Ming Zuo

Chapter 376
The downfall of Mengshan and the destruction of Murong Cai, one of the three giants of the White Lotus Sect, did not make any waves in Zuo Menggeng.

In fact, after the White Lotus Sect was driven into the Yimeng Mountains, the fate of these rebels was already settled.

What the new army has to do is to follow Zuo Menggeng's plan and clear them step by step according to the timetable.

It is still the previous law, after a battle, the new army is reorganized once.

The [-] people who traveled around and trained in Lingshanwei were transferred over to formally form the third and fourth regiments of the Third Division of the New Army.

What followed was a large-scale transfer of officers.

For example, the old pair of Huang Sanhu and Jian Zongan from the original first division and third regiment were dismantled this time.

Huang Sanhu was promoted to brigade commander of the second brigade, while Jian Zongan was transferred to the third division and second brigade as brigade commander.

Hui Shanhui, who had just wiped out Murong Cai, was the brigade commander of the three divisions and one brigade.His political commissar partner was Ai Wenkun, the former head of the Second Division and Second Regiment.

The military camp that had just been built in Mengyin County became the location of the third division.The entire division, with [-] people, started training on the spot and received weapons.

Zuo Dai personally escorted the weapons and ammunition of the third division, which also brought some problems in the military industry.

"At present, the military factory is a bit too bloated, and it is very difficult for our committee to manage it. Everyone's opinion is that the military factory should be split again. The artillery factory is the artillery factory, and the gun factory is an addition to the existing factory building. The gunpowder factory is a new factory. The black powder and mercury fulminate are independent, and the product uses of the mercury fulminate factory are divided into two parts: military and civilian."

Today, Xinjun's arsenal is staggering in size, with more than [-] employees.

Without so many people, there is no way to make so many weapons and ammunition for use by the entire army.

However, the industrial level of this era has been determined, and such a large industrial platform can only be handed over to the industrial committee of a few people, which will exhaust Jiang Wei, Zuo Dai and others.

"In this case, you come up with a detailed split plan. Again, confidentiality is the top priority."

Seeing that he agreed, Zuo Dai let out a sigh of relief.

At the beginning, he decided to give up his military position and specialize in weapon research and development and manufacturing. Zuo Dai was still full of guilt, feeling that he could not fight side by side with his brothers, and it was disloyal to watch them die.

But today, Zuo Dai has no guilt at all.

It was the first time he found out, how could there be so much unfinished work?
He didn't even remember how long it had been since he had a good night's sleep.

Thinking about it carefully, managing a large factory with more than [-] people is no easier than commanding an army of [-] people.

Now that Zuo Menggeng agreed to split the military factory and be directly responsible for the military department, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But the bad news still has to be told to Zuo Menggeng.

"The idea of ​​the mortar you put forward, the special forces have come to the conclusion after the actual combat that the ammunition is not powerful enough. We re-tested, increasing the charge, the shell will be too heavy, and the range will be greatly shortened. Therefore, everyone agreed that, There must be a new type of explosive. Do you think it is possible to apply mercury fulminate to the explosive?"

Zuo Menggeng did not expect that the requirements of the army were so strict.

But if you think about it, you also know that the mortar shells are only that big, and if only black powder is used, the power is not much different from that of fireworks.

Obviously everyone can see that the mortar is a very good weapon, but the gunpowder can't keep up.

What kind of new gunpowder should there be?
Mercury fulminate is definitely not acceptable.

Even with Zuo Menggeng's optimization, the stability of mercury fulminate is still a big problem.Used to make mortar shells, maybe a single shock can wipe out the entire army of gunners who operate it.

After thinking about it, Zuo Menggeng thought of a gunpowder that is easy to obtain for the new army, with good power and slightly better safety.

"After you go back, let the laboratory do it and see what miraculous effects will be obtained by soaking cotton in nitric acid?"

Saying that, Zuo Menggeng pulled the paper and wrote the specific steps on it.

The left generation was stunned.

"You can get new gunpowder by soaking cotton in nitric acid?"

It's too simple, isn't it?
Crap, the new army has nitric acid, so you think it's easy.Think about the whole world today, even if you tell them, can they make it out?
Yes, the new gunpowder that Zuo Menggeng took out was cotton wool.

Because of the manufacture of mercury fulminate, the Xinjun can already produce nitric acid in batches.And the use of nitric acid is being explored little by little.

It can be said that because of the manufacture of mercury fulminate, the products of all the links are being studied curiously.I believe that if it develops over time, it will be perfected into the chain of the chemical system.

It is precisely because there is enough nitric acid, and Shandong is a cotton producing area, that Zuo Menggeng thought of making cotton.

There is another benefit to getting out the collodion, which is to improve the new army's propellant.

It is said that in the long-term future, black powder will completely disappear from the new army.

Today's Mengyin County has changed a lot.The most obvious feeling is that the air is full of vitality.

The people I saw on the road all had blood on their faces. They carried various tools and sang folk songs away. They did not feel that labor was hard work.

Beneath the wall, a group of high-level officials from the new army squatted to eat, basking in the sun while eating, and discussing the development of Mengyin by the way.

"As of this January, the population of Mengyin has increased by more than [-]. All of them came from the nearby countryside and strongly demanded to settle down."

Speaking of population growth, the party is still very proud.

As a local official, this is of course a political achievement.

"The reason?"

Zuo Menggeng was very concerned.

"Why? There is work to do and food to eat."

Qi Biaojia said the reason.

Originally, Mengyin, a remote rural area, was able to attract people. An important reason was that there were opportunities to make money to survive.

"There is a big problem in the development of this place, which is the lack of water. Although the Menghe River is close at hand, so much water has flowed away in vain. Some time ago, we did some research and decided to locate the low-lying area in the east. Build a reservoir. Surrounded by mountains and low-lying in the middle, there is no need to build embankments, it is a natural reservoir.”

Zuo Menggeng looked at the map and understood that the place where Dang Huanchun and Qi Biaojia decided to build the reservoir was the location of the Anti Reservoir in later generations.

This reservoir is the main source of water supply near Mengshan, feeding hundreds of thousands of people.

Now taking advantage of the few people nearby, it is a good thing to build the reservoir in the future.

"Is there any difficulty?"

Dang Huanchun has already adapted to the way of doing things here, and he opened his mouth and said: "Money, grain. Last year's appropriation has almost been used, and if you want to build a reservoir, you must have enough financial support. In addition, There is also the agricultural work in the spring, which cannot be delayed.”

Zuo Menggeng was mentally prepared for the need for local financial support, and he did not hesitate or refuse.

The Executive Council is now very well financed.

The reason is that there were too many windfalls last year.

The bulk of it is cotton.

Those cotton fields were not originally owned by the new army. Because of the chaos of the White Lotus Sect, the landowners who owned the land were either killed or fled, and the new army picked up ready-made ones.

For the sale of cotton alone, the Administrative Committee received more than [-] taels of silver.

When it comes to agriculture, Zuo Menggeng is even more concerned about it.

"Do you have any specific plans?"

The party also knew that this was under investigation, and explained everything in detail.

In view of the fact that Mengyin has more mountains and less land, the county government decided to carry out intensive management of the limited cultivated land.The land on the north bank of the Menghe River near the county seat is mainly grown for wheat, cotton and other crops.

Wheat is a food that is indispensable.Cotton is a source of wealth, and it cannot be less.

In the narrow strip on the south bank of the Menghe River, the county government has decided to grow auxiliary crops such as peanuts, sesame, corn, potatoes and vegetables there.

"Only relying on these, can not guarantee the food and clothing of the common people."

Zuo Menggeng was not satisfied, the problem was sharp.

The party is still mellow but full of confidence.

"It's your advice that gave us ideas. After the spring of next year, we plan to use the terrain in the mountains to plant ginkgo biloba, hawthorn, walnuts, etc. In some barren mountains, we will replant drought-tolerant trees. In short, we must make full use of the mountains. "

Agricultural development in mountainous and hilly areas is not an easy topic. Zuo Menggeng asked concernedly, "Are you sure?"

Dang Huanchun really surprised him.

"In the fall, Mr. Wang Kangyu personally led the team to inspect and help us make plans. When the spring begins, he will come to help us cultivate tree species and formulate planting plans."

Guys, have learned to seek expert help.

Zuo Menggeng was most satisfied with this situation.

"Let professional things be left to professional people, and you will definitely be able to succeed."

Wang Xiangjin seems to be an agricultural authority in this era, and he knows how to plant mountains and forests.Having him take charge of this matter greatly increased Zuo Menggeng's confidence.

Zuo Menggeng has not yet noticed that Mengyin County's approach is changing the original appearance of traditional Chinese agriculture focusing on land, and is developing in an all-round way like agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and sideline fishing.

(End of this chapter)