Chapter 324: Flew Away

The Great King took out his six-warship fleet that night and placed them all at the Dragon Head Military Dock, and also summoned Ketu.

The Great King intended to fill the basic navy's numbers in one go this time, first transferring three thousand over; the Northern Border State's coastline is not short either, so the Great King plans to let them train first.

He also inquired about the current status of the five hundred people Ketu had sent over.

Ketu was still very satisfied with the diligence of the Youzhou soldiers, and he lavishly praised the Great King before finally saying: "... The lord previously took the fleet's ammunition and shells on the western campaign, consuming large quantities; our fleet's daily training also consumes supplies, so the lord should replenish them upon his return."

The Great King's smiling face slowly cracked open...

What needs to be replenished?

Is it a three-hundred-tael bullet, or a fifty-tael iron crossbow bolt?

Can his hundred thousand ingots withstand that!

The Great King let out a mournful 'Ah~' howl: 'My White Dragon Horse Carriage—gallop—' flew away.

The next morning at court, the Great King immediately summoned the Junior Director of Works and gave him a scolding.

Saying he had managed neither the Internal Affairs Office nor the Crafts Office; not a single thing he wanted had been produced, and now everything must be imported from overseas, greatly burdening the people and the treasury.

Of course, mainly it harmed his finances.

The Great King was very angry, and the consequences were severe.

He always felt that the timid, wavering Junior Official lacked the demeanor fitting the head of the Invention and Creation Department, always listless, and when brushed off, this old man never changed his attitude.

"Junior Official Zhang, the gunpowder formula has been entrusted to you; after half a year of following it, you still have no results?"

"Your Highness, this cannot be rushed; that stuff can kill people!"

"Hasn't the Academy issued safety production regulations for gunpowder? Following them would reduce the risk!"

That old man remained calm, replying, "Your Highness, that is also dangerous."

The Great King began to manipulate his qi, saying, "If we strictly follow the prescribed steps in experiment, how dangerous could it be if no mistake is made? Tell me what undertaking has zero risk? Siege warfare? Or defending a city?!"

The Great King slammed the table, promoted the old man's second-in-command, and replaced the Junior Director of Works on the spot.

"If you can't do it, try replacing him! Junior Official Zhang will go become a calligrapher—effective immediately, you are now Calligrapher Zhang." The Grand Tutor desperately gave him meaningful looks; we're short-staffed anyway, so let's just scare him a bit!

The Great King didn't even look his way, and the Grand Tutor quickly resigned himself.

His salary was swiftly cut from two thousand dan to six hundred dan; the newly appointed Calligrapher Zhang could no longer stay calm, his face changed as he began to beg for mercy. What kind of wealth could these Youzhou officials possibly have?

Too bad he knelt too late; the Great King is not someone who easily changes his mind.

The Chancellor never got a chance to interject; the Great King decided in a flash. Having spoken his mind, Chancellor Xue could not object, so the matter was settled as such.

For a moment, everyone's breathing in the hall grew light, and all the officials tightened up.

How willful! This child is truly willful!

Better not provoke his good side.

After dealing with Junior Official Zhang, the Great King announced two more pieces of news.

First, he plans to undertake another large-scale construction project. However, with winter approaching, the schedule may be postponed until spring.

Two projects: one is to build a Northern Border Medical Bureau, requiring a labor force of two thousand.

"Once this Northern Border Medical Bureau is built, we will invite the most renowned physicians of the Great Jin to hold consultations; anyone you recommend can be passed to Zhao Bao. We will also recruit some medical apprentices—if your relatives or friends are interested, they can come try it out. As long as you wish to study and love this profession, I, the King, will treat everyone equally regardless of background or gender; the Northern Border Medical Bureau will accept all!"

This openness to all genders stirred the crowd again; a few old-timers began to hesitate, but once the Great King cast his gaze upon them, they chose to remain silent.

"Female physicians, huh... it's not impossible; they can treat women's ailments. It's not worth provoking the 'willful Great King' and jeopardizing one's future."

Seeing no opposition, the Great King was quite pleased, remarking that you all had the right attitude today and didn't waste his time with pointless arguments.

"The second project is the Tongshui City Wall; I plan to build a wall for Tongshui based on its population—nothing much to say. There's a precedent, so just follow the model of Peace and Health; I won't elaborate further—get it arranged quickly."

"Mainly, I want to talk about the Northern Border Fleet's open day."

Officials: "What is the Northern Border Fleet again?"

"We don't know, but we dare not ask."

The Great King had no need to ask: "Zhao Chuan, select three thousand people, preferably skilled in water; I will formally establish a new army, to be called the Northern Border Fleet. Oh, besides the twenty thousand Mystic Armor Cavalry, anyone else can be chosen."

"The fleet's marines will be permanently stationed at the Dragon Head Military Dock or the Liao East Satellite Dock, and preference can be given to soldiers whose hometowns are nearby."

Zhao Chuan received the order, and the Great King had not yet finished speaking.

"Once selected, you will depart southward with me tomorrow. I plan to hold a fleet open day at Dragon Head three days from now. On that day, any Northern Border citizen holding a household register can visit nearby military installations to view our northern border's divine weapons; at that time, our six warships of the Northern Border will all be unveiled."

How many?

Six ships?!

The few officers who had seen the Vast Waves were each more shocked than the last!

Impressive, Great King—do you have a mine or something!

Zhao Chuan had just thought that when he saw the Great King slap his own forehead: "Ah, I almost forgot—there's also an iron mine that will recruit workers to dig for ore next year; anyone in the Northern Border lacking livelihood can sign up, whether native or refugee. The mine is in Bing Prefecture, though it's a bit far."

Zhao Chuan:...