Chapter 225: Armory and Welfare

Along the Baolong River outside the Wendeng Camp, numerous channels had been drawn from the banks. Dikes were built beside the channels, and all kinds of hydraulic machinery were in operation, the ding-ding clang of water hammers ringing without end.

Tang Zuoxiang diligently followed beside Chen Xin and Liu Minyou, introducing as they went. "My lord, the firearms branch of the armory now has over two hundred men. In normal times it can produce six hundred guns; in a rush month, it can make a thousand."

Chen Xin asked casually, "That averages only three guns per man. What takes the most manpower right now?"

"Nowadays drilling gun barrels doesn't take many men; we use drilling machines. You only need to stop when the barrel heats up, occasionally change the diamond bit on the weight, and leave one or two men to watch. What takes the most men now is rolling gun barrels and forging wrought-iron plates. There's no way yet to improve rolling barrels. Wrought-iron plates use water hammers, but even with some water hammers, a great deal of manual labor is still needed."

Liu Minyou added from the side, "That Portuguese man we recruited last time proposed an idea: a hydraulic rolling machine that can press several wrought-iron plates at once. He saw others use it in Europe, but he wasn't clear on how it was made. I've already transferred a few of the best craftsmen from the Technical Class to research it. They've produced a prototype. There are still quite a few problems, and they're working on improvements. This machine is very useful; it can also be used to make copper coins. In the future, the cost of counterfeit coins may drop."

Chen Xin nodded and asked Liu Minyou, "The firearms factory's output is sufficient for now. Even if we expand the army, only about half will be musketeers. But I still want to solve the bayonet problem sooner, so we can double our close-combat troops. In the Shenmi Island operation, the flintlock detachment counter-charged as a reserve force, firing at close range and then immediately charging with bayonets. The effect was very good. These light-armored troops are also much faster in pursuit than heavy-armored troops and have stronger mobility. If we can completely solve the bayonet problem, my tactics can become much more flexible."

Tang Zuoxiang lowered his head and said, "My lord, bayonets rely entirely on hand forging. Making a qualified one is extremely difficult. If that rolling machine can be made, the error in gun barrels will be somewhat smaller, but for now, we still have to rely mostly on training skilled craftsmen for bayonets."

Liu Minyou added, "Even more important is steel and iron. The output of the original iron workshop was too low. The steel bought from Dengzhou varies in quality. We now use a great deal of steel: the edges of cold weapons, bayonets, drill bits for gun barrels — all are consumables. In the Shenmi Island operation, twenty percent of the Killer Squad's weapons needed replacement. I plan to expand the Weapons Research Office and first fill some positions with people from the Technical Class. This year and next, the focus will be on researching iron smelting and steelmaking. Then the remaining Technical Class members will stay on as teachers, to expand the scale of the Technical Class."

"Very good. We originally had literacy schools for teenagers, half work and half study, learning to read while learning skills. If we later expand the Technical Class, the outstanding students from the literacy class can advance to the Technical Class for theoretical study. That gives us two levels of training. Students of average aptitude in the literacy class can be sent directly to work in the various workshops. The Technical Class will be equivalent to a university. We can also merge the old accounting class into the Technical Class. Additionally, we can draw some people from the original research offices to serve as teachers. These people have more practical experience; don't let the Technical Class lean too heavily toward theory."

The two discussed as they walked, looking around as they went. Many craftsmen who recognized them stopped to salute, all bowing — this was also the etiquette of the civil affairs system. Chen Xin and Liu Minyou had long ago abolished kneeling within their organization. Both smiled and nodded when they saw them, a manner completely different from that of other officials of this era.

When they reached an area where workers were most densely gathered, a craftsman suddenly shouted, "Lord Chen, Lord Liu, may your noble houses endure for ten thousand generations!"

It immediately sparked a wave of enthusiastic response. The entire riverbank rang with shouts of "May your noble houses endure for ten thousand generations!" These former artisan-household members and refugees had found their paradise in Wendeng. Here they could support their families through their own labor, without the oppression seen everywhere outside. For the first time, they knew what it meant to have enough food and clothing and to have dignity. And they were full of hope for the future. As long as these two lords were here, their children could also live and work here in peace.

Chen Xin clasped his hands toward all around him in thanks, drawing even more fervent shouts and applause. Liu Minyou still smiled and nodded. The heated atmosphere took a good while to pass. After the two walked past this section, Liu Minyou had the others fall back a distance and said quietly to Chen Xin, "Why don't you learn from the great man and wave with one hand?"

"'Long live the people'? If you weren't here, I might give it a try. With you here, I was afraid you'd laugh at me."

Liu Minyou smiled and shook his head upon hearing this. After a moment he said, "I heard you're going to transfer people from the Training Corps to establish a Propaganda and Education Bureau, and also start an army newspaper. Are you trying to get a taste of what the great man felt?"

Chen Xin sighed and said, "What taste is there in pretending all day? But now that our operation has grown, we can't guarantee that everyone thinks the same as we do. People ultimately change. It's necessary for every person at the grassroots to understand the goals of this group. That way, even if a few people develop other intentions, the destructive power will be minimized."

Liu Minyou said nothing more after hearing this. That morning the military had issued a notice appointing Wang Changfu as the battalion commander of the Reserve Battalion. Liu Minyou had initially thought it would be either Lu Chuanzong or Dai Zhenggang; after all, those two had more seniority. The three Company Commanders were also all from the first batch of trackers recruited in Tongzhou, but they all came from different places.

Lu Chuanzong and Dai Zhenggang were only given the nominal post of Vice Camp Commander of Wendeng Camp and still held their original posts as Company Commanders. Liu Minyou was no longer the project manager he once was. From this personnel appointment, he could see that Chen Xin had become wary of the people from Yanggu. Most of those Yanggu people were close neighbors, the only group within the Wendeng Camp system with a local-regional character. The Liaodong refugees who came later were from a very wide range of places, and there were few cases of them forming cliques with each other.

"I saw the morning notice. Will Lu Chuanzong and Dai Zhenggang have any objections?"

"I plan to tell them I will fight for them to get independent garrison commands as Mobile Corps Commanders, so I'm in no hurry to appoint them as battalion commanders now."

Liu Minyou thought for a moment and said, "That reason is passable."

"Calculate this year's income and expenditure. If there's a surplus, I want to add a retirement pension for the soldiers. Deduct five qian from their monthly pay, and then have the army contribute another five qian. That way, one tael of silver is deposited for them each month in the bank, to be paid out in a lump sum when they retire or are wounded."

Liu Minyou calculated in his head for a moment. The current number of soldiers was over seven thousand. Combat soldiers received one tael and five qian per month; the Reserve Battalion currently received one tael, but sooner or later that would have to be raised to one tael and five qian. Adding the extra pay for officers, the annual military pay alone would be around one hundred twenty thousand taels. This did not yet include pensions, combat rewards, barracks, equipment, uniforms, horses, and military rations. If they were out on campaign, they also had to consider the cost of hiring civilian laborers, purchasing grain locally, and so on. This year's military expenditure would be around two hundred thousand taels. The imperial court's annual military stipend was over seventy thousand taels, but after the necessary bribes to superiors, the actual amount received was only forty thousand taels, and the grain-in-kind was also withheld. Wendeng Camp itself needed to subsidize about one hundred fifty thousand taels.

In previous years, the civil affairs income of Wendeng Camp relied mainly on maritime trade, which brought in one hundred fifty thousand taels this year. Next was copper coins. In previous years, they bought one hundred thousand jin of copper from Japan, with a profit of less than fifteen thousand taels. This year, through their own bank and shops along the Grand Canal, the profit from copper coins more than doubled. Adding the over one hundred thousand jin of copper material provided by Xu Xinsu, this year's profit could reach fifty to sixty thousand taels. Then there was the profit from cigarettes. The cigarette business had just started this year, and after entering May, sales began to surge. The projected profit for the full year could be around one hundred thousand taels.

Finally, there was the southern goods business along the Grand Canal and the Liaodong commercial goods trade. Chen Xin's trip to Pi Island had already smoothed the connections. The first batch of southern goods had just been loaded onto ships bound for Pi Island. Part of it went to people like Shang Keyi, and the rest went directly to officials in Anping Circuit of Korea. A small portion of these goods would be sold in Korea, but the majority would certainly be shipped to the Later Jin. They were all goods scarce in the Later Jin: tea, sugar, ceramics, and cigarettes. Sugar and cigarettes were especially popular in Liaodong. Although the Jianzhou bandits also lacked grain, the unit price of grain was too low, the target was obvious, and it was inconvenient to transport. The military aristocrats had food anyway; they had no interest in smuggling that stuff.

The Later Jin had plundered vast amounts of silver over many years of war. The millions of Liaodong civilians who originally lived there had been almost entirely slaughtered by them. Even the small portion kept as bondservants had been robbed utterly destitute. Wealth had all been transferred into the hands of the Eight Banners. After the wars, production and trade routes were severely damaged, and goods were scarce. They had silver but nowhere to spend it. So anyone in the Later Jin with connections and backing was selling smuggled goods. Large-scale smuggling was done by generals with real power in each banner.

The nobles of the Later Jin banners originally purchased goods from Korea, which could yield more than double the profit once they reached Liaodong. Especially after clove cigarettes appeared, everyone everywhere was scrambling for the goods, and supply was severely insufficient. A small amount was smuggled from Dengzhou to Liaodong. Wendeng-brand cigarettes, which cost ten wen at the factory, once sold for one hundred wen per pack in Liaodong.

Every banner was engaged in this kind of smuggling. Although Huang Taiji repeatedly warned the banners, it was utterly useless. This batch of goods was a first step by Wendeng Camp to explore the Liaodong smuggling route. The cost was just over ten thousand taels. Based on the Intelligence Bureau's understanding of the smuggling situation in the Liaodong Sea in recent years, they estimated they could earn double the profit. On the return trip, they would bring back Liaodong products like sable pelts, fox pelts, Eastern pearls, and ginseng, which would also yield more than double the profit. If shipped directly to Jiangnan for sale, the profit could reach three times.

Although Wendeng Camp and the Jianzhou bandits fought each other to the death on the battlefield, they did not delay in doing business at all. The people on Pi Island and in Korea were naturally also very happy. Wendeng's southern goods were cheaper than those previously sold from Dengzhou, making it even more profitable for them.

In addition, there were some scattered local profits in Wendeng, mainly from the general store and civilian ironware. The profitability of these two was not strong and could not compare to these major items. Liu Minyou estimated that total income this year would be around four hundred thousand taels, and it was possible to reach six or seven hundred thousand next year.

If they added five qian per soldier per month, that would be nearly forty thousand taels more per year. But the advantage was that it didn't have to be paid immediately. Soldiers retired in batches, and this money wouldn't all be withdrawn at once, so there was no short-term pressure.

Liu Minyou calculated it once in his mind before saying to Chen Xin, "It's feasible this year. But in the long run, silver will still be tight, especially if you may expand the army again later. We still need to find ways to earn more silver."

Chen Xin nodded and said, "Cigarette sales will continue to grow. Once most smokers have developed the habit of smoking cigarettes, our profits will be considerable. As long as we don't expand the army too quickly, we can still sustain it. If I had the Liaodong tax to spend, would I need to bother with these headaches? This silver is said to be deposited there. It looks like we're paying out more silver, but the soldiers won't all come to withdraw it at once. As veterans retire, new recruits come in and continue paying in. It's just like our old-age pension. We can arrange it comprehensively..."

"What comprehensive arrangement? Lord Chen, just say 'misappropriate' and be done with it. But I also agree with temporary misappropriation; it'll make our cash flow easier."

Chen Xin clapped his hands. "Then it's settled. But we won't make this a one-size-fits-all policy. Let the soldiers choose for themselves whether to take full pay or join the retirement pension plan. I estimate over ninety percent will join."

"This way, these soldiers have a sum of silver in our hands. Even if they are transferred elsewhere with other officers, the cost of betrayal will increase many times over. Coupled with the Training Officers' daily control over ideology, the Quartermaster Officers' control of logistics, and the Tun Chiefs' control of their families and fixed assets, if a commanding officer tries to rebel, basically no soldier will support him. Even deserting becomes basically impossible. Lord Chen, you've made a fine calculation. I've only just figured it out."

Chen Xin chuckled and said, "I'm ashamed, ashamed. It's just a little scheme. But this is an open conspiracy, and it's also for everyone's good. If the system can prevent chaos, it's more cost-effective than suppressing it later. Spending this bit of extra silver now is also the least costly method."

Liu Minyou sighed and said no more. If it were before, he would certainly have despised Chen Xin for a while. But he had been managing civil affairs for so long now, with tens of thousands of mouths waiting to be fed. In comparison, personal morality was considered much less; decisions were made more out of practical necessity.

As the two talked, the group arrived at a weir pond. The water here was also diverted from the Baolong River via channels. A wall had been built beside the weir's dike. Tang Zuoxiang came forward to lead the way. They arrived at a gate guarded by an older military household member, who timidly opened the door when he saw them coming.

Chen Xin entered and saw over ten people bustling about inside, with people constantly shouting. The floor was covered with wooden and iron components. Amid the rushing sound of water, a mechanical device was operating. On it, something resembling a roller was turning. Beneath the roller were six grooves, in which several sheets of wrought iron were placed. The raised sections circling the roller fit precisely into the grooves, rolling back and forth over the wrought iron sheets.

"Is this thing the rolling machine?" Just as Chen Xin finished asking, the roller stopped. Then someone shouted, "A wooden gear below broke!"

Tang Zuoxiang cursed his bad luck inwardly and braced himself. "Yes, my lord, this is the design. It's just not fully adjusted yet. Please punish me, my lord."

Chen Xin smiled slightly. "You came up with the idea to improve it yourselves. What is there to punish? If a new thing doesn't have problems, it's not called a new thing. This machine is good; it can press iron plates and also copper coins. But don't limit yourselves to this. Have the craftsmen think more. To reduce the cost of flintlocks, use this rolling machine for more parts. Make molds and press out any parts that can be pressed. The speed will also be much faster. We'll need a lot of flintlocks in the future."

Tang Zuoxiang breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly agreed. He also called those busy people over to pay their respects to Chen Xin. Most were quite young, the youngest just over ten, the oldest in their twenties. They all looked at Chen Xin with reverence.

Chen Xin looked at the young man closest to him. The man was still wearing the unique black short outfit of the Technical Class. Chen Xin couldn't help but smile. "Little brother, you must be from the Technical Class. They say everyone in there is one in a thousand. What's your name? Where are you from?"

The young man said excitedly, "This humble one is called Guan Xiaodi. I'm originally a local of Wendeng. My family has now moved to the Third Tunbao. When my mother sent me off, she told me that if I saw Lord Chen, I must wish you a long life of a hundred years on her behalf, and may your noble house endure for ten thousand generations."

Chen Xin happily clapped him on the shoulder. "When you go home, tell your mother for me that I thank her for her auspicious words. You are all the hope of our Wendeng Camp. It's up to you to build our Wendeng into an even more prosperous place. We always say the Jianzhou bandits are barbarians. Why? Because we can build, while they only know how to plunder. Work hard here from now on. If you don't understand something, feel free to ask the senior experts. If you have difficulties, find the workshop supervisor, or you can also find Mr. Liu."

Chen Xin encouraged these young people one by one, just enjoying the feeling of being a senior leader, when Liu Pojun reported loudly from outside the door. He then came in holding an intelligence slip. Chen Xin took it and looked at it, his expression unchanged. He continued to offer a few more words of encouragement before stepping out.

Liu Minyou knew that Liu Pojun had rushed over from the Central Military Staff, so it must be urgent. After stepping outside, he asked, "What's the matter?"

Chen Xin handed him the slip. Liu Minyou took it and saw it read: "Ningyuan Station, 21st day, 7th month intelligence: There are rumors among the Mongols in Guan-Ning that the Kalaqin and Khalkha Mongol tribes have already dispatched troops, with their destination northwest of the old Guangning City. Subsequent inquiries at Shanhai Pass and other places have confirmed the presence of Subudi, Naiman, Barin, Aru, and Tumote. The Intelligence Bureau judges that the Later Jin army will assemble near Guangning in the coming days. Their target is either Dalinghe or Jinzhou. It is also possible they will follow the old route of the 2nd year of Chongzhen to invade Jizhen or Xuan-Da..."