Chapter Eleven: Dongdian Military Academy

  It got dark, and as soon as I entered the house, I burst out laughing with my hands covering my belly. The two little wives were confused by my laughter, so they quickly asked Xiao Fuzi about it. Xiao Fuzi then told them what had happened in the Qianqing Palace, and the two little wives immediately laughed uncontrollably too! They all knew that I must have been behind this prank, but they didn't dare say anything, as that would spoil everything! Now they're secretly delighted because their husband has finally learned how to deal with the old witch!

  Several people were laughing when they heard a voice outside saying "Long An has arrived".

  I immediately had the two concubines withdraw and then took Xiaofuzi out.

  "Master, I've found a suitable place according to your requirements. It's a large mansion near the Dajue Temple with six courtyards and seventeen rooms. There's also a big training ground inside, perfect for military drills! The surroundings are quiet and secluded, with dense woods making it easy to retreat into the mountains if needed. The compound can easily accommodate one or two thousand people. It only costs 4,000 taels of silver, which we can pay tomorrow. I've also selected some soldiers, all in their early twenties, with decent martial arts skills and some literary talent."

  I nodded happily: "Good, General Long'an is indeed straightforward. You go back first, I'll prepare the silver for you tomorrow morning, and you bring people to take it away! First, find an accountant, arrange a warehouse there, and tomorrow I'll go with you to see if we can accommodate more people. If so, we'll arrange more soldiers and train three thousand iron troops at once!"

  Long An was startled, but immediately said with delight: "That's great! I was worried that these three hundred soldiers would not be able to do anything in the palace. However, since we have to choose so many people, we can't just pick them from within the palace. The master's requirements are too high, we need to find an excuse to go to various places to select them!"

  I shook my head: "It's not possible now, go find some heroes in society and ask for their help! But it must be done secretly, we have too many opponents!"

  Long An said: "Alright! I'll think of a way. I also need to buy the two houses next door, so as to avoid exposing our target and arrange more people!"

  I nodded: "You can buy boldly, silver is not a problem! Remember, these people are not only soldiers who want to fight, but also officials who will lead the army tomorrow, and become the great generals of the Qing Dynasty, the ministers of Beiyang and Nanyang, the governors, the marshals, and the admirals! We must make it the West Point Military Academy of the Qing Dynasty!"

  Long An was taken aback: "West Point Military Academy?"

  I was also taken aback: "How did such a word come out of my mouth?" But I immediately said: "Oh, that's a very famous training school for military officers in the West. We'll call it Dongdian Military School in the East! However, we can't reveal it yet, and when it's publicly announced, I'll give you a title and name. For now, I'll be the principal!"

  Long An excitedly said: "That's it! From now on, all the military officers of the Qing Dynasty must be our graduates? All must be versatile and capable of both literary and martial skills!"

  I'm also very excited: "Right! What sheep service pig service, we train troops, equip ourselves, and learn the world's most advanced things. Whatever is advanced, let's take it and make it ours, to beat those foreign devils!"

  Long An said: "Zeng also said so!"

  I said again: "Take these three hundred men to train separately, build a quick-shooting battalion, and after training is complete, bring them into the palace to serve as the backbone of the Imperial Guard! The remaining three thousand people will be trained to form ten rifle battalions. You select a loyal servant in the palace to take your place, and you go train this iron army for me. At that time, I will appoint you as the vice president of the military academy, with a third-rank title!"

  Long An was shocked and stared blankly for half a day before kneeling down and saying: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the promotion!"

  "Have you thought about who will pick you up?"

  Long An knelt down and said: "I have already brought ten people to the Emperor, among them is one named Sheng Bao. He was originally a general in Yunnan, but after his parents were killed by the British army, he snuck into the enemy camp at night, beheaded the enemy commander and returned with his head. His superiors accused him of disrupting peace talks and stripped him of his military status, so he ended up here with me. He is fully capable of replacing that slave!"

  I said with delight: "Good, bring them all in immediately, I want to seal their official positions!"

  Long An immediately exited with excitement and led in ten sturdy men a moment later.

  Several people signed up, and Sheng Bao didn't look as sturdy as the others, but he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. I asked him several questions about deploying troops and formations, and he was able to answer them quite satisfactorily - those were all difficult questions from the police academy! I was so pleased that I decided right then and there: "We can't let him be stuck in the Forbidden City, we have to let him take on important responsibilities!" I immediately called Long An over and told him: "Sheng Bao won't be taking your place, he'll follow me first, you recommend someone else!"

  Long An looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I smiled and said: "He will have his own position, you talk about others first!"

  "That's Ye Zibin, he is not a Banner person, but a Han Chinese! However, he didn't come today, he went to Shandong yesterday and will be back in three days. Shall we talk another day?" Long An said.

  I patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, let him do it! The Qing Dynasty is the Qing Dynasty of all people under heaven. From now on, don't divide into banner people and Han people, they are all children of the Qing Dynasty! When he comes back, you bring him over! As for this Sheng Bao, I have other plans, for now just follow me, I want to personally take care of you two!"

  Long An was overjoyed and hastily knelt down to kowtow: "Thank you, master, for your great kindness!"

  I asked him: "What about the military ability of Jing Lian, the former Minister of War who was dismissed? And what about Li, the Governor-General of Zhili Province, and Ding Ruchang, the Admiral of the Navy?"

  Long An didn't say a word for half a day. I knew he was embarrassed, so I said: "Honestly speaking, shouldn't we be open with each other?"

  He was startled by the word "we" and looked up at me, then said: "Governor Ding is a good person, but he has no knowledge of the navy. Commanding at sea is different from deploying troops on land. The others are all experts in party struggles, but amateurs in battle! If there were another capable person, the Qing dynasty would not have fallen to its current state!"

  I nodded: "I've got it! Can you recommend a few generals who can lead troops in battle?"

  Long An thought for a moment: "The great general, Shandong's Ding Baozhen can be used. He is proficient in military law, loves his subordinates, and has the hearts of many people. If he were to take charge of the Ministry of War, he would definitely be better than the old masters now! And that Zhang Zhidong also has a lot of talent for leading troops!"

  I nodded: "Don't answer me for now, think carefully and recommend a few people to me, including those who lead troops in battle! Also include the navy!"

  I finished speaking and walked back to the ten people in front of me, saying: "I called you here, not just to protect me, but to protect the Great Qing, to protect our Chinese nation. So when you come to me, it's not just about practicing martial arts, but also learning literature, studying military strategy and tactics, studying the deployment of troops, studying Chinese knowledge, as well as Western knowledge, combining both Eastern and Western studies for my use. Now I'm introducing two instructors to you, be sure to learn from them well, preparing for when the storm rises, go serve the country, serve the people!"

  A few words moved several Han people to boiling blood, they knelt on the ground and vowed together: "Remember the eternal teachings, prepare to serve the country and sacrifice for the people!"

  I called out Yan'er and Fei'er, who were already dressed as servants, and introduced them to everyone: "This is Lin Yan, the firearms instructor. He is extremely knowledgeable about all kinds of firearms, both domestic and foreign. You will be learning from him how to master firearms, even cannons! This is Huang Fei, the martial arts instructor. From now on, you will be learning various Chinese martial arts from him to enhance your combat skills!" The ten people immediately knelt down and paid their respects to the two women with a bowing ceremony.

  I said: "I appoint you ten as fifth-grade sword-bearing guards, now you are the first batch of students at the Dongjiang Military Academy. The two instructors and General Long'an will be the vice principals of the Dongjiang Military Academy in the future, and I am your principal!"

  Just as I finished speaking, Xiao Fuzi rushed in and whispered to me: "The second daughter of the Shilang was just abducted by a flower thief!"

  I was shocked: "Isn't the second daughter of the Long family the princess you arranged for me today?"

  "It was the one you were going to give the jade Ruyi, she was carried away from home by someone who had been drugged with anesthetic incense. The loyal servant followed her to Li Lianying's mansion but lost track of her! They suspect it was done by Li Lianying, and Changxu has already gone to ask Empress Dowager for help to rescue the person!"