eurekapd Chapter 856: The Daqing Succubus Bewitched Her
Chapter 856: The Daqing Succubus Bewitched Her
Hearing Li Che's words, Ma Jing's face was stunned.
Li Che held up two fingers and said, "I have two new types of grains, both of which are high-yielding and drought-resistant staple grains."
"One is called corn, which has a high yield and is suitable for large-scale cultivation; the other is called sweet potato, which also has a high yield and is particularly cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and can grow even in barren mountainous areas."
"I will try to allocate these two types of food to you in batches. A portion can be used as military rations to alleviate the pressure on food supplies."
"For the other part, you need to try to promote it as a grain in suitable areas of the northwest."
"If this succeeds, it will be a great boon to both the army and the people."
When Ma Jing heard this, joy suddenly burst out in his eyes.
Food! This is the most scarce resource in the northwest!
Even in the northwest, Ma Jing had heard rumors about the abundant grain in Feng State, and had also vaguely heard of the fame of corn and sweet potatoes.
If it is true as the emperor said, that these two crops can take root in the northwest, it would be a timely help.
He was about to say thank you, but Li Che waved his hand, signaling him to be patient.
"Also, there's the issue of military pay." Li Che frowned slightly. "I heard that since the late emperor's death, the Northwest Border Army's pay has been intermittent, or even completely cut off?"
Ma Jing's face showed bitterness, and he sighed: "Your Majesty, it is indeed so."
"Since the death of the previous emperor, the pseudo-imperial court has been so busy taking care of itself that it has no time to care about us border troops. We have never received a single cent."
"The soldiers' wages are entirely dependent on me raising them myself, and on the donations from the people of the northwest, who appreciate the soldiers' hard work on the border. This is how we can barely maintain our livelihood. I truly...feel so ashamed of them."
Li Che's face darkened, and he whispered, "It's my fault. I should have thought of this earlier."
After all, there is no need for the aristocratic court to win over the Northwest Army.
They are in the north and are naturally in Li Che's camp. Unless he rebels and joins Tubo, it is impossible for him to join the court.
Ma Jing waved his hands repeatedly: "It has nothing to do with Your Majesty. It's all because of the incompetence of the false emperor and the rebelliousness of the aristocratic families..."
Li Che raised his hand to interrupt, "My soldiers defend our country and shed blood on the battlefield. How can we rely on fundraising to support them?"
"I am aware of this matter. When you return this time, take the overdue salary with you. I will order the Ministry of Revenue to pay it immediately."
"Furthermore, from now on, all food and wages for the Northwest Army will be provided by the national treasury and will be distributed on time and in full. The soldiers will never have to worry again!"
Ma Jing was filled with joy and delight. He stood up again and bowed deeply: "On behalf of the 100,000 soldiers in the northwest, I thank Your Majesty for your grace!"
This time, his voice was obviously trembling, and it was gratitude that came from the bottom of his heart.
The issue of food and wages was the biggest stone weighing on his heart, but now it had been solved one by one by the emperor.
This is of great significance to the Northwest Army. These days, the senior leaders of the Northwest Army are all terrified, like children without a mother.
Now that I have received the emperor's personal promise, my child is finally home and I can finally put my heart at ease.
"Don't thank me yet." Li Che looked at him with a smile, "General Ma, what kind of weapons are the Northwest Army using now?"
Ma Jing said truthfully: "The Northwest is poor, and military equipment has not been updated for many years. Most of them rely on bows and arrows. The armor is old, and there is a particular shortage of horses, and even more so, strong crossbows..."
Li Che nodded, not surprised by this.
"Horses are easy to get. I will immediately send a message to all tribes on the grasslands, ordering them to offer 10,000 good horses."
"I will also allocate 20,000 war horses from my horse farm outside the Great Wall, making a total of 30,000, and send them to you in the northwest."
Ma Jing's heart was filled with emotion when he heard this.
Thirty thousand war horses are more than enough to form a very powerful cavalry!
With this mobile force, the Northwest Army can look for opportunities to counterattack instead of being on the defensive.
Ma Jing has never fought such a prosperous battle in his life!
However, Li Che's next words left him stunned.
"As for the crossbow..." Li Che shook his head slightly, a little disgusted, "There is no need to use this kind of thing on a large scale in the future."
He looked at Ma Jing with a sharp gaze and asked word by word, "General Ma, have you ever heard of...gunpowder?"
When Ma Jing heard the word gunpowder, his heart was immediately shocked.
In all those classic battles of the Fengtian Army where they defeated the enemy with fewer troops and captured cities and strongholds, gunpowder was involved. How could he not know how powerful this thing was?
However, this kind of military weapon has always been regarded as a treasure by the Fengtian Army and would never be shown to others.
Although the imperial court also had gunpowder, it was not enough for its own use, and it was even more impossible to easily give it to these border troops.
So Ma Jing had only heard of it but never seen it.
He asked tentatively, "Your Majesty means..."
Seeing him like this, Li Che laughed out loud.
Then he took the initiative to step forward and naturally took Ma Jing's hand: "Talking is useless, come on, I'll take you to see it with your own eyes!"
In this era, holding hands between men was an act of extreme closeness and trust, without the ambiguity of later generations.
Ma Jing only felt that the emperor's palm was warm and strong, and a burst of power came from it. His heart was suddenly filled with a warm current, and he was so excited that he could hardly control himself.
Your Majesty is so respectful to the wise and humble, but I was afraid that he would suspect the Northwest Army. I deserve to die!
The succubus's passive skill has never been turned off, and this Northwestern general is almost hooked into a black bass.
Li Che, however, did not have so many thoughts and directly led Ma Jing to the temporary training ground outside Luoyang City.
There was no large-scale military drill on the parade ground at the moment, only some ordnance officers and soldiers maintaining various equipment.
Ma Jing looked around and saw all kinds of weapons on the ground that he had never heard of or seen before. There were many types and they were dazzling.
Li Che pointed them out to him one by one as if he were counting his treasures:
"Look at that long one with a flintlock mechanism. It's a flintlock musket, the mainstay of our infantry. Its range, accuracy, and power far surpass those of a bow and crossbow."
"Those short-barreled ones are short muskets and pepper pot pistols, specially used by cavalry. They're extremely powerful in close combat, especially the pepper pot, which can fire multiple times in succession."
"Those round iron lumps are fire mines and land mines."
"Those smaller ones, with iron sheets and wooden handles, are grenades, used for throwing."
"And those bundles are explosive packs, they're great for attacking and demolishing walls."
Li Che finally pointed to a corner of the training ground, where huge objects covered in oilcloth stood. "Those are cannons, the pinnacle of firearms!"
"From heavy artillery for sieges to lightweight mortars, there are over twenty different sizes!"
Ma Jing was dazzled, his breathing became rapid involuntarily, and his mouth felt dry.
He suppressed his excitement, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty...are you planning to hand these firearms...over to me?"
Li Che looked at his expectant eyes, smiled and nodded: "The Northwest Army is also my Daqing Army, so naturally I have to equip you with some equipment."
Ma Jing was overjoyed when he heard this and almost blurted out, "I want a flintlock rifle!"
However, Li Che shook his head helplessly: "The musket won't work."
The smile on Ma Jing's face froze instantly.