Fenghou

Everyone walked into the big tent to take a closer look, and saw dozens of cylindrical coal cakes stacked on the small wooden cart, and each coal pillar had five holes on it.

"Du Tong, what is this?"

Chen Qing came over and said with a smile to everyone: "This is called briquette, and the egg-like pile next to it is called briquettes. We have too much pulverized coal, so we can just use it."

"This can be lit without firewood?" Hu Yanyun bent down and looked at it for a long time, a little in disbelief.

"There is sulfur powder in the tunnel! Use a piece of fire cloth, light it and put it in, and the briquette will be ignited quickly. Put a piece of briquette at night, cover it with a lid, and it will still be burning in the morning, so you don't need to re-light the stove. .”

Everyone heard that there was sulfur powder in it, and their eyes lit up. This is a good way. Of course, it would be better to use gunpowder, but it is too wasteful. There are sulfur mines in the north of Ganquan Castle, so it is best to use sulfur powder.

"The raw materials are very simple, [-]% of coal powder, [-]% of yellow mud and [-]% of lime, then pour water, stir and mix them together to make it, and finally dry them, remember, use ordinary yellow Mud, you can’t use refractory fire mud, in fact, it’s better to use mud from the bottom of the river, now that it’s frozen, let’s talk about it when the weather warms up.”

Chen Qing said to Hu Yanyun again: "I will hand over the specific production method to you later, and then my soldiers can be the guides, and then we can mass-produce it."

"But... there is no such mold for making briquettes!" Hu Yanyun pointed to the iron mold for making briquettes next to him.

"I arranged for the blacksmith to build it two days ago, and it should come out."

"Understood, I can arrange it today, and I can start making it tomorrow."

Chen Qing pulled Hu Yanyun aside again, and said in a low voice: "Let those women also participate, and then find unmarried generals above the capital to help them do it together, do you understand what I mean?"

Hu Yanyun was stunned, "Do you want to keep them all and start a family?"

Chen Qing nodded, Hu Yanyun hesitated, and said a little embarrassedly: "The humble job is not small, and I haven't married yet, and the humble job likes one of them."

"Who?" Chen Qing asked anxiously.

"It's called Bian Chunshui, and I think she can give me a son."

Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "Then you go please her and help her. If she is willing, I will marry you!"

Hu Yanyun suddenly thought of his brother Hu Yanlei, who is also 33 years old, he hesitated and said: "But there are still [-] brothers who haven't arrived yet!"

"Don't worry, isn't there still hundreds of people who haven't been sent yet? Besides, this is not something that can be determined once or twice. It will take at least a few months to engage in this kind of collective labor a few more times, to plow the land and fetch water together. What, let them get in touch slowly and develop feelings slowly."

"I understand, let's start by making briquettes!"

In fact, Chen Qing had another idea, to transform these women into working women, starting with pinching briquettes.

……

In Zitong County, Longqing Prefecture, Chen Qing's 1000 troops gathered here, and there were also 2000 troops brought by Hu Yantong. There were originally [-] troops, but [-] of them did not want to go to the northwest. [-] people sailed to Chengdu.

Coincidentally, Chen Qing's wife Lu Xiu and others happened to be on the same road, and dozens of large ships rushed to Chengdu.

The [-] troops only rested in Chengdu for two days, and then set off for Zitong County to join the armies of Yang Yuanqing and Zheng Ping.

There are not only more than 1 troops, but also thousands of family members accompanying the army, as well as a large amount of food, grass, and property. It is a huge project to transport them to Ganquan Fort.

But now is an opportunity. The main force of the Jin soldiers has returned to Youzhou. Fengxiang only has more than 1 Jin soldiers left, and he dare not act rashly for the time being.

At this time, there is no risk of being intercepted when going north, which is the best opportunity. In a few months, when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, the puppet Qi army and Jin soldiers will start to become active, and then there will be danger.

Yang Yuanqing and Zheng Ping were discussing the plan to go north. Yang Yuanqing said: "I received news from Huyanlei that the Jin soldiers have completely withdrawn to the north. We can continue to enter Qinzhou from Beixianren. I suggest that the personnel go first. After all, people are the most important thing." Yes, and then food and other supplies, what do you think?"

Zheng Ping has always liked to argue with Yang Yuanqing, but today he has no confidence, not only his wife and children, but also Chen Qing's wife, Zheng Ping can't afford to raise this argument.

"You're right. People are the most important thing. I suggest that the troops be divided into two routes. Hu Yantong and I lead [-] troops to guard our families and go first. Brother Yang leads [-] troops to guard food and supplies. What happens next?"

Yang Yuanqing nodded, "That's it! I'll ask Zhou Kuan to see if I can get some more carts."

The means of transportation is a big problem. They purchased and leased tens of thousands of mules and horses and thousands of carts in various places in Bashu successively, but they were still not enough. There were 20 shi of grain and [-] dans of fodder, and there was no huge transportation Teams, it's hard to get away.

Zhou Kuan was a member of Chen Qing's army who participated in the army. He was sent to Bashu the year before last as a grain procurement envoy, responsible for purchasing grain in Bashu.

He has stayed in Zitong County for a long time and knows a lot of people. Everyone relies on him to find a way.

Zhou Kuan smiled wryly and said: "If you really want a big cart, mules and horses, there is nothing you can do. As long as you are willing to pay more, you will be able to find them. You can have as many as you want, but you can't find them now."

"Why?" Yang Yuanqing asked puzzled.

"Because once you add money, the people in front of you will stop working, and you will have to add money, so it will be endless. It's best to wait for the people in front to leave for two days before I come to look for it again. Just add money appropriately, and you can't add too much money." Too high, these guys are always greedy."

Yang Yuanqing also felt that it made sense, so he nodded and agreed, "Okay! I will let those who can go follow the family team first, and the rest who can't go, you can help me find mules, horses and carts!"

……

In the past two days, Lu Xiu has been too busy to touch the ground. She didn't have to worry about anything, but now it's different. She is the wife of the coach Chen Qing, and she has a responsibility on her shoulders.

Accompanied by two young ladies, she visited the families of the soldiers. If someone's child had a headache, she asked Zhou Kuan to contact the local doctor to come and see him.

In the end, she simply paid a high price to hire several doctors to go with her. Although the army has military doctors, the military doctors are mainly good at treating injuries. For minor ailments of children and women, they still need civilian doctors. They have enough experience in contact with ordinary people every day.

In the room, Lu Xiu was persuading Li Qingzhao to stay.

Li Qingzhao originally said to go to Chengdu for a long-term stay, and the literati in Chengdu also asked her to stay, but no one knew what she was thinking, and insisted on going north with Lu Xiu. Unexpectedly, she caught a cold these two days.

"Master will only recuperate for two days. It's not too late to leave after he recovers! There are all kinds of inconveniences on the road. What if the condition worsens?"

Where does Li Qingzhao want to stay and recuperate? She knows very well that as long as she agrees weakly at this time, she may not have the opportunity to go north again. It is rare to meet Chen Qing and Lu Xiu, a kind-hearted couple. They will probably live alone for the rest of their lives.

After her husband passed away, she was alone, wandering around, and living in a difficult life. She really couldn't bear such a lonely life.

"What does it matter? It's not that I haven't experienced it. When I fled south from Jeju, I almost died of several serious illnesses on the way. I survived. Besides, I was lying in a bullock cart on the way. Alian and Alian Sakura will take care of me too, Alian, right?"

Yu Lian nodded, "We will take care of Auntie."

Li Qingzhao held Lu Xiu's hand and begged, "Xiu'er, I just want to go with you, don't leave me behind."

Lu Xiu had no choice but to nod with a wry smile, "Okay! Master is not afraid of getting seriously ill, so let's go together!"

Chapter 375

It is now late January and it is early spring. Although it is still cold at night, the weather is still relatively warm under the sun during the day.

In Ganquan Fort, almost all the roofs are covered with briquettes and briquettes, which is very spectacular. Looking down from the sky, it is a black mass.

A small amount of honeycomb has been dried, and the women are eager to use it. It is too painful to light the stove every morning. Of course, they are very happy to have the honeycomb overnight.

Smart craftsmen improved Chen Qing's formula and divided it into two types: ignited briquette and ordinary briquette. Only ignited briquette is mixed with sulfur and a small amount of nitrate powder, and ordinary briquette is not used, which can greatly reduce the cost.

Zhao Qiaoyun is also lighting the stove. Chen Qing personally helped her make her briquettes, which is better than others.

A group of women standing beside her were watching her light the fire, holding their breath one by one.

Zhao Qiaoyun squatted next to the stove, carefully wrapped a fire cloth around the iron chisel several times, lit it with flint, and slowly inserted the burning fire cloth into the hole in the middle of the briquette, surrounded by sulfur powder and nitrate powder At most, sure enough, the tunnel burned quickly, and the coal powder was also ignited.

The women around clapped their hands with joy, it was so easy.

A rare smile also appeared on Zhao Qiaoyun's face. She quickly picked up the ignited briquettes with tongs and carefully placed them in the stove, but this is ignited briquettes, which will burn out quickly, and a piece of ordinary briquettes must be placed on top, or briquettes Can.

The honeycombs are made by soldiers, but the briquettes are made by women.

"What if it burns out?" asked a woman.

Someone next to her gave her a look, "You are stupid! Didn't the instructor say that? Just use the tongs to take it out after burning, and it won't fall apart."

"But there is still a piece of burning briquette on it!"

"Hey! If you say you are stupid, you are stupid. Just take out the burning briquettes, put them aside first, and put them back later, isn't it all right? How simple!"

The women ran to light their own stoves one after another, and someone laughed and said, "Bian Chunshui, let someone light your stove! He must be worried that he won't be able to find a chance to serve you!"

All the girls laughed together. Bian Chunshui was a relatively plump young woman. Her face was flushed, but her eyes were not angry. There was even a hint of joy in her eyes. She quickly ran to the back with the stove.

Zhao Qiaoyun was squatting by the stove, looking at the kettle with her chin resting, and there was a rippling in her heart.

……

Lin'an, Yushufang, the two battle reports of Chen Qing and Wu Jie, and the report of the Xuanfu Department of Sichuan and Shanxi have all been placed on the imperial case of the official Zhao Gou. The three reports are about the same thing, but there are two different ones. The conclusion aroused intense debate in the court.

Chen Qing's military newspaper only explained the detailed process of his battle, including the complete annihilation of 1 Xie Congjun troops, the killing of Zhang Zhongfu, a former Song general who surrendered to the Kingdom of Jin, and the capture of a group of Jurchen family members. He didn't say that Yan Wushu's withdrawal was due to him, because when Jin Bing withdrew, he had already left Fengxiang.

This is a more pragmatic battle report, including the marching route, the process of annihilating the enemy, personal casualties, and food and grass preparations, etc. It is very detailed and it is difficult to find fault.

The meaning of Chen Qing writing this battle report to the court is to say, I have already done the work, and reward you to figure it out!

What caused the controversy was Wu Jie's battle report and the report of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Xuanfu Commissioner. Of course, the Sichuan-Shanxi Xuanfu Commissioner's report was actually Zhu Shengfei's report.

Wu Jie strongly praised Chen Qing's contribution in the battle report. He believed that Wanyan Wushu's withdrawal was entirely due to Chen Qing's contribution, and Wu Jie naturally did not forget the contribution of his own soldiers. Thousands of people were killed and thousands of defenders were killed and wounded, and Jianmenguan has always stood firm. '

However, the report of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Propaganda Commissioner denied Chen Qing's contribution, and also denied the hard work of Wu Jie's army against the enemy. Pen and ink describe how they organized the people to retreat, how they fortified the walls and cleared the wilderness in Hanzhong, which resulted in the Jin soldiers searching for food in Hanzhong to no avail, the army lacked food, coupled with the cold winter, the Jin soldiers were not adapted to the climate, and the Wanyan Wushu was not prepared enough, etc. had to withdraw.

In the imperial study room, Zhang Jun unceremoniously reprimanded Zhu Shengfei for being shameless and shameless. As the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi, he fled to Chengdu first. , is simply shameless.

"Your Majesty, here are the facts. Chen Qing threatened the safety of the Jin Bing's lair, and Wu Jie led his army to fight against the enemy hard. This is the root cause of the Jin Bing's retreat. However, Zhu Shengfei turned black and white and said that the Jin Bing's withdrawal was his fault." The meritorious service makes the world ridicule, is such a person suitable to be the Sichuan-Shanxi Xuanfu envoy?"

Zhang Jun seemed to be pleading for credit for Chen Qing and Wu Jie, but everyone understood that he was actually attacking Zhu Shengfei.

Zhao Gou glanced at Qin Hui beside him, and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Qin?"

Qin Hui is not as stupid as Zhu Shengfei. To deny Chen Qing's contribution now is to deny the emperor's decision?

He said calmly: "Chen Qing's plan to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao was approved by His Majesty, and it is also the result of His Majesty's order to support along the way. Without His Majesty's support, Chen Qing would not have been able to go to Guanzhong as the governor of Yuezhou.

Therefore, Weichen believes that His Majesty is the commander in chief who won the victory, and Chen Qing is the master general who realizes His Majesty's strategy. The master plan is good and the master implements it effectively, so this plan is a success. "

Qin Hui's shameless flattery made Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding almost throw up, but Li Hui secretly admired Qin Hui's ability to speak, and gave credit to the emperor at critical moments.

However, it was rare for Qin Hui not to support Zhu Shengfei this time, so Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding remained silent.

Although Qin Hui's flattery was a bit too straightforward, Zhao Gou felt very comfortable in his heart. At least Qin Hui was right in one point. Chen Qing was just a general. Who was the coach above him?Of course it was me, the name of this plan was drawn up by myself, it was called "The Strategy of Attacking Fengxiang and Saving Hanzhong," and I made several secret decrees for this, asking Li Gang to fully support Chen Qing's journey to the north.

This success was not only Chen Qing's sneak attack on Fengxiang, but also his own strategizing and decisive victory.

Zhao Gou simply wanted to add an official to himself.

Zhao Gou put Zhu Shengfei's report aside and asked, "Let's talk about it! How to reward the aftermath?"

Zhao Ding, who had been silent all this time, said, "Your Majesty, the facts have proved that it is more suitable for Chen Qing to stay in the northwest. I suggest that Chen Qing sit in Xihe and restrain the Jin soldiers from the outside, so as to ensure that Hanzhong and Bashu are not lost!"

"What's the attitude of the Privy Council?" Zhao Gou asked Li Hui with a smile.

Li Hui is a well-known centrist who specializes in being a good old man. He already knows it well. The emperor sent Chen Qing to sneak attack on Fengxiang.

Besides, he had a very good personal impression of Chen Qing, and Chen Qing even gave him a set of Ru kiln cups and pots, which he had to repay.

"Your Majesty, the Privy Council agrees to allow Chen Qing to sit on Xihe Road."

Zhang Jun also said: "Mr. Zhao's words are very reasonable. Chen Qing is flexible and good at dispatching surprise troops. Generals such as Wu Jie, Wang Yan, and Liu Ziyu have always agreed that he is suitable for fighting on the periphery to contain the golden soldiers. The minister also agrees to let him go." He sits on Xihe Road, and besides, I have drawn up a plan, Your Majesty please have a look."

After speaking, Zhang Jun took out a memorial and presented it to Zhao Gou. At the top was the discussion result of Zhizheng Hall, which was actually the result of the vote. Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding agreed, Qin Hui opposed, and Li Hui abstained.

Zhao Gou glanced at it and said with a smile: "Let me take a closer look first! It's getting late, everyone can go back."

Everyone stood up and said goodbye, Qin Hui didn't even go back to the court room, so he hurried back to the mansion, he was in a hurry to find his wife, Mrs. Wang.

Chapter 376 Secret Discussion

As soon as Qin Hui arrived at the mansion, he met his wife's convoy at the gate. Mrs. Wang was sitting in a large and gorgeous carriage, and there were dozens of guards with knives to open the way and protect her.

On the contrary, Qin Hui himself was not too ostentatious. He rode in an ordinary carriage with few attendants. He was the prime minister after all, so he had to be honest and frugal on the surface.

"Where did the lady come back from?" Qin Hui asked as he opened the curtain of the car.

Wang pointed to the top, telling Qin Hui that he had just returned from the Queen Mother.

Qin Hui hurriedly said: "I have something urgent to find my wife, please follow me to the study."

"Wait for me to change."

"No need to change, I'm afraid the lady has to go out."

Wang's brows were slightly frowned, what's the rush?

When Wang came to her husband's study, Qin Hui didn't have time to drink tea, so he asked her, "Does the Empress Dowager know the results of Chen Qing's attack on Fengxiang?"

Mrs. Wang nodded, "She heard that and was a little unhappy."

"Is she afraid that Chen Qing will be promoted again?"

Mrs. Wang walked to the door of the outer room, looked around, closed the door, and then came back and said to her husband: "On the surface, she doesn't want Chen Qing to be promoted again, but I know that she is unhappy because of another matter. "

"what's up?"

"I heard that Chen Qing captured Wanyan and Lisa's family, so she said this. She said that some women are very unselfish and willing to serve the Jurchens. Such women don't have to come back. You know what she means ?"

Qin Hui frowned slightly, "She doesn't want these women to come back?"

Wang nodded, "Of course she doesn't want these women to come back. They know too much. Queen Mother Zheng was almost forced to become a monk by her, and Zhao Shan'er got married soon after she came back. You can't think of the reason?"

Qin Hui understood that she would never allow people in the Song Dynasty to know about Empress Wei's affairs in the Kingdom of Jin, and these women would spread the word after they returned.