On the second day of November, Weihaiwei had its first snow of the year.
After the construction of the military factory was completed, Yinreng drove most of the people from Weihaiwei and even the Fujian Navy back to the Weihaiwei military camp.
The 270 people who stayed behind were carefully selected by him and transferred to become regular workers in the military factory.
In order to avoid spies among them, Yinreng selected people who had both parents alive, had lived in Weihai for generations, and had lived under the eyes of their neighbors for the first half of their lives.
He dispersed these people in places such as steel furnaces, warship construction, firearms construction, gunpowder loading, and gunpowder mixing.
In addition to these 270 Han people, Yinreng also wrote a letter asking Kangxi to select 200 to 30 Manchus with clean family backgrounds from the suburbs of Beijing.
These five hundred people are the entire staff of the arsenal.
As for the five hundred Eight Banners soldiers, Yinreng had no intention of attacking them.
The hierarchy among scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans is strict.
There are many descendants of meritorious families among these Eight Banners Army. The military camp is just a stepping stone for them to gild their reputation. Who knows, they may have to return home to inherit the title in the future.
How could such a person be willing to stay in a military factory as a craftsman?
The weather was bad, so Yinzhi took the army on a training march and then asked everyone to go back to the dormitory to rest, but few of them actually lay down.
After all, the big prize is hanging in front of them, and no one is willing to easily let go of this promotion opportunity that can be easily obtained as long as they work hard.
Different from the previous assessment mechanism of physical combat, the current assessment includes not only brief competitions, but also endurance, shooting accuracy, breath-holding ability, etc.
Yinreng originally wanted to add a written test.
But thinking of Kangxi's taboo about Han people being able to read and write, he finally gave up that test.
Yinreng intended to train these people into vanguards, so each of them was supplied with twenty rounds of bullets per day.
Just to improve the soldiers' shooting accuracy.
Even the Eight Banners soldiers in the capital city don’t get such treatment.
Later, the 588 Banner soldiers also joined Yinzhi's training program.
In Yinreng's small courtyard, in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, the teapot was bubbling with steam.
Yinreng sat in the rocking chair, admiring the falling snowflakes outside with great interest.
Today happened to be a day off, so Yinreng got up early and wrote a letter to Guwalgiya and Kangxi respectively.
Except for the initial period of building the house, when the construction schedule was relatively tight, Yinreng ordered the military factory to operate according to a rotation system of four days of work and two days of rest.
The factory’s family housing is also under construction. It is expected to be habitable in March or April next year. By then, the families of all the military factory employees will be moved here.
Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, Kangxi began to urge him to return to Beijing as soon as possible.
Yinreng wrote the letter just to deal with Kangxi.
Soon, there were some noises outside. Dachun lifted the thick curtain and walked in to announce,
"Your Highness, the Prince of Zhi and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Masters have arrived."
"Let them in."
He knew that Yinzhi was a weird person and would definitely come over today.
Soon, the three of them also lifted the curtain and walked into the room.
"Oh, the life you lead, tsk, I really envy you."
As Yinzhi spoke, he took off his cloak.
"It's still warm here."
On the contrary, Thirteen and Fourteen saluted Yinreng politely.
"Prince Second Brother!"
Yinreng turned his gaze away from the snowy scene outside and curled his lips in disdain when he heard this.
"How is your yard any different from mine? Thirteen or Fourteen, don't be so reserved. Take off your cloak."
Thirteen and Fourteen obeyed and did as they were told.
After such a long period of adaptation, the two of them began to integrate into the military camp.
After Yinzhi handed the hat and cloak to the servants, he sat down on the small sofa opposite Yinreng.
"I heard you were planning to build a warship made entirely of steel?"
"good."
Yinreng had no intention of hiding it from Yinzhi. After all, that thing was still in the conceptual stage. The hull made of steel was strong and durable, but it was also extremely easy to corrode.
Moreover, in this era where everything depends on manpower, it will probably take a long time before steel warships are built.
Thirteen and Fourteen also sat beside them and listened to the conversation between their two brothers.
"You really have a wild imagination. When your boat is built, you must let me take a look at it first."
Yinzhi said that Yinreng was a dreamer, but in fact he was certain that Yinreng could build a steel warship.
After all, if you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes, who would have believed that Weihaiwei, which was so dilapidated two years ago, would become what it is today?
"Qionglouyuyu" are houses that only rich people can afford, but now these ordinary soldiers can also live in them.
"Okay, but after the New Year, you should go to the northwest to guard the border, right?"
Although Yinreng was not in the capital, he was well-informed. This year, there was drought in many places in the northwest and life was very difficult, so he began to set his sights on the Qing Dynasty.
Ever since the Qing Dynasty decisively wiped out the Dzungar tribe seven years ago, the northwest has been much more peaceful. If life had not been so difficult this year, they probably wouldn't want to touch the tiger's butt.
"I don't know about that. It depends on what the Emperor thinks."
Speaking of this, Yinzhi frowned slightly. To be honest, he didn't really want to leave Weihaiwei.
For him, being able to fight is of course a good thing, but the environment in the northwest is really not that good.
He had stayed there for two months in his early years, and during those two months, he would wake up with a mouth full of dirt every day.
"Too......"
Yinreng also saw the reluctance on Yinzhi's face, so he changed the subject and said,
"Nichu is already sixteen after the New Year. What are your thoughts on her marriage?"
"What can I think? Doesn't it all depend on the Emperor?"
Yinzhi looked confused and didn't understand why Yinreng asked him this.
Yinreng: “…”
"You don't even care about your own daughter. Are you planning to watch helplessly as this old man marries Nichuhe off to Mongolia, never to see her again in this life? You're a truly competent father!"
The confusion on Yinzhi's face suddenly froze.
Thirteen and Fourteen all lowered their heads subtly when they heard their second brother call the Emperor "old man".
Apart from their second brother, they had never seen anyone in the world who dared to be so disrespectful to the Emperor.
"Then tell me, what should I do for Ni Chuhe?"
Naturally, he also loved Ni Chuhe. Ni Chuhe grew up in his arms since she was a child. He would not be willing to let her marry and go to Mongolia.
But what can he do?
He didn't have the courage to go against the emperor.
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