C3401 Its all about supply lines and money (1/2)
The logic was like a piece of paper that could be broken with a poke. Duo Luo and the others couldn't sit still any longer. ”Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and go …” Go to Jinzhou and see Marshal Zuo immediately.
”No rush, no rush …” ”Calm down!” Rong Quan pointed to Sai Mouerbeike and the others who were resting at the back of the bed. ”At least let the patient rest for three days, you guys are really lucky.
Rong Quan slowly poured a cup of wine for the seated people. ”There's no rush, you guys have just arrived and don't know the details, there's no rush in this matter!”
”The Expedition needs rest. Without three days, Master Baker will not be able to travel. Also, you should replenish your horses with some refined fodder to recuperate your stamina …”
”Although the Zenith Province is not a desert, it is still dangerous to travel in the winter. At this moment, I have already sent countless cavalrymen to inform the tribes on their way back …”
”Angels of the His Majesty, the distinguished guests of England are about to pass. The clan elders must welcome them no matter what, and must provide them with the strength to protect them!”
”Don't worry. Once you reach the northern border, as long as you don't go any further south, you'll be safe. This isn't like five years ago!”
”But I have to get to know you. You have to be careful if you want to get close to him …” But don't be impatient, Xinjiang has already been in chaos for five years, even if Yaqub was a butcher, he would never be able to kill all of the commoners … ”
”I estimate that if the imperial government can reclaim Xinjiang within ten years, that would be the limit... If you have exceeded this limit, let's not have that dream anymore! ”
Ten years was a very long period for a person, but it was very short for a dynasty!
Not to mention anything else, it would take one year to transport supplies from the Central Plains to the Golden Plains, that is to say, to the later generation of Lanzhou.
Without rail transportation and without the support of the canal, the suffering caused by relying solely on the legs of humans and animals was truly hard to imagine!
Recovering the fighting in Xinjiang was actually very simple, and it didn't take much time, but collecting supplies and training troops was extremely time-consuming.
Ten years was only enough to send ten batches of supplies from the coastal areas of the Central Plains to Xinjiang. Food could be raised locally, but Gun s, cannons and ammunition were all piled up using manpower.
At Shanghai and the other ports, the Chinese and Westerners's arms dealers have piled up like mountains. As long as you have money, I will sell you all the weapons you need.
But how? This was going to be a huge problem!
Why did Zuo Zongtang set up a machinery station in Lanzhou? Actually, it was a large assembly center, sending the weapons of the foreigners up in parts after they were dismantled.
Indeed, the industry level of the Great Qing was lagging behind, but there had to be a carpenter and blacksmith who were lagging behind!
The gun barrel and barrel Great Qing could not be made, the rifled inside could not be cut, but the wooden structure of the rifle could not be made? Chinese carpenters can't even make a rifle butt?
The blacksmith was made by hand, but the cannon rack didn't have any technical content, right?
Zuo Zongtang was already racking his brains to think of ways to transport weapons. The red-crowned merchant, Hu Xueyan, helped him raise funds in Jiangnan on one hand, and on the other hand, he found a technician to research on the weapons of the foreigners.
All the parts that the Great Qing could not produce herself, she would purchase them all and send them to Lanzhou via replenishment!
As for the rest that could be produced on their own, they would immediately buy the blueprints and send them over. They would issue a large number of craftsmen in Lanzhou to make them themselves.
Rong Quan had only heard of these things before, but he was not clear about the specifics, but Rong Quan was very clear on the truth of the matter.
Don't just look at how arrogant Yaqub was, this guy was even weaker than him. He could even create some uncomplicated parts in the Lanzhou Mechanical Bureau, but Yaqub's men couldn't even make such parts.
As Yaqub had completely defected to Sha Russia, the British viewed him as their enemy. From the southern India direction, they were unable to get any weapons or supplies from the merchant caravan.