build it, you need iron ore with high iron content, you need coal with few impurities, and you need craftsmen of about five hundred people......"

Xu Xingxia said without hesitation: "No problem, I can satisfy you!" ”

Zhou Qinghai said with a little hesitation: "However, even if all the conditions are met, the quality of the steel may not be very good......

Xu Xingxia turned his head and asked Liu Guangliang: "Is there a solution?" ”

Liu Guangliang said in a low voice: "These old craftsmen have been working in Fort Leifu since they were children, and they have been making iron all their lives, and they are so experienced that they can't do it, how can they not know how to make steel?" I'm sure there must be some ideas, just need some support! They're all old slippery heads, and they're scared! Now I want to find an opportunity to blackmail you! You're so rich! ”

Xu Xingxia smiled and understood. These craftsmen, in fact, are all skilled, but they are not motivated. It is no wonder that if there is no stimulus of some interests, the average person will indeed not have much motivation. This is human nature, and there is nothing excessive. On the contrary, Xu Xingxia saw some hope. Need a little stimulation? No problem! As long as you can refine a large amount of steel, there is no excitement of any kind! Each of you can send two prairie beauties! Xu Xingxia said with a smile: "It's no problem to support!" I'll give you 10,000 taels of silver as research funds, and in the future, there will be corresponding rewards! ”

Hearing the 10,000 taels of silver, all the craftsmen's eyes immediately lit up. Originally, they all looked a little sluggish, but now they have become fierce, and they feel that silver has fallen from the sky. If you move a little slowly, someone else will rob you of your money. It was that Zhou Qinghai who was obviously a little embarrassed. Liu Guangliang is right, these craftsmen really want to take the opportunity to blackmail Xu Xingxia, who called Xu Xingxia a rich man?

Zhou Qinghai actually didn't have such thoughts, he was originally a very simple person, but for the sake of the craftsmen, he had to come forward to be this villain. Now that Xu Xingxia made a move, it was 10,000 taels of silver, and he felt uneasy. In fact, after the Stewards took over Fort Rayford, their treatment was already very good. Besides, everyone's family has also been given their own land. Continuing to blackmail Xu Xingxia is indeed a bit excessive.

Xu Xingxia smiled and said bluntly: "You ask me for money, okay!" I give money! I can honestly tell you that I am rich, very rich! I'll give you as much as you want! However, the price of giving money is that you have to give me the steel to refine directly! If there is no steel, you just wait for the board! My money will never be so easy to cheat! Whoever wants to take money out of my pocket has to weigh how many heads they have! ”

As soon as he said this, the faces of those craftsmen suddenly changed. Only then did they remember that the person in front of them was not so gentle and amiable! What is his nickname? Old Devil Xu! That's a guy who sent thousands of Tartar heads to Ningxia City at one time! If you offend him, do you still want to have a good time? It's good to keep your head! Zhou Qinghai's face was really wonderful, his backbone was cold and full of chill.

Xu Xingxia paused slightly, slowed down his tone slightly, and said with a smile: "However, my money is also very profitable!" As long as you give me good things, I will give you white flowers! I'll tell you in advance now that the daily steel output is more than 3,000 catties, and I will reward you with fifty taels of silver! More than 10,000 catties, you will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver! The greater the steel production, the more silver will be rewarded! As for how to distribute, Zhou Qinghai is in charge! ”

Zhou Qinghai was suddenly excited, and he didn't know what to say. Originally, he was elected to be a villain, but when the preparation was not right, he was used as a scapegoat by the craftsmen to resist Xu Xingxia's anger. Unexpectedly, being pushed by Xu Xingxia and named by name made him really the leader of all the craftsmen. With Xu Xingxia's support and white silver, other craftsmen, who would dare not listen to him? This time, it was a blessing in disguise.

No matter how honest Zhou Qinghai is, he knows how to say a few basic words, and at this time he hurriedly said: "My lord, don't worry, look at us!" Within a year, we will definitely be refining steel directly! Three thousand catties is definitely not a problem! ”

Xu Xingxia said expectantly: "The shorter the time, the better!" ”

Zhou Qinghai hurriedly said loudly: "Understand, the shorter the time, the better!" ”

Xu Xingxia nodded with satisfaction. He roughly estimated that there were 3,000 catties of steel output per day, which could basically meet the needs of the moon guns and cannons. Perhaps, it can also be used to make some other weapons and equipment. For example, the saber used by the cavalry, the chariot axle needed by the chariot battalion, the horse stop post needed by the engineer battalion, and so on. Of course, there must be more and more of such things as steel. No matter how large the number is, there is a place to use it. In fact, in addition to the military, there is also a large need for civilian aspects, especially construction and bridges.

At that time, the bridge was mainly a stone arch bridge, which was a stone arch bridge like the Zhaozhou Bridge. As long as you don't cut corners, the quality of the stone arch bridge is indeed good, the load-bearing capacity is also very good, and the cost is relatively low. However, not all places are suitable for the construction of stone arch bridges. Where the water is fast, it is difficult to erect stone arch bridges. At the same time, the length of the stone arch bridge is generally not very long. In some places where the river surface is relatively wide, the erection of stone arch bridges is also very difficult. All of these are obstacles to the construction of roads.

In particular, the erection of bridge piers has always been very demanding. In the days when there was no cement, no building material could condense underwater. Once the cement is available, strong supports are needed. The combination of these requirements is actually the need for reinforced concrete. In fact, if there are cement reinforcements, the speed of building bridges will obviously be greatly accelerated. As long as there are enough raw materials, it is not impossible to build even a bridge across the Yellow River.

The northwest of the Ming Empire has such benefits. A variety of mineral resources are quite abundant. These resources were necessary during the Industrial Revolution. If you don't make full use of these resources, you will be a failure. With the progress of the times, industrialization is the king! The era of cold weapons, dominated by swords, guns and halberds, has gradually passed. The world after that will be a world of firearms and machinery.

No matter how good and well-organized an agrarian society is, it cannot be resisted in the face of an industrialized society. At the same time, after entering the industrialized society, the threat of nomads was lifted. In fact, after the advent of the Mini gun and breech gun, the status of cavalry as the main force of war has been declining. After the advent of machine guns, the era of cavalry basically ended. Without the ravages of cavalry, what way out would the nomads have?

The future development direction of the White Army will definitely be firearms, mechanization, and lean soldiers, and a large number of weapons and equipment from the industrial age will be used to enhance its own combat effectiveness. Developing in this direction, the Ming army is no longer an opponent at all, and the nomads will not be an opponent. The only opponent can only be the armies of the European powers. They are also firearms, mechanized, and elite soldiers. The battle in the future can be said to be very exciting!

...... "My lord, to the south is the Yuquan camp." ”

Coming down from Fort Leifu and heading south along the east side of Helan Mountain, Xu Xingxia soon came to the Yuquan camp. Yuquan Camp is the hometown of Miss Azhu's mother. At that time, Miss Azhu once told Xu Xingxia that if she had the opportunity, she should go to Yuquan Camp to have a look. As a result, he never had time. Now, just passing by here, he came by the way.

Outwardly, there is nothing noteworthy about the Yuquan Camp. Originally, it was also a garrison for the soldiers, but when the soldiers were withdrawn, they were handed over to the management of the guards. There is a guard army of a thousand households, stationed here. After the white-clothed army broke through Ningxia City, the military households here also followed the uprising. Now, most of the military households have gone to work in the fields, and the entire Yuquan camp seems to be very quiet, with only a few dogs wandering around at will.

"Da Da Da!"

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horses' hooves sounded, and a team of people and horses came towards Xu Xingxia.

This is an army that suddenly came out from the direction of Helan Mountain. The Yuquan camp is very close to Helan Mountain, almost at the foot of Helan Mountain. With the advantage of going down the mountain, this army that suddenly appeared galloped very fast, and in a blink of an eye, it was in front of Xu Xingxia and them, and the distance between the two sides was less than a hundred zhang.

"Enemy attack!"

"Shoot in formation!"

"Free Fire!"

Liu Chuang's face changed, and he hurriedly shouted.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The soldiers of the chasseurs, one after another, opened fire.

One by one, Mini bullets whizzed away, knocking down the enemy troops who rushed up.

The reaction of the attacking enemy cavalry also seemed to be a little strange. Obviously, they did not expect that their attack would be met with such fierce resistance. They also thought that Xu Xingxia and the others should have dispersed in one rush. They never imagined that the enemy's muskets would be so powerful and the Minnie bullets would be so lethal. As a result, when they were subjected to musket fire, there was some confusion in their appearance.

At this time, Xu Xingxia and others gradually saw it clearly. These troops that suddenly appeared were not the Ming troops arriving in the direction of Gansu Town, but the Tartars! There are Tartars here! It's kind of incredible! It stands to reason that the various pass fortresses in Helan Mountain are monitored by stragglers of the Eagle Cavalry Army, how did these Tatar cavalry come out?

"Kill!"

"Kill all these bastards!"

Liu Chuang was furious and shouted violently.

Actually under his nose, he was attacked by the Tartars to the supreme commander, this is simply a slap in the face!

He didn't know where these Tartar cavalry came from, but if they dared to run in front of Xu Xingxia, they had to die! No one can save their lives! Unless it was Xu Xingxia who forgave them! Even a guy like Lin Dan Khan suffered a big loss in front of Xu Xingxia, do you dare to run up and spread wild? It's really my own death!

Since Liu Chuang has such thoughts, other chaser warriors naturally have such thoughts. They were all shooting as fast as they could, ferociously firing, knocking all the Tartar cavalry rushing up to the ground. Let the Tartars frighten the Supreme Commander, this is their incompetence! These dogs say, I have to kill you all today!

"Hey, Liu Chuang! Wait a minute! Catch it alive! ”

Xu Xingxia hurriedly shouted.

As the battle unfolded, the situation gradually became clearer. The attacking Tartar cavalry, in fact, was only more than a hundred, and definitely not more than two hundred. They were all dressed in black, and even their armor was black, and if there was no misguess of the deterioration, it should have been the Tatar Zhuang Bald Lai Division. Their number is so small, it shouldn't be intentional to ambush Xu Xingxia here. Tartar cavalry of more than a hundred people, want to ambush more than fifteen hundred chasseurs, this is simply impossible.

These Tatar cavalry must have accidentally broken into the vicinity of the Yuquan camp, and they happened to meet Xu Xingxia and them. They probably didn't know Xu Xingxia, nor did they know the chasseurs, so as a result, they rushed out rashly and tried to meet a bargain. Speaking of which, they are also to blame for their bad luck. It's not good to meet anyone, but you want to meet Xu Xingxia?

"Bang bang bang!"

Fierce gunfire continued.

The warriors of the chasseurs are constantly compressing the encirclement inward.

The Tatars, who were caught off guard, did not know what to do in the face of the rain of bullets and bullets of the chasseurs. Their bows and arrows are no match for the Moon Gun in terms of range. There was no way, they had to rely on the war horse as a cover, hiding behind the war horse, and refused to come out even if they died. A few hunters who knew Mongolian shouted for the remnants of the Tartars to surrender. However, the Tatars did not surrender.

In the end, the battle ended with all the Tatars killed and wounded. Counting the battlefield, there were a total of one hundred and forty-four Tartars. One hundred and thirty-seven were killed, and seven were still alive. All seven of them were taken down by the officers of the Chasseurs and interrogated about the situation. From Xu Xingxia downwards, they all wanted to know where these Tatar cavalry entered Ningxia Town from, what their purpose was, and whether there were more accomplices behind them.

"My lord, Gansu Town is finished. Mo Yuegen took 30,000 Tartars and occupied the town of Gansu. Not long after, Liu Chuang returned to Xu Xingxia and reported in a low tone.

I really don't know if I don't ask, and I'm shocked when I ask. It turned out that the Tatar Zhuang Bald Lai Department had actually moved south to Gansu Town. Taking advantage of the chaos within Ningxia Town, they took control of all parts of Ningxia Town almost overnight. The Tatars led the team by none other than Xu Xingxia's old acquaintance, the Tatar arrow god Mo Yuegen.

"What about Li Maohui and Li Guozhen?" Xu Xingxia frowned and said.

He also thought that these two guys had already taken control of Ningxia Town! He also thought that if Mujian Society launched a rebellion in Gansu Town, he would find an excuse to send troops to suppress the rebellion in Gansu Town. Unexpectedly, it was the Tatars who controlled Ningxia Town! It was so unexpected! This Mo Yuegen, the speed of arrival, is it a little too fast?

"The two of them...... All surrendered to the Tatars! The most annihilated! Liu Chuang said indignantly.

"They surrendered the Tartars?" Xu Xingxia frowned. This is another unexpected news. He also thought that Li Maohui and Li Guozhen, even if they fell, would not surrender to the Tartars. Unexpectedly, they once again explained that people are not the worst, only worse. In order to survive, the two of them shamelessly became traitors to the Han Dynasty!

The situation in Gansu Town is so erosive, it is indeed a bit surprising! Li Maohui and Li Guozhen are very familiar with the situation in Shaanxi, especially the situation in Ningxia Town. Perhaps, these wandering Tatars came from an unknown path in Helan Mountain with the guidance of the two of them. This is not surprising at all!

"Ask them what else they know!" Xu Xingxia said calmly.

There are many trails in Helan Mountain, connecting the town of Ningxia with the desert Gobi to the west. It is impossible for the white-clothed army to arrange troops to be on duty on all the small roads. That's a lot of troops. Even if only one team is sent to garrison each path, dozens of squads will be required! The army below the white-clothed army is only twenty-five squads, and it can't be consumed at all. Besides, using troops like this is also a huge waste!

In fact, these mountain paths cannot pass through large troops, so a large number of enemies who want to enter Ningxia Town will definitely not take these paths. The white-coated army only had to keep an eye on a few major pass fortresses to stop the arrival of the Tatar army. However, if you send a small force to attack you, these mountain paths will be a headache.

After Liu Chuang went down, he took a group of interrogators and muttered for a long time, tortured the remaining seven Tartars to death, and finally obtained some valuable information. Of course, limited to the fact that the status of these Tartars is too low, the situation they know is all big road goods. It is estimated that in the near future, Xuan Yingwei should have information supplements.

This time, the arrow god Mo Yuegen brought a full 30,000 Tartar cavalry, and the location of Gansu Town (that is, Zhangye in later generations) has been completely controlled by the Tatars. The general army of Gansu town surrendered. Most of the other officers, with the exception of a very few who fled, surrendered. Now, all the Ming troops in Gansu Town are under the command of Li Maohui and Li Guozhen.

"Aren't the two of them getting along?" Xu Xingxia couldn't help but wonder a little.

When he was in Ningxia Town, Xu Xingxia always heard that there was a big contradiction between the governor and the chief military officer. Why did they arrive in Gansu Town, but there were signs of collusion? These two people hook up together, which is definitely not a good thing for the white army! The sudden appearance of the Tatars suddenly increased the pressure on the backs of the white-clothed soldiers.

(To be continued)