In the darkness, the men in black searched courtyard by courtyard for the person. Several low-ranking officers arranged for them to disguise themselves as soldiers leading their respective teams and enter the courtyards. Some of them were relatives of the Hesheli clan by marriage, while others had been bribed by Suo'etu.
"Aren't you going to say that Kangxi is right here?" The leader of the men in black looked at the lower-ranking officer with an icy expression.
Among these people were members of the White Lotus Sect who had come specifically from Yangzhou. After Kangxi discovered them, all their contact points and branch headquarters were destroyed, and even their headquarters were uncovered.
Under the Crown Prince's command, the main headquarters was completely wiped out. Suo'etu said that it was a secret decree issued by Kangxi, and the Crown Prince could not disobey. He could only follow the order and gradually eliminate the White Lotus Sect. Suo'etu sent hundreds of thousands of taels of silver as a reward. They were attracted by the money and felt that what Kangxi had done was a bit too unfair.
“I really saw it. These courtyards were where Emperor Kangxi, Prince Zhi, and the Fourth Prince lived,” the low-ranking general said bitterly.
Faced with a large number of men in black, he was filled with resentment. Outside Yin's courtyard, he encountered fierce resistance. Yin's personal guards even used firearms to suppress them, causing numerous deaths and injuries among the men in black.
snort!
The men in black didn't want to hear his explanation. Emperor Kangxi wasn't in the garden, nor were the two princes who had accompanied him. Instead, they doubted the man's reliability; they suspected he was up to no good and would harm his family.
"I really dare not hide it. My family is in your hands, how could I dare..." the low-ranking officer said bitterly.
After entering the army, he was prepared to serve his country wholeheartedly. Now, he was really unsure of himself. Kangxi must have received the news, and he might be punished.
With problems arising on both sides, his life is definitely going to be difficult.
At this moment, Tulichen dispatched his shadow guards to keep a close watch on everything that was happening here.
Inside the underground palace, Kangxi listened to the messages sent by his shadow guards, including detailed descriptions from lower-ranking generals. He then looked at Yinzhi, Saito, and Eshuo.
This naval force was directly assigned by the three of them, and all the officers were carefully selected.
Saito frowned and thought for a moment. According to the report from the Shadow Guard, this person seemed to be Nesuken, a general who had once served under the Plain Red Banner.
"Is it Nesuken?! Saito, what do you think?" Yin wasn't sure, so he turned to ask Saito.
“Yes, I think so too,” Seto agreed.
Kangxi glanced at them, but had no recollection of this person.
Qingyan felt that Nesuken had failed to live up to his name. Translated into Chinese, his name means gentle and kind, but his actions were completely the opposite.
“Nesuken joined the army during the campaign against Galdan, and served under Songgotu in that battle.” Yin directly recounted Nesuken’s military history, while Saito and Eshuo pretended to be quails on the side.
Yin coldly stared at the ground. It was Suo'etu again. Was this man in black sent by Suo'etu?
As soon as he finished speaking, Kangxi's expression grew even worse. What role did Yinzhen play in all of this?
With this seed of doubt planted, Yin's future days will become increasingly difficult.
"Who recommended Nesuken?" Kangxi didn't want to wrong his beloved son and wanted to investigate everything to find out who was behind it all.
All three shook their heads. This person was selected from below, not just a general appointed by them.
"Your Majesty, we have discussed this matter. This time, the navy will be divided into two types. One type consists of generals personally selected by us. These individuals will become official members as long as they pass the physical fitness test. The other type consists of those selected from various banners. After entering the navy, they will undergo various selection processes. In addition to the physical fitness test, the most important test is always their loyalty." Yin directly explained their ideas.
They hadn't anticipated that such a danger was lurking within.
"Investigate and see who recommended him!" Kangxi understood that his ministers would select capable people to enter the military camp to ensure the interests of all parties. In a balanced state, Kangxi would not dictate the terms.
He was caught off guard this time, and felt even more awkward.
"Yes!" Yin and the others pondered that the first thing they would do after leaving was to conduct a rigorous selection process.
"Alright, Tulichen, immediately send people to investigate and make sure there are no more suspicious individuals in the military camp," Kangxi instructed directly.
Qingyan sat obediently to the side, watching the infighting outside. The men in black did not trust Nesuken, and even thought that Nesuken was Kangxi's spy. After all, more than half of the small team they led had been killed or wounded this time.
"Boss, we can't wait here, lest someone launch another sneak attack!" The man in black slowly approached the captain and muttered.
He always felt something was strange about the courtyard, wondering why things could disappear without a trace after such a short period of time.
"Take some men and go inside the courtyard to see if there's a secret passage." The man in black didn't want to return empty-handed; they were waiting for their triumphant return.
The man in black waved his hand, leaving only the captain and Nesuken in the standoff, while the rest of the men went into the courtyard.
They conducted a thorough search, looking inside for any hidden passages. Whoever found one would receive a generous reward.
"Is there a secret passage?" The captain looked directly at Nesuken. If he didn't tell the truth, he wouldn't mind sending his men to search. This naval port is only so big; it couldn't possibly be hidden somewhere else, could it?
“I don’t know. When I came in, the naval port was already completed. With His Majesty’s methods, those craftsmen certainly wouldn’t have been kept. In addition, I heard rumors that this place was built by death row inmates.” Nesuken didn’t expect that Kangxi had already thought everything through before building the naval port.
What?!
The captain of the men in black was stunned. Using death row inmates to build a military port meant that all those people had been dealt with, and they had no way of gathering information.
"So, they had planned everything!" the captain said angrily.
Nesuken harbored resentment towards Suo'etu. If Suo'etu hadn't taken away his family, would he have ended up in such a miserable state?
"You'd better not waver, otherwise..." the captain said with a cold laugh.
Nesuken's position was not high, but it was a real post. His Majesty had already transferred all of the prime minister's capable men to nominal positions, so they had no power at all!
Otherwise, Prime Minister Su wouldn't have asked him to control Nesuken. The people around the Crown Prince were becoming increasingly ineffective, and some even whispered behind his back that he must keep them under control, otherwise things would become very difficult. His Majesty had even transferred all the powerful servants on the Crown Prince's side, which was definitely a fatal blow.
During this trip to the south, the Cao family extended an olive branch, but everyone understood that this was merely out of consideration for the crown prince.
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