Chapter 31: Kangxi's Means

  A group of young men with yellow and red sashes around their waists caused a sensation on the streets of Beijing as they ran in a 10-kilometer relay, an unusual sight that drew in crowds of onlookers who had no idea what was happening.

  The soldiers and runners of the Wucheng Military Patrol and the Shuntian Prefecture were also startled, seeing this situation they all got a fright. These young masters are not good eggs, pulling out any one of them would make the street shake with just a stomp of their feet. Today, suddenly a group appeared, chasing each other straight to Fucheng Gate. The soldiers and runners had never seen such a strange situation before, thinking that something big had happened, they chased after them fiercely.

  There were also many people on the street who knew this group of young masters, and when they saw this situation, they thought it was an opportunity to show off their enthusiasm, so they followed behind them in pursuit.

  Suddenly, the group of over a hundred people turned into hundreds, surging forward on the main street. The timid ones quickly closed their stalls and hid behind closed doors to peek out the window, while the bold ones followed along to watch the commotion.

  After running for a while, those soldiers and police finally figured out the situation and stopped one by one, unable to cry or laugh, starting to maintain order. The chaotic situation on the street slowly subsided.

  Yin Zhen was also crying and laughing at the same time in the Beile Mansion, but another batch of second-generation ancestors came. Although they couldn't compare with those young masters before, each one's identity was not to be underestimated, either a distant relative or a son of a high-ranking official in the court. Yin Zhen was completely speechless. What method did Kangxi use? Can these dragon and phoenix descendants come to join the navy one after another?

  After racking his brains for half a day, Yinzhen couldn't think of anything, so he simply gave up and waved his hand to dismiss the second-generation ancestors who were still painting the gourd. Then he sent someone to call Zheng Shichang to recruit workers, and the matter of the migrant workers could no longer be delayed.

  In less than the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Ah Lin brought back over a dozen loafers. Yongzheng walked around these dozen or so young masters and sneered: "You dozen or so seem like clever people, but the Qing Navy doesn't need such clever people, please leave." As he spoke, his face sank, "Guards, escort them out."

  These little rascals, who were so arrogant and domineering in their daily lives, were stunned upon hearing this. What would be the consequences if they returned home like this? Thinking of the old man's repeated warnings when they left, each of them suddenly became anxious, begging for mercy, apologizing, and acting coquettishly. Several of them even burst into loud tears, playing the tragic card.

  Yin Zhen was too lazy to bother, so he ordered his servants to drive them all out. Then he called Hai Feng and told him to take charge of tabulating the results of the 10-kilometer run. Those who passed would be registered in a roll of honor, while those who failed would not be considered. After that, he turned his back and went to comfort his four wives in the backyard. With his departure imminent, as an imperial envoy he couldn't bring his family with him, so Yin Zhen had been squeezing out time to comfort his four wives in the backyard these past few days.

  Genius Mai Hei, Yin Zhen and his four wives were enjoying a romantic candlelight dinner in the backyard when Bao Fuquan rushed in, ruining the warm atmosphere that Yin Zhen had worked hard to create. Yin Zhen frowned, "What's going on?"

  Baofuquan's mouth was like a bitter olive, his face full of bitterness. He also knew it wasn't the right time to come in. "Reporting to Master, I really had no choice. Three national dukes came first and I let them have tea in the side hall, but before I could blink, two Beile princes arrived, and Jian Qinwang also came..."

  Yuan Zhen immediately understood what had happened as soon as he heard it, "Get Hai Feng here right away."

  Hai Feng had been waiting outside, and upon hearing this, he hastily presented the statistical results. Yongzheng took a look and saw that only over 70 people were qualified in total, which was less than half of them. It seemed that these few were here to make things difficult.

  He let out a soft sigh, and Yongzheng felt quite helpless. They were so eager, and it was clear that Kangxi had promised them a great deal. There were over a hundred people in the two groups who did not meet the requirements, and this would involve many members of the imperial family. If he were to take it seriously, he feared that his future movements would be severely restricted.

  With a wry smile, he shook his head and ordered: "Invite them all to the main hall, I'll be there right away."

  As soon as he entered the main hall, several national dukes and nobles came to greet him. Even Jian Qinwang Yalijiang'a, who was self-conscious about his identity, took two steps forward. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jian Qinwang Yalijiang'a spoke up: "Fourteenth brother, your nephew Xiao Si is only two years younger than you and isn't cut out for studying either. He spends all day idling around, causing trouble everywhere, making it impossible for his uncle to live in peace, with constant headaches. You should take pity on your brother and send him to the navy. Out of sight, out of mind; your brother can also have a few days' peace."

  Ying Zhen couldn't help but smile wryly at Yarjiang's words, but before entering, he had already thought it through, "Brother Wang, it's not that the 14th is being sentimental, but the navy is going to sea to fight pirates. What if something unexpected happens? How will you let the 14th see you?"

  Yarjiang A frowned, "Fourteen, this statement is incorrect. Our wealth and nobility were not obtained through real swords and guns, but rather by taking risks. If Wu Ge dares to be afraid of battle, I won't need Fourteen to take action. I will personally execute him."

  "Brother Wang's teachings are correct, but at present, this navy is newly established, and there isn't even a shadow of warships. As for me, I'm new to handling affairs, with no experience or connections. I don't know where to get materials like wood, coal, and iron, nor do I know how to find craftsmen for shipbuilding and cannon-casting, or laborers. To be honest, I myself am not very confident in this newly established navy. Why must Brother Wang insist on forcing Wu Ge into it?"

  "Fourteen, you're wrong again." Yaljiang stroked his long beard and smiled: "You don't have to worry, your brother Wang does. Since Wu Ge has joined the navy, how can Brother Wang just sit back and do nothing? I'll go back and write letters to those slaves who are doing official business in various places, and let them think of ways to raise..."

  Yarjiang Ah nodded in agreement, and Yin Zhen hastily took over the conversation. "Don't worry, brother Wang. All the raw materials will be paid for upon delivery. As for the people who are sent here, I'll make sure they're all taken care of by the 14th."

  "Hehe, that's good." Yalijiang said as he stood up, "You have something on your mind, so I won't bother you, Brother Wang."

  The few princes left in the house, which Beile was not a clever person, without waiting for Yunzhen to speak, one by one patted their chest and said they had a way to transport raw materials and personnel for Yunzhen.

  Yuan Zhen was a generous host, and he wrote down everything they said with paper and pen before sending them away one by one. He wasn't afraid of their empty words, after all, each of his sons would be under his control in the future.

  These few national dukes and princes, the Beile hadn't even left the main gate yet, when another guest arrived. Yongzheng welcomed the guest with a smile into the main hall. Among these imperial relatives, which family didn't have several servants doing official business in other places? These are all connections, after all.

  One evening, after seeing batch after batch, Yin Zhen was exhausted to death, but when he saw the thick stack of records, he was overjoyed. Of course, he also had a brand new understanding of Kangxi's tactics.

  Kangxi's move is not ordinary, not only has he firmly controlled the navy, but also secretly mobilized national strength to help build a ocean-going fleet, and made everyone speechless. It's really high! However, as a result, the Qing dynasty's navy will become the world's only aristocratic navy.

  Yes, tomorrow those who have been selected must be beaten well, can't waste resources! Yongzheng entered the dream with this idea.