I, Kangxi, am here to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!

Back to Qianqing Palace.

Before Hong Xiguan could even settle into his seat, he shouted, "Guards! Summon Suo'etu!"

After a while.

Songgotu jogged in and knelt down with a deep bow.

"Your humble servant, Suo'etu, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

At this time, Suo'etu was riding high on his success.

The family is about to produce an empress, the eldest brother is the emperor's father-in-law and the chief of the imperial guards, and he himself is an imperial bodyguard. Their future is limitless.

Hong Xiguan sat behind his desk, holding an unsharpened dagger, idly drawing names on the table.

It makes a "sizzling" sound that makes your teeth ache.

"Soetu."

"Your servant is here."

"These past few days, I've felt a bit stiff in my body." Hong Xiguan cracked his neck, making a snapping sound. "I'm reading all day, and it's making my head spin. I'd like to practice wrestling to loosen up my muscles."

Upon hearing this, Songgotu immediately smiled obsequiously: "Your Majesty is diligent in state affairs, but you must also pay attention to the balance between work and rest. Practicing the buk is good; it is the foundation of our Manchu men. This servant will arrange for a few skilled guards to practice with Your Majesty."

"No, no, no."

Hong Xiguan threw the dagger on the table, looking disgusted.

"Those guards are all big and burly. Me, fighting them? Who could I possibly beat? Of course, they wouldn't dare actually fight me anyway; it's just too boring!"

"Then... what does His Majesty mean?" Soetu was somewhat puzzled.

Hong Xiguan stood up, walked to Suo'etu, lowered his voice, and revealed a childlike "mischievousness" and "cruelty" on his face.

"I need to find a few boys of similar age, between ten and fifteen, strong and resilient!"

"Go to the Imperial Household Department and choose from among those bondservant servants!"

Soetu was taken aback.

Coating?

That's an abbreviation of the Manchu word "baoyi aha," which means "household slave."

In the Eight Banners system, these were the lowest-ranking people, even worse off than commoners. Most of them were Han Chinese who were captured when the Eight Banners entered the Central Plains, or family members of officials who had been convicted of crimes.

Let the emperor practice with these lowly servants?

"Your Majesty, this...this is perhaps beneath our dignity, isn't it? Those bondservant servants are lowly..."

"So verbose!"

Hong Xiguan's face darkened, and he feigned anger: "I just want to find a few punching bags to vent my anger on! If I go after those noble sons, I'll have to pay for their medical expenses if I hurt them, and I'll have to listen to those sycophantic officials nagging. But if I find a few servants, I can beat them to death or cripple them, and no one will care. How much more satisfying!"

Soetu suddenly realized.

Looking at the young emperor with a fierce expression, he felt no resentment, but rather a sense of relief.

Hey, I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it's just childish behavior, wanting to vent to someone.

Indeed, the Emperor has been suppressed by Ao Bai for too long and is holding back his anger. It's perfectly normal for him to vent his anger on a few lowly bondservantes. What's the big deal if a Manchu master kills a few Han servants?

As long as they don't cultivate cronies or form political cliques, Ao Bai's side won't say anything. What waves can a few kids make?

Upon realizing this, Suo'etu immediately kowtowed and accepted the order.

"Your Majesty is wise! This servant will take care of it immediately!"

"remember!"

Hong Xiguan added from behind him, his eyes deep, "Don't make a big fuss. Pick fifteen people first, and send them in batches. Don't let Ao Zhongtang think that I'm neglecting my duties and only know how to play all day."

"This servant understands!"

Songgotu withdrew.

Watching his departing figure, the mischievous look on Hong Xiguan's face vanished instantly.

Instead, there was a chilling calm.

Soetu, do you think I'm looking for sandbags?

No, I'm looking for assassins.

Historically, Emperor Kangxi did indeed establish a "Shanpu Camp" to train a group of young men to capture Oboi.

But who did he use?

He's a member of the Manchu nobility! He's a relative of the imperial family, like Tongjia Yanggutai!

That's because Kangxi considered himself a Manchu and wanted to find trustworthy people from his own side.

But I, Hong Xiguan, am not one of them.

What I need is a coating!

They were those Han Chinese lackeys who were less than dogs in the eyes of the Manchus!

Only those who are at the very bottom of society, suffering oppression and humiliation, harbor the fiercest fire in their hearts.

Just give them a little dignity, a little hope, and a little kindness in "treating them as human beings".

They will become the sharpest knife and the strongest shield.

In your Manchu eyes, they are punching bags for practicing boxing.

In my eyes, they are the future first generation of Whampoa Military Academy graduates!

Hong Xiguan walked to the window, looked at the square sky above the Forbidden City, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Ao Bai and Sony, you two can fight it out slowly.

My special forces are about to start developing stealthily!

The next day.

West Garden.

This was once the site of the "Leopard House," where the Ming Dynasty's Zhengde Emperor indulged in debauchery and pleasure.

Today, the pavilions and towers remain, but the extravagance of yesteryear has long been gone, replaced by a somber atmosphere.

The autumn wind swept across the withered lotus leaves, creating ripples on the lake's surface.

Suo'etu led fifteen boys, standing with their hands at their sides in the open space, not daring to even breathe loudly.

These fifteen boys were all handpicked by him from among the thousands of bondservants in the Imperial Household Department.

They are between twelve and fifteen years old.

Although his face was pale from years of hard work, it couldn't hide his strong frame.

Each of them was tall and upright, with good looks, and none of them had problems such as night blindness or missing teeth.

There were a few boys, some even close to 1.8 meters tall, standing there like a row of young poplars waiting to be inspected.

Hong Xiguan stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a smart riding outfit, and slowly walked around the group of teenagers.

His gaze, like a scanner, swept across everyone's face.

Not bad, Songgotu is quite reliable. This batch of goods... no, this batch of talent is of good quality! Look at their physiques, they'd be excellent athletes in later generations!

"Song'etu".

"Your servant is here."

"Just looking at how strong they are isn't enough; we have to test their quality."

Hong Xiguan pointed to the three Plain Yellow Banner guards standing guard in the distance.

"Let the three of them go and spar with these fifteen lads, bare-handed, without weapons."

Soetu was taken aback.

Three against fifteen?

Is it three battle-hardened elite guards of the Plain Yellow Banner fighting against fifteen untrained bondservants?

Isn't this bullying?

What is the Emperor trying to do? Inspect the goods on the spot? Or is he trying to make an example of them, to give these new servants a hard time?

Although he had some doubts, Suo'etu dared not delay and immediately went to deliver the imperial decree.

"The Emperor has decreed that you should practice your skills with these little servants," Suo'etu said to the three guards.

"Yes, sir!"

The guards responded with a resounding roar, rubbing their hands together in anticipation.

They removed their cumbersome armor, leaving only short jackets, and walked over with contemptuous smiles on their faces, their eyes looking at a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

The fifteen boys in bondservantes looked terrified and instinctively shrank back.

They had heard that the young emperor had a bad temper and had summoned them to be his "punching bag" to vent his anger.

It now appears that the rumors were true.

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Hong Xiguan spoke coldly, "I summoned you here not so you could cower like turtles."

"Listen up, anyone who can withstand the attacks of those three guards for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn today will be rewarded with ten taels of silver a month, and meat at every meal!"

"Whoever can defeat those three..."

Hong Xiguan paused, a wicked smile creeping onto his lips: "I will have him stripped of his bondservant status and reinstated into the Manchu Eight Banners!"

boom!

His words were like a thunderbolt!

The fifteen boys suddenly raised their heads, their eyes flashing with disbelief!

Remove your slave status!

Carry them into the Manchu Eight Banners!

This is something they wouldn't even dare to dream of!

They were born as bondservants, the private property of their Manchu masters, their fate as insignificant as weeds.

But now, this young emperor has actually given them a chance to change their fate!

In an instant, fear was replaced by greed and desire.

The expressions of the three Plain Yellow Banner guards also changed.

They exchanged a glance and both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

I originally thought it was just accompanying the prince in his studies, a casual game.

It seems these little wolf cubs are going to fight to the death!