The sea breeze is howling and the white clouds are changing in the sky. The entire Naha City has come to a complete standstill today. All industries have been shut down. Workers in factories and workshops took to the streets. Sailors at the dock rushed up the mountain road. Even women and children who rarely go out on weekdays. Joined the parade.
Today, the sea breeze in Naha was strong at level 6 or 7. The strong sea breeze blew from the Pacific Ocean and the flags were fluttering. People's clothes were messy, their hair was flying, and they couldn't even open their eyes.
The white clouds in the sky are changing and moving rapidly in people's eyes, and it seems that time has accelerated in a trance, and the changes in the world are just a blink of an eye.
In Naha City, the parliamentary venues built by the Chinese who spent a lot of money are currently in the final stage of renovation. It stands to reason that it is indeed disrespectful to hold such an important ceremony in such an unfinished meeting place.
But there was no time. The maintenance of the Zhiyuan had been completed. Now that the British Navy had received the news of the Chinese victory in the Far East, the British Navy suddenly changed its cold face from the previous day. All the Prussian cargo ships seized at the docks were released. Ryukyu finally waited for a very continuous supply of arms parts. .
The Zhiyuan entered the dry dock to scrape the bottom of the ship, apply paint, replace damaged parts, and even inspect every rivet on the keel. The boiler was shut down for cleaning and maintenance, and then the top-grade anthracite white coal produced in Kailuan was replaced.
The ammunition depot has also been replenished, and even random troop transports and supply ships are ready.
The trip to Europe was about to start, and Xiao Letian had no time to waste. Even if the parliament building was not completed, the dedication ceremony had to be started.
"Here it comes... Your Majesty is here!" The crowd exclaimed, and then they prostrated themselves like wheat. Both sides of the street were full of Ryukyu people kneeling in obeisance. At this moment, everyone regardless of race was a member of the Chinese ethnic group. Even the immigrants from Fusang knelt on both sides of the road, waiting for His Majesty's chariot to pass by.
Behind the flag umbrella cover is an eight-person imperial chariot slowly passing through the long street. The so-called imperial chariot is a golden sedan without a roof. King Shangtai is sitting upright in a dragon robe, holding in his arms the national treasure of Ryukyu, the household registration map, and the canonization of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. The golden seal imperial edict and the six seals.
The stern-faced King Shangtai sat cross-legged on the royal chariot like a statue. The eight strong men walked steadily, and the mountain road was like flat ground. The surrounding people knelt down and worshiped collectively, and countless people even shed tears.
"Your Majesty! Ryukyu Kingdom Zuo is still there... Do you want Ryukyu to disappear completely? Your Majesty..." There was an old and nostalgic elder in the crowd who rushed out of the military and police cordon and knelt directly in front of the imperial chariot.
King Shangtai looked at the white-haired old man and said calmly, "Wrong! My father-in-law, you are wrong... Ryukyu will not die. If you want Ryukyu to stand for another five hundred years, today is the only choice..."
"If I take this step back, I can exchange for Ryukyu's five-hundred-year-old Guo Zuo... It's already worth it!"
The royal chariot passed in front of the weeping father-in-law. On the mountain road in front was the Chinese Assembly, the most magnificent building in Naha that was about to be completed, also known as the Lower Assembly.
There are as many as eighteen buildings stacked on top of each other. This is the office meeting place of the lower council. It is a closed venue that can accommodate 20,000 people for joint meetings. In addition to daily meetings, it can also be converted into a song and dance theater at any time to provide entertainment for the citizens. Activity.
Independent full-time parliaments such as the Military Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Science Council, and the Citizen Council also placed their meeting addresses in this building complex. Only the Noble Council is special. It separated an area from Shuri Castle, plus the city. A palace was expanded outside and became the seat of the Noble Parliament.
Although the Parliament of Nobles is the main institution for formulating national policies, the Chinese practice a concept of elite governance. The Parliament of Nobles has the power to propose legislation, have the power to allocate finances, and has the power to appoint and remove officials and nobles.
Since the Parliament of Nobles directly takes orders from the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister also relies on the Parliament of Nobles to participate in and discuss government affairs, coupled with the legal system of six nobility and eighteen ranks, this place has always been commonly known as the Upper House.
The largest group of parliaments, consisting of the Citizens' Assembly, the Upper Assembly, the Citizens' Assembly, etc., is commonly known as the Lower Assembly.
Although there is a difference between the upper and lower names, in terms of legal principles, the Lower Assembly represents the Chinese people, and its political status is higher than that of the Upper Assembly. Therefore, King Shangtai's first stop must be here.
Ahead is the largest meeting hall of the Lower Parliament. The column arcade with a bit of European ancient Greek style is carved with three-dimensional patterns. Each stone pillar is as high as three stories. There are a variety of statues in the porch, and some windows have begun. The gold-plating treatment...
In order to welcome the arrival of King Shangtai, a piece of scaffolding at the main entrance of the assembly hall was temporarily removed. The other areas were still blocked by brown rope nets, making it difficult to see clearly what was inside.
But just from the corner of the main entrance, people are already amazed by the magnificence of this building.
At this moment, the major parliaments have not elected a formal speaker. All the leaders are temporarily appointed by Xiao Letian. For example, the temporary speaker of the Chinese Assembly is concurrently served by Xiao Letian himself. The temporary leader of the Chamber of Commerce is of course the old shopkeeper Fan. sickle.
The interim president of the Science Association is Dr. Huang Xie, the first Chinese doctor. The interim president of the Military Council is Xiao Hexin. Of course, he is not here today, so Sima Yun will take his place.
The Citizens' Council was concurrently served by Cai Mao, a veteran of Ryukyu. The Noble Council is also chaired by King Sangtae's former subordinate Kim Jang-sen.
"Here he comes! His Majesty has arrived in front of the main entrance of the auditorium! All the Speakers and Members will greet you quickly!"
Following the roar of the soldier who reported the news, the old shopkeeper, Sima Yun and others quickly stepped forward and walked to the edge of the square. Looking down the steps, they saw that the imperial chariot had slowly stopped in the sea of people.
"Your Majesty wants to get off the royal chariot? No, this part was not included in the previous rehearsals. The royal chariot should go directly to the palace!" Everyone was shocked.
After more than a hundred steps, King Shangtai stepped on the pedal and ordered the soldiers to let him down. The servant beside him was confused and wanted to ask, but King Shangtai stopped him directly.
"I will walk up these more than 100 steps myself!"
The chamberlain on the side had served King Shangtai all his life. When he heard this, he shed tears, "Your Majesty, you can't do it! You have already given up the power of a country, how can you still go up... The royal chariot went directly to the palace to accept the blessings of the ministers. Kneel down, this is the honor you deserve!"
"Shut up! What do you know! What moment is this? This is a moment that will go down in history. I didn't say a word here, and I will go down in history without taking a step and become a memory in the hearts of future generations!"
"I have already dedicated myself to government. If I don't take advantage of the last opportunity to win the sympathy of the people, I will have no chance in the future! If the Shang family royal family wants to survive in the future and be rich for a long time, there is no other way except the love of the people. !”
"Get off the chariot, I'll get up!"
