Chapter 1867 Project Delay

Different from the era of cold weapons, new troops using hot weapons require very high maintenance costs. The cost of their weapons and equipment, daily training consumption, and wartime material supply requirements all far exceed those of troops using cold weapons. .Even Haihan, who is famous for his wealth, has always been able to only use elite troops and is unable to maintain a large-scale standing army.

At present, the total number of troops stationed by Haihan in Shandong, Liaodong, and North Korea is less than 10,000. It is not that Haihan is unwilling to send more troops to the north. It is because the number of troops is limited and there are too many troops transferred to the north. , many places in the south will inevitably expose weak defenses. The scale of Haihan's garrison in the control areas in the north is just enough to maintain the current situation. Whether it is in Shandong or Liaodong, the limited garrison The military strength prevented Haihan from expanding his control area.

Therefore, even though they won a great victory on the Korean battlefield and pursued the Qing army all the way to the banks of the Yalu River, the Haihan army still retreated as soon as it was good and did not try to take advantage of the victory to pursue and penetrate into the Qing's sphere of influence.

Haihan's national strength can only reach this level. It will naturally be more difficult for North Korea, which has already had its national treasury emptied before. Although there are currently a series of industrial cooperation plans that can help North Korea revitalize its economy, However, most of the profits from these industries will go into Haihan's pocket, and the funds required for post-war reconstruction in North Korea are too much. The funds that can be invested in the military field in a short period of time are still very limited, and it is unlikely that the huge amount of money will be spent. The new army is expanding again. Although Li Bo's wish is beautiful, there is probably no hope of realizing it for a while.

Of course, Wang Tom would not say anything like this that would dampen the enthusiasm of the two princes. When their understanding of the military field gradually increases in the future, they will realize the horror of the bottomless pit of military spending.

Qian Tiandun thought that just the heavy infantry company's drill was not enough to shock the North Korean prince and his entourage, so he also arranged artillery shooting training.

The artillery equipment of this authentic artillery unit all starts with a caliber of 115mm, which is much larger than the small-caliber cannons of heavy infantry companies that pursue lightness. Naturally, the power of artillery strikes is also different. The Haihan Army also specially set up some in the shooting range. The bamboo and wood frame fortifications serve as targets, and the effect of exploding after being hit is more visually impactful.

The expressions of the two princes were a little nervous after the rumble of the cannons. However, they were from noble backgrounds after all. Even though they were frightened, they still insisted on watching the deafening artillery drill at a close distance.

"The artillery is so powerful. No wonder the Qing army was completely defeated after hitting the defense line set up by the Gui army on the Datong River. It is really a magical weapon!" Li Shu praised.

Li Hao asked: "Excuse me, General Qian, our country also has some artillery, which are similar in size but seem to be less powerful than your country's artillery. Why? Is it the same as a musket? It looks similar, but in use, its performance is completely different. .”

Qian Tiandun explained: "The technical principles may not be fully understood even if I tell them. In the final analysis, there is a gap in the level of ability to design and manufacture weapons. And this gap is difficult to cover with financial investment. To make up for it, after all, there are many disciplines involved in developing an advanced weapon, and it takes a long time to train relevant talents. That’s why we suggest that your country send more overseas students to Sanya, where they will have the opportunity to learn various aspects. The most advanced technology in the field will be brought back to North Korea to benefit the people."

Qian Tiandun's statement undoubtedly sounds very generous, but in practice it is not simple. The skills that North Korea can really learn from Haihan in a short period of time will probably still be based on agricultural technology. And weapons manufacturing, marching

In war, knowledge in these professional fields cannot be acquired overnight, and it even needs to be continuously trained and improved during war.

Haihan has overseas battlefields all year round that can be used to train troops and test the combat effectiveness of new weapons. However, North Korea does not yet have such conditions. After all, none of the surrounding countries can afford to provoke it. If it takes the initiative to provoke a war, it is seeking death.

Of course, the two princes may not have such an awareness yet, so they are still very excited by Qian Tiandun's attitude, believing that Haihan's opening up will be an excellent development opportunity for their country——

The premise is that the country can send enough overseas students to Haihan.

But studying in Haihan is not a free benefit. Haihan only provides such a window. As for the various expenses of overseas students during their stay in Haihan, they still have to settle the accounts clearly. For North Korea, this is relevant

The funding budget is not a small amount, so we take the initiative to limit the number of places.

According to the conditions proposed by Haihan, every officer who goes to Sanya to study must pay Haihan an annual fee of 3,000 taels of silver. This amount includes basic expenses such as tuition, miscellaneous fees, accommodation, etc. However, the students

You still need to bear your own expenses for food, clothing, and social expenses while studying abroad. Based on the local economic level of Sanya, you must prepare at least 1,800 taels of silver a year. If students participate in other special operations while studying abroad, such as military

As an observer, if you go overseas with the Haihan Army, the cost may have to be calculated separately.

For North Korea, which is currently very poor, this tuition fee is quite high. Considering the limited funds, the military will have to purchase a large number of weapons from Haihan to arm the new army, so it is impossible to send a large number of overseas students.

, so there was a situation where only about 20 people from the 2,000-strong New Army could be sent to study abroad. The North Korean side originally thought that this was Haihan's intention to extort money, but later after communicating with the Fujian Ming Army and Annan Army,

Only then did I realize that this was considered a year-round price, but the economic situation of those two companies was far better than that of North Korea, and they sent dozens of military officers to study abroad in Sanya every year without blinking an eye.

Of course, if the two princes want to study abroad, the treatment will definitely be different. Haihan has stated that tuition will be free of charge, and they can choose to live in the recently completed North Korean embassy. Not only is the living environment far better than the military camp, but also

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation all go to the government's expense accounts, and the two yamen in charge of diplomacy and finance, Li Cao and Hu Cao, will definitely not say anything about this.

Now everything is ready, the two princes are quite interested in this, and there is a rare harmonious situation in the court. No ministers object to this, and it seems that they are just waiting for King Li Zhu to make corresponding arrangements.

After watching the Army's drill in the morning and having lunch, Qian Tiandun took the group of Koreans by boat to a construction site on the river bank downstream of the base that was still being delineated.

"Everyone, the place you see now is still a wasteland, but soon it will become an arsenal jointly built by our two countries." Qian Tiandun pointed to the area that had been roped off.

Kuaidu introduced: "After this place is built, the cost of replacing weapons for your country will also drop significantly. If enough craftsmen join by then, the production capacity here will be enough to meet your country's needs."

Qian Tiandun's words were still hidden. He did not promise the North Koreans the specific production capacity of the arsenal in the future. If the North Koreans' expectations cannot be met by then, the reason can be attributed to the lack of qualified craftsmen.

Li Mingdao: "If I remember correctly, this is the iron ore mine your country is planning to mine nearby, right?"

Qian Tiandun nodded and replied: "Your Majesty, you remember correctly, the mine is less than five miles away, and a smelting plant will be built between the mine and the arsenal. By then, there will be a link from mining to smelting to

Ordnance production line for manufacturing guns.”

"Production line? This statement is quite new." Li Bo nodded and said: "This arrangement is very good. It can be processed nearby and can save a lot of trouble."

If you include the coal mines near Pyongyang in the upper reaches of the Datong River, this area will form a coal-iron composite industrial zone including arsenals in the future. The industrial structure is even more complete than the Shilu-Changhua Industrial Zone in Haihan. Of course.

, in the foreseeable future, the production here can only be based on manpower, and the productivity cannot be compared with the Haihan Industrial Zone, which has begun to use steam machinery extensively.

This arsenal is nominally a joint venture between the two countries, but in fact Haihan is only responsible for the construction plan of the factory area and the manufacturing technology of weapons, while it is North Korea that invests funds and manpower. The weapons produced here in the future will mainly be transferred from Haihan technology

Mainly models for North Korea, but Haihan will also produce some low-tech weapon spare parts here to meet the needs of the northern garrison.

Of course, as far as the current situation is concerned, this arsenal is still in the painting stage. Although North Korea wants to promote the early completion of this project, it still has the same old problem that cannot be bypassed - no money. Provided by Haihan Military

The arsenal's cost budget was 800,000 taels of silver. North Korea could not afford that much money, so it could only squeeze the budget again and again. In the end, cuts to the east and west reduced the cost by half. But even so, it still remains the same now.

There is not enough funds to arrive in time, so we can only put a few signs and ropes around the land to indicate that the project has started.

As for when it will be completed, it can only depend on when the imperial court will allocate funds. Shen Jingzhen, the military judge responsible for this matter, lost no time in speaking from the side: "Reporting to the prince, the design drawings of the arsenal have been prepared. We will wait for the imperial court

Once the funds are allocated, construction can begin here immediately."

Shen Jingzhen's intention, of course, was to ask the crown prince to help him collect the money after he returned. If the court didn't get the money, the land would have to remain uncultivated.

Li Jingren was not stupid. Hearing Shen Jingzhen's tone, he knew that there were some situations that he didn't know about. However, whether the lack of funds was a problem with the Hucao Yamen or some other reason, he would not do it in front of the Haihan people.

I asked for a clear explanation here, and immediately responded calmly: "Master Shen, don't worry, this matter will be resolved soon."

How to solve it, who would solve it, and when it would be solved, Li Bo didn't mention a word, and Shen Jingzhen didn't continue to ask questions without knowing what was wrong. He originally just wanted Li Bo to express his position, and did not expect to get greater benefits from Li Bo.

In fact, Li Bo didn't understand the purpose of the Haihan people in arranging for him to visit the site of the arsenal. But as the prince, he could neither lose momentum in front of the Haihan people nor boast too much. This degree was really difficult to control.

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The next day, the schedule of the Li brothers and their party was to visit the military dock of the Datong River base under construction, as well as the site selection for the joint shipyard nearby, which is also a piece of white land. According to the agreement between the two parties, after completion, the joint shipyard will

Exploration-class warships will be built for North Korea to enhance the strength of the North Korean navy.

The situation here is actually similar to the arsenal they saw yesterday. It is still an industrial cooperation project whose implementation has been delayed by funds. Of course, Wang Tom also boasted to Li Bo and others about the role of this shipyard after its completion.

, and looked forward to the bright future of the Korean Navy.

"...When the coalition fleet blocks the Qing coastline in the Liaodong region in the future, we very much hope that your naval forces can also participate and take on more important combat tasks!"

Wang Tom pointed at the North Koreans without leaving any trace, meaning that the current strength of the North Korean navy is not enough to undertake combat missions in the coalition fleet. And the actual situation is exactly the same. In the previous operations, the force pressed forward to the Yalu River.

The allied fleets of Nei and Liaodong and Haihan had nothing to do with the Korean warships. Although North Korea also managed to mobilize armed ships from all over the country to the Datong River to assist in defense, it did not actually engage in large-scale battles with the Qing army.

The reason why the North Korean navy is arranged in this way is naturally because of its lack of strength and because it rarely has the opportunity to contact the Haihan Navy and it is difficult to coordinate with the coalition fleet. If North Korea wants to effectively test the combat effectiveness of the navy, it must be seen as soon as possible.

The only way to achieve the effect is to equip warships manufactured by Haihan. However, the orders of various shipyards in Haihan are currently in a saturated state, and North Korea will not be able to place orders for a while, and it will not be able to buy it even if it wants to.

Of course, since Haihan is willing to provide the construction technology and drawings of the warship, building the ship yourself is naturally the most cost-effective way. But if the shipyard is delayed and unable to put into production, then this cooperation project will have to be shelved like an arsenal.

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With unfulfilled regrets, Li Bo and his party finally embarked on the voyage back to Seoul. However, their experience was not over yet, because the return journey was also carried out in accordance with Haihan's arrangements, aboard a Majestic-class battleship specially dispatched for this purpose.

, "by the way", just watch the sea drills of the Haihan Fleet on the way.

For this purpose, Haihan also dispatched four warships of the two levels of exploration and exploration. In addition to the comprehensive supply ship and the reconnaissance speedboat, there were more than ten Haihan warships participating in this escort trip. After all, before this

The army has already performed well in front of the Koreans, and Wang Tom is naturally not willing to lag behind.
Chapter completed!