Chapter 699 – The Lord Borrows People, But No Returns (3)
Qi Kuang understood that the current trend valued family background and appearance above all else.
To enter the official ranks, one’s family background is prioritized, followed by looks, and only then abilities, character, and talent.
Bosses are all appearance-driven; Qi Kuang worked hard for years to climb to the Centurion position despite not being good-looking, remaining in obscurity.
Jiang Pengji, upon hearing this, unexpectedly questioned Qi Kuang.
“I’m recruiting you for your talent, ability, and loyalty—what does your looks have to do with it?” she said with a chuckle, resting her forehead on her palm, her gaze steady on Qi Kuang. “Whether you’re handsome or ugly is irrelevant to me. Those who care about appearance should be your bedfellow, right? If you join me, I am the Lord, and you are the subject. The relationship between a lord and a subject cannot be compared to that of husband and wife. As your master, I only need you to train the sailors well. Everything else is unimportant. Will being more attractive make you train better sailors?”
Looks aren’t a buff; they don’t give the entire army a boost.
Jiang Pengji was looking to recruit talent, not just a pretty vase.
Qi Kuang had no words in reply, but the little bit of resentment in his heart faded away.
After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, “Thank you, my lord, for seeing my potential. I will do my utmost to train an elite force for you.”
With Feng Zhen having convinced Qi Kuang to join, and with Jiang Pengji clearly expressing indifference to looks, Qi Kuang naturally felt a sense of belonging.
“With your determination, I will certainly provide my full support. However, the timing isn’t right now, and I can’t allocate people for you just yet. Once we return to Wanzhou, you can select three thousand elites to prepare as sailors. Training methods and needs—those I won’t interfere with. It’s a mistake for an outsider to guide an insider, and I won’t make things complicated for you. But one thing you must remember—I want to see the elite force you speak of!”
Though Jiang Pengji didn’t state it directly, Qi Kuang could tell just how much authority and freedom she had granted him.
As long as he established the navy, he would be its commander.
Even with all his assumptions, Qi Kuang never imagined Jiang Pengji would offer him such a grand promise.
“Thank you for your generous offer, my lord.” Qi Kuang bowed deeply, “I will not fail my mission!”
The dust settled.
Jiang Pengji, Feng Zhen, and Qi Kuang were all very satisfied, but only the audience in the live stream felt a bit down.
Because of this Qi Kuang, the overall attractiveness of Jiang Pengji’s group dropped several percentage points. Didn’t they come to watch the live stream for the looks?
However, this sentiment didn’t last long, as their impression of Qi Kuang underwent a significant improvement.
Despite Qi Kuang’s unattractive appearance and a slight limp in one leg, he came from a scholarly family.
For generations, they dealt with “water”—his ancestors were fishermen along the rivers, and in his grandfather and father’s time, they became “soldiers,” constantly contending with bandits along the rivers. Growing up in such a family gave Qi Kuang a much stronger foundation than others.
Filled with confidence, he sought out Yang Jian to showcase his ambitions, eager to bring honor to his family. He was like a fresh university graduate stepping into society—full of passion yet hitting walls in reality. Due to his ugly looks and limp, he served under Yang Jian for seven years, participating in countless naval battles, narrowly escaping death more than once, yet still only a Centurion.
However, he wasn’t discouraged; instead, he became even more diligent in studying and training, although his enthusiasm had dimmed compared to before.
Now, with Jiang Pengji promising him tremendous authority, Qi Kuang felt the blood that had lain dormant for so long beginning to heat and boil again.
Qi Kuang shared many of his experiences and insights on training sailors with Jiang Pengji, using battles he had personally experienced as examples. His reasoning was sound, not just empty talk. Jiang Pengji listened attentively.
Qi Kuang’s educational level barely reached the level of writing and reading; he hadn’t studied deeply, so his literary skills were lacking. Yet, he had a strong grasp of narrative pacing and clarity, and even the most mundane examples became vivid when delivered by him.
At a glance, Jiang Pengji was thoroughly satisfied with this future navy commander.
Likewise, Qi Kuang gave Jiang Pengji a five-star rating.
He had thought Jiang Pengji wouldn’t understand. To his surprise, she not only knew but could hit the nail on the head, asking incredibly sharp questions.
As their conversation deepened, the live stream audience became loyal fans of Qi Kuang.
【More updates, more effort】: Seriously working people are the most handsome! Qi Kuang may not look good, but when he gets serious, he has a certain charm.
【Request for monthly tickets】: Same here, agreed! How one looks is given by their parents; one can’t choose. Ugly people have rights too!
【Request for recommendation tickets】: Although I’m also a bit of a looks snob, I can’t just attack others’ appearances. I don’t know much about Qi Kuang, so I won’t jump to conclusions. But anyone chosen by the streamer must be decent; I trust the streamer’s eye. If Qi Kuang does well in the future, it’ll be a real-life story of grassroots overcoming obstacles—sounds truly inspiring, so I’ll support him!
This discussion stretched on for over an hour.
Jiang Pengji remained as energetic as ever, but Qi Kuang and Feng Zhen were beginning to struggle.
Looking outside, it was indeed getting late.
“I’m tired too. Let’s talk more tomorrow about any further matters. For now, let’s get some rest.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhen felt immensely relieved, signaling to Qi Kuang as they both exited.
Jiang Pengji was still full of energy, and after Qi Kuang and Feng Zhen left, she mulled over Qi Kuang’s strategies for training sailors in her mind.
Although Qi Kuang’s training methods were vastly different from the current trends, Jiang Pengji appreciated them greatly.
However, the formation of a navy would entail massive expenses.
One doesn’t realize how precious oil and salt are until they are the ones paying; Jiang Pengji found herself rubbing her forehead in distress.
Due to outdated shipbuilding technology and regional restrictions, the navy’s scale was limited, confined to specific areas.
Nevertheless, there were individuals in the world with foresight.
These people hadn’t abandoned the idea of sailors but actively sought conditions to implement it.
In the southern regions, where water bandits roamed freely, the presence of sailors became essential to curb their growth and protect coastal residents.
Compared to land soldiers, sailors required a higher standard of order, discipline, and cooperation. In other words, regular training and drills for sailors were even more necessary than for land soldiers, which meant increased expenses.
In recent years, sailors might not have had opportunities to go to war. In Qi Kuang’s words, that would just be raising idle people.
As time passed, it was inevitable that they would attract outside criticism.
But these were not problems. Jiang Pengji said she wanted to train sailors—who would dare oppose?
What if they were criticized for raising idle people?
When the lord didn’t mind spending money on the navy, what right did outsiders have to complain?
With her left hand propping her chin, her right hand twirling a brush, Jiang Pengji laid a blank piece of paper on the desk, deep in thought about how to begin writing.
The audience in the live stream was curious about what she was going to write, only to see Jiang Pengji sketching several wooden ship designs on the bamboo paper.
