Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 337, Double Reproduction

With such a shortage of talent these days, it's impossible for graduates of naval academies to become ordinary soldiers; they start as officers, and these are all people trained by Zhang Yuan.

In the short term, there may not be any problems, but in the long run, this will be an enormous hidden danger, an invisible behemoth.

If it were anyone else, handing over such power would probably make them unable to sleep soundly.

However, Fang Yong was not afraid.

From any perspective, it was impossible for Zhang Yuan to rebel while he was alive, nor was it possible for him to succeed in rebellion.

As for what happened after his death...

Given Fang Yong's current physical condition, let alone Zhang Yuan, even Fang Qi might not outlive him...

Therefore, Zhang Yuan's potential risks can be completely eliminated.

Just as Fang Yong promised, as long as Zhang Yuan does not fall into depravity, he will personally sheath the sword after the war ends, allowing him to enjoy his old age in peace.

Fang Yong also had his own difficulties.

Despite his efforts to catch up, he still lags far behind the established colonial empires, and he must move faster and more quickly.

Of all the problems, talent development is the slowest to resolve.

The "Elementary Education" program was very effective, but it will take several years to popularize the education.

Even if the "Elementary Education" became widespread, it would only meet the most basic literacy requirements.

The foundations of Western science and technology, particularly physics and chemistry, require at least ten years of systematic study to master.

He has decided to send a group of people to study in the British Empire. Currently, he is in the talent selection stage, but there are very few respondents, making it very difficult.

In addition to these, Fang Yong also needed to consider naval construction, border defense, war preparation, unification, dealing with powerful clans, cultivating new capital, managing religion, and so on.

His energy was limited, and besides, he also had to maintain his practice of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, so he simply couldn't take care of everything at once.

Moreover, he is not a professional, and trying to have everything will only waste time and is not beneficial.

Delegating power can actually motivate participation from all levels and accelerate the construction process.

Among his current subordinates, Zhang Yuan is the most suitable general to complete the construction of the navy.

Apart from Zhang Yuan, the other candidates were all a bit lacking.

Therefore, he entrusted Zhang Yuan with all the authority over the construction of the navy.

From recruiting soldiers and training officers to building ports and ships, Fang Yong had delegated all the authority he could, hoping that Zhang Yuan could quickly build up the navy and then launch expeditions abroad...

On the throne.

All officials witnessed it.

The appointment of Zhang Yuan has been officially issued.

The officials were unaware of Fang Yong's plans, and therefore paid little attention to this historic moment.

Shen Dangchen, a lieutenant general under Zhang Yuan, was promoted by Fang Yong to the position of South China Sea General, and a fleet was separated from Zhang Yuan to be stationed in the South China Sea.

As for the original troops of the South China Sea, they were incorporated into Fang Yong's army after the defeat of the Prince of Nan'an.

The Prince of Nan'an abused his power for personal gain, causing a major defeat for the navy and the deaths of countless soldiers. He was sentenced to death by poison, stripped of his title, and his family was investigated and his property confiscated.

Fang Yong was still soft-hearted and did not exterminate his three clans, and even left him with a complete corpse.

It can be considered that he was loyal enough and did not betray his country.

General Wu Liuqi of Guangxi and Prince Nan'an were charged with the same crime; they both drank the same pot of poisoned wine.

As for the other generals, they were not given the death penalty.

They themselves did nothing wrong; their defeat and capture were simply a result of overwhelming superiority.

Ultimately, those who deserve it will be demoted, those who deserve punishment will be punished, and then they will be sent back to their place of origin.

Finally, there was King Rama III of Siam. He represented the Siamese monarchs in expressing their submission to the Central Plains and publicly knelt to write a letter of repentance.

Fang Yong did not kill him, but instead announced that he would be imprisoned in the capital for ten years to atone for his sins.

The main reason was that Fang Yong considered that he might have the opportunity to send troops to invade Siam in the future. By then, Siam would definitely have a new monarch, and he could support Rama III to restore order and regain the throne.

That way, it will be considered supporting a legitimate monarch, preventing too many people from rebelling.

Besides Rama III, many other members of the royal family were also captured.

The children of Rama III, and so on.

This also reflects the lack of experience among Zhang Yuan's subordinates.

Hearing that the other party was a prince or princess, they assumed he was some important figure and arrested him.

Little did they know that King Rama III had over fifty children, far too many to capture...

Fang Yong treated these people as ordinary prisoners of war.

Let's go work on the grasslands!
There is no distinction of status here.

Only through labor can one prove their worth.

Speaking of the grasslands, the herdsmen of Hezhou are both happy and worried at this moment.

To their delight, a miracle actually occurred, appearing right before their eyes.

One by one, like little lambs descended from the heavens, they were born from the mother sheep's belly.

Each ewe gave birth to at least two lambs, and sometimes as many as four, without any signs of dystocia.

This is simply a miracle.

No, this is a miracle!
Sheep on the grasslands typically only conceive once, rarely twice, and three times is almost impossible, while four times is absolutely impossible; it has never happened in the history of the grasslands.

This time, the fewest had two pregnancies, and four pregnancies were common. I even heard there was one with six pregnancies. Good heavens, is that still a sheep?
Even sheepdogs can't have six litters!

Each lamb was so well-developed, with snow-white wool, cheerful bleating, and healthy running—everything represented endless vitality and wealth.

Just thinking about the tender and delicious lamb makes the herders' mouths water with happiness.

May the King of Wu bless them and help them grow up quickly!
What about the Eternal Heaven? I've been worshipping it for so many years and it's been completely useless. But worshipping the King of Wu once has such an effect.

Your Majesty, from now on we are the people of Zhongxia.

While there is happiness, there are also some troubles.

One reason is that the sheepfold is too small to hold so many sheep.

However, that's secondary. With the protection of the King of Wu, even if the sheepfold is a little crowded, it won't be a big deal. The lambs won't get sick; it'll just smell a bit stronger.

The most fatal problem is that there isn't enough grass!
Before winter arrives, herders prepare winter grass for their cattle and sheep to eat, so they can get through the cold winter.

But they never expected to produce so many lambs!
This year, due to the war, less winter grass was prepared than in previous years.

The ewes are twice as pregnant and are eating more than in previous years.

After giving birth to a lamb, the lamb nurses every day, and the ewe eats even more to maintain her body's energy levels. This leads to a rapid depletion of hay, which is simply not enough.

Although the ice and snow have melted slightly, the pasture has not yet been exposed in large quantities, and it will take some time before grazing can begin.

This is how to do ah!

Sigh, there's nothing I can do but contact the grassland people outside of Hezhou to borrow some hay.

People from the grasslands are generally quite straightforward in their speech, and they use this to connect with people outside the state.

"Hey, well, I have too many sheep at home, and we don't have enough grass. You don't have many sheep either, and you have so much pasture that you can't finish it all, so how about..."

(End of this chapter)