Chapter 441: Disruption

In Shi Chengwo's view, the technical requirements Liu Chengzong had for the arsenal were not difficult to achieve.

Whether it was the massed rocket carts popular in earlier years — things like Hornet's Nest and Hundred Tigers Charging — or the single-soldier rocket launcher Zhao Shizhen improved during the Wanli era, or even the special-purpose rockets for smoke and incendiary attacks, all of these had already reached a highly developed stage by this period.

As for this weapon's performance on the battlefield, the two hundred thousand Japanese pirates who set foot on the Korean Peninsula during the Wanli era had an excellent user experience.

But when it came to manufacturing, the problems were enormous.

The Marshal's Manor arsenal possessed nearly every category of military manufacturing capability of this era — only rockets were missing.

So after receiving the order, Shi Chengwo went back and mulled it over for two days, then entered New City again to seek instructions from Liu Chengzong: "Marshal, could we ask General Cao to help advise?"

Liu Chengzong thought to himself that if Shi Chengwo hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten Cao Yao even understood these things. He nodded at once and summoned Cao Yao to the government office for discussion.

Cao Yao arrived quickly upon being summoned, wearing a large fur robe like some rich landlord. His voice entered before he even stepped into the west building: "Marshal, what do you need me for?"

Once inside, he first saluted Liu Chengzong, and upon looking up and seeing Shi Chengwo also in the office, greeted him: "Master Craftsman Shi is here too."

Liu Chengzong first gestured for him to sit: "This isn't a military council, brother, sit wherever you like. What have you been up to at home these past few days?"

Cao Yao sat down beaming: "Keeping the wife company."

It wasn't that Liu the Lion wanted to make small talk — it was just that he had given Cao Yao leave, had just approved two months off, and now was about to send him to the arsenal again. He had to say a few other things first.

But he hadn't expected that Cao Yao also had business with him. Rubbing his hands, Cao Yao asked: "Marshal, I was actually planning to come over myself. On the day of the military council, didn't Chengyun propose a prohibition on alcohol? I have a thought about that."

Liu Chengzong laughed at the sight of him and asked: "What, have you bought up all the liquor in Xining these past two days?"

He hadn't been in a rush to issue the prohibition. Issuing any decree is easy, but if a decree goes against human nature and defies common sense, it's just asking people to break it.

Even if alcohol were to be banned, it would have to wait until after the New Year. But since Chengyun had raised the matter at the military council, it naturally led the commanders to seize the chance and send their men to Hehuang to buy up liquor.

"Ha!"

Cao Yao let out a laugh and turned his head: "Forget it. With so many people going to buy, how would it ever be my turn? I'm not buying. When they bring it back, I'll just go ask them for some."

Liu Chengzong nodded with a smile: "Brother, you haven't changed one bit. What's this suggestion? Let's hear it."

"I believe alcohol itself cannot be banned — only the brewing of it should be banned. And even the brewing ban need not cover the entire territory; just ban it in the Hehuang Valley." Having said this, Cao Yao looked at Liu Chengzong and added: "Milk liquor doesn't use grain."

Liu Chengzong said: "But milk liquor, let alone for the people of Hehuang, isn't even enough for the army to drink."

The Marshal's Manor had two departments at Qinghai Lake that didn't stick to their proper duties. One was the Naval Office in charge of shipbuilding and water transport, where Zhou Riqiang had developed a sideline of sailors pickling fish; the other was the Imperial Stud on Dragon Colt Island, where Cui Cong had developed a sideline of herders brewing liquor.

The entire Qinghai Lake shoreline was pastureland. Sheep's milk, cow's milk, mare's milk, camel's milk — all of it was used for brewing. Because the purposes differed, two main types of liquor were produced.

One type came about because there were simply too many livestock near Qinghai Lake, and fresh milk couldn't be stored or transported. So Cui Cong used the ancient impact-brewing method, having the herders ferment the milk into low-alcohol liquor, which was then bottled and sealed.

However, this low-alcohol milk liquor had to be shipped out by cart and boat as soon as it was brewed, transported to the seven field camps near New City and distributed to the soldiers. The troops drank it quickly as a beverage, because if left for a month or two it would spoil.

The other type was for keeping out the cold and emergencies. The brewed low-alcohol milk liquor was distilled multiple times into a high-proof spirit. Since the nutrients that easily caused spoilage were basically eliminated through the repeated distillation process, it kept much longer in storage.

The spirits brewed on Dragon Colt Island were generally distributed by company to the garrison troops at places like South Mountain Fort, used for warding off cold, emergencies, and medical purposes.

Hearing Liu Chengzong's words, Cao Yao's expression turned serious: "Precisely because of that, I think this is a good opportunity to get the chieftains of Kangning Prefecture to build roads. Ban brewing in Xining, and brew in Kangning."

"Build roads in Kangning?"

Liu Chengzong pondered for a moment. In his mind, this matter fell into the gray area — which meant it could be done. He asked: "What exactly is your thinking, brother? Explain in detail."

"Prefect Yang has long wanted to build roads in Kangning, but the chieftains have been unwilling. And it makes sense — what the chieftains rely on is precisely the mountains being high and the emperor far away. Once a broad, level road wide enough for four horses abreast is built through, how could there still be any chieftains?"

Cao Yao spread his hands: "Kangning may be poor, but after several years of land reclamation, the fields are vast. It's more than self-sufficient locally, and with abundant moisture there's no fear of drought — it's an excellent place for brewing."

"If brewing is banned in Xining, the price of liquor will rise somewhat. Yesterday I heard from Zhang Wu that the cheapest spirits have already gone up to sixteen cash. At that price, even after deducting transport costs, brewing in Kangning would still be profitable."

Get the chieftains to build a good road?

Liu Chengzong felt that if he followed this line of thought, brewing and selling liquor might not be profitable for the Marshal's Manor itself — it could only serve as a strategy to maintain stability after the brewing ban. But if it could make the Western Kang Road more accessible, the benefits would be enormous.

Financially, the Western Kang Road could transport cashmere wool, and the woven cashmere garments could be sold back to Kangning and Ü-Tsang. Strategically, the chieftains of Jinchuan and other areas, who had built piles of watchtowers, would collapse without being attacked.

"It can be done. It's worth a try. This isn't a strategy that will succeed in a short time — but then, the drought isn't something that will end in a short time either."

Liu Chengzong nodded slowly, committing the matter to memory. Then he smiled at Cao Yao: "Brother, you're quite clever. While others were rushing to buy liquor from Xining, were you planning from the start to have Gama ship you liquor from Kangning?"

Cao Yao, his mind read, just nodded and smiled.

He was different from Liu Chengzong. Even after leaving Fish River Fort, he could still spare a flask from the liquor he carried to sell to Liu the Lion. Drinking was a habit he found hard to give up.

In truth, Cao Yao felt strong resistance to the prohibition in his heart. But he had just returned from Kangning Prefecture and was unwilling to clash with Liu Chengzong over this matter, so he had been thinking of having Gama and Monk Wang send him some liquor from Kangning Prefecture.

Only later did it occur to him that they could have Kangning brew liquor and sell it to Xining, letting the chieftains earn some money in exchange for them building roads for the Marshal's Manor.

Liu Chengzong also knew that Cao Yao was fond of drinking.

He didn't just know he was fond of drinking — he also knew his alcohol tolerance was pitifully low. Once drunk, he would remember the brothers who died at Sarhū, weeping as he piled up little grave mounds, paying respects to Liu Yujie, who had saved his life at Sarhū.

And once he sobered up, he'd deny everything, his face all: It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't talk nonsense.

Liu Chengzong waved his hand, his eyes bright as he looked at Cao Yao, and smiled: "Compared to getting the Kangning chieftains to build roads, I think the solution to the drinking problem is to take Gansu. Gansu's liquor will certainly be enough for you."

"Gansu won't be easy to take." Cao Yao was extremely cautious about this topic. "To be honest, having been in Kangning, I understand better than anyone what effect it has on an army when it loses its cannons and warhorses and goes from heavy troops to light troops."

He waved his hand: "That bastard surnamed Hong is building fortresses at Gulang Gorge, clearly trying to lure us over the mountains. If we cross, we fall right into his trap — light troops against heavy troops, three salvos at most, and we're finished."

Morale is a weighting factor. The same soldiers, with different equipment, will display different morale when facing the same enemy.

When both sides have cannons, they can go at it like at the Battle of Yellow Dragon Mountain against He Huchen's Ningxia troops, setting up the cannons and firing at each other to the death. That's because people have an expectation of victory — fighting to the death can achieve victory.

When the enemy has cannons and we don't, it's like the early days against Li Bei, collapsing wave after wave under fire — and that was even with superior numbers. But if we have no cannons but do have armor and warhorses, then we still have a fighting chance. But that requires striking with one surge of momentum. People's expectation of victory is very low, so their will to keep fighting will likewise not be very high.

Fighting across the Qilian Mountains means not only no cannons, but also no armor and no warhorses. The only difference between them and the peasant armies of earlier years would be skill, will, and physical strength — and those things aren't worth mentioning in the face of sheets of steel and lead shot.

Cao Yao knew all too well that the Ming army was a force specifically designed to deal with light troops. Especially in Gansu and Ningxia, these two defense sectors had always dealt with the Mongols. One blast from their breech-loading swivel guns and cannon designed specifically for killing personnel, and their men would be gone.

"Exactly!"

Liu Chengzong strongly agreed with Cao Yao's assessment. He said: "That's also why I asked you to come, brother. I want to design a type of rocket to replace cannons, and I need your help advising."

"Rockets?"

Cao Yao nodded slowly, pondering for a moment before saying slowly: "Using rockets to replace cannons — that is a method. But we must have horses, and we'll need some armor as well."

Having stated the prerequisites, he shook his head again: "Rockets' advantage lies in launching them by the hundreds and thousands in volleys to disrupt formations. They work well against southwestern tribal troops or formation-locked Japanese pirates who've never seen large horses. But west of the passes, brutes abound. If our army crosses the mountains as light troops, they won't form up in formations."

"Only brutes can deal with brutes. Before they form up, hit them first with a cavalry charge to force them into formation, then use the rockets against them."

Cao Yao grew animated as he spoke, unconsciously gesturing with his hands and feet: "Even then, there's still the risk of a cavalry showdown. But as long as we win one battle and seize their arms, armor, guns, and cannons, the subsequent fights will have something to work with... If we can get armor and warhorses to the other side of the mountains — rockets, that could be worth a try."

Smack!

Liu Chengzong clapped his hands. "Well said, brother. These past few years, the Purple Gold Beam has been running a Three Tribulations Society in Gansu, and it's doing quite well. He can help us get a thousand warhorses, a thousand sets of armor and weapons, and three thousand camels from Gansu."

Cao Yao's eyes lit up. "Government troops field three horses to seven foot soldiers — a full-strength battalion having nine hundred cavalry is already pretty good. But the risk is still very high; we'd have to fight fast and finish fast."

With that, he looked at Shi Chengwo. "Master Shi, rockets aren't hard to make. It's just that the powder must be packed tight, the fuse hole drilled straight, and the fuse made from three-strand braid. A standard rocket takes thirty-seven scoops of powder, and one rocket needs three thousand seven hundred hammer strikes. Pack it tight, drill it straight, and the flame shoots true — then the rocket flies straight and accurate."

Cao Yao broke into a foolish grin as he spoke. "I never thought we'd actually get to use rockets."

Rockets were not cheap. Quite the opposite — as single-use weapons, they consumed enormous labor hours compared to other arms, demanded high manufacturing standards, and offered relatively poor cost-effectiveness.

The high manufacturing demands lay not in the craftsmanship but in the cost, because unlike firearms and cannons — whose multi-use nature makes cutting corners relatively difficult, requiring total failure across manufacturing, supervision, and deployment before no one bothers to investigate —

rockets depended entirely on allocated funds. With the allocation, you could make one for a mace of silver, or for five candareens, or even for a single candareen.

The only way to judge its quality was to fire it.

That was why the Shaanxi Armory Bureau had pretty much stopped making rockets these days. Make them well, and there wasn't that much money for it; force the craftsmen to make them, and the finished product still couldn't achieve the intended effect — just a waste of effort for nothing.

"To make rockets, you need backing paper, gunpowder, spirit money, loess, drill bits, guide tubes, and a vertical drill bed. Stock plenty of extra drill bits — they heat up when drilling the fuse hole. Back when I was in the Firearms Battalion, I often heard about craftsmen switching bits and blowing up the powder tube."

Cao Yao stressed this point to Shi Chengwo, spreading his hands. "After drilling five rocket tubes, you have to change the bit."

Seeing how expertly he spoke, Liu Chengzong quickly asked, "Then does brother know how to make rockets with bursting warheads?"

"Bursting warheads?"

Cao Yao paused, then shook his head. "A bursting shell needs a rear charge and won't fly far, and the cost is too high. That, I really don't know. But I'd imagine a bursting warhead still follows the same principles — test enough and you'll eventually make something suitable."

"I do know how to make an incendiary rear charge, though. It's basically four small powder tubes mounted backward in front of the main powder tube, with the fuse connected to the front tube. Add a bit of lateral powder to burst the backing paper open, spraying fire in all directions."

He grinned as he spoke. "This one's useful. Hit a tent and it's a ball of fire; hit a battle formation and everyone's diving for cover."

"As long as we have this in hand, the formation can withstand two more rounds of cannon fire. If we have enough — hundreds, even thousands of them launched at once — it'll be enough to throw their formation into chaos. Might even blow up their powder stores. Then the cavalry charges in and breaks the line."

Cao Yao had said everything Liu Chengzong wanted him to say. Only then did he pause, the smile slowly fading from his face. He asked, "Are we really going to take the risk and clash with them on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains?"

"Brother still thinks it's unwise?"

"I'm not boosting the enemy's morale and undercutting our own, but this man surnamed Hong is clearly baiting us. He wants us to cross the mountains light and fight a decisive battle. He wouldn't dare do that unless he had something to rely on. If our troops go over and end up facing a siege by seven or eight battalions... it's hard to say."

Cao Yao let out a long breath. "Honestly, I think that since he's playing mind games and setting up this kind of posture, there's no point in us playing mind games right back. Better to just play the fool."

"Concentrate heavy troops, array heavy cannons in the Zhuanglang River Valley, and grind it out with him. If the enemy comes from Songshan, wipe out the Songshan government troops. If there's a fort, use the heavy cannons to knock every crenellation off. The Gulang Gorge is hard to traverse — we can't mass troops there, but neither can they."

"We attack, they defend. A prolonged defense is bound to fail. Anyway, we still have to wait half a year for the drought to come — half a year is more than enough to break through the Gulang Gorge. With the Marshal's headquarters' heavy troops, taking Liangzhou is only a matter of days."

After saying this, he shifted tone. "Even if we can't break through, we won't suffer too heavy a loss."

Hearing this, Liu Chengzong couldn't help but smile. "Brother thinks the same way? Then when Xie Erhu shows up at Gulang Gorge with the Mongol cavalry, that man surnamed Hong will think our main force isn't at Gulang Gorge. And when Zhang Tianlin appears on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains and wins a battle with rockets, that man surnamed Hong will definitely believe the troops crossing the Qilian Mountains are our main force, won't he?"

Cao Yao froze. "What do you mean — where else do you want to strike from?"

"Xie Erhu pins them down at Gulang Gorge. Zhang Tianlin harasses them on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains. North of the Great Wall, the defenses are lax, and the wind and sand are fierce. Chaghan Camp's Shatu Taiji knows the locations of the rivers beyond the Gansu border. Have him guide Yang Yao across the sands and over the wall — Gansu will surely be thrown into chaos."

"If Wang Ziyong can open the pass fortress for me, I want to go through Jiayu Pass."

Liu Chengzong leaned back in his chair and raised a hand, lightly rapping the table twice with his knuckles. "I want to go from Jiayu Pass... all the way to Shanhai Pass."

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

Good morning!