Mao Wenlong is dead!

His funeral was held with great honor, with eight ceremonial soldiers in formal attire carrying the crystal coffin. The funeral procession included almost all the core powers of the Ming Dynasty. Li Xiao personally delivered the eulogy and expressed condolences to Mao Wenlong's family.

The road from the capital to Xishan was crowded with people watching the excitement. The well-informed people of the capital had never seen anything like this.

On the second day after Mao Wenlong died, Mao Chengzuo also died. He died in Shuntian Mansion Prison and died silently.

No one cared about the life or death of this second-generation official. The Mao family had no time to dispose of the body. Only two stewards came and carried it away in a thin-skinned coffin. It was said that it was sent to the Zuojiazhuang death camp. It seemed that the Mao family also hated this guy.

, determined that the disaster of the Mao family was entirely caused by him.

As for the goldfish eye, this brother howled in the cage for three full days. Before throwing him into the cage, Shunzi thoughtfully gave him a quilt, which prevented him from freezing to death. But then

This guy was really hungry and started to eat the cotton from the quilt.

After all, the quilt was not eaten because he had no water. After wailing for three days, the man basically lost his voice. Perhaps when he was still alive, the crows had already started to eat at his body. In the winter, there could be some

Eating is not easy.

For two months, it was eaten by crows. When the cage was lowered to the ground, a tattered corpse appeared in front of people. The corpse was put into a sack and sent directly to Zuojiazhuang Cremation Field.

, the same fate as his master Mao Chengzuo.

The deaths of these people were just an interlude in the Ming Dynasty. Taizu said that the earth would continue to rotate without anyone.

Driven by continuous science and technology, the Ming Empire has embarked on a prosperous development path. The people in Guanzhong and Shanxi have got rid of food and clothing. The people in Liaodong, Shandong, and Hebei have already been on the road to a well-off society.

In many places in Liaodong, Hebei and Shandong, electric lights are no longer a rarity. In the most prosperous Jinzhou, Tianjin and Beijing, there are already street lights on the streets. You no longer have to worry about walking at night on dark days, no matter how late it is on the streets

They are all bright. It is much more convenient for people walking at night, especially those who work the night shift in major factories. They absolutely praise the street lights.

Telegraph poles more than three feet high began to be erected on official roads in many places. Sun Chengzong and Zhang Huangyan didn't understand what this meant, but when the military situation in Xi'an that day was put on the desk, Sun Chengzong and Zhang Huangyan were surprised to find. Li Xiao only

Using dots and dashes, so many meanings can be formed.

With the vigorous promotion of the government, this thing was quickly spread across the land of China. After a few people who stole wires were caught and shot, no one dared to touch the wires anymore. In less than half a year, all the provincial capitals in the country were connected.

telegraph.

Amidst the clicking and clicking sounds, the Ming Empire's communications were spreading at an unprecedented speed.

In the past, ordinary official documents sent from Guangzhou took more than three months to travel to the capital. Even if it was expedited for 500 miles, it would take one and a half months to get to the capital. Now, if Sun Chengzong is willing, he can know the dishes in the Guangzhou wet market tonight.

price.

The acceleration of message transmission has also allowed the central government to expand its power again. In the past, local governors still had some arbitrary power based on time differences, but now... Sun Chengzong's telegram is comparable to an imperial edict.

A bridge across the Yangtze River is being built on the river near Jinling. After the bridge is repaired, trains can run on it.

If the Jinling bridge is successfully built, a bridge will also be built in Jiangcheng. The Yangtze River is no longer a natural chasm, and materials from the south of the Yangtze River and materials from the north no longer need to be ferried by boat bridges.

When southerners go to visit relatives in the north, taking a boat is not their first choice. Buy a train ticket and take the train directly from Guangzhou to Beijing.

During the Chinese New Year, Li Xiao's body had recovered well. He decided to go to the northwest to see the defense of the northwest. Currently, there are three main fully-manned cavalry divisions, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 3rd Division and the 4th Division in the northwest.

Division. It can be said that half of the Ming Army's strength is here.

Li Xiao not only wanted to defend the northwest, he also wanted to advance into the Western Region and take the entire Western Region into his hands! Since Zhungeer had provoked border troubles, he couldn't do it without paying the price.

Just before Li Xiao went to the northwest, Master Man came back.

Two months ago, Man Ye led his First Cavalry Division to raid Xining.

In fact, it was useless for Man Ye to fight. After the Tibetan leaders heard the news that the First Cavalry Division was heading west, they immediately ran away with the people and the treasures they could take away. Their countermeasures made Li Xiao and Man Ye helpless!

Since Xining cannot be defended, then go directly to Lhasa. If the First Cavalry Division dares to go to Lhasa, they will dare to flee deeper into the plateau. Anyway, whether they are Han people or Mongolians, they will suffer from gas diseases when they go to the plateau. Even horses from the interior,

Qi problems can also occur when you reach a plateau.

This is the natural barrier that God has given to the Tibetans. It is precisely because of this barrier. In the Han and Tang Dynasties when the Han people were most glorious, there was nothing they could do against the Tibetans. The Central Plains has not yet taken over all the beautiful mountains and rivers. Who is willing to waste the efforts of the boss and work hard?

He wasted no time in seizing that barren piece of land on the plateau.

Precisely because it is not cost-effective, Tibetans are confident.

Of course the angry Man Ye wanted to express his anger. When he was angry, Xining City ceased to exist. All the residents, from the eighty-year-old man to the baby in his arms, Man Ye simply came to make steamed buns!

Man Ye was still not willing to take away the people, so he simply refused to do anything. Everything in Xining City was smashed if it couldn't be taken away, burned if it couldn't be smashed, and exploded if it couldn't be burned. Anyway, Man Ye left Xining.

By that time, Xining, second only to Lhasa on the plateau, had become a pile of ruins.

"What are you not happy about? The fact that Tibetans are fleeing shows that you have great authority. You have packed up the entire city of Xining and brought it back, and now they are all waiting to be allocated land to become farmers in Gansu. What else are you not satisfied with? Could it be that you

Did you fall in love with a Tibetan princess or something, and she ran away without success? Tell your brother, if I send a letter to that Tibetan lama, you must wash it clean and send it to us." Li Xiao said to Man Gui.

A naughty smile.

"Don't abuse people! Also, Tibetan women, Tibetan people only take two baths in their lives. The smell is even fresher than this mutton. If you don't believe me, I'll get you two and you can smell it, and I'll make sure you feel comfortable eating this mutton." Mangui didn't care.

He took the mutton out of the hot pot, dipped it in the seasonings and ate it like "bah" and "bah".

"Thank you!" Li Xiao shook his head decisively. This is what Man Ye said he would do. For him, it was no problem to cook mutton while squatting in the latrine. Li Xiao was sure that he didn't have the ability.

There is actually nothing that Tibetans can do about not taking a bath. In the climate on the plateau, catching a cold is a fatal disease. Taking a bath means risking one's life, and no one is willing to do that.

The two brothers smiled knowingly, picked up their wine glasses, clinked them and drank a toast.

"I didn't get back much this time, but I got back a lot of gold. I was shocked when I entered Kumbum Monastery. The monk who dared to love Tubo was so rich. The gold almost dazzled me. I thought you were short of money.

, so they all moved back.”

"Golden matters are trivial matters. This time we are fighting the Tibetans. Do you think we can go deep into the plateau and occupy the entire plateau?"

"It's hard to talk about this! Qi problems are hard to deal with. People in Xining will have headaches, can't breathe, and have little strength. Besides, the land there is too barren. An acre of land can produce enough food in a year.

It’s not enough for one person. Qinghai is better, and wheat can be grown in some places.

I heard from the captive Tibetans that we should go further up the plateau. The land there can only grow highland barley, and not much highland barley can be produced in a year. Our Ming Dynasty wants that place, hehe! A year's deficit can make you lose your pants.

All in all.

Also, the people there are barbaric by nature, and you can't suppress them without some troops stationed there. This time we attacked Xining, it was very cold. Bullets could not be fired from the barrels of many guns, and mortar shells could not be inserted.

Fortunately, the Tibetans escaped. If the Tibetans had not escaped, even if they had won, the casualties would have been considerable."

"Isn't there a revolver?"

"Don't mention the revolver. One gun has six bullets, and two guns plus one only have twelve bullets. To be honest, the power of pistol bullets is really just that. As long as it doesn't hit the vital point, one bullet and two bullets will kill you.

No one. The last time I fought the Mongols, I found that the magazines of the fallen soldiers were all empty.

When the cavalry of the two armies clash, there is no time to load the bullets. If there is no time to draw out the saber, our soldiers can only be chopped down by the Mongols. With the speed of the cavalry clash, a person can be cut into two pieces with one sword."

"You did it on purpose! Who told you, was it Master Ao?" Li Xiao put down his chopsticks helplessly, as if he was about to bleed heavily this time.

"Return it to me, brother! What you did is not honest. You know that kind of thing is the most powerful in the hands of our cavalry. If you don't distribute it to me first, it will be in vain for me to get so much gold from the Tibetans."

Li Xiao was even more helpless, taking advantage of other people's short hands. Man Ye got back such a large sum of gold, and this small request was not too much. He waved to Shun Zi and took out Shun Zi's waist.

The gun inside.

"This thing! The twenty-shot box gun has a long barrel and is a bit bulky. There are twenty rounds of nine-millimeter pistol bullets in the front magazine. It is bragging to say that one shot can kill an elephant, but generally wild boars and bears

There are no problems with savages or anything like that.

Seeing that you didn’t keep the large amount of gold you got back, I’ll grant you five hundred.” Li Xiao said magnanimously.

"Five hundred!" Man Gui almost jumped up.

"I have more than 18,000 men. You give me 500. What do you want me to do?"

"This thing is a waste of man-hours. The annual output of the Jinzhou Arsenal can only be 2,000. I'll give you 500. The remaining four divisions will have 1,500 divided among more than 100,000 people. What else do you want?"

"Five hundred is five hundred. You have to get some more of that thing called a grenade. That thing is very useful for hitting things three to four hundred meters away!" Man Gui began to bargain, fearing that he would suffer a loss.

Li Xiao discovered that since they became teachers, Man Gui and Ao Ye’s business spirit has skyrocketed!

"OK!"

The production of box guns is not high, but grenades with simple structures are different. As long as the gunner is skilled enough, it can be called the god of death on the battlefield from three to four hundred meters away. Moreover, this thing is easy to carry, and it is the ideal fire support for the cavalry.

"I heard that you are going to the northwest in the next few days. What do you mean? Are you going to take action against the Mongols? Bring Lao Ao, and the two of us will join forces to capture the Ili Valley within half a year." Man Gui listened to Li Xiao's next move.

.

"The Mongols invaded the frontier first and massacred our city of Lanzhou. There were hundreds of thousands of military and civilian casualties. If we don't take back the heads of Baturhun and Galdan, I can't explain it to the Ming fathers.

Besides, although the population in the Western Region is sparse and the land is dry and barren, it is rich in minerals, some of which are urgently needed by the Ming Dynasty. Taking the Western Region should be said to have more advantages than disadvantages. And through the Western Region, we can march into Central Asia and then advance by land.

middle East.

The Middle East is so important. The ground there is full of oil. That stuff is what we need most in the future.

Therefore, the First Division will not go to the northwest. After the affairs in Jiangnan are concluded, Mr. Ao will take a navy ship and go to India.

I want them to occupy Bombay and make Bombay a nail wedged into India. As long as the British dare to move, I will pierce their hands and feet. The British's equipment is no worse than ours, and India belongs to them.

In the colonies, the vast majority of the people will turn towards the British!

Without a strong force, the situation cannot be suppressed! So I plan to send Lao Ao to India, like a nail, to firmly hold Bombay." Man Gui was not an outsider, and Li Xiao told everything about his plan.

"Holy shit! Master Ao is going to suffer this time. I heard from the captive Mongolians that they had been to India and that it was extremely hot there. In the hottest summer, I wish I could have cooked someone in the sun. Master Ao

When you come back from India, you will definitely be as tan as charcoal." Thinking of Ao Canghai's appearance, Man Gui couldn't help but smile.

"If Wu Sangui hadn't built a large number of arsenals in India to support the Mongols, I wouldn't have let Mr. Ao run so far. This Wu Sangui should have been killed with one knife, and there wouldn't have been such trouble." Thinking of Wu Sangui, Li Xiao

I hate it so much that my teeth itch.

"Earlier, I thought this kid was quite capable. He has a lot of skills when it comes to fighting. I didn't expect that he would actually surrender to the enemy and treason. If such a person is caught, he will be cut to pieces. Why don't we pull Wu Xiang out and let him go?

Are you venting your anger?" Man Ye said, stuffing another piece of mutton into his mouth.

"Forget it! I still have to give Zu Dashou face. You are back just in time. Geritu is coming tomorrow and tomorrow, so you accompany me to meet him. When we are drinking, you also help me block the wine. This wine jar is too

It's so drinkable. If you drink me to death again, the Mongols will inflict heavy losses on the Ming Dynasty even without a single blow." Thinking of Geritu's craziness when fighting for wine, Li Xiao had a headache.

"Drinking? No problem! That boy Geritu owes me a favor. If I hadn't led my troops deep into the grassland the year before last, I'm afraid he would have had to take refuge under the Great Wall again!"
Chapter completed!