SWDnovel Chapter 028 Raising Death Squads from Childhood
Chapter 028 Raising Death Squads from Childhood
Chapter 028
The Forbidden City, the Western Garden.
Zhu Youxiao had just finished breakfast and was planning to go to the newly established Tianqi Plough Experimental Field to check on the growth of autumn millet.
Wang Tiqian then came in to report: "Your Majesty, Prince Xin requests an audience, saying that he has brought back a novel item from Henan."
"Prince Xin has returned? Send word!"
Before long, Zhu Youjian strode in, bowed, and said impatiently, "Your Majesty, I have brought back a cartload of goods. Please come and take a look."
Zhu Youjian was still a thirteen-year-old boy. He had a precious toy and couldn't wait to show it to his older brother.
When Zhu Youxiao heard that it was just a carriage, he didn't pay much attention to it. As the emperor, he had six carriages, among which the Grand Jade Carriage was the ultimate in carriages.
The Grand Jade Catalogue represents the most outstanding achievement of Ming Dynasty craftsmen. Even Zhu Youxiao, the carpenter emperor, was not confident that he could be better than those skilled craftsmen.
Seeing Zhu Youxiao's disappointment, Zhu Youjian took his hand and said, "Brother, you'll see at a glance..."
Upon arriving at the tall, four-wheeled carriage, Zhu Youxiao was disappointed.
He was the emperor, and also a master carpenter. Over the years, he had crafted and seen countless exquisite objects. The carriage before him, however, was made of ordinary materials, crudely made, with even rough edges at the mortise and tenon joints, and the paint was unevenly applied.
To be honest, this carriage was rushed out of production. Compared to the imperial carriages in the palace that were inlaid with mother-of-pearl, carved with dragons and phoenixes, and made of rosewood and huanghuali wood, it looked like a poor relative from the countryside.
"this one?"
Zhu Youxiao's tone betrayed his disappointment.
Zhu Youjian didn't rush to refute, because he had also been very disappointed when he first saw the carriage. He walked to the carriage, reached out and opened the door: "Please, Your Majesty."
"There's no need to look anymore, it's just a car!"
Zhu Youxiao was skeptical, but stepped onto the carriage using the foot pedal.
He paused for a moment as he stepped into the carriage.
"It's just a bit bigger. My imperial carriage is much larger than yours."
Zhu Youjian laughed: "Brother, why don't you sit on it and try!"
As Zhu Youxiao sat on the sofa, the moment his buttocks sank down, an inexplicable force lifted them up.
"this……"
"Brother, look!"
He walked to the table, fumbled under it for a moment, and heard a few clicks from the mechanism. Then he pressed down hard, and the entire tabletop lowered down to be parallel to the surrounding booths.
In the blink of an eye, this three-foot-long bed was transformed into a six-foot-wide bed.
Zhu Youxiao smiled faintly: "Interesting. Chen Boying has certainly put in the effort!"
"There are storage compartments under this bed frame."
Zhu Youjian tapped the bed board, which produced a hollow echo: "Bedding, clothes, and books can all be stored here."
Zhu Youxiao said with a critical eye, "The craftsmanship is a bit rusty; the surface hasn't been polished at all..."
Zhu Youjian then walked to the middle of the carriage, where there was a small iron stove fixed to the floor, with a small iron pot on top. An iron pipe ran along the side of the stove, leading to the roof of the carriage. Below the stove was a pull-out drawer filled with neatly stacked charcoal blocks.
"While traveling, you can light a fire to make tea or heat up food."
Zhu Youjian took out a water pouch from the storage compartment, poured some water into the pot, and lit a piece of charcoal. Before long, steam rose from the pot.
Zhu Youxiao squatted down and carefully examined the structure of the furnace.
The furnace has dampers to regulate the fire, and the chimney has baffles to prevent backdraft. Most ingeniously, the connection between the furnace and the carriage floor is lined with a layer of asbestos.
"What a clever idea!"
Zhu Youxiao discovered that the carriage was indeed different, but what truly shocked him was yet to come.
Zhu Youjian walked to the front of the carriage, where there was a folding door and a ceramic seat fixed to the ground, but this was not an ordinary toilet. A thick ceramic pipe was connected to the toilet, leading to a pull-out metal latrine under the carriage.
Behind the toilet is a wooden water tank connected to a hose with a brass handle at the end.
"Please take a look, Your Majesty."
Zhu Youjian grasped the handle and pressed down.
"Splash!"
A stream of clean water sprayed from the hose, flushing into the toilet and carrying simulated waste into the septic tank below. The water flow continued for three breaths before automatically stopping.
Zhu Youxiao opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.
The most luxurious washroom in the palace used golden basins and jade pots, but even those required eunuchs and maids to serve them. This thing in front of me could actually produce water and wash itself.
"Where does this water come from?"
"There is a water tank on the roof of the cart, connected by a bamboo pipe. Pressing the handle opens the valve, and water flows down. The latrine can be pulled out, and it can be emptied whenever we reach a post station or town."
Zhu Youxiao reached out and touched the ceramic toilet.
The porcelain surface was smooth, and the glaze was bluish-white. Although it was not as fine as the official kiln pieces, it was still fired neatly. He pressed the flush handle again, listening to the soft click of the mechanism and watching the clear water gush out.
"Who came up with this idea of pumping water?"
"Chen Boying".
Zhu Youjian said, "He said that it is inconvenient to use the toilet while traveling, especially in remote areas, which is both unsightly and unsafe. Therefore, this 'water pump' was designed so that waste is not exposed, odors do not leak out, and it can be flushed at any time."
Zhu Youxiao slowly straightened up and looked at the carriage again.
From the outside, it looks ordinary, even shabby.
The interior can be transformed into a bed and table, a stove for cooking, and a toilet for flushing.
This is no carriage! It's a mobile cabin, no, even more ingenious than a cabin! It condenses living, eating, and cleaning into this small space, and its ingenious design and thoughtful consideration far surpass any vehicle he has ever seen.
"Your Majesty, my brother, returned to the capital from Yongcheng. The journey was over 1,400 li, taking ten days. He spent one night at a post station and nine nights in the wilderness. In the past, sleeping in the wilderness would have been a hardship, requiring us to pitch tents, light campfires, find secluded places to relieve ourselves, and seek streams to wash. But this time..."
Zhu Youjian laughed and said, "Living in the carriage, once the door is closed, it's your own world. If it gets cold, you can light a stove; if you're hungry, you can cook; if you're sleepy, you can put down a table and it becomes your bed. When you wake up in the morning, you can fetch water from inside the carriage to wash up; before going to sleep at night, you can use the toilet inside the carriage to flush. Although it's in the wilderness, it's just like being at home..."
Zhu Youxiao listened. He too had dreamed of driving a carriage and traveling to all the famous mountains and rivers in the world. But he was the emperor, a bird imprisoned in the golden cage of the Forbidden City.
Let alone traveling far, even a trip to the capital requires a grand procession, alarming half the country.
And this car...
Zhu Youxiao began to observe carefully, and he finally discovered that it was a four-wheeled carriage: "A four-wheeled carriage is not easy to turn, and it is especially bumpy."
"Your Majesty will know once you try it."
The carriage slowly drove out of the West Garden and onto the palace road.
At first, Zhu Youxiao tensed up, preparing to endure the bumps. Although the bluestone road in the palace was flat, the seams were inevitably bumpy.
Strangely, when the wheels rolled over the cracks in the stones, there was only a slight thud, but the carriage was unusually smooth, as if there was a layer of cotton underneath.
"parking!"
Zhu Youxiao jumped off the carriage and saw that the wheels and the frame were made of layers of steel leaf springs.
"Walk!"
As the carriage moves, these leaf springs expand and contract slightly with the undulations of the road surface.
"Such a clever design!"
"This is a leaf spring."
Zhu Youjian explained, "Chen Boying said that the multiple layers of steel plates can absorb shock and cushion the impact. The front wheels are small, making steering more agile; the rear wheels are large, ensuring stable load-bearing. Your Majesty, shall we go out of the palace and try it out?"
Zhu Youxiao was tempted.
"Go...go to the elm grove outside Fuchengmen."
Unfortunately, just as Zhu Youxiao was about to leave the palace, Ye Xianggao, along with a group of ministers, followed him outside the palace gate.
"What a disappointment!"
Zhu Youxiao, his face ashen, said, "Go back!"
The carriage turned around and headed towards the golden cage.
Inside the carriage, Zhu Youxiao leaned against the wall, his eyes closed, feeling the softness on his buttocks. He really wanted to remove the sofa cover to see what was inside, but Zhu Youjian didn't know either; he really didn't see anything.
Chen Boying was a 21-year-old military household member.
They can improve iron smelting, design agricultural tools, and now they can even make such exquisite vehicles.
Isn't it a waste to put such a talented person in Changping as the commander of the Shahe garrison?
Chen Boying should be appointed as the Minister of Works of the Ming Dynasty.
Unfortunately, this was impossible. Although he was the emperor, emperors were also bound by shackles. Whenever he had a thought, his ministers would either kowtow or beg, which annoyed him to no end.
"This carriage... will remain in the palace."
Zhu Youxiao paused for a moment: "I occasionally... want to sit down."
"But this is mine!"
Zhu Youjian pointed to the inscription engraved on the carriage: "The exclusive carriage of Prince Xin!"
"Yes."
"I am illiterate, I did not see it!"
"Brother, you're being a scoundrel!"
Wang Tiqian followed behind, watching the emperor's back and then glancing at the strange carriage, secretly noting in his heart: The emperor is quite fond of this carriage.
They probably care more about the people who made this car.
"Wang Banban..."
"Yes, sir!"
"I heard Xu Xianchun went to Guide Prefecture?"
"yes!"
"Send a message to Rang, instructing him to escort Chen Boying to the capital!"
"Yes, sir!"
Wang Tiqian asked, puzzled, "How will Chen Boying be settled after he arrives in Beijing?"
"How many imperial estates does the Emperor own in Changping?"
"There's only one, called Dingfu Imperial Estate, which has 2,600 mu of land!"
Zhu Youxiao said calmly, "Give this to Zhu Boying."
……
Outside Guide Prefecture, at the Right Thousand Household Garrison of Guide Guard, a dense crowd of nearly 1,120 soldiers had gathered. Most of them were emaciated, skin and bones. Without even looking at the roster, Chen Ying knew perfectly well that many of them were temporary recruits.
Liu Huan was in a hurry to send away the 1,120 military households and their families, as if they were plague carriers. He did everything he could to mobilize more than a thousand carts.
These large carts were loaded with all the assets of the relocated military households. Most of the households had their wives and daughters on the carts, with adults shouting and children crying, creating a chaotic scene.
At the head of the procession was another convoy, consisting entirely of four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages. These were mainly vehicles from the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau. Chen Ying was wielding his authority too much; he not only emptied the bureau of all its equipment and materials, but he also left behind nothing, not even the original furniture, doors, and windows.
Anyway, he was relocating by imperial decree. Chen Ying overlooked the allure of imperial orders to the common people in this era. With a verbal order from Xu Xianchun, not a single one of the more than a thousand craftsmen and refugees from the supervising bureau withdrew.
Using the iron and timber resources available in the Bureau of Construction, Chen Ying built 164 four-wheeled carriages in one go. This caravan, carrying families and burdened with heavy supplies, finally broke camp and set off.
Despite the fact that this caravan of over five thousand people and more than a thousand carts was moving very slowly, they only managed to travel fifty li (about 25 kilometers) in a day and barely passed a post station.
It took three days to complete the crossing of the Yellow River to the north, at the Dingtao ferry crossing.
"Commander Chen, His Majesty has decreed that this estate is granted to you so that you may settle down and make a living. Serve diligently."
Xu Xianchun said, "His Majesty specifically instructed that this estate, along with the surrounding mountains, forests, and riverbanks, be placed under the jurisdiction of the Thousand-Household Commander, and you shall have full authority to manage it. This is an immense favor."
"This humble official is terrified. What merit or ability do I possess...?"
Chen Ying, looking apprehensive, said, "Lord Xu, His Majesty's reward is so generous, this humble servant... this humble servant is unworthy of it..."
Xu Xianchun said with a half-smile, "Commander Chen is a man of good fortune. His Majesty was delighted when he saw Prince Xin's carriage. This Dingfu Imperial Estate is His Majesty's private property and is not easily given away. You should keep it safe and manage it well when you arrive in Changping. This estate is both a reward and a token of His Majesty's affection."
"Your Majesty, I understand! I will certainly do my utmost to share your burdens!"
"Commander Chen, hurry up and reorganize your troops. I'll be waiting in the capital to welcome you back."
The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, stirring up dust on the official road.
Chen Ying stood there, looking down at the land deed in his hand. The handwriting was neat and clear: "The Dingfu Imperial Estate comprises 2,600 mu of land, including mountains, forests, and waterways... and is permanently granted to Chen Boying, the commander of the Shahe Garrison Thousand-Household Office, as his property..."
Chen Ying suddenly had a thought: Dingfu Huangzhuang... Dingfu Huangzhuang? Could this be a village under the jurisdiction of Ligezhuang Subdistrict, with more than 2,600 mu of land, worth tens of millions of dollars in later generations? Now that it belongs to the Chen family, could he change the name to Chenzhuang, and then there would be another Chenzhuang in the capital...?
"Brother-in-law? This is a royal estate! And it's near Changping! We... we're rich?"
Song Yanniang snatched it away, saying, "This belongs to the Chen family...we've made our fortune..."
Song Xianze scratched his head, a wry smile on his face.
When his sister needs him, we are family; when she doesn't, we are just the Chen family.
"Bo'an, tell me, why did His Majesty specifically bestow upon him an imperial estate?"
"Perhaps... His Majesty thinks my brother-in-law is a practical person, and giving him a estate would allow him to focus on figuring out those ingenious mechanisms? Or perhaps, His Highness Prince Xin said something that made His Majesty think that my brother-in-law is not only good at building carriages, but perhaps... also good at business?"
"Management..."
Imperial estates, usually managed by eunuchs or relatives of the emperor, were often plagued by corrupt officials and produced little.
When Zhu Youxiao gave him the estate, was it perhaps also a way of testing what kind of flowers he could grow?
If he could truly manage this land successfully and produce abundant harvests, perhaps in the emperor's eyes, he would be more than just a "skilled craftsman".
Risk and opportunity always coexist.
This sudden imperial estate disrupted his original plan to "quietly establish himself" and pushed him into a more prominent and potentially more valuable position.
"Looks like things are getting complicated in Changping!"
Song Yanniang put away the land deed, her gaze hardening: "This estate must be taken over, and taken over properly. It's a test given to Chen Lang by His Majesty!"
"Yan Niang is right!"
Chen Ying said with a determined look, "This is the foundation for our survival in Changping, and the first stepping stone for us to move up."
There is no perfect solution to everything. If he manages this estate well, he will inevitably offend the eunuchs who manage the imperial estates. This is probably Zhu Youxiao's real intention.
It's impossible for him to give up; this is an asset worth tens of millions of dollars. Once it's in Chen Ying's hands, he won't let go.
If a eunuch gets in my way, I'll kill him; if a god gets in my way, I'll kill him.
Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.
Chen Ying looked at the group of children on the carriage. He had taken in 69 more children than his 35 adopted sons and daughters, for a total of 104. Now he was preparing to start training assassins, starting from childhood.