In the minds of the people who did not escape, there was a night of gunfire, and there were probably many dead people on the streets today. Xiao Letian started his career in the East China Sea, and he relied on killing all the way. The Ryukyu Japanese were almost wiped out by him. Many Tanggu Eight Banners soldiers and Green Camp soldiers also died.
Xiao Letian finally reached Beijing today. He hasn't gone on a killing spree yet. Maybe the imperial treasury and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been robbed by him now. Isn't that the case for all rebels in the world?
But what surprised them was that instead of being dead on the street, it was extremely clean. All intersections were covered with notices for peace of mind. Proud new troops were standing guard, and their rifles were equipped with shining bayonets. It was dazzling to see.
The timid ones retreated home directly, while the bold ones only dared to wait and watch at the door of their homes. Even if the new army nodded to them, these people did not dare to approach.
But life must go on. The rice jars of the rich are full, but if the poor don't go out and find something to do, the whole family will go hungry. Gradually, the hungry ones who can't stand it come out.
"Master Bing... I went to a rice store to buy some mixed noodles. The whole family is so hungry that I can't stand it any more... I beg Master Bing to show me your kindness..." There is always the first person to speak, and Xinjun's answer surprised everyone. They were shocked.
"There is no curfew in Beijing City, and we are not rebellious officials and traitors. Now all the bandits in Beijing City have been suppressed. Elders can move around freely without fear..."
The cry of an elder softened people's hearts. When had the untouchables ever heard a soldier call him an elder? The old man almost cried at that time, but the words of the new army made him even more incredible.
"Elders, if you want to buy food, I suggest you go buy it in the afternoon. This afternoon, Prime Minister Xiao shipped a large amount of Annan rice and Japanese and Korean rice from the sea. The quantity is very large. It is estimated that the high food prices in Sijiu City will be reduced in the afternoon. Half of it fell.
"Really." The old man almost jumped up in surprise. Ever since the palace opened in Sijiu City, prices in the city have been spiraling upwards, and the little savings the family has have long been spent.
It was the sniper Ye Qiu who patiently explained to the old man. Each battle made him mature quickly, especially the martial arts performance in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which made the new army's proud hearts fly to the sky.
Proud but not arrogant, this is the motto of the New Army. Under Xiao Letian's strict military orders, all soldiers must not disturb the people. The Iron Army has its own pride.
"Our prime minister is the God of Wealth riding a black tiger. He will deceive the people of the Qing Dynasty. My prime minister will not deceive the Ryukyus or Japanese, but he will also deceive you."
"Look at this notice. It says very clearly that while the New Army is stationed in the capital, any behavior that disturbs the people can be reported to Huahua Hutong. The Prime Minister will personally make the decision for you. Just wait. The food will be delivered in the afternoon. I won't come to you until I come. I……"
"This is really an eye-opener for the Bodhisattva. Old man, I will inform the neighbors."
Soon the news that Prime Minister Xiao of Donghai was transporting grain to Beijing spread throughout the four and nine cities. As expected, the power of food is infinite. Eating overcame fear, and the people finally dared to take to the streets.
A large group of people surrounded the Anmin notices at all intersections. The cautious people did not dare to approach the soldiers. They only dared to form a circle from a distance and read the words on the notices.
"Look, it says that there is a villain in the imperial court, instigating discord between the two empresses, and even framing the innocence of the east empress. This is the reason for the palace change..."
"Damn it, the traitor who deceived the Queen Mother turned out to be Ande Hai and an imperial guard named Sister Wu. We all know, Mr. An, who this Sister Wu is."
"God knows, but it's not surprising that An Dehai can do such a thing. That guy is greedy. Anyone who gave him a gift of less than 10,000 taels would not want to come in..."
"Look, there's more to come. Mailer led troops to encircle Tanggu and harmed the people. The villages near Tanggu were slaughtered, countless corrupt scholars were raped, and countless family properties were looted...According to statistics, the number of soldiers and civilians in Tanggu has been killed and injured. As high as ten thousand people, the sea and rivers turned red..."
"The New Army, out of anger for the civilian population, shot Mailer to death on the outskirts of Wuqing and sent his body back to Tanggu to be exposed for three days."
"Oh my God, there's this one."
The whole Forty-Nine City was in a state of shock. They only knew that Mailer's army was going out for the war. On the day of farewell, the common people saw a great bustle. People even shouted a few auspicious words of victory, but they never expected that Mailer would actually He is capable of massacring a city.
Not only that, the notice also announced the atrocities committed by Andehai to massacre the people of Langfang. This made the capital even more sensational. In the eyes of the people of Sijiu City, Tanggu was already a very far away place, and they were nowhere to be seen. relative.
But Langfang is different. It is almost a satellite city of Beijing. The customs and accents of the two places are the same. Relatives surround relatives and friends surround friends. It’s like breaking bones and connecting tendons.
"Andhei, you deserve to die, you are a beast... cut him into pieces with a thousand cuts, kill this eggless thing..." The crowd suddenly started to boil.
The people's hearts were mobilized in this way. Xiao Letian struck while the iron was hot. The New Army cavalry came out from the nine gates with notices. All the countryside, markets, and counties were covered with the Prime Minister's notices to calm the people.
Not only that, Xiao Letian published an issue of his own newspaper in the name of the imperial court. In it, he expressed his sincerity of loyalty to the emperor and the country. play hard.
At the same time, Xiao Letian, as the prime minister of the vassal state and the prime minister of the special zone, petitioned the court, hoping to hold a court meeting at the end of the year to discuss the latest version of the "Eight Kings' Discussion".
Xiao Letian stood in the study garden, listening to the endless reports from his subordinates, feeling extremely proud in his heart.
"This is a battle for the hearts and minds of the people. I want to selectively put the labels I need in the hearts of the people of the Qing Dynasty. All you have to do is to make the people of the empire think of the three words "Xiao Letian" when they mention them. The label..."
"God of wealth, new army, strong, food, clean...and handsome."
"Ah." The pencil in Chun Shisanniang's hand dropped to the ground. "Prime Minister, I know everything about the God of Wealth, new armies, strength, including food. What is the use of being clean and handsome?"
Thirteenth Niang’s question was the question of everyone around her. Xiao Letian said with a smile, “The reason is very simple, because this is a world where faces are judged.”
"I don't understand. Then let me ask you, have you ever heard of such a saying, 'Looking at a person is not like a ruler.' This is the original saying written by Mencius and King Hui of Liang."
"The people are large and mixed, and their education levels are also uneven. It is impossible to satisfy hundreds of millions of people with the same truth, and we cannot explain the truth to the people one by one..."
"Although we now have the ability to print a large number of newspapers, the low literacy rate of the people is a big problem. I am afraid it will have to wait until four or five years before newspapers are really effective..."
"At this time, how can we win the favor of the people as quickly as possible? Yes, he is handsome... Starting from today, the new army must wear new military uniforms whenever they leave the camp. All officers must go to the streets in full uniform. Then I also To issue military appearance orders, sloppy soldiers in the new army will have to be whipped..."
"Don't underestimate the word handsome. Our new army will become the secret crush of girls and wives all over the world. If we want all young boys to envy our military uniforms, we must let them get close to us unconsciously. A handsome man Do you know how many hearts and minds this word can win for us?"
"Let me tell you clearly, it's so big that you can't even imagine it."
Xiao Letian sneered and said, "This is called differentiated propaganda. If there is no difference between us and the Manchus in the hearts of the people, that will be our great misfortune. The battle for people's hearts and minds starts from these details."
Understood, everyone suddenly realized it. They began to take shorthand notes of recent work tasks, and brand-new orders began to be issued. The sound of horse hooves in the Flower Alley became the new political center of the Qing Dynasty.
The meeting lasted until noon, and the officers were not polite. Each of them ate a large portion of the noodles cooked by Haiwan Fuhui himself. He ate a round of noodles in a daze with the vegetables. Then he put the bowl of rice on the table and shouted, " Thank you madam, we are going to work..." After that, they left in a hurry.
Xiao Letian was not idle at home either. After finishing the noodles, he walked out. Fuhui couldn't stop him. "I just finished eating and rested for a while. I'm not afraid that the cavalry may have lost their appetite. Let's have a sip of warm tea before leaving."
"No time, no time. Today is the critical moment for me to officially appear in front of the people of Beijing. I can't delay..." He ran away as soon as he spoke.
Fuhui looked at Xiao Letian's back, and the warmth in her heart almost surged out. Then she looked back at the messy sea bowls in the room. She smiled, shook her head and tidied them up virtuously.
"Madam, don't do anything, please let us do it." The maid was frightened and hurried over to plead guilty.
At this time, Fuhui no longer had the majesty and aura of the previous master. She smiled and said, "Let's do it together. Since I follow such a new man, I have to learn a little bit from the new style. I'm afraid the old rules won't work in the future." , I discussed it with the master last night. After the New Year, I will free you from slavery. From now on, don’t call yourself slaves anymore..."
The eyes of several maids were red at that time: "Madam, don't you want us? If we don't leave, we will never leave here for the rest of our lives."
"Silly girls, of course I want you, but I don't need you to be slaves anymore. You are all hired by me. I will pay you monthly wages. From now on, you are free people."
Freeman, such a distant and unfamiliar word, the servants of the Fuhui family were stunned.
When Xiao Letian started to inspect the capital on horseback, the shadow of the grain team also appeared outside the Guangqu Gate. Those people who closed their country in the late Qing Dynasty had never seen the powerful power of industry and commerce in the outside world.
With the purchase order from Tanggu Lotte & Foreign Company, the entire East Asian business circle was mobilized. Cheap rice from Annan and Southeast Asia began to go northward one after another. There were also fleets transporting grain from Shanghai to the Jiangnan area. There's no end in sight.
Businessmen from Japan and North Korea also took action. In order to exchange for Mexican Eagle Ocean and to obtain future orders from Lotte & Co., they began to squeeze the few rice reserves in the country and transfer ship after ship to Tanggu.
In the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea, as long as there is a grain transport ship with the Lotte Ocean flag hanging above the bed, no country dares to make things difficult. Even pirates have to stay away. There is no other reason. The Ryukyu naval battle really shocked East Asia and shocked everyone They were all frightened.
This day is a day of celebration for the people of Beijing. This is the first time they have tasted the benefits of international bulk trade. Xiao Letian's reputation has risen.
