Chapter 003: Offenders from Official Families

Because Chen Menglei was a successful candidate in the imperial examination, and both Shangyang Fort and Ningguta were places where prisoners from within the borders were concentrated and severely lacked literate scholars, he received the courtesy of the officials at Shangyang Fort upon his arrival. Of course, this courtesy was not that of a distinguished guest; it merely involved reducing his workload to ensure he had enough to eat. Occasionally, some officials would ask Chen Menglei to teach their children some classical essays. In Zhao Qiang's view, he was at most a mere teacher. Chen Zhao, on the other hand, believed that his father had truly received the favor of the officials, especially after hearing that someone in the court was advocating for Chen Menglei. He began to feel superior in every aspect, as if this life of exile was not meant for someone of his status. Thus, he often mingled with the children of other officials who had also been exiled to this place, frequently bullying ordinary prisoners, particularly the former soldiers of Wu Jun. This was because any sign of discontent from them would result in severe punishment from the banner people, so they had no reason to worry about the former soldiers resisting their oppression.

Although the deeds of Jing Ke and Zhang Liang in assassinating the King of Qin are impressive and have been much discussed by later generations, Zhao Qiang does not wish to engage in such reckless bravery. The reality tells him that he has no opportunity to approach the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. So far, the highest-ranking official he has encountered is merely a low-ranking clerk from the Yongling General's Office, who came to assign tasks, and he exchanged only a single sentence with this clerk—"I understand." Moreover, even if he could meet Kangxi, there would be no way for him to kill him. Furthermore, even if he did kill Kangxi, what would be the use? If Kangxi were truly killed by him, there is no doubt that the Qing would quickly install another emperor. There are not many who wish to be slaves, but countless who aspire to be emperors. Therefore, Zhao Qiang would not engage in such a foolish act that would lead to his own death and serve no purpose; what he intends to do is wait. He believes that since heaven has allowed him to traverse to this era, it is certainly not to make him a slave or to experience a fleeting day in the Qing Dynasty.

The men logging by the river and those responsible for transporting stones within Yongling, such as Tu and Shuozhuang, are all young men from the Wu army, drafted from various penal locations beyond the borders. Although they are all former members of the Wu army, many do not know each other, as they previously belonged to different battalions. Most of the current Wu army leaders have either died in battle or been captured by the Qing army and sent to Beijing to be executed. The remaining personnel are mostly low-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers, and naturally, there is no central figure to lead them. Furthermore, to prevent these former rebels from colluding and causing disturbances in their Manchu homeland, the Qing army has dispersed the young men from various regions and reorganized them into new units, with each unit consisting of one hundred men. The current Wu army leaders have mostly died in battle or been captured by the Qing army and sent to Beijing to be executed. The remaining personnel are mostly low-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers, and naturally, there is no central figure to lead them. Additionally, to prevent these former rebels from colluding and causing disturbances in their Manchu homeland, the Qing army has dispersed the young men from various regions and reorganized them into new units, with each unit consisting of one hundred men, assigned with one chief and one deputy supervisor. The chief supervisor is typically a banner soldier or a Aha, while the deputy supervisor is a Han Chinese. In the team where Zhao Qiang is located, the chief supervisor is a banner soldier named Eha, while the deputy supervisor is Chen Zhao, a son of a convict from Shangyang Fort.

When heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon a person, it must first temper their will and labor their muscles and bones. Zhao Qiang has always regarded this saying as his guiding principle, constantly reminding himself not to act impulsively. Therefore, after casting a glance of hatred at Kangxi's dragon boat, he quickly returned to calmness with *Tu* *Shu*, and after lowering his head, there was no sign of any unusual emotion on his face

Zhao Qiang is well-versed in the history of the Qing Dynasty and knows that Chen Menglei was a successful candidate in the imperial examination. When he returned home to visit his family, he happened to encounter the rebel leader Geng Jingzhong raising troops in Fuzhou against the Qing. Geng Jingzhong was searching for scholars everywhere, offering them official positions and coercing them to join his rebellion. As a successful candidate and an official from the capital, Chen Menglei naturally caught Geng Jingzhong's attention. Left with no choice, Chen Menglei fled to a Buddhist temple to evade Geng Jingzhong's search. However, Geng Jingzhong was unable to find him and instead captured his father. Consequently, Chen Menglei had no option but to join Geng Jingzhong in the rebellion, serving as Geng Jingzhong's "scholar." Later, after the failure of the Three Feudatories, Chen Menglei became labeled as a traitor. Although he made numerous appeals to clear his name, claiming to have had secret discussions with Li Guangdi and asserting that he was actually an insider for the court in Fuzhou, akin to being in the Cao camp while having his heart with the Han, Li Guangdi completely denied this matter, and it became a public case. Despite some officials in the court advocating for Chen Menglei, he was unable to shed the label of traitor until he died of illness in Shangyang Fort.

Zhao Qiang is not interested in Eha; he is merely an ordinary banner man, fond of drinking, with a violent temperament, treating Han people like him with nothing but beatings and curses, which is hardly worth discussing. However, this Chen Zhao piques Zhao Qiang's interest, not because of him, but because of his father—Chen Menglei, who had a certain influence in the literary circles of the early Qing dynasty.

Upon arriving at Yongling, due to Asihah's prior instructions, Chen Zhao indeed became the deputy supervisor of Zhao Qiang's team as he wished. He was responsible for assisting the chief supervisor Eha in managing one hundred young men of the Wu army, as well as distributing rations and work quotas, which granted him a small degree of privilege. Zhao Qiang took an interest in Chen Menglei because his scholarship was indeed commendable; even in the harsh and desolate lands of the frontier, he managed to establish a school of thought that would be remembered through the ages. However, he looked down upon Chen, the son of a wealthy family, in every possible way. Yet, under the eaves of another, one cannot help but bow their head. He had no opportunity to escape, nor the possibility to incite rebellion, so he could only, like Zhao Qiang before him, obediently serve as a laborer. He never dared to defy the orders of Eha and Chen Zhao, making him the most compliant among this group. Therefore, Eha and Chen Zhao did not trouble him much, which Zhao Qiang was quite satisfied with, as he did not wish to become a pitiful creature beaten daily.

Regarding Chen Zhao and the actions of those officials' children, the banner officials did not take it seriously. Furthermore, they intended to use these officials' children to monitor the former troops of Wu, thus they did not restrain their behavior at all. As a result, Chen Zhao became even more fearless. Upon learning that the Yongling General's Office was to draft young men from the Wu army outside the pass to repair Yongling, Chen Zhao asked his father, Chen Menglei, to request a supervisory position from the leader Asihah. This was not only to showcase himself in front of the banner people but also to seize the opportunity to see the world, as the area around Shangyang Fort was quite small, with little more than soldiers and prisoners, which was rather uninteresting.

It was only after the last ship disappeared from the river that the Qing army's deputy general, Ta Shike, ordered the young men of the Wu army to load the felled timber onto carts, preparing to transport it to Yongling. The day after tomorrow, Kangxi will officially pay homage at Yongling, and after the ceremony, he will return to the interior, which also signifies the completion of the repairs at Yongling. Zhao Qiang and the remaining four thousand men can return to Ningguta and Shangyang Fort.