Back at the naval port, Fei Yanggu and E Shuo arranged a welcome banquet, which was specially prepared for the soldiers who had gone to war, according to custom. Yin Ti and Yin Zhen also changed into their princely long-distance running shoes, preparing to attend with Qing Yun.
Qingyan sat in front of the bronze mirror, dressed in a bright red Fujin palace dress. Sulan was skillfully combing her hair into a swallowtail style, with a five-jeweled gold hairpin in her hair and three pearl earrings on each ear. This attire was definitely in accordance with the standards for attending a banquet in the palace.
Inside the naval port, everyone knew that both of the primary wives had gone on the expedition, and the women admired them from the bottom of their hearts.
Some of them were not the principal wives, but they were here accompanying their respective heads of household.
The banquet was prepared at the training ground of the naval port. Tables of food were set up on the beach where they usually trained. Yinti and Yinzhen were seated on the dais.
"Today's welcome banquet serves two purposes: firstly, to celebrate everyone's victorious return from the expedition, and secondly, to bid farewell to those who are about to leave. Everyone has trained for a long time in the naval training grounds, and now, we can give everyone a proper send-off!" Yinti and Yinzhen had discussed this beforehand, and decided that the navy would not accept those who were the only heirs in their families!
Among the naval forces, there were dozens of only sons from their families. Some of them had come secretly, and their families had already reported the matter to Emperor Kangxi. Yinti and Yinzhen had no choice but to consider the whole situation and send them to the capital.
“Prince Zhi, we all want to stay!” A man in his early twenties stood up, his eyes flashing with defiance.
"I also want you to stay, but will your family allow you to stay?" Yinti liked these people very much. Those who could serve in the navy had all undergone various training and selection processes. Now, asking them to leave was a difficult feeling for Yinti.
"You 20 men will be leaving tomorrow. No matter where you go, never forget that you were once part of the navy. Never forget the habits you developed during your training here. If there is any war, you will be ready to answer the navy's call at any time." Yinzhen made a promise, a promise that would make these men feel better.
"Yes, Fourth Master, we will never forget!" the 20 people replied in unison.
Yinti was somewhat shocked. Yinzhen clearly knew what Kangxi meant, yet he still wanted them to have hope.
"Alright, everyone, control your emotions now. The camp remains, but the soldiers come and go!" E'shuo also stepped forward. He had spent some time with this Mother Hill, and they were all good people. Now, Kangxi's order had come down, and they had no choice but to do it.
"Yes!" The 20 men sat at two separate tables, their eyes red. Today was their last day in the naval port.
Tomorrow they will have to take off their military uniforms. At this moment, they felt a little resentful towards their families, wondering why they had to tell His Majesty.
Qingyan turned to look at Yinzhen, and sure enough, his eyes were also slightly red. Kele must be reluctant to part with these soldiers.
"Fourth Brother, they've already experienced war, they won't be so fragile!" Qingyan understood that these people would have a better future if they went back, so it was better to let them go home than to stay here.
They will always cherish the camaraderie they formed during the war, and if Yinti or Yinzhen were in trouble, they would be there for them immediately.
"I understand!" Yinzhen also sighed.
After the victory banquet, Qingyan accompanied Yinzhen to the viewing platform, watching the 20 soldiers pack their bags and leave. As they walked out of the camp, they turned back to look at them, and Yinzhen's upright figure made them envious.
"Alright, didn't Fourth Master say that we still need to be recalled if there is war?" At the victory celebration banquet, the man who didn't want to leave persuaded his companion.
“If I had another younger brother at home, I really would want to stay here forever. We’ve been trained by Prince Zhi and Fourth Prince for so long, from a spoiled brat who knew nothing to a respectable soldier who goes out in the world.” Na Zi, dressed in black, said with a wry smile.
"It's because all of our fathers joined forces to write this word. Before, Prince Zhi and Fourth Prince were in a very difficult position." The man glanced at the people around him, feeling somewhat irritated.
That's enough! If there's anything the two gentlemen can do to help them, they will definitely do their best.
"Let's go, back to the capital!" The 20 men boarded their own carriages and left the place where they had been training hard.
Yinzhen sighed as he watched the carriages of those people leave.
"Fourth Brother, what exactly happened? Didn't you take them with you on this expedition?" Qingyan felt that something was amiss.
Otherwise, Yinqi wouldn't have announced that these people should leave as soon as he returned.
"Heh, these people's families all have some power. They all put this word together, saying that their family is a single lineage, and if they die on the battlefield, they will have no way to survive!" Yinzhen smiled bitterly.
Emperor Kangxi was not worried about whether his son would get into trouble, but these ministers were worried first.
"Fourth... Actually, Father Emperor is also very worried about you. If it weren't for this, Tulichen wouldn't have sent the most elite guards of the Dragon Guard here!" Qingyan remembered that when Yinzhen saw the guards on the ship, his eyes were filled with shock.
Yinzhen felt a warmth in his heart. Qingyan was right. Kangxi had sent his most capable people over here, leaving only Tulichen behind. Why was he still so sad?
“These people have a ringleader, and that person is related to the Guarjia clan. I think this matter should be related to the Crown Prince!” Yinzhen sent people to the capital and gathered a lot of information.
What?!
Qingyan narrowed her almond-shaped eyes. If what Yinzhen said was true, then the person was summoned back to the capital to train a reserve army for the Crown Prince.
"If someone uses our methods to train the guards, we'll definitely suffer!" Qingyan specifically found a training plan that those people had already gone through. If they followed the original plan...
"No one will know, little darling. Big brother said that the workload of that plan was too heavy, so they only had one-tenth of the training!" Yinzhen said with some lingering fear.
Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief. Since it wasn't the only training method, it didn't matter much.
"That's good. Follow the training plan and gradually increase the intensity." Qingyan looked at the soldiers jogging on the drill field. "Shouldn't this be their rest time?"
"My brother-in-law said that since returning from the battlefield, the soldiers have spontaneously started running!" Yinzhen laughed. On the battlefield, these people were even more self-motivated, and they didn't need to be urged repeatedly.
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