You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 141 Another Year Has Come 226
After bathing, Jiang Qingyun, wearing a thin brocade robe, walked to the table.

Green Pearl prepared everything: unfolded the Xuan paper, pressed down the paperweight, ground the ink, brewed the tea, tasted the water temperature, and then stood aside to be ready to serve.

The habit of serving the young master for many years has become ingrained in my bones.

Jiang Qingyun selected the finest wolf-hair brush, producing narrow, clear lines. Before long, a mechanical design drawing appeared on the paper.

"guess what is this?"

"Beheaded?"

"Correct."

Jiang Qingyun smiled. "Beheading by executioner is too slow, and the gallows are too Western-style. They don't quite suit the physique of officials and gentry in the Ming and Qing dynasties."

They plagiarized Louis XVI's design ahead of time.

"Green Pearl, do you think I'm cruel?"

"No, young master only kills bad people."

How do you know they are bad people?

"Anyone the young master wants to kill must be a bad person."

Green Pearl smiled, her eyes crinkling with pride. Her world was simple, its core logic being that the young master was always right.

……

The second one took longer to draw.

Compared to the dry, unfamiliar, and completely unrecognizable calligraphy, she preferred the young master's paintings, at least she could understand them.

Simple sketches, quick and easy to create a drawing.

Blue sky and white clouds, riverbank, a large expanse of low-lying farmland, surrounded by dikes, with a windmill on the high ground. Inside the dikes, half of the area is planted with crops, and the other half with grass. There are a few cattle and sheep, a few small houses, and a few farmers busy at work.

Green Pearl was completely absorbed in watching.

She wouldn't know that this was the agricultural model of the Dutch at the same time.

The low-lying fields facilitate the daily collection of rainwater, and excess water is drained outside the dike by windmills. The dike can protect against wind disasters and floods.

Livestock eat grass, which provides them with power, and their manure can fertilize the fields.

Besides draining water, windmills can also be used as a power source for pounding rice, making paper, pressing oil, and making felt.

……

The third image is a floor plan.

The entire capital was divided into 36 districts, each marked as a security ward.

Green Pearl watched with great interest. Ah, the young master is surrounding the bad guys, and he is about to kill even more bad guys. The young master is so amazing!

"Take it and burn it."

"Hey."

Without the slightest hesitation, Green Pearl threw the third newly completed blueprint into the fire, turning it to ashes.

……

The fourth picture is of the bathroom.

Water was drawn from the well by manpower and poured into a pool. A small windmill then lifted the water from the pool and poured it into a reservoir above ground level.

Due to the difference in elevation, the water then flows into the house through long copper pipes.

The copper pipe circuit has multiple furnace heating points.

Finally, it flowed into the room.

There is a Huaqing Pool inside the house.

Jiang Qingyun wasn't sure if the craftsmen could finish this makeshift water heater-equipped bathhouse, but anyway, he'd give it a try.

The key point is the windmill~
Compared to the invention of the steam engine that ushered in industrialization, Jiang Qingyun believes that what this land needs most now is agricultural innovation, ideological innovation, and...
In short, technology is a minor aspect.

……

The 26th day of the second month of the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign (lunar calendar).

226.
On a day that struck fear into the heart of the capital, a hidden pain that the Qing Empire could not speak of, the walls of Donghua Gate still bear the marks of arrows fired by the Plain Blue Banner rebels.

Early in the morning, around midnight.

Jiang Qingyun got up and rushed to the military headquarters a few steps away. The officers were already dressed in their uniforms and waiting for him.

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to the Vice-Governor."

Brothers, today is a special day. One year ago today, 3000 rebel soldiers of the Plain Blue Banner, who had taken a lot of bribes from Zhu Youlang, almost breached the Forbidden City.

"We must be vigilant and take precautions." "As the chief officer of the Five Cities Garrison, I must uphold the first line of defense for the capital for the sake of the Emperor and the court."

"Today's operation can be summarized in eight words: as dense as a spider web and as solid as a rock."

"Now, the latest order will be read out."

……

The four battalions of Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain were once again broken up, split, and reorganized into three parts: the Men in Black, the Light Cavalry Patrol Team, and the Heavy Cavalry.

Everyone listened quietly, and no one voiced any objection.

Thinking is a dangerous activity.

obey!

The organization was changed from the five city military commands (East, West, South, North, and Central) based on geographical location to the four battalions (Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain) based on military branches, and then to the three branches whose purpose is still unknown.

Jiang Qingyun's actions were not capricious, but rather deeply meaningful.

South City Training Ground.

The officers began reading the roster aloud, forming their own lines, and the scene became chaotic.

“Vice-Governor, it would have been much better if the order had been announced a day earlier.”

"It's alright, I just want to see if the Five Cities Garrison is truly well-trained."

Half an hour later~
The restructuring of the three branches of the armed forces has been officially completed.

The men in black, as the name suggests, were dressed entirely in black from head to toe, without armor, and wore whistles around their necks and sharp blades at their waists. All members were boys from the Han Chinese Banner Army of the Two Yellow Banners.

The light cavalry patrol team was an unarmored unit, dressed in Green Standard Army uniforms, and armed with only a short stick and a sword. It consisted of soldiers of relatively light build.

Heavy cavalry, clad in double layers of cotton armor, rode fine warhorses and were equipped with swords, spears, hammers, bows, and crossbows, and were composed of the most valiant and robust soldiers.

……

The cold wind howled~
Looking around, the entire southern part of the city was still pitch black.

"Dismissed, lunch is served!"

The kitchen staff had been busy since noon yesterday, and now they quickly served steaming hot cabbage and mutton soup, braised pork, rice, and various sweet and oily snacks.

At the long table inside the room, the soldiers sat up straight, gazing at the fragrant food and swallowing hard.

Until the officer shouted:

"All rise."

Everyone stood up in unison, shouted "Obedience is our duty," and then sat down and quickly began to eat.

This is the dining rule of the Five Cities Military Command.

The soldiers ate heartily, and then the cook came in carrying a wine jar.

"The Vice-Governor has ordered that today the troops be rewarded, with each soldier receiving an extra half bowl of wine."

The soldiers cheered again.

……

As dawn broke.

The soldiers were given rations again, two large sugar-oil pancakes each, which they carried with them as energy for the day.

Jiang Qingyun, dressed in military uniform, stood motionless under the banner.

He was waiting for the city gates to open.

The atmosphere on the scene became very strange. Some officers looked around nervously, feeling as if they were part of the rebels.

Giddy up!
A scout swiftly entered the training ground, followed by two Manchu cavalrymen.

The three of them simultaneously dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"Vice Magistrate, the time has come. Chongwen Gate is ready. Please enter the city for patrol."

Jiang Qingyun drew his sword and shouted sternly:
"Fifty percent of the brothers, all of you, get on your horses."

"Unite our will and defend the Qing Dynasty."

The uneasy officers breathed a sigh of relief, and thousands of soldiers raised their weapons and shouted: "Unite our will, defend the Great Qing!"

After~
Horses like dragons, men like serpents, a large cavalry rumbled out of the camp, bathed in starlight, and silently headed towards Chongwen Gate.

During the journey, due to the "dog ban", not a single dog barked.

Dawn breaks quietly in the southern city.
(End of this chapter)