In the small country of Ryukyu, the courtesy of the emperor and his ministers was not as abnormal as that of the Manchus. King Shangtai could also visit Naha Port on weekdays. His yellow robe, ceremonial guard, and new army were all familiar to the people.
Subconsciously, these people wanted to kowtow, but they never expected that King Shangtai actually picked up the white-haired old man, held his hand tightly and said, "There is no such thing as King Shangtai now, I am just an ordinary soldier of Ryukyu. On weekdays, you guys Support me. Now that the country is about to be destroyed, it’s time to support you with my flesh and blood..."
King Shangtai rushed to the young warrior, took the injured boy and put it on his back, "Let's go, you lead the way, I will help you evacuate the people..."
There was deathly silence on the long street, and the only sounds in people's ears were the sound of explosions and flames. Everyone looked at the young king in disbelief, and even the officials who caught up were dumbfounded.
"Saint, the saint is here..." This group of civil servants and veterans are all disciples of Confucianism. In their minds, the monarch can personally save the people from fire and water. This is a saint who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Yao, Shun, and Yu. A bunch of kowtow-headed insects all kneel down. Got off.
The common people knelt down when they saw the official. They also knelt on the ground and shouted with tears in their eyes, "Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty." This shout of long live was the most sincere that King Shangtai had ever heard in his life. The young king Cried.
"Let's go... It's urgent to save lives. Evacuate into the mountains quickly. No more people can die..." said King Shangtai and turned around and ran away.
His Majesty began to save people, and the eunuchs, imperial guards, and civil servants couldn't just watch. They rushed into the alleys, shouting in all directions.
"Is there anyone... Is there anyone in the house? Oops, there is an old man in the house. Help him out..."
"Don't be afraid, folks. Your Majesty is here to save everyone and evacuate us... There is an injured person here, please come and bandage it..."
This was the most luxurious evacuation operation in the history of Ryukyu. The man in front of him holding open the window and shouting for people was Jin Changsen, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance. The person supporting the old man in the alley on the left was actually Lin Yuanmiao, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance. The one who bandaged the little girl's head was The eunuch in charge of Shuri Castle, and the one who carried the wounded to retreat was the general of Shuri Castle's imperial army.
Even King Shang Tai was carrying a little wounded man on his back and running hard on the street. At this time, the little guy was frightened. Who would have thought that this child was so lucky that his majesty could carry him for evacuation.
The retreating team in the fire scene grew bigger and bigger like a snowball. When all the newly joined soldiers and civilians saw King Shang Tai, their first expression was one of shock, and their second expression was one of inexplicable emotion.
Countless people knelt on the street and cried in pain, "Holy King, Holy King..."
"Get out of here, it's important to save your life now. I want to kowtow and wait until the French are repelled before kowtowing..." King Shangtai ran past everyone with a whoosh. He probably had never been so energetic in his life.
Shopkeeper Fan Yan in the crowd stared at King Shang Tai with complicated eyes. He had mixed feelings in his heart, and he didn't know whether he was doing the right thing or wrong. He was the one who encouraged the young king to take to the streets to calm the people, but the old shopkeeper never thought of Shang Tai. Wang is so enlightened that he can actually put down his arrogance and reach this point.
In the inner circle of Xiao Letian's forces, there is a secret that no one talks about but they all exchange eyes with each other, and that is the issue of the future status of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Xiao Letian has established his position as a top official through the battle with the Japanese. He has controlled all military and internal affairs, and he has won over most of the people's hearts. It is not wrong to say that he is the uncrowned king.
Xiao Hexin, Sima Yun, and Luo Huo have speculated more than once on what means Xiao Letian will use to take over King Shangtai's final rightful name. However, there is no doubt that the Kingdom of Ryukyu has long been in the prime minister's mouth. When will he swallow it? Just go down and see Xiao Letian's mood.
But today, King Shang Tai's wonderful performance has made everything full of variables. A man who can brave the enemy's fire to save the people when the whole city is in chaos. Such a righteous deed is destined to give him a lot of points. I believe that Shang Tai will be praised by the people. Wang's image will be greatly improved. It's hard to say whether he will surpass Xiao Letian, but there is no problem in closing the gap.
"Uncle, am I really right to do this? Am I trying to undermine you? The people's hearts have been pushed to the side of King Shangtai, but I have no choice. Now that King Shangtai does not come forward, Ryukyu's people's hearts will be stable. Can’t stop…”
"I can't care about that much anymore. Now I can only treat my head and feet. I believe you can understand my painstaking efforts. I also believe that you are not a cold-blooded hero at heart. I am helping you save people and save more people." Human life, this is to accumulate virtue for you."
Fan Jian shook his head and put away all distracting thoughts. Now he only had one belief in his heart, which was to save people first, and everything else was secondary.
As expected, as Fan Yan expected, when King Shangtai passed through most of the city, the entire Ryukyu people knew that their king had come to save the people, and that he had personally taken risks and braved enemy artillery fire to appease the people.
Thousands of people knelt on the ground and shouted long live the mountain. No one thought that His Majesty would carry children on his back to evacuate, bandage the wounded personally, and make way for the elderly.
What kind of king is this? Is this the modern country that the Prime Minister talks about? Is this a brand-new monarch baptized by the national spirit?
Let’s take a look at the officials around King Shangtai. In the past, the elites who used to stand high and overlook the people are all like pigs in mud and water today. However, none of them dare to be lazy. Their king has already rushed forward. These Confucian elites are no longer There was no excuse to retreat. This time they were able to mingle with the people.
The emperor guards the country, the king dies for the country, this slogan that Confucian scholars have chanted for hundreds of years has finally come true today. This is no longer an empty slogan, it has finally become a reality that can be seen by all people.
There was a fire burning in King Shangtai's chest. For the first time, he understood what it meant to be admired by all people. These hot eyes contained the heartfelt gratitude of the people. At that moment, the young king had an epiphany.
"I finally understand the path that the Prime Minister has taken. If Father Shang had not fought the Japanese personally, and if Xiao Letian had only stood on a high place and waved flags instead of leading the people to fight in person, he would not have won the hearts and minds of the people."
"What is nationalism and what is the concept of a modern country? It turns out that the roots are here. What the people see is the king, the superior elite. Only these people understand sacrifice and risk. Only they really regard Ryukyu as a country in their hearts. Treat the fellow villagers around you as family members of the same clan..."
"Only in this way can the people's morale be boosted, and only in this way can all the people feel the warmth of the country and the nation... Yes, the people see what you do, not what you say. The Prime Minister has said more than once, The people’s eyes are sharp and they can clearly see who is a hypocrite.”
King Shangtai led his people to run wildly down the long street, their tears flying in the wind, and he felt a stagnation in his heart that was about to burst out.
"I understand, I finally understand..." King Shangtai yelled while running wildly, "If you want all the people to sacrifice and contribute, start with us first. If you can't do it yourself, don't blame the people. If a country doesn't even have a monarch and ministers, If they are not willing to sacrifice for this country and this clan, then this country will die sooner or later."
These words were said so loudly that the Confucian officials behind him were all dumbfounded, especially Jin Changsen. What expression came out of his eyes? Could it be fear.
King Shangtai was right. Only today did he finally understand what Xiao Letian had been instilling. In fact, the people were not unpatriotic and did not love their own clan. The key was whether the kings and elites loved them or not.
No one is a fool, who is sincerely dedicated, and who is a hypocrite who talks nice words, the people can understand. In Xiao Letian's impression, in the few remaining constitutional monarchies in the West in later generations, all heirs to the throne must I have military experience, and I have to go to the battlefield to practice and practice when I have the opportunity.
Especially during World War I and World War II, a large number of nobles sent their children to the battlefield. They used their sacrifice and dedication to set an example to the citizens of a country and a clan. It was this kind of motivation that inspired many A country that was originally extremely weak in history quickly emerged among the nations.
Xiao Letian always remembers the movie "Red Baron" he watched in his previous life, which tells the true history of aerial combat during World War I. During that period, all the enemy and enemy pilots flying in the sky were nobles.
There are as many viscounts as dogs, barons are flying all over the sky, and there are plenty of counts. It is this group of upper-class elites of the country and the nation who have been fighting to the death in the skies of Europe for five years.
This was not the end yet. When World War II began, the descendants of those nobles once again went to the battlefield, sacrificing their lives in the most tragic war in human history, and even leaving no bones left.
Xiao Letian once said, "War is indeed cruel and terrifying, but the spiritual power within it is so damn powerful."
This kind of thing was simply unimaginable in the late Qing Dynasty in the 19th century. If a national war really broke out, not to mention the prince going to the battlefield, even the princes and ministers would have to stay back.
You damned let us noble sons and daughters go to die, grandma...it's up to you lowly Han people to do it. My sons and daughters are precious eyes. If you bump into them, be careful and I'll chop your head off.
This is purely a vicious cycle. The children of the royal family are unwilling to sacrifice and contribute, and neither are the princes and nobles. Later, the Han officials and Confucian officials also followed suit. In the end, even the common people figured it out.
"You don't want to die, you want to trick us into dying, bah... I don't care whether the Manchus are destroyed or not."
The world often laments the numbness of the people in the late Qing Dynasty. In fact, it is not numbness at all, but the simplest philosophy of survival.
King Shangtai ran wildly amidst the fire and ruins, but his heart was filled with joy. When an old world is shattered, a new world will sprout.
Lucky King Shangtai, he was lucky to meet Xiao Shangfu, lucky Ryukyu Kingdom, and all the people were lucky to meet Xiao Prime Minister. Although the difficulties in front of them are as high as mountains, as long as they can overcome them, Ryukyu is destined to become the leader of East Asia. .
A great historical opportunity unprecedented in three thousand years has hit the Ryukyu Kingdom.
