Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 287 Reorganizing the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Investigating Spies (Part 2)

In mid-September, when the imperial military examinations in the capital were in full swing, Zhu Jue suddenly ordered his father-in-law, Yuan You, to mobilize tens of thousands of artisans from Jizhou Town to build a summer resort in Jiulong Mountain, east of Pinggu.

He even had the emperor's father-in-law, Tian Hongyu, organize young and strong farmers to extend the railway line from the capital to Jizhou to Pinggu.

As for the reason, there's no need to ask; it's simply because a prince was born, and the whole family wanted to go on a summer trip.

He could make the decision on such matters with a single word, so there was no need to go through the outer court.

Soon, construction on the Jiulong Mountain Summer Resort began in earnest.

Early that morning, around dawn, Zhu Jue changed into the uniform of a soldier from the Beijing Garrison and, along with Zheng Zhilong, Wang Chengen, Fang Zhenghua, and others, boarded a horse-drawn carriage and headed straight for Jiulong Mountain.

At this time, the railway connecting Beijing and Pinggu County had already been laid, and the terminus of the railway station was near the entrance of Jiulong Mountain in the east of Pinggu County.

After they got off the car, they could see the endless mountains and forests.

At this time, Emperor Yuan You had only ordered people to open a dirt road, and all supplies could only be transported into the mountains by horse-drawn carts.

The so-called horse-drawn carriage is an old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage with wooden wheels, not a horse-drawn railcar.

The long procession of carriages stretched endlessly, leading from the station into the mountains and back again, keeping the place very busy.

Zhu Jue glanced around outside, then waved and led the group into the mountains.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance to the mountain road, Yuan You, the emperor's father-in-law, led his men to greet them and bowed to them.

Among those who came to greet them was Lu Xiang-sheng's eldest son, Lu Wen-wei.

It's perfectly normal for sons of nobles and high-ranking officials to work with imperial relatives or officials in building royal gardens or repairing palaces, so Lu Wenwei's presence here is not unusual.

The young man looked to be under twenty, but he was full of vigor and his face was full of shrewdness and competence, just like a carbon copy of Lu Xiang-sheng.

Zhu Jue simply nodded slightly, then asked, "Father-in-law, where is the highest mountain here? Is the road up the mountain ready?"

They are currently just clearing roads and transporting supplies in; construction hasn't actually started yet.

All because of the short notice, they hadn't had time to plan.

Yuan You quickly raised his hand and said, "The highest mountain here is only five or six li to the south, and the canal leading up the mountain has already been dug."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then gestured for the Emperor's father-in-law, Yuan You, to lead the way.

The mountains here are not very high, generally only a few dozen feet high, and the highest peak is only a little over a hundred feet high.

They walked for about half an hour before reaching the top of a mountain five or six miles to the south.

Zhu Jue took the large binoculars and carefully scanned the area, nodding approvingly.

The scenery here is truly beautiful, with mountains, rivers, and two sizable lakes. The mountains are also covered with dense forests, making it as beautiful as a painting.

He thought about it carefully for a moment, and then decisively said, "Father-in-law, you should have people build pavilions on several prominent hilltops. That way, from a distance, people will feel that this is a summer resort."

Uh, is the Summer Palace just a few pavilions?
Now that we're surrounded by imperial guards, there's nothing to worry about.

Yuan You nodded, then cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what about the other places?"

Zhu Jue raised his hand and said directly: "Build houses in all the surrounding valleys, make them exquisite, and connect them with heating. Build 10,000 houses first."

You should have the larger valley in the middle filled in, creating a large drill ground. Then, build a few small palaces on the surrounding hillsides as a token gesture.

"So, is there any problem finishing the construction before it freezes over?"

The number of 10,000 houses sounds a bit daunting, but it's not really that big of a deal. It's all because he mobilized a large number of craftsmen. Tens of thousands of craftsmen could build 10,000 houses in less than a month.

As for the palace, His Majesty's opinion is that it's just a token effort, and it won't take much time.

Yuan You thought about it carefully, then nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, it will definitely be fine to finish the construction before the ice freezes."

others?
Zhu Jue raised his binoculars and scanned the area again, then decisively said, "Several valley entrances leading into the mountains around here should be blocked with walls, and barracks should be built behind the walls to facilitate people taking turns guarding the area in twelve-hour shifts."

It's nothing.

Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "No problem, these can be repaired before they freeze over." Zhu Jue pondered for a moment and said, "The only problem left is the road. We can just dig up the dirt road this year and pave it with cement next year when cement production increases."

Oh, that's no problem.

Upon hearing this, Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

The next issue is the secret guards.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then solemnly said, "Wenwei, the elite troops recruited from Liaodong Town will be brought over gradually before the ice seal is broken."

Their official name is the Jiulong Mountain Guards, who are in charge of guarding the Summer Palace. Don't rush to train them yet. Before the ice freezes, have them bring their families over and settle them in.

After the ice is frozen, you should carefully select their family members, men, women, young and old, as long as they are intelligent.

Don't just practice formations and drills; you also need to practice disguise, assassination, and even torture and drugging.

Uh, this kind of training gives the impression that they're plotting a rebellion.

Fortunately, the soldiers selected this time were all those who had made meritorious contributions on the battlefield, that is, those who had killed the Jurchens, so they certainly couldn't be traitors.

Lu Wenwei nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and then carefully instructed, "This time I plan to investigate from the outside in. You will lead them in training for about five months. Once the capital region is unsealed and the waterways are open, I will send fast naval ships to take them to the Northwest in batches."

"Have them disguise themselves as disaster victims, civilians, or merchants, and secretly investigate various cities in the Northwest. Make sure they identify all the relatives and friends of the three major powerful families and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou. Ideally, they should be able to infiltrate their ranks."

Lu Wenwei nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Don't just keep nodding.

Zhu Jue simply asked, "What are your thoughts, or what problems do you think there are? Tell me."

Is this a test for me?

Lu Wenwei thought about it carefully, then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I believe that if we are to disguise ourselves and investigate in secret, we cannot use the identity of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. We must forge various identities for them so that no one will notice anything amiss."

Yes, that's right, you've hit the nail on the head.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly and said, "There's no problem with their identities. I'll have someone print a batch of blank Yellow Pages for you. You can have them fill them in themselves, and they can fill in whatever identity they need."

These days, the Yellow Pages are practically a form of identification.

Lu Wenwei nodded slowly, then asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, when you speak of assassination and torture, do you mean that one can kill or torture at will, or do one need to seek permission first?"

This person cannot be killed or tortured arbitrarily.

The reason why the Embroidered Uniform Guard was so powerful was that once its influence expanded, it had to be suppressed by the inner court.

Zhu Jue pondered, "If they want to assassinate or arrest people for torture, they will definitely ask for your permission. You should also be careful not to be too lenient with them. It is best not to kill people indiscriminately without solid evidence. It is best not to arrest people for torture unless necessary, as this may alert them."

Lu Wenwei nodded slowly, then cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, this disguised merchant needs money to purchase goods, and sometimes using money to investigate is more effective than torture. What do you think is an appropriate amount of money to cover the expenses of these secret guards?"

Money is not a problem; I have plenty of money right now. What I want is to thoroughly investigate the traitors and bring them all to justice.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue decisively said, "You can handle the money. Just take as much as you need from the inner treasury. Come directly to me, and I will personally allocate the funds for you."

This favor is simply beyond compare.

They could withdraw as much money as they wanted—a privilege they had never experienced before.

Lu Wenwei nodded solemnly and said, "Your Majesty understands, Your Majesty will certainly keep a strict eye on things."

Well, I believe you.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then solemnly said, "Remember, the secret guards can do anything, but they can't act recklessly. This time, I've ordered you to secretly investigate traitors. So do your best to investigate secretly and don't resort to torture or even killing people. Only if you have missions to spy on the enemy in the future can you kill freely."

So you mean strict restrictions, right?

Lu Wenwei nodded solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

(End of this chapter)