Now Shi Yang is determined to become a gunner under Xie Lanzhi's command.
Considering the importance of the Shi State Prefecture's territory, Xie Lanzhi proactively requested that Shi Yang train a group of artillerymen for the Xie family within the prefecture, lest he prematurely burst the bubble of the Shi State Prefecture.
Shi Yang received the order and immediately began to act. Without his wrath, the Shi State government was much quieter.
The four Nanyang nations successfully completed their trade and the century-long port lease agreement. The name of the four Nanyang nations became meaningless. Although they still bear the name of the four Nanyang nations, only three remain in reality.
Xie Lanzhi also received a letter from Xie Xia, in which the name of Gongsun Feng was specifically mentioned.
Similarly, Si Bogong's letter to Si Xitong also mentioned Gongsun Feng's name.
Xie Lanzhi believed that Gongsun Feng would become a celebrity in the future, so she did not interfere much.
Si Xitong is now intentionally giving Gongsun Feng a free rein. After all, for overseas expansion, she needs aggressive talent like Gongsun Feng, especially business acumen. For the Great Jin, this would be the first step in expanding its influence abroad.
This autumn harvest marked the third bumper year for Nanzhong Original.
As the people of the Southern Central Plains had more and more food in their homes, fewer and fewer people starved to death. The victory of the Southern Central Plains in the battle between the Central Alliance and the Northern Xiongnu had an impact on the entire late Jin Dynasty.
The late Jin Dynasty was not as chaotic as it had been the previous year, and even those who wanted to incite rebellion were becoming fewer and fewer. This was because most of them no longer dared to contend with Si Xitong.
Si Xitong's Imperial Guard has proven their ability to march north. The reason they haven't marched north yet is that the Central Plains also need to conserve their strength.
Si Xitong did not mention heading north for the time being. Although some people inside and outside the court complained about why they didn't press their advantage, most officials were quite mature and supported conserving their strength, saying it wouldn't be too late to attack the Xiongnu in three years.
Ma Hong, however, did not think so, because the orders he received were different from what the other officials believed. His orders were not to conserve energy and build up strength, but to prepare for war.
With the return of Si Bogong and the State Merchants' Delegation, Xie Xia brought back a thousand military officers to the new Tianjing. As for the marriage alliance, he didn't take it seriously at all.
That was just a gimmick put on by Gongsun Feng.
The thousand naval officers were quickly divided into five groups of two hundred men each and sent to Delta, Luerqu, Weidu, Yue, and then Huayin.
The last force went to Huayin Kingdom, and those in the know understood that this was preparation for the First Division. However, since the Crown Prince of the First Division had not joined His Highness's camp, it was not considered for the time being. As soon as Li Li changed his mind, these officers would immediately be stationed in the First Division to train the sailors.
When Xie Lanzhi learned that Gongsun Feng had sent officers from the four Southeast Asian countries, she was curious. Were they all really officers? After checking, she discovered that they were indeed officers with excellent military skills, although many were retired veterans. In the eyes of the four Southeast Asian countries, veterans were just useless and a burden, and it would be better to send them to the State Merchant Corps to appease the Great Jin.
In fact, they overlooked the fact that the experience of a veteran can never be compared to that of someone of different ages.
Xie Lanzhi specially recruited a group of students to teach these officers Chinese. At the same time, she also had the students serve as their personal advisors, learning alongside them, thus laying the foundation for the future establishment of the navy.
When Si Xitong learned of her actions, she specially sent more students.
Everything was arranged perfectly. The imperial court operated efficiently without any obstacles, with everyone fulfilling their duties. The future of the new Tianjing was bright.
Everyone believed that His Highness would surely be able to subdue the Northern Hu and Xiongnu within three years, accomplishing a feat that none of the ancestors of the Great Jin Dynasty had been able to achieve!
The people of Xintianjing had a bountiful harvest, the Southern Regions had a bountiful harvest, Huayin Kingdom had a bountiful harvest, and Lu Kingdom had a bountiful harvest. The entire Southern Central Plains was a scene of prosperity and abundance.
However, the northern region, traditionally known as the granary of the ancient Central Plains, has suffered from drought and poor harvests this year, particularly the northern Xiongnu.
The Northern Hu and Xiongnu suffered a poor harvest, leaving farmers across the country with nothing. Internal divisions within the Northern Hu and Xiongnu government led to a forced harvest, resulting in the theft of the farmers' remaining crops.
Drought and crop failure are typically natural disasters, and a competent court would exempt farmers from taxes when they suffer a poor harvest, thus weathering the crisis together. However, the Northern Xiongnu acted in the opposite way, directly increasing taxes by 30% after the crop failure.
Liu Zixian collected taxes, which was opposed by the various ministers of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu. In fact, the ministers of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu were also increasing taxes in their own territories.
Liu Zi's proposed tax reductions also met with opposition from the various officials of the Northern Xiongnu, who then intensified their tax collection efforts. Liu Zi's orders failed to reach the lower levels of government, allowing these officials to act arbitrarily and monopolize the people's livelihood.
The Northern Hun regime is now separated from the people, and the ministers who are supposed to be the bridge have voluntarily closed this window.
Finally, the peasants of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu could no longer survive. A peasant from the Central Plains named Liu Cheng rose in rebellion, capturing ten cities north of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu. The more cities they captured, the more troops they gained. Even members of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu themselves joined the rebellion.
This peasant uprising was quite unique because it did not discriminate by race, but only by peasants and nobles. Liu Cheng was a man who had received three years of formal education, and he did not follow Confucianism or Taoism, but Mohism.
Liu Cheng, under the banner of equality, conquered ten cities, looting the local government's granaries and distributing the grain to the peasants. Upon receiving the grain, the peasants naturally followed Liu Cheng, leading to widespread fighting and bloodshed within the cities.
Every time they entered a city, they would plunder it completely, initially targeting only wealthy households. Later, they discovered that the wealthy households had all fled, or they would target poor areas, even the local farmers.
This army began to go mad, sweeping through like locusts, leaving nothing behind. Liu Cheng even implemented a scorched-earth policy, plunging the land north of the Northern Xiongnu into turmoil. The Northern Xiongnu directly lost half of their wealth and income.
Liu Zi and the ministers reached a temporary agreement to send troops to quell Liu Cheng.
By this time, Liu Cheng already held the title of "Grain King" north of the Northern Xiongnu, and he proclaimed that those who followed him would have an inexhaustible supply of grain. He then held a ceremony to worship the Dragon King, sacrificing the infant daughters of wealthy local families to the river. These methods were extremely bloody, yet they attracted even more peasants to follow him.
Because it happened to be raining, Liu Cheng's fame spread throughout the north, and some even called him the Rain Dragon King.
Liu Zi and the Northern Xiongnu ministers became mere clowns. Meanwhile, Liu Cheng's power grew ever stronger.
Liu Zi temporarily compromised by having the ministers provide grain and allowing their armies to attack Liu Cheng.
The ministers also conceded a step and provided their own weapons to suppress Liu Cheng.
War breaks out within the Northern Hunnic region!
Xie Lanzhi learned that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu were facing peasant uprisings that were common at the end of every dynasty.
"It seems the Northern Hu and Xiongnu's days are numbered." She had read a story written by the Northern Hu and Xiongnu in response to the cultural invasion of the Southern Central Plains' Grand Justice, and it was indeed quite good. Judging from the content of the book, she felt that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu had been almost completely Sinicized after a hundred years.
Although Aqina didn't do many good things, he did accelerate the transition of the Northern Xiongnu from a nomadic civilization to an agricultural one. Now, the Northern Xiongnu are essentially an agricultural civilization. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been peasant uprisings, but rather pastoral uprisings.
Hearing again late at night that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu were in turmoil, Xie Lanzhi was filled with emotion.
She lay on her side on the bed and put down the storybook, while Si Xitong in her arms was engrossed in reading a book.
"Lying down while reading will hurt your eyes." Xie Lanzhi took her book away and found that she was looking at the "Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms".
Xie Lanzhi was both amused and exasperated; her little phoenix's mind was no longer on land, but entirely on the sea.
"If others knew that their prince is now only concerned with overseas affairs, do you think they would be upset?"
Si Xitong pursed her lips and said, "The outside world is indeed very intriguing. Actually, I sometimes envy Marilyn. She was able to travel across oceans to various countries at such a young age."
"You must have experienced a lot of local customs and traditions."
Seeing that she was already in a state of longing and obsession with overseas, Xie Lanzhi said, "Perhaps people overseas also yearn for the East, and even call the East the land of gold."
"Really?" Si Xitong's eyes were full of anticipation, but after a while she tucked the blanket over her face and said with some shame, "But I haven't taken good care of the Great Jin yet. Won't they be disappointed when they come and find that the Land of Gold is not as it is called?"
Xie Lanzhi said, "Have you ever considered that perhaps the overseas markets are just as undeserving? Maybe even worse than you imagine."
These days, Si Xitong has come to a general understanding that the court system overseas is different from that in the East, and it can even be said that the system in the East is superior to that overseas for thousands of years.
I've heard that some countries overseas are governed by religion. This often leads to religious wars, but there are relatively few peasant uprisings.
In the East, the opposite is true; towards the end of a dynasty, peasant uprisings invariably erupt, overthrowing the dynasty that brought them misfortune.
Si Xitong lifted the corner of the blanket, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "Lanzhi, can we go out to sea together sometime?"
Xie Lanzhi agreed without hesitation: "Okay! Once you've completed your mission and things are more settled, we'll go overseas to take a look."
"Then it's settled!" Si Xitong snuggled even closer into her arms, and Xie Lanzhi, both amused and exasperated, pressed her down with her hand: "You can't squeeze in anymore, stop trying."
The masters of Lanzhang Palace spent the night exchanging sweet words.
Imperial guards patrolled the palace, troops were stationed at the gates of Tianjing, border troops set up artillery lines, troops were stationed in the delta, and troops were stationed at Luerqu. All coastal areas were brought under the control of Tianjing.
Life in the coastal states of Yue and Shi has improved slightly compared to last year, with many merchants migrating to the towns of the new Tianjing, leaving behind a considerable amount of land.
Farmers and migrants planted crops on the vacant land and harvested their own food.
Zheng Xiu of Yue was now in an extremely awkward position. The islanders of Yue were gradually losing patience with their master; those who could afford it began to sail to the open sea, while those who could not had already migrated to other countries.
Even the worst kingdoms, like the Kingdom of Shi, have people going there, but they just won't stay in the Kingdom of Yue.
The Yue Kingdom was facing a massive exodus of farmers, and even its army was on the verge of disbanding. If it weren't for the occasional grain supplies transported from the southern regions to sustain the Yue army, the Yue Kingdom might have long since lost its military.
On this day, Xie Bing was withdrawn to the border by Xie Ming to return to defense. The plan was to send another group of men to continue the defense.
However, he hadn't had time to change jobs yet.
Dozens of boats suddenly appeared on the shore, each carrying a lamp—an oil lamp, unlike traditional torches. They approached the coasts of Yue Kingdom and Shi Kingdom respectively.
Xie Bing was only momentarily distracted, and the Yue army was lax in its defenses, so they were practically unconcerned, even about their own hometown.
The Vietnamese army did not react until dozens of ships landed, but their reaction was futile.
Boom! Dozens of shells ignited the Vietnamese army on the shore.
The Yue army was instantly routed and scattered in all directions. Xie Ming had just finished eating and wiped his mouth when he heard the sound of cannons outside. He initially thought it was one of Xie's little brats who had accidentally dropped something.
It wasn't until the general of the Yue army, looking disheveled, ran over and reported to him: "General, there are unidentified ships on the shore, and each ship has cannons."
"Many of our brothers on the shore were killed by the bomb!"
When Xie Ming heard that it wasn't his own country's cannons firing, his expression immediately became extremely serious. In the past year, he had been paying close attention to overseas news, although it was mostly news from the four Southeast Asian countries. However, as a soldier, he was shocked to learn that even a small country had cannons that dared to attack the Great Jin.
He then began to pay attention to local events, initially thinking that powerful nations in the open sea couldn't reach the East. Unexpectedly, they had already reached the shore tonight.
Xie Ming immediately sent a message to Shi Yang of the Shi State Mansion.
Then he took the initiative to lead ten Type 4 cannons and positioned them at various points on the shore, ready to counterattack as soon as those unknown people came ashore.
No sooner had Xie Ming left than his tent was blown up by a long-range artillery barrage!
All ten Xie soldiers patrolling nearby were killed in action.
Xie Bing hurriedly went to report, only to find that hundreds of people had unknowingly taken up positions on the paths and in the woods ahead, their shadows holding firearms and firing.
Gunshots rang out in the forest, and sparks flew everywhere.
Most of Xie's soldiers who remained at the camp were killed or wounded; only the quick-thinking soldiers set up cannons and formed a defensive line.
"fire!!"
Boom boom boom—Xie Bing's Type 94 cannons blasted forward relentlessly.
Then the enemy on the other side quickly launched an artillery barrage, and methodically used cannons to suppress the enemy, with arquebusiers following behind to provide support.
This battle formation caught Xie's troops, who were still on the firing line, completely off guard. They didn't even have a chance to fire their shells, because the gunners were focused on keeping the gunners firing.
This enemy force appears to be militarily trained and more familiar with firearms warfare than Xie Bing. They are also more experienced.
The fleeing Xie soldiers were horrified to discover that their experience with artillery was far inferior to that of the enemy before them. The enemy could even change formations and launch surprise attacks. It seemed they knew the location of every single military camp.
Captain Xie, who had combat experience, said directly to his men, "This enemy not only knows where we are, but also our firepower. It seems that they are not only experienced in combat, but also have a comprehensive intelligence network."
"Without systematically gathering information and spending a long time in the Central Plains to become familiar with it, it would be impossible to know the current combat strength of the Central Plains! Nor would it be aware of our weaknesses!"
"Therefore!" Captain Xie said gravely, "This must be an enemy that has crossed the ocean from afar!!"
Most of the countries bordering the Central Plains are small, with the only one worth mentioning being Anluo. However, Anluo's Left Minister and envoy are now interested in establishing diplomatic relations with the Central Plains. It's highly unlikely that they would later send troops to attack them.
Ke Anlu is known for selling weapons, but he doesn't provide any after-sales service. It's hard to say whether his force is actually run by traitors colluding with outsiders!
Captain Xie accurately assessed the situation and immediately dispatched messengers to rush back to Tianjing overnight to report to the marshal.
Xie Ming was still completely unaware of what was happening. They had just fired three volleys of cannon fire, destroying several ships. Because it was late at night, they could only see the enemy's oil lamps. Moreover, the people on the ships did not panic and flee. On the contrary, they jumped into the water in an orderly fashion, scattered, and blended into the dark water, making them completely invisible.