Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 83 Li Yi: The taunt value is maxed out!
Li Yi felt like he almost had "I am a traitor" written all over his face.

But Hong Xiuquan said that he was loyal?
Funny?
King Zhong?

Are you sure this is meant as a compliment and not as a sarcasm?

Li Yi had no objection to being crowned king.

But Li Yi had strong objections to the title of Prince Zhong.

It’s not that the title of Prince Zhong is bad.

It is precisely because the title of Prince Zhong has such a good meaning that Li Yi feels resistant.

He felt that if he accepted the title of Prince Zhong, he would be morally blackmailed by the Taiping Army in the future.

If he were just an ordinary person, then moral kidnapping would naturally pose no threat.

Because, as long as I have no morals, no one can morally blackmail me.

However, Li Yi’s current identity is not that of an ordinary person, but the leader of a faction.

With his status, he must take the lead for his subordinates and cannot do anything shameless.

If he sets a bad example, those below him will just follow his example.

Li Yi really couldn’t imagine what the atmosphere among Li’s army would be like by then.

Can you imagine a group of disloyal, shameless and morally low people hanging out together?
So, are you going to conquer the world or just hang out in the underworld?

Anyway, Li Yi doesn’t dare.

Without moral standards, people’s hearts will be scattered. If people’s hearts are scattered, it will be difficult to lead the team!

Also, if Li Yi accepted the title of king from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it would be too ostentatious.

You know, his original intention was to learn from Zhu Yuanzhang, "build high walls, store up food, and slowly become king."

But if he accepted the title of king from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, then as the only prince of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom who was now living outside the country, it would be no different from having "You idiot Qing monster, come and hit me" written on his face.

The taunt value is maxed out!
By then, it would be impossible for the Qing army not to notice him.

This is inconsistent with Li Yi's original intention of developing rapidly!

After pondering for a while, Li Yi's face was full of confusion.

Agree? Or refuse?
this is a problem!
Unable to make up his mind, he ordered Wang An, Fan Xiyuan and Ye Zhisheng to discuss the matter.

As Li Yi's military order was issued, Wang An, Fan Xiyuan, Ye Zhisheng and others soon put down what they were doing and came to Li Yi's tent.

Li Yi first asked the three to sit down, then took out the letter Feng Yunshan wrote to him and began to speak.

"This is a letter from Yong'an. Uncle Wang and the two gentlemen, please take a look!"

"The Taiping Army wants to make me a king, but I am a little undecided about whether to accept it."

The three of them took the letter and passed it around to read. After a moment, Fan Xiyuan spoke first.

"General, this is clearly flattery!"

"It is harmful rather than beneficial to the overall development of our army!"

"In my humble opinion, you may as well refuse the title of king."

Wang An also spoke.

"I think there's nothing wrong with being crowned king."

"But our army will break away from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and establish itself sooner or later. It is definitely not appropriate for us to accept the title of King Zhong. But if we want the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to change the title, I'm sure they will not agree."

"So, I agree with Mr. Fan's idea. If the general does not want to be flattered and killed by the Taiping Army and suffer from false reputation in the future, it is best not to accept the grace of being crowned king!"

The meaning of Fan Xiyuan and Wang An’s words was very clear. The title of king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was just an empty title and had no practical benefits.

Not only is it useless, it is also easy to be praised to death.

If you weigh the pros and cons, it is better to refuse.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi frowned and thought, but did not express his opinion for a while.

Seeing this, Ye Zhisheng on the side spoke up.

"If the general refuses the title of king from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he will be completely at odds with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

"If the general is really determined, he should have made preparations early!"

"If we are destined to fall out with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, then the general might as well declare himself king and completely get rid of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's control!"

Although what Ye Zhisheng said made sense, he wanted more to push Li Yi to move forward.

After all, if Li Yi doesn't make progress, how can they make progress?
He really wants to improve!
Li Yi was also tempted when he heard this, but he couldn't make up his mind for a moment and just continued speaking.

"Is it too hasty to declare yourself king now?"

According to Li Yi's plan, he was originally planning to take shelter under the wings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and develop his business quietly by farming.

By the time the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom launches a large-scale northern expedition in the future, he estimates that farming will have yielded certain results. By then, he will have more confidence to break away from the Heavenly Kingdom and become independent.

Li Yi is a little unsure about being independent now.

Fan Xiyuan on the side said.

"General, the key point now is not whether you can establish yourself, but that you must not accept the title of King Zhong."

"If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom does not confer the title of king on you, or is willing to change your title, then you can temporarily not establish your own kingdom."

"But if the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is determined to give you the title of King Zhong and kill you, you should be prepared to become independent in advance."

After hearing this, Li Yi finally made up his mind and nodded.

"That's the truth."

"But independence is still something we can consider, but let's not talk about becoming king for now!"

Li Yi did not have much obsession with becoming king, or it could be said that he did not care.

He doesn't want to be the first one to get shot!

As he spoke, Li Yi ordered his men to grind the paper, while he bent over his desk and began to write.

He prepared to write a letter personally and have someone send it to Yong'an to test the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's attitude.

If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had made up its mind and the situation was doomed to be irreversible, then he would have to plan for independence in advance.

Many times, plans really cannot keep up with changes.

This is the current situation. With the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's killing, most of Li Yi's previous plans have failed.

Now, he can only take one step at a time as the situation develops!

……

After finishing the meeting, Li Yi waved his hand to dismiss Fan Xiyuan and Ye Zhisheng.

Then, under the leadership of Zhao Ke, they set out to inspect the arsenal.

Prepare to check the establishment of the arms production line that he exchanged from the mall.

Well, calling it a production line is not actually accurate.

Because after Li Yi exchanged a set of breech-loading rifle bullet production lines from the mall last month, he found that the so-called production line is actually a general term for equipment and technology.

Instead of purchasing a ready-made production line directly, he decided to buy the equipment and technology separately and then figure out how to assemble them himself.

In this way, not only can the skills of craftsmen be trained, but the selling price can also be much cheaper.

For example, a production line that produces 300 Dreiser breech-loading rifles per month would be sold for 5000 taels of silver in the mall.

But if the equipment and technology are purchased separately, the total price is only 3000 taels.

This is definitely good news for Li Yi.

Therefore, after Li Yi’s mall quota was refreshed this month, he went on a big shopping spree.

From the mall, I purchased the following: breech-loading rifle production technology and equipment with a total price of 3000 taels, muzzle-loading rifled artillery production technology and equipment with a total price of 2000 taels, and gunpowder production technology and equipment with a total price of 500 taels.

In addition, Li Yi also exchanged corresponding equipment and technology for blast furnace ironmaking from the mall, with a total price of 3800 taels.

The reason why the price is so high is mainly due to the equipment, not the technology.

Blast furnace ironmaking is now a fairly mature technology and is now being used on a large scale in European countries.

So the price of the technology is not too expensive, only 300 taels of silver.

But the total price of the equipment, especially the iron-making furnace and its supporting equipment, was as high as 3500 taels.

Li Yi finally realized that his golden finger was quite useful.

This is to encourage yourself to buy more technology, do your own research, and buy less ready-made equipment!
The reason why Li Yi purchased the iron-making method after he already had the steel-making method was actually very simple.

Because steel and iron are two different things, each has different uses and cannot be confused.

It is even more unacceptable to say that iron is useless because there is steel!

Li Yi wants to build a steel industry chain.

Well, it is not enough to just do steelmaking, the ironmaking method must also keep up.

Only when the two are combined can a steel industry chain be considered to be barely formed.

Once the steel industry chain is formed, it will play a constructive role in the development and construction of arsenals.

To put it bluntly, Li Yi made this dish of dumplings just for that dish of vinegar!
After purchasing these technologies and equipment, Li Yi only had 700 taels left for this month.

It’s still the same old rule. Li Yi is not going to use the 700 taels of money for the time being, but will keep it for emergency use.

Li Yi followed Zhao Ke and took his guards to the site of the arsenal.

An open space by the river! The reason for choosing this place is that it is close to the water source and it is convenient to use water power for work.

The second is to facilitate the transportation of raw materials and finished products.

The third reason is that Li’s army’s camp is right next to the arsenal, which can ensure the safety of the arsenal.

A space had been cleared by the river, surrounded by a fence, and a brick wall was under construction.

A team of Li's soldiers carried muskets and patrolled near the arsenal to ensure safety.

There are several checkpoints at the door, and people entering and leaving are subject to layer-by-layer checks.

Li Yi passed the inspection and led his men into the arsenal.

As far as the eye can see, several simple factory buildings are built along the river, and workers are busy coming in and out, pushing wheelbarrows to transport various raw materials.

Li Yi picked a factory at random and took his men in to inspect it.

Amid the humming sound of the steam engine, a machine tool was running steadily driven by the steam engine. Several craftsmen were operating the machine tool, using tough and sharp cutter heads to mill the inner wall of the gun barrel.

The burrs and protrusions on the inner wall of the barrel were cut smooth bit by bit, and a large amount of metal debris fell to the ground.

There are people who specialize in sweeping with brooms and dustpans, collecting the metal debris for recycling.

Li Yi looked at everything in front of him, nodded with satisfaction, and then asked Zhao Kedao who was standing beside him.

"How many artillery pieces can our military arsenal produce each month? What calibers are they?"

Zhao Ke heard this and spoke.

"In reply to the general, we have just received the equipment not long ago and are not yet proficient in the technology."

"We can produce about six or seven five-jin field guns a month, and the yield rate is less than half."

"However, after a while, our craftsmen will be familiar with the technology and equipment, and the output and yield rate will definitely be improved."

The five-jin cannon is almost the same as the six-pound cannon commonly used in the West.

It is a typical small support artillery used by infantry.

Although its firepower is not strong, it is light and maneuverable, and several infantrymen can carry it and move it around.

In addition, its production difficulty is not high, which is just right for craftsmen to practice and verify their techniques.

Once the craftsmen are familiar with the cannon-casting process, it will not be too late to let them use all the current equipment to explore the manufacture of large-caliber cannons.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi nodded with satisfaction.

"Good! Take your time!"

When doing things, we always follow a process from easy to difficult.

Only by moving forward step by step can you reach the end!
If you think about running before you learn to walk, you will definitely fall.

After coming out of the artillery production workshop, Li Yi went to the musket production workshop.

The craftsmen were also busy with their work. Amid the roar of the machines, gun barrels, triggers, firing pins, bayonets and other parts were produced one by one.

After quality inspection, it will be handed over to the next process for assembly.

Li Yi inspected the area and found that the problem still existed.

Due to the craftsmen's unfamiliarity with technology and equipment, the output and yield rate of firearms are not high.

The current breech-loading rifle production line can produce a maximum of 120 qualified breech-loading rifles per month, far below the planned production capacity.

But there is no way around it. Experience is something that can only be gained slowly, and you will become familiar with it the more you do it.

There is no other way!
Then, Li Yi went to inspect the production line of gunpowder and bullets. He gently comforted the craftsmen who were working and skillfully gave them some flattering speeches to motivate them.

Then he took Zhao Ke and left the arsenal.

Halfway through the journey, Li Yi turned around and said to Zhao Ke.

"Uncle, thank you for your hard work during this period. I am very satisfied with the construction work of the arsenal. Uncle has not let me down."

"However, the current production capacity of the arsenal is still far from meeting the needs of our military expansion. It is urgent to increase the production capacity of the arsenal."

"Uncle, do you have any good ideas?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ke pondered for a while and then spoke.

"Craftsmen, we need more craftsmen. Only with enough craftsmen can the production capacity of the arsenal be rapidly increased."

"But at present, most of the craftsmen in Cenxi County have been employed by our army. It is not easy to recruit more craftsmen in a short period of time."

In fact, it is fortunate that Li’s army is now in Cenxi. Cenxi County is rich in various mineral resources and there are also many corresponding craftsmen.

Otherwise, Li’s army’s arsenal would not be able to expand production, let alone start production.

After hearing this, Li Yi thought for a while and said.

"How about this."

"Since recruiting craftsmen is not feasible for the time being, let's start training ourselves."

"Select a group of smart and intelligent young people from the villages under our army's jurisdiction, and hand them over to those skilled masters to lead them. Let those masters bring out a group of apprentices as soon as possible."

"Of course, we don't want people to work for nothing. Every time the masters teach an apprentice, we will give them a corresponding reward."

"Even after the apprentice has completed his apprenticeship, the master can get a commission from the wages he earns in the first few years."

Craftsmen these days are all averse to "teaching their apprentices and starving themselves".

Therefore, if you want to learn a skill, you have to serve as an apprentice to the master for several years first. Only when you work like a slave and make the master happy, will the master teach you the skill.

But the current Li family army does not have that much time to wait for the master to slowly test the apprentice.

But it is definitely not possible to expect people to spread the skills that have enabled them to make a living by just talking.

You have to pay more!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ke nodded immediately to show that he understood.

"I understand, General, you are wise!"

Li Yi nodded slightly, and the two continued to walk side by side.

Suddenly, Li Yi seemed to remember something and spoke.

"Uncle, please remember that in our arsenal, we can try to adopt the assembly line method for division of labor in production."

"We don't need craftsmen to learn the entire process of weapon production. There is no need. As long as they can learn and master one of the processes, it will be enough."

"As long as we can strictly control the size and quality of the parts, even if all the parts are produced separately, they can be assembled together in the end."

"In this case, all we need are workers who have received basic training and are proficient in one production process, rather than craftsmen who master all the processes."

"Workers are much easier to train than craftsmen!"

"In this way, the problem of lack of manpower in the arsenal can be solved!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ke nodded to show that he understood.

Next, Li Yi proposed a method of calculating wages based on performance.

Commonly known as piecework!

As the saying goes, working by the hour is shameless, working by the piece is lifeless.

If you want to improve production efficiency and increase workers' enthusiasm for production, then calculating wages through performance appraisal is definitely the most effective method.

Zhao Ke nodded vigorously again.

……

March 1851th, the first year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, in the Western calendar.

Twenty miles outside Yong'an City, at the gate of the Qing army camp.

The imperial envoy Li Xingyuan knelt in the front, while behind him, Xiang Rong, Zhou Tianjue, Li Nengchen, Qin Dingsan and others knelt on both sides.

In front of them, there was an incense table.

Three wisps of green smoke rose from the incense burner.

An imperial guard wearing a yellow vest, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, stood in front of everyone and spoke loudly.

"Imperial Envoy Li Xingyuan received the order!"

Li Xingyuan kowtowed on the ground and then spoke loudly.

"Wei Chen accepts the order!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial guard who came to announce the decree opened the bright yellow scroll in his hand and spoke loudly.

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:"

"The Imperial Commissioner Li Xingyuan was negligent and incompetent, and failed to suppress the bandits, allowing them to roam free, leading to the fall of Yong'an and the shock of Guangxi."

"He is incapable of comforting me and the people. I order him to be dismissed from his post as an imperial commissioner and to be sent back to his hometown. Grand Secretary Seshang'a will take over the task of suppressing the bandits."

"Before Grand Secretary Se Shang'a arrives in Guangxi, Li Xingyuan will temporarily serve as the imperial envoy."

Upon hearing this, Li Xingyuan couldn't help showing bitterness on his face, but he still bowed down.

"The minister obeys the order!"

He thought that he had done his best to help the court suppress bandits and that he could leave a legacy for his descendants.

Unexpectedly, he ended up being dismissed from his post and sent back home!
Now, the only thing that made Li Xingyuan feel relieved was that he was only dismissed from his post, and did not have to leave his hometown and be exiled at such an old age...

I will update one chapter first, there will be more tonight.

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(End of this chapter)