The Empire will continue to win

That's right.

Shen Moqing already suspects Zi Ying.

Although the reasons for suspicion weren't entirely conclusive, they were enough. At such a sensitive moment, this little vixen's initiative to approach him already made her seem seven-tenths like a spy.

The Dongsang people have several distinctive features.

1. They like to launch surprise attacks.

Second: Emphasize intelligence work.

Third: They love wearing wooden clogs.

People who frequently wear wooden clogs have large gaps between their toes. In order to find further evidence, Shen Moqing carefully examined the large rosewood desk.

As expected~

Her jade feet were small and exquisite, yet there were noticeable gaps between them.

Fifteen minutes later~

Shen Moqing fastened the last button of his top button: "I'm going to the Imperial Naval Officer School to visit my old classmates. Please prepare some gifts for me. Take them from the storeroom; they don't need to be too expensive."

"Yes."

Zi Ying was secretly delighted, finally having climbed onto the big fish.

.........

As they were talking.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Second brother~"

"Big brother, what happened to you?" Shen Moqing was startled. Zhang Zongcang's face was pale, his steps were unsteady, his eyes were lifeless, and his back was hunched, as if he had just encountered his grandmother.

"I went to Shaanxi Alley and had a blast."

"several?"

Zhang Zongcang's dark face flushed red, and he proudly made a "six" gesture.

hiss~

They're really going all out.

"Brother, you mustn't ruin your health like this. You can't serve the court without good health."

"I promise, this won't happen again."

My older brother is useless now, so I have to go to the naval officer school by myself.

Three-quarters of an hour later~

Shen Moqing rode his horse to the Naval Petty Officer School located on the shore of Kunming Lake. After showing his waist badge, the sentry immediately let him pass.

Familiar campus, familiar uniforms, familiar classmates~

This area is for males only, because females don't have loud enough voices. To become an excellent navy officer, you must have a loud voice; swimming skills are secondary.

.........

Kunming Lake.

A small steamship, used for training first-year students, is moored in the center of the lake.

Although I saw many familiar faces, no one took the initiative to talk to me. They were probably still angry because they had been used in the last petition incident.

Shen Moqing: "Classmates, I've discovered a huge group of Dongsang spies. Who's willing to help me catch them?"

silence.

Shen Moqing raised his voice: "No way, students, you're actually disregarding the interests of the Empire and the honor of the Imperial Navy for such a trivial conflict?"

The provocation tactic finally worked.

The crowd gathered around.

Students are, after all, still innocent.

"Senior Shen, tell me what happened?" Fang Boqian, a second-year student, asked, hands on his hips.

"The two empress dowagers ordered me to assist in the management of the Nanyuan Arms Factory. I discovered as soon as I took office that there were quite a few spies lurking in the factory. I want to arrest them, but I don't have any soldiers at my disposal. Who is willing to help me arrest them?"

"Senior Shen, I'll go with you!" Deng Shichang, also a second-year student, was very responsible.

"Thanks."

"Of course." Deng Shichang smiled happily. He was one of the few students from an ordinary family at the Naval Petty Officer School.

"Then what about the time you lied to everyone?" Fang Boqian persisted.

"After we arrest them, I'll treat everyone to all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink."

"Eating alone isn't enough; we also have to visit brothels!"

"Then let's go to Hefeng Tower." Shen Moqing blurted out, and the image of the female butler who had bumped into him suddenly appeared in his mind. Was her name Yuanzi?

"make a deal."

Fang Boqian was overjoyed; he loved the gentle breeze the most.

Lin Tai, also a third-year student, stepped forward:

"Mo Qing, this won't do. Deploying troops without authorization is a major taboo. Our last protest in the city was already a serious violation of discipline. Unless we have an order from the Navy Department, we cannot leave the school with weapons on our own."

"Not carrying a gun?"

"Can."

"Twenty men, in plainclothes, unarmed."

"Okay." Lin Tai thought about it for a moment and thought it was feasible.

.........

The Academic Affairs Office.

Students kept coming in to ask for leave, for various reasons.

A third-year student asked for leave to go to the city for a date, a second-year student asked for leave to go fishing, and a first-year freshman wanted to go to the city for a treat.

Following the previous protest at Prince Gong's Mansion, the Navy Department issued a strict order to the school: except for one day of rest and vacation per week, students must have a leave slip to leave the school, and must return to their dormitory on the same day.

Regulations certainly need to be followed, but they don't need to be too strict.

This concerns the dignity of the navy; we cannot allow the army to gain the upper hand.

Half an hour later.

Shen Moqing temporarily hired a few carriages from the roadside, and the group rode in the carriages towards the South Garden, chatting and laughing all the way.

The noble navy abhorred walking as a way of expressing their contempt for the army.

"Senior, why did the two empress dowagers release you?"

"Senior, are you really a deserter?"

"Senior, did you encounter any naval battles in Busan?"

Shen Moqing could only give vague answers to the first two questions.

He answered the third question seriously.

"No. The war broke out very suddenly at the time. The ironclad ship Loyalty was anchored in an inland river, and the river mouth was blocked by the East Sang Navy, so our ship could not enter the sea. Later, we unloaded our guns and went ashore to fight alongside the army."

Everyone sighed repeatedly, feeling it was such a pity.

The Imperial Naval Academy implemented a training system that was lenient in admissions but rigorous in graduation requirements.

The school has very low entry requirements and accepts all children of noble families.

However, the standard for not graduating is having participated in one naval battle (or passing the calculus exam), and the standard for graduating is having participated in two naval battles (or achieving excellent results in the calculus exam).

It is said that it was personally designed by Sir Isaac Newton, the second Grand Secretary of the United Empire, with the aim of maintaining the professionalism of the navy.

Calculus is so difficult, anyone could fail it.

Let's fight a naval battle!

Also.

The standard for promotion to naval warrant officer is holding a certificate of completion from the Naval Petty Officer School. The standard for promotion to ensign or above is holding a graduation certificate from the Naval Petty Officer School.

If you don't have either, you'll only ever be a non-commissioned officer.

Ah~ Navy

.........

They drove around the city walls of the capital.

"Mo Qing, do you predict that the war will continue?" Lin Zengtai asked in a low voice.

"It's hard to say," Shen Moqing said evasively.

A bumpy ride~

After more than half an hour, the group finally arrived at Nanyuan.

The main gate of the gun factory.

Upon seeing that it was the supervisor returning, the two factory guards carrying rifles rushed forward, one of whom was Zhang Zongyu.

"Greetings, Supervisor Shen."

"Lead the way to the warehouse."

"Yes."

storehouse.

As the two heavy iron doors slowly opened, a mountain of guns and ammunition was revealed to everyone.

"Students, choose for yourselves."

The crowd cheered and rushed forward.

"Be careful, try to choose the good ones, there are quite a few defective ones here," Shen Moqing couldn't help but remind her.

"Defective products? Is no one supervising them?"

"That's why we need to catch spies."

Everyone was speechless.

Fang Boqian, who was always flamboyant, found a leather belt, hung three revolvers on it, and slung a ring of bright yellow bullets diagonally over his shoulder, looking like a bandit coming down from the mountain.

Deng Shichang picked out a riding rifle and repeatedly pulled the bolt.

Who says the navy isn't good at shooting?