Scumbag Chapter 159 The Reformed White-Eyed Wolf General (25)

In just a few days of leave, Mingting had been as busy as a mule. Apart from spending half of each day with Huiniang, Mingting devoted the r

In just a few days of leave, Mingting had been as busy as a mule.

Apart from spending half of each day with Huiniang, Mingting devoted the rest of his time to either the restaurant or the kindergarten.

Neither of these projects could be completed in just a few days.

Mingting had drawn up detailed blueprints for the restaurant, outlining everything from renovations to layout.

The kindergarten needed classrooms, rest areas, a kitchen, and plenty of child-friendly toys. He even planned for the children to engage in physical exercise and learn basic martial arts.

On the last day of his leave, Mingting gathered the soldiers and explained his plans.

"As long as I'm in Yaozhou, the kindergarten will remain open. All of your children can be sent there, and they'll be cared for by dedicated staff, so you won’t have to worry about their meals or naps."

"When our conditions are better in the future, I might even start a school and hired teachers to educate the children, teach them to read and learn culture. Those who study well could even take the imperial examination."

"We can’t let our kids grow up as rough-and-tumble as we are. In the future, the world will be peaceful, civil officials will be in higher demand than military men!"

This was Mingting’s promise. He wants to ensure everyone could focus on their duties without worries.

Originally, everyone thought Mingting had something important to announce. Who would have guessed it was about setting up a kindergarten and providing jobs for their wives? No one saw that coming.

Mingting's words made perfect sense, so the soldiers wholeheartedly agreed.

If not for their lack of education, why would they have ended up on this violent, life-and-death path?

Now that they’ve become fathers, who wouldn’t want their children to have a bright future? Who wouldn’t wish for their sons to be literate and capable?

With such a great opportunity before them, they were all fully supportive and deeply grateful to Mingting.

When they returned home and told their wives, the women were also overjoyed, praising the Count as a good man. He’s loyal, righteous, and considerate. They urged their husbands not to let the Count down.

After staying at home for just five days, the group packed up and set off again for coastal training.

On the way back, the weather was calm and pleasant.

But Mingting didn’t let them rest. After eating, they boarded the ships directly.

The hundred or so men were split into two groups. The first batch was excited as they boarded, but when they saw Mingting had prepared many wooden barrels, they grew curious.

"Count, what are these barrels for?"

Mingting smiled mysteriously: "You’ll find out soon enough."

Once they were at sea and the waves began to rise, one of them couldn’t hold on anymore. He rushed to the wooden barrel, hugged the barrel and started vomiting.

With the first one, others followed. Soon, more than half were seasick and retching.

Seeing these landlubbers’ reactions, Mingting had a headache.

Many suffered from seasickness, so this needed to be addressed. Otherwise, if pirates attacked while they were still vomiting at sea, how could they fight?

After the first group of people got off the ship, the wooden barrels were replaced. Seeing their pale-faced comrades, the second group grew wary.

But wariness didn’t help, as it was a natural physiological reaction.

In the end, they not only vomited on the ship, but also vomited on the ground after getting off.

"Count, I’d rather fight on land than board a ship again..."

"Exactly! It’s pure misery. The swaying makes it hard to even hold a sword steady..."

"Why is the sky spinning? Can someone help me up?"

Seasickness wasn’t something that could be cured overnight.

Mingting had no choice but to take them out to sea repeatedly, forcing them to adapt. After each trip, he would prepare medicinal meals with herbs from his space to improve their constitution.

For those who suffered particularly badly, Mingting even made his own anti-seasickness pills.

Fortunately, among the soldiers Qi Ming recruited, many were locals of Yaozhou who had grown up on boats.

They paired up to help these ‘landlubbers’, sharing their experience. Gradually, fewer people suffered from seasickness.

Because of this, Mingting wrote to Emperor Chang to vent his frustrations.

He described seasickness in detail, how it made people vomit until only bile was left, leaving a bitter taste in their mouths.

Yet, in the end, he still assured Emperor Chang that he would train them well and ensure the Zheng State had the most advanced navy.

"Mingting is truly loyal!"

Emperor Chang held the letter and said to Empress Zhou.

Since Empress Zhou became pregnant, he often visited her. Especially after the imperial physician confirmed Empress Zhou was carrying twins, the Emperor was overjoyed.

Empress Zhou was the first to conceive after he unified the dynasty. Not only was it an imperial heir, but there’s two at once… so how could Emperor Chang not be excited?

Even though the physician said the Empress was in good health and the pregnancy was progressing well, Emperor Chang couldn’t help but worry and visited her daily.

As an old married couple, their conversations were relaxed, and the Emperor didn’t hide Mingting’s affairs from her.

"Er-Lang, I won the bet. Look, Count of Dingyuan writes two letters every month, and there are fewer and fewer typos in the letters, and he’s also using more sophisticated vocabulary. It’s clear he’s sincerely studying and improving himself."

After reading Mingting’s letter, Empress Zhou praised him while also expressing concern for the soldiers.

"I think Mingting's idea of setting up a kindergarten is excellent. Who would’ve thought such a rough man could be so considerate of his soldiers? He’s really matured now that he’s about to become a father."

"But this child is overly cautious. He reports everything in his letters, even worrying that someone might accuse him of winning over people’s hearts."

Empress Zhou covered her mouth and laughed.

"With just these few men, what could he possibly do? He’s underestimating Er-Lang’s magnanimity."

Emperor Chang agreed with Empress Zhou's words.

Still, Mingting’s honesty and transparency pleased him. It showed he respected him as his monarch, hence the caution.

"Mingting has improved a lot. He’s doing well, but why is his handwriting still so messy?"

Emperor Chang frowned.

"Next time, I’ll reward him with some calligraphy models. He needs to practice his handwriting properly."

By the time the court’s troops and provisions arrived, it was already January.

The north was freezing, but Yaozhou, which is located in the south, was humid and chilly in a different way.

To prevent the soldiers from suffering frostbite, Mingting had the military physicians develop an ointment for chilblains.

Since the new dynasty had just been established, many regions still required military presence.

Even though Emperor Chang wanted to allocate more troops to Mingting, after much deliberation by the Ministry of War, only 30,000 were sent.

For the rest, Emperor Chang instructed Qi Ming to recruit locally in Yaozhou.

Considering that the Eastern Sea pirates would hide in winter and would not go out, Mingting had all 30,000 soldiers train together.

They practiced the Mountain-Suppressing Fist and Dragon-Subduing Palm, underwent rigorous physical training, and were provided with proper meals.