Chapter 67: The Pitiful Second Generation

  Hai Feng saw the expression of Yin Zhen and knew that this master had probably been neglectful. His mind was quick to turn, and he hastily smiled and said, "Master, I also only heard him mention this problem today." Seeing that Yin Zhen did not seem annoyed, he then dared to say, "Even so, why not have the craftsmen select the most suitable iron materials for casting cannons from among them, investigate the source of supply, and in the future specifically obtain iron materials from that place? This would also avoid the trouble of re-smelting."

  Yin Zhuan shook his head slowly, he built the iron factory not just for casting cannons, steel is the foundation of modern industrial development, his original intention was to gather a group of experienced craftsmen, and work together to develop steel smelting technology.

  He glanced at Gu Mingkai and asked curiously, "Have you studied iron smelting before?"

  Gu's face turned red as he said, "No, I went to Shanghai to help manage the ironworks and I was looking for books on this subject. I also often asked for advice from old ironworkers."

  Yuan Zhong reacted quickly on horseback, "You mean that the location of the ironworks is not suitable, and those craftsmen have also reflected?"

  "Yes, it was what they reflected to me first. I then looked up a lot of information and found that large-scale iron smelting must rely on water-powered bellows, otherwise the temperature cannot be reached."

  At this time, Meng Zhen was no longer afraid of losing face. If the iron casting is not good, it will be embarrassing to go to his aunt's house. "Let's go together to the iron foundry and listen to the opinions of those old craftsmen."

  A meeting was held on the spot, and Yi Zhong made a decision on the spot, appointing Gu Mingkai as the general manager of the iron smelting plant. Several old craftsmen were also promoted to workshop heads. The new location of the iron smelting plant would be surveyed by this general manager and several workshop heads, and they would each be rewarded with ten taels of silver.

  Yi Chunyuan summoned all his subordinates and officials to conduct a profound self-examination, but spared them from self-criticism so as not to intimidate them. He then mobilized them to go deep into every factory and construction site to discuss with veteran craftsmen and see if there were any areas that needed improvement. He also announced that those who proposed reasonable suggestions for improvement and were adopted would be rewarded with salary increases, promotions, and appointments. At the same time, he took Gu Ming as a model and widely publicized it, encouraging all the young masters of famous families who came to Shanghai to learn from his pragmatic spirit.

  It's not necessary to deliberately publicize it, but the news of Gu Mingkai and the relocation of the steel mill spread like wildfire to all construction sites in less than half a day. While everyone was admiring Gu Mingkai, they also began to scrutinize their surroundings to see if there were any other unreasonable situations. This opportunity is fleeting, and if someone else takes it first, the difference in wages and treatment will be huge.

  With the promotion of Yongzheng's reward system, a vigorous movement to identify and criticize shortcomings unfolded throughout Hong Kong. As a result, every evening, Yongzheng had to sift through and discuss various suggestions submitted by his subordinates and veteran craftsmen from different industries.

  Although it was a bit bitter and tiring, Yu Zhen still insisted on responding to every suggestion made, adopting the ones that were naturally rewarding, and for those not adopted, he must write out the reasons in writing. This is a respect and affirmation of them, and at the same time, it is also an intangible encouragement. Moreover, this approach can also bring them closer to the workers. Just doing so, however, made those few clerks and masters bitter, having to stay up till midnight every day.

  Yongzheng's approach greatly encouraged the enthusiasm of many craftsmen, and the sons of famous families who came to join him saw Yongzheng being good at everything he did, handling affairs decisively, and promoting personnel based on their abilities. They also settled down to work diligently, and Yongzheng treated them equally without any favoritism. He assigned tasks according to their individual strengths, and those who excelled in practical matters were promoted as soon as they were discovered. Whether someone was talented or not would become apparent once they were given a chance.

  The more than 200 descendants of the imperial family who temporarily settled in Liuchun Garden originally thought that once they arrived in Shanghai, their hard days would be over. However, they soon discovered that these hard days had only just begun, and the journey from Beijing to Shanghai was nothing compared to what lay ahead.

  They are now divided into four platoons and twenty-one squads, with the platoon leaders and squad leaders all being outstanding individuals. Their daily training plan is to get up at 4:00 (6:00 am), then go for a 10-mile run in the morning, have breakfast, followed by formation training, swimming training, rest for an hour, and then again swimming and formation training, have dinner, and then English lessons taught by missionaries, sleep at 9:00 pm. That night was not pleasant, and there was another emergency assembly in the middle of the night.

  What's even more detestable is that Yin Zhen stipulated that the five teams that ranked last in the weekly assembly would be responsible for cleaning, flushing toilets, and washing chamber pots. Moreover, any team that ranked last for three consecutive months would be collectively expelled from the Navy. The training volume of the middle team that ranked last for five days would be increased by 30%.

  This group of second-generation rich kids have been served by several maids and servants since childhood, typical of those who stretch out their hands for clothes and open their mouths for food. Have they ever done any manual labor? Just thinking about going to clean the toilets and urinals of other teams makes them all break out in a cold sweat. How can they still hold their heads up in public after this?

  Each small team started with the slogan "no wiping toilets, no washing hair" and began their intense training. The sense of honor for each squad and platoon was unprecedentedly high. After a day's training, every bone in their body felt like it had been dislocated, yet they still had to learn bird language, often people fell asleep while learning, the consequences were predictable.

  They can no longer describe their feelings towards Yun Zhen, and they don't know where he learned these strange drills from some foreigner. Every day, he forces them to practice, and for no reason at all, he surrounds them, and if they show any dissatisfaction, he punishes them physically. He doesn't care about family ties or what faction you belong to, treating everyone equally. At first, they complained, but after a few days, they all became numb.

  Yinzheng was busy in Shanghai, and Kangxi took the Crown Prince Yinreng, the fourth son and the prince of Yongzheng Yinzhen, the seventh son and the prince of Xunqin Yinyou, the eighth son and the prince of Beile Yinxie, the twelfth son and the prince of Gusong Yinhao, the fifteenth son Yinyi, and the sixteenth son Yinluo to inspect the border regions on May 1st.

  The peaceful Jiangnan government, which had been calm for half a year, was stirred up again. On the seventh day of May, Zhang Penghui, the Minister of Revenue who had been ordered to investigate the corruption case of former Jiangsu Governor Yisi Gong and Governor Yu Zhun last year, submitted a memorial: Former Jiangsu Governor Yisi Gong had extorted money and grain during tax collection, accepted bribes from subordinates, and should be sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. Governor Yu Zhun lived in the same city but did not report or impeach him, and was stripped of his post.

  On May 9, Zhang Pengnian again memorialized: It is advisable to consider that when Gong Ren was the governor of Jiangsu Province and Yu Zhun was the provincial commander-in-chief, they embezzled 461,000 taels of silver from the treasury. They have already repaid 297,000 taels, but still owe 164,000 taels. This amount should be strictly recovered within a limited period.

  For Zhang Penghui's two memorials to the throne, the Ministry of Justice responded and agreed.

  On May 19th, Jin Shiyang, the former Governor of Henan Province, was appointed as the Provincial Governor of Jiangsu Province, while Chen Pengnian remained as the Prefect of Suzhou.

  With the arrival of the imperial edict, the entire Jiangnan officialdom was once again tense.