Chapter 327: The Siege of Jiangning (I)
The Spanish fleet arrived at the port of the Chinese court again. The customs pilot boat just looked at the waterline and couldn't help but mutter, "What on earth is being transported to push the waterline so low?"
When the ship entered the port and inspected the cargo, the customs officers frowned. The extremely sticky black substance gave off an unpleasant smell, which was really unpleasant. When they heard it was "asphalt", many people didn't understand what it was.
Soon, the technicians rushed to the port to take away some samples. A few days later, the first samples were used on the roofs of houses in the city under construction. It was a dark brown substance, a few millimeters thick, and a little sticky. The engineers called it "oil felt."
New houses in the city use frame structures. Tiles were originally laid on the cement roof to keep out rainwater. Now all the tiles are removed. A large iron pot with a diameter of one meter is heated underneath, and asphalt is placed inside. The asphalt is completely melted by the heat and then poured on the roof. When the asphalt solidifies on the roof, tarpaulin is laid on it and ironed flat with a heated iron.
While conducting experiments in the city, the commander of the large fleet was negotiating the price with his old friend Feng Yukuan. After hearing the offer, Feng Yukuan sneered, "Haha, Oda, don't say that the price I gave is too low. Our governor said that your asphalt originally gushed out from the seashore, and no one wants it. You collected it at the seashore, loaded it on the ship, and transported it here. We paid for the freight, and your hard work was not in vain. If you give me a higher price, I will transport the asphalt back."
Seeing that Feng Yukuan refused to give in, the Spanish commander, who had given himself the Japanese name Oda Hideyoshi , whispered, "Let's divide the extra money."
"Bullshit! You Spanish nobles are lawless. We Chinese are no match for you! Are you trying to kill me?" Feng Yukuan cursed angrily.
Seeing Feng Yukuan refused to give in, Oda Hideyoshi asked, "Will you still want it next time it's shipped?"
"Our governor said, if you bring us asphalt, we will take it. But don't try to play tricks on us and just bring it from Mexico. Don't think we don't know the goods. If you try to play tricks on me, I won't let you pass through customs."
After being threatened by Feng Yukuan, Oda Hideyoshi didn't know how to respond. In the end, he could only sigh: "Your Excellency Feng's loyalty is comparable to that of a believer towards God. I would like to meet the Governor-General, and I would like to ask Your Excellency Feng to introduce me to you."
Feng Yukuan went to see Huo Chong, but he was not there. Fortunately, the secretary helped and led Feng Yukuan to a construction site in Linzi, where Huo Chong and the head of the Ministry of Industry's Construction Department were watching the roof being laid. Feng Yukuan went up and saw that the roofing felt had been laid and asphalt was being brushed on the roof.
Rubbing his nose, Feng Yukuan felt that the smell was really unpleasant. However, Huo Chong happily called Feng Yukuan over and said, "Brother Feng, after the roof of this house is painted, I don't have to worry about leaks anymore."
"Is it really watertight?" Feng Yukuan was skeptical about this thing he had never seen before.
Huo Chong laughed and said, "Haha, it will last for a few years at least. If it leaks again after a few years, you can use asphalt to repair it."
Feng Yukuan scratched his head. "So, it's the same as tiles."
"It's different. Look at this roof. If we put up a layer of prefabricated panels, the roof can be fully used. Put up the tiles. Do you dare to come up?" Huo Chong explained happily. Although the roofs of high-rise buildings in the 21st century rarely use oil felt and asphalt for waterproofing, seeing oil felt again really makes me feel closer to the 21st century. Even if it's just this feeling, Huo Chong is very satisfied.
Feng Yukuan was not interested, so he told Huo Chong about the Spanish request, and finally said, "Brother Huo, why are the Spanish in such a hurry to buy so many muskets? Are they in league with someone?"
"Are you saying that they are in cahoots with the Qing Dynasty?" asked Lei Hu, who was coming to see the new house together.
Huo Chong nodded, thinking that it was possible. He asked Feng Yukuan to negotiate with the Spaniards again, "If the muskets are only used in Europe, we will sell them. But you have to let us know that you are safe, otherwise we won't be able to sell them."
Feng Yukuan went downstairs. Lei Hu looked back at the new houses and asked tentatively, "Sir, is it really as dry as you said?"
"Whether it is dry or not, everyone feels differently. Comrades from Jiangnan will definitely feel it is dry. One thing I can be sure of is that the roof will dry very quickly, it won't retain water, and it won't absorb water. You don't live on the first floor, so your feet won't be on the ground, so it must be drier than before."
Lei Hu was very excited after hearing this. But then he heard Huo Chong say, "But I'm afraid it will take several months for you to move in. I brought you to see these, do you really think I only care about housing?"
"What does the governor mean?" Lei Hu felt that all the doubts in his mind were resolved.
"You go to Jiangning and start building a large granary in the city of Jiangning to cope with the subsequent battles."
"What does a large grain depot have to do with fighting?" Lei Hu was puzzled.
"You need food when you're fighting. You've seen granaries, too. They're stored outdoors. Even in Shandong, they're prone to spoiling. How do you think they'll rot in a hot and humid place like Jiangnan?"
Here, Lei Hu talked with Huo Chong and the technical staff for a day, and then they allocated supplies and transported a large amount of asphalt and materials for making oil felt to the south.
Feng Yukuan also found out the news and reported the results of the discussion to Huo Chong .
It turns out that today's France and Spain are both ruled by descendants of the "Bourbon Dynasty".
Thirty-three years ago, in 1700, the death of Charles II, the last male of the Spanish Habsburg royal family, ended the five-generation rule of the Habsburg family over Spain. In his will, Charles II passed the throne to his nephew, Philippe, Duke of Anjou, the second grandson of King Louis XIV of France from the Bourbon royal family, rather than his Austrian cousin. Louis XIV's tough stance in defending his grandson's succession rights led to the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1702.
The war continued until 1711, by which time the Bourbon royal family had established a firm foothold in Spain and expressed its willingness to provide trade preferences and protections to British and Dutch merchants, leading to the collapse of the Habsburg coalition.
In 1714, the two countries signed a peace treaty. The Austrian Habsburg royal family recognized the Bourbon royal family's entry into Spain, but Philip V and his descendants had to give up their right to inherit the French throne. Since then, the Bourbon royal families of Spain and France have officially separated. Although the two families are separated, Bourbon is still a Bourbon, and the relationship between relatives is still close. The king of Poland is dying, and all European countries want the person they recommend to become the king of Poland. In addition, there are conflicts between European countries. Spain certainly hopes to win the next war with advanced weapons.
After talking about these things, Feng Yukuan felt that he had exhausted all his energy. It was really too unfounded to force himself to understand some small countries in the distant European continent. Feng Yukuan said, "Brother Huo, I have said everything I can remember. The rest depends on you."
"Okay. Just tell them it's sold."
Feng Yukuan was stunned , "You don't see them?"
"Let's arrange a meeting and have a few words. It's just some small European countries. You and I have put so much effort into this, so don't expect to talk too much."
When the Spaniard Oda Hideyoshi heard that he could buy weapons, he was overjoyed. It was very strange that the Chinese would buy this kind of asphalt that flowed freely on the seashore. As Feng Yukuan said, asphalt is not worth anything at all, and it is even easier to collect. If you can transport it here and sell it, you will make a profit. A big profit.
The money from selling asphalt alone was almost enough to buy 3,000 muskets and 200,000 bullets. As long as the Chinese were willing to buy this dirty and filthy sticky stuff, Oda Hideyoshi would have opened up a big business that was sure to make money.
After meeting Huo Chong, the Spaniard Oda Hideyoshi quickly expressed his deep gratitude and asked Huo Chong to continue selling medical anesthetics. After all, war means injuries, and injuries require surgery. Chinese anesthetics are not only in short supply in Europe, but also in Spanish colonies such as Mexico.
Huo Chong asked Oda Hideyoshi, "Second-hand muskets can be cheaper. Do you want any?"
Upon hearing this, Oda Hideyoshi immediately asked about the price. Hearing that the price of a second-hand musket was only half of that of a new one, he was unwilling to let it go and nodded in agreement.
Soon, the Spanish fleet's waterline floated above the surface. However, the fleet still set sail. Since the asphalt they carried had been sold out and the silver they carried had been spent, there was no point in staying in China. After using up all the money, the ships were loaded with muskets, bullets, medicines, and silk. Although the weight was not large, they were commodities that could make money if shipped to Europe.
Thinking about the reward he would get after returning to Spain, Oda Hideyoshi poured green absinthe in the captain's cabin and tasted the bitterness of it, looking forward to returning to Spain as soon as possible.
Just as the Spanish fleet left, Lei Hu's fleet had already arrived in Jiangning. Just a few days before the start of the plum rain season, all the people who could be deployed in the city began to get busy.
Even so, a recruitment notice was posted in Jiangning City. After more than a year, the people in Jiangning City have known that the Chinese Army has strict military discipline and never bullies anyone. The business is fair, and the employment is also fair.
Since they were not afraid of the Huaxia Army defaulting on their debts, many people went there to work as temporary workers. He Kun wore short clothes and straw sandals and lined up behind the others. After arriving here, someone gave him a waist badge. He Kun was assigned to Group D, and he entered Mancheng with the people in Group D.
Returning to his previous residence, He Kun found that he was not excited. There were several people like him who had lurked in Jiangning City after the Manchus evacuated. Those guys often missed the life in the Manchu city in private. He Kun of the White Banner did not miss it very much. Compared with the days in the Manchu city, he felt that the gathering place of the Han people was more interesting.
Walking in the city, He Kun took in what he saw. Many roads in the city had been widened, and things that were in the way before had been removed.
Although he didn't know what the Chinese rebels wanted to do, He Kun just felt that it would be more convenient to charge on such a road after the imperial court returned to Jiangning.
Group D was quickly assigned a house. After setting up the ladder, everyone started climbing up the roof to remove the tiles.
The tiles are all on the rafters, so you have to be careful. He Kun couldn't help but frown, but he didn't know what the Chinese traitors were trying to do. If they were replacing tiles, they should have taken down one side of the roof. Unexpectedly, the Chinese traitors here actually took the beams as the middle part and took down the tiles symmetrically.
When the workers finished their laborious work, some people dressed as Chinese rebels came up the ladder. They nailed some wooden strips in the middle of the rafters, laid bamboo strips on them, and nailed them tightly. Then they laid some long strips of disgusting things on the bamboo strips, nailed them tightly again, and roasted these black things with fire.
The flames were everywhere and the stench was overwhelming. The workers covered their mouths and noses with disgust on their faces.
However, after working for a while, He Kun had already noticed some clues. It seemed that these Chinese rebels were using bamboo strips and that black stuff to reinforce the roof.
When the door was opened at noon, the workers assigned to Group D were eating and chatting, and someone said, "I don't know what that piece of stuff looks like it's waterproof."
He Kun was stunned. He didn't think much of Han people , but this Han man was just a small worker, and he had already noticed the changes that He Kun had noticed.
After finishing their work during the day, the Han people lit up the gas lamps at night to illuminate the streets. They actually had to work all night.
For several days, the workers worked in shifts with the Chinese army in the city. They had to rebuild all the houses before the plum rains came. The sky was gloomy, and the clouds were getting thicker and lower. Standing on the roof while working, it seemed as if you could touch the clouds with your hands.
But the rain never fell. It was not until the house was completely remodeled and the tiles were put back on the roof that fine raindrops began to fall from the sky.
The workers quickly hid in the checkout room. There was still a bit of that strange and unpleasant smell in the air, but it was quickly dispelled by the rain. The workers looked up at the dark roof under the gloomy sky and didn't know what to say for a moment. Only the sound of the checkouts could be heard in each room.
After a long while, someone suddenly asked in confusion: "Did you see that? It really isn't leaking. It really isn't leaking!"
He Kun was a little unhappy after hearing this. He didn't expect that what he noticed was also noticed by others. No matter how the rain hit the tiles, it flowed down the tiles and fell into the yard along the eaves.
If you were outside the city, even the houses of wealthy families would not be so watertight. Not to mention standing under the eaves outside the house. In ordinary houses, the eaves would not turn into a water curtain cave, but at least there would be water leaks everywhere.
Until he received the money, He Kun did not see any leaks. The ground was not wet except for the water stains from the feet of people outside.
Not only that, in the past, the sound of rain hitting the eaves was very clear. Now the sound of rain is not so loud, as if it is isolated by a thick layer of something far away, and only some dull sounds are transmitted into the house. The voices of people in the house seem much clearer.
When he returned to his residence, He Kun immediately felt like he was back in the normal world. The sound of rain hitting the roof tiles was clearly audible, and some roofs that had not been repaired in time began to drip.
Although the air was humid, it was obviously much drier in the repaired houses in the city. He Kun couldn't help feeling sad, thinking that the people of Manchuria had suffered endless pain. Just as he was feeling sad, there was a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw that it was the other brothers lurking in the city.
The brother slipped into the house while the rain was falling, and said with a cheerful face, "The court has sent people, saying that they will fight back when the rain stops!"
"Really?" He Kun was overjoyed. As long as the imperial court took back Jiangning, those houses in the city could be returned to He Kun and other Manchus to live in!
