Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 105 Tianjin Navy, Wang Ziteng's Rising Ambitions!
"Gulu."

Seated in the head seat, Jia Yan took a sip of tea and said, "The problem of the naval officers and soldiers is easy to solve."

"Over the years, in addition to the Fujian Navy maintaining a high level of vigilance to deal with the Dutch who were entrenched in Taiwan, the Fujian Navy has also been working closely with the Dutch."

"The Guangdong Navy and the Nanjing Navy were rotten to the core, and ambitious generals were unwilling to stay there."

"Send Yu Yue and Chen Kun to summon their former subordinates, and the Tianjin Navy's backbone will be strengthened immediately."

"As for the lower-ranking soldiers, there are many young and strong men from the coastal areas of Beizhili, Shandong and even Liaoxi who are good at swimming. It is not a problem to recruit 30,000 of them."

"Yes."

Hearing these words, Wang Ziteng's panic subsided, and he memorized them one by one.

"When it comes to ships, the first thing to pay attention to is the shipyard."

Jia Yan spoke eloquently: "Our dynasty follows the precedent of the Ming dynasty and has established shipyards such as the Nanjing Longjiang Shipyard, the Anqingjiang Shipyard, the Fuzhou Changle Shipyard, and the Shandong Beiqinghe Shipyard, each with different functions."

"Longjiang Shipyard is located on the west bank of the Qinhuai River and is responsible for the construction of warships for the Nanjing Navy and Yangtze River transport ships."

"The Huai'an Qingjiang Shipyard is mainly responsible for manufacturing canal transport vessels. It is located at the confluence of the canals, which facilitates the transfer of grain."

"Fuzhou Changle Shipyard is responsible for building warships and large seagoing vessels for the Fujian Navy. Together with Longjiang Shipyard, it forms the two major shipbuilding centers in the north and south."

"The Beiqinghe Shipyard in Shandong and private shipyards in Guangdong mainly undertake the manufacturing of certain types of ships, including warships for the Guangdong Navy, coastal ships and ocean-going ships that are commonly used by civilians."

"There is currently no concentrated shipyard north of the Huai River, which is obviously detrimental to maritime operations and maritime trade."

"The Tianjin Navy must have a shipyard to provide ships and repair services, so the establishment of the Tianjin Shipyard is imperative."

"With so many shipyards in the country, there are countless qualified craftsmen and outstanding master craftsmen. There must be a lot of dried timber in stock, which can be directly used to build seagoing ships and warships."

"Cough cough."

Wang Ziteng almost choked on his saliva.

Clearly, Jia Yan's method was to pool ideas from all sides, not only undermining other naval forces but also the shipyards. This method was simple, direct, and effective.

However, this method cannot avoid one thing, which is funding. Without real gold and silver, how can you poach people?

"After the Earl of Lintao has pacified the Jizhou region, are you still worried about not having money?"

Jia Yan glanced at Wang Ziteng, looking confident and in control.

"Your Excellency is wise and insightful."

Wang Ziteng immediately realized what was happening and a smile appeared on his face.

"These things are settled then."

"You may all go and prepare. I have already sent the memorial to the palace."

"The Ministry of War's transfer order will be issued to you shortly."

"Yes."

Nian Gengyao, Zhang Guangsi, and Wang Ziteng hurriedly left Ningguo Mansion.

"Master."

It's noon.

The light snow drifted in, whispering in Jia Yan's ear.

"Ah."

Nodding slightly, Jia Yan looked at Niu Jizong and the other two, and said with a smile, "It's noon, my three uncles, please have some wine and food here with me."

"Let's talk later."

"Great!"

Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and Hou Xiaokang exchanged glances and agreed.

"Go and arrange lunch."

Jia Yan gave Xiaoxue some instructions.

"Yes."

Xiaoxue then turned around and went down to make the arrangements.

Before long, maids carried a dazzling array of dishes into the main hall. First came eight cold dishes: crystal pork jelly, drunken shrimp with fermented bean curd, etc., followed by eight hot dishes: braised shark fin, soft-shelled eel, braised autumn duck, stir-fried beef tenderloin with scallions, braised shrimp, roasted whole lamb, pigeon with Western sauce, steamed shad, etc., and finally four desserts: vegetable and meat shumai, thousand-layer oil cake, etc.

"Uncles, there's no need to be so polite."

Jia Yan gestured with his hand.

"please."

Niu Jizong and his two companions were also quite hungry, so they decided to eat heartily.

In the martial arts training ground in the backyard of Ningguo Mansion, separated by a wall, lunchtime began. Unlike the light meals they had eaten in the morning, what was presented to Jia Yun and the others was beef, mutton, and milk, leaving them all dumbfounded.

"Eat, eat your fill. In the afternoon, spend one hour studying military strategy and tactics, and one hour learning horseback riding and archery."

Guan Ye shouted loudly.

"Yes."

Jia Yun and the others buried themselves in their food and ate voraciously. After a whole morning of eating, everyone was exhausted.

Unlike the others, Jia Huan, Jia Cong, Jia Lan, and the other eight children were given specially prepared medicinal meals. In the afternoon, they only did some simple exercises. Before they turned thirteen, they would not be easily taught martial arts techniques, so as not to force them to grow too fast.

On the other side, Lin Daiyu and Xiao Xichun had been learning the Eight Pieces of Brocade all morning and were also in high spirits. They only needed to learn the Eight Pieces of Brocade from Xiaoxue. Even so, this amount of exercise was not small for Lin Daiyu. On the contrary, Xiao Xichun was full of energy and just felt happy playing.

Coincidentally, at Rongguo Mansion, in Rongqing Hall...

Perhaps after hearing Yuanyang's report about yesterday's events, Grandmother Jia had a different opinion of Jia Yan, and summoned Jia She and his wife, Jia Zheng and his wife, Jia Lian and his wife, and Li Wan to a banquet together.

"Zhu'er's wife."

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Grandmother Jia asked Li Wan, "Yesterday, you and Zhao went to the East Mansion."

"What has that brat done this time that has wronged you?" Everyone in the hall couldn't help but turn their gaze to Li Wan.

"old lady."

Li Wan quickly put down her chopsticks and said calmly, "It's not that Brother Yan is being rude. Brother Yan's actions are all for the sake of the clan members. I am just a woman who doesn't know the ways of the world, and I have misunderstood him."

'Ugh!'

Upon hearing this, everyone was slightly taken aback.

The servants reported that Li Wan brought Jia Lan back in the evening, her face covered in tears. Everyone thought Jia Yan was being unreasonable, after all, the day he stained Rongxi Hall with blood and slapped Lady Wang with a sword was still fresh in their minds.

Who would have thought that Li Wan would actually take the initiative to defend him? And judging from Li Wan's demeanor and behavior, these words were not insincere, but rather came from the bottom of her heart.

"He is indeed responsible; I am not as capable as you."

A look of emotion appeared on Grandmother Jia's kind face: "Jing'er has kept him hidden for fifteen years. Outsiders only know that he is skilled in martial arts and has a brave and ambitious heart. Little do they know that such things require more than just these skills. One must also be well-versed in military strategy and tactics and have unparalleled military strategy."

"Even the Emperor Emeritus praised this boy highly, which shows his excellence, which is evident to all in the nation."

“If these young men in the clan can learn even a fraction of what he has, then I can face my husband, my late father Ning, and my father Rong in the afterlife.”

“The old lady is right.”

Everyone present was a pivotal figure in the Rongguo Mansion, and naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Grandmother Jia's words.

"Replying to the old lady."

"Brother Yan informed us yesterday that Lan-ge will be staying at the East Mansion from now on."

"My meals, clothing, and other necessities are all taken care of there. I only come back to sleep at night."

Li Wan then added a few more words.

"Oh?"

Grandmother Jia's cloudy old eyes flashed with surprise, and she said, "He has obtained quite a few good things there, so it's nothing to support these young men."

"However, I heard that Lan Ge'er and the others learned not only martial arts, but also horsemanship, archery, and weapons."

"Will things be feasible in the Eastern Prefecture?"

Although she doted on Jia Baoyu, it did not mean that she had become confused. She still hoped that the Jia family's children could make progress and produce more military officers and scholars, so as to bring glory to the family.

"Ancestor."

Wang Xifeng explained with a charming smile, "You have no idea, the East Mansion has changed a lot now."

"The training ground has been prepared, with a shooting range, horse farm, stables, and a special room for Lan Ge'er and the others to practice reading and writing."

"It looks just as impressive as those princes' mansions, bustling with activity."

That day, Wang Xifeng witnessed the changes in Jia Huan, Jia Cong, and others. Their faces were ferocious, but their eyes held a firm resolve that would leave a lasting impression on anyone who saw them. She also visited the East Mansion with the help of You Shi.

The front yard and garden were in one place, while the back yard was separated from the drill ground and Jia Yan's own small courtyard.

Putting everything else aside, those twenty Ujumqin horses alone are worth at least several thousand taels of silver, and they are still priceless.

What is the current procedure?

Grandmother Jia became interested and asked again.

"Ancestor."

"Fifteen people caught Yan's eye at the front."

"The older ones are Jia Yun and Jia Qiang, the slightly younger ones are Jia Guang, Jia Ying, Jia Chen, Jia Chang, and Jia Xing, and the ones who are about the same age as Huan Ge'er, Cong Ge'er, and Lan Ge'er are Jia Qiong, Jia Jun, Jia Yin, Jia Zhi, and Jia Zhi."

"The eight little ones have each taken Yan Di's personal guards as their masters, while the five slightly older ones are now learning some kind of boxing. Jia Yun and Jia Qiang are learning more about the skills of fighting on the battlefield."

Yuanyang knew these things very well and reported them in detail.

"Ancestor."

Wang Xifeng added a few more words: "The personal guards of the Yan brothers in the clan are all of the rank of light cavalry captains of the third grade."

"He's thoughtful."

Grandmother Jia nodded, and roughly understood that these guards should come from the twelve families of Longxi.

"All the young men in the manor went, as did the young men from the eight branches of the capital who had not yet reached adulthood."

Why is Baoyu nowhere to be seen?

Just then, Jia Zheng suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"."

Rongqing Hall fell silent.

"You wicked beast."

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Jia Zheng knew perfectly well that Jia Baoyu hadn't gone at all, and felt a tightness in his chest.

Such an opportunity is something countless people in the dynasty would kill for; if it were placed right at his doorstep, Jia Baoyu wouldn't even bother to cherish it.

"Second brother."

"Both Lan-ge'er and Huan-ge'er have caught Yan-ge'er's eye."

"If Baoyu doesn't want to go, then he doesn't have to go. Don't let it harm his health."

Since Jia She returned to Rongxi Hall, his elder brother's demeanor has returned to normal, and he offered words of comfort.

"That's what the elder brother said."

When Jia Zheng thought of his eldest grandson and his illegitimate son, the anger in his heart finally subsided.

The heir of the second branch is no longer Jia Baoyu, but Jia Lan. His hopes are still pinned on Jia Lan, and perhaps a little on Jia Huan. As for Jia Baoyu, he would rather strangle him than let him bring shame to the second branch.

Upon hearing this, the others reacted in various ways: some gloated, some were indifferent, and some felt pity. No one had any faith in Jia Baoyu, this seemingly perfect but ultimately useless man.

(End of this chapter)