At the entrance of the alley, Xue Pan, Jia Lian and others were standing with respectful eyebrows.
According to the advance notice, Zhu Jinghong should have arrived a moment ago, but until now there was no one on the street.
On the other hand, the people from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division had cleared the streets in advance, making the surrounding area seem quiet.
After standing for so long, Xue Pan felt a little tired, but he still didn't dare to leave.
"Second brother Lian, please excuse me for getting tired of you!" Xue Pan turned back to look at Jia Lian.
Jia Lian smiled peacefully and said: "Brother Pan, there is no need to talk about this between you and me!"
The two of them were chatting in low voices. Jia Rong and Jia Yun, who were standing behind, had different moods.
Jia Rong has also become an alternate Dragon Guard, and finally has an official status. Today, he and Jia Lian are here to see the "world".
As for Jia Yun, he has already reviewed it in his mind again, hoping that his preparations will be foolproof and that he will show up at the critical moment later.
It can be said that except for Xue Pan, everyone present has a strong sense of professionalism, which is very different from the original "history".
While everyone was waiting, they heard a series of horse hoofbeats coming from the front, causing Xue Pan and others to immediately prepare for the attack.
But what they saw were several guards. The first one was in the attire of a dragon guard. From this, he knew that Zhu Jinghong was not far away.
As the visitor approached, Jia Lian recognized Lu Yuxin, and they had some friendship in private.
After approaching, Lu Yuxin got off his horse, and with him came the soldiers of the flag guard.
"Brother Lu, why are you here first?" Jia Lian greeted him.
After handing the horse's reins to the accompanying soldiers, Lu Yuxin tightened his wristbands and replied, "The Thirteenth Master will be here soon. I'll explore the path for him first!"
Jia Lian said with a smile: "This job is in your hands. It shows that Brother Lu is highly valued by the Thirteenth Master and has a bright future!"
Although he was the legitimate son of the Duke, Jia Lian did not act aloof.
On the one hand, he has an easy-going nature, and on the other hand, he recognizes Lu Yuxin as a friend.
"Brother Jia is too flattering, I'm just running an errand for Master Thirteenth!"
"Brother Lu is too modest..."
After speaking, Jia Lian turned around and introduced to Xue Pan, who was standing there: "Brother Pan, this is Brother Lu of the Dragon Imperial Guard, and his family is also the Jinling Yingtian Mansion!"
Hearing the introduction, Xue Pan felt bitter in his heart. Of course he could not forget Lu Yuxin.
Half a year ago in Yingtian, when he and Feng Yuan were competing for Yinglian, he had dealt with Lu Yuxin. When they fought in the street, he was almost killed by the guards.
Although they knew each other, Xue Pan pretended not to hear at this moment, cupped his fists and saluted: "I've met Brother Lu!"
Lu Yuxin also recognized Xue Pan. Since the other party pretended not to know him, he treated it as the first meeting.
Immediately afterwards, Jia Lian introduced Lu Yuxin to Jia Rong, and pointed out that his uncle and nephew were also candidates for the Dragon Guard.
Lu Yuxin looked at the way he came and said, "You passed the test earlier, so you and I can work together!"
The noble disciples must pass the examination to join the Dragon Guard. If they meet the corresponding requirements, they can be selected. Their remaining places will be competed by the generals' disciples.
The latter would be selected very hard, the average ratio is close to one in a hundred, and they must have real ability.
Like Lu Yuxin, his family is only a sixth-grade commanding officer, just above the standard for being selected for the Dragon Guard. If he is selected, he will definitely be regarded as the king of scrolls.
"From now on, I have to rely on Brother Lu to give me more advice!"
"Brother Jia, your words are serious, but I am a humble person. I will have to rely on you to take care of me from now on!"
Such high-sounding polite words are almost endless, and time flies by faster.
When he heard the faint sound of drums, Lu Yuxin reminded: "The Thirteenth Master is here!"
No one dared to neglect, they all stood solemnly to welcome Zhu Jinghong's arrival.
About a few minutes later, Zhu Jinghong's guard of honor appeared first, and then a large group of people arrived and surrounded the alley.
When Zhu Jinghong's sedan came down, Xue Pan and others knelt down in advance to greet him.
The curtain was opened, and Zhu Jinghong slowly walked out.
He was seen wearing a black gauze winged crown and a red round-collared robe with four dragon and cloud patterns. This was a serious daily attire for a prince.
"Kowtow to the Thirteenth Master!" Xue Pan and others kowtowed.
"Well...get up!" Zhu Jinghong replied calmly, but looked towards the alley.
The alley is not long. There are dozens of guards standing on both sides at the moment. There are also guards guarding several courtyards on both sides. The nearly 100 foreigners' residences are silent at the moment.
"Master Thirteen, everyone you want is inside!" Xue Pan stepped forward to guide.
Surrounded by guards, Zhu Jinghong slowly walked inside and asked casually: "How many people are there in total?"
Xue Pan replied: "Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, there were originally 105 people who came to Beijing. During this period, two died of illness. Seven others felt that they couldn't bear it and left. Now there are ninety-six people left!"
Stopping, Zhu Jinghong turned around and asked, "Can't stand it? What do you mean?"
"Although the villain hired them with a lot of money, he also told them... that the imperial court wanted to use them!"
"The past few months have passed... The Thirteenth Master has not been summoned, so some people thought that the court did not want him, so they left!"
Zhu Jinghong understood what he said. It was obvious that the people who left had left in anger because they were "unappreciated".
In this case, the few people who left may have real abilities, while the ones who stayed are more likely to do it for their own benefit.
Then Zhu Jinghong asked: "What are the specialties of those people who left?"
"this……"
This sentence stopped Xue Pan. How could he have thought that Zhu Jinghong would care about the people who left.
"Um?"
Xue Pan couldn't answer, so he looked back at Jia Yun, who was now isolated from the inner circle and stood with Jia Lian.
"Thirteenth Master, this matter... I have specially appointed someone to take charge of this matter. He should know the details!" As he spoke, cold sweat broke out on Xue Pan's back.
"Call him over!" Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice.
Raising his sleeves to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Xue Pan turned around and shouted: "Xiannie... come here quickly, Master Thirteen wants to ask questions!"
Hearing Xue Pan's words, Jia Yun secretly sighed that the opportunity had come.
After taking a deep breath and secretly encouraging herself, Jia Yun stepped towards Zhu Jinghong.
"Jia Yun, the villain...see the Thirteenth Master!"
Looking at the young man kneeling respectfully in front of him, Zhu Jinghong was slightly surprised. He did not expect to meet this person here.
Although he has never read the original book of Red Mansions, he still knows that Jia Yun is a rare good person in Red Mansions after watching the TV series.
Of course, TV dramas are just TV dramas, but now it is the real reality, and Zhu Jinghong believes in his own judgment.
"Get up and answer!"
"Thank you, Thirteenth Master!" Jia Yun stood up carefully, hunching her waist and not daring to look at Zhu Jinghong.
"Xue Pan said that seven people couldn't bear it and left. What are the specialties of each of these people?"
Jia Yun was responsible for everything in the alley from beginning to end. He was very clear about everything since he took charge, and he was confident when facing questions.
"Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, three of them can make muskets, two are good at making cannons, and the other two... like to draw ships, so I guess they can build ships!"
Guns and warships are the top priority for future expansion. If these few are really capable, Zhu Jinghong will do his best to get them back.
Of course, he has a more important thing to do right now, which is to inspect the more than ninety people left behind.
As he continued walking into the alley, Zhu Jinghong asked, "What are the abilities of the remaining people?"
Jia Yun was about to answer, but was overtaken by Xue Pan who followed.
"Back to the Thirteenth Master, the remaining man-made guns, cannons, warships and sailors are all here. In order to gather these people together, I even made a special trip to Luzon!"
Xue Pan's words inevitably meant asking for credit, but Zhu Jinghong didn't resent it. After all, he was working for him.
Zhu Jinghong asked again: "Which countries do these people come from? How many of them can make guns? How many of them can make cannons?"
Xue Pan had done his homework, but perhaps because he was too nervous, he couldn't remember the detailed data for a while, so he didn't even dare to answer randomly, so he could only glance at Jia Yun.
(End of chapter)
