As soon as midnight arrives on New Year's Eve, loud bells ring, firecrackers and salutes resound through the sky, colorful fireworks light up the starry sky, and the new year kicks off. A new year, a new beginning, for Wan Lei
To put it simply, it is just the second step in a long march of thousands of miles.
From the first to the tenth day of the lunar month, I went to the army to pay New Year greetings to the officers and soldiers stationed there. I traveled hundreds of kilometers back and forth and visited all military camps. From the eleventh to the fifteenth day, I visited the people and had fun with them, especially on the Lantern Festival.
A flag-raising ceremony was organized in the morning, and the government flag voted for in a referendum - blue sky and red
The Japanese flag was hoisted on the square in the center of the city for the first time, and the emblem of the government - the Great Steel Wall of Mountains and Rivers - was also hung high on the bell tower of the Century Clock. Various flag emblems designed based on the emblem of the government flag were also displayed in various places at the same time.
In front of the party, government and military headquarters, it serves as a symbol of Sunchon Mansion’s independence and self-reliance.
Tie Xuan originally did not support doing these things. In his opinion, these flags and emblems were just formalism and had no practical value. They would only arouse the suspicion of the court, so it was better to do less. But Wan Lei knew: this
This kind of formalism is necessary, just like the Confucian philosophy of governing a country by etiquette. The regular flag-raising ceremony is a ritual that unites people's hearts. In the future, as long as the flag does not fall, people's hearts will not disperse.
On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, after the first party meeting, Wan Lei approached Tie Xuan: "I want to start a newspaper and find a well-known literati in the Ming Dynasty to be the chief writer. Do you have a suitable candidate?"
"Newspaper?" Tie Xuan was confused and didn't know what Wan Lei was going to do.
"Newspapers are equivalent to official newspapers. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a general administration department that specialized in reporting the emperor's daily life, words and deeds, edicts, imperial edicts, edicts, laws, etc., as well as the appointment, promotion, removal, rewards and punishments of officials, etc. There were ministers and
Are the memorials of various local officials, as well as a small number of occasional social news anecdotes, compiled into a volume, and then released to local officials?"
"Oh, there is such an organization. However, the Di Bao is to convey the court's policies and explain the laws of the court. At the same time, it publishes the experience of officials from various places in managing local areas so that officials at all levels across the country can learn from each other. If we want to run such a Di Bao
"You shouldn't use outsiders." Tie Xuan still had doubts.
"The newspaper I want to run is different from the Di Bao. This newspaper is not just for the internal officials of Shuntian Prefecture." Wan Lei said a lot. In fact, it has only one purpose, to expand the cultural influence of Shuntian Prefecture.
Win over people's hearts and enhance their sense of identity.
"I see, I have a candidate, but I don't know if he is suitable. Please come to my house to see me tomorrow." Tie Xuan knew that once Wan Lei decided on something, it must be done, so he didn't raise any objections.
Opinion.
It is said that before the troops and horses are moved, food and grass should go first. This is the wise saying of military strategists. However, for a strategist, this is not enough. The so-called good warrior has no great achievements. Before the troops and horses are moved, public opinion should be moved first.
.Before the Red Scarf Army uprising decades ago, the old trick of "a stone man with one eye can instigate rebellion across the Yellow River" was used. Even before Zhu Yuanzhang embarked on the Northern Expedition, he had to issue a message to criticize the Yuan Dynasty.
To see and listen correctly.
Of course, Wan Lei is not as superstitious as the ancients, and the power of Shuntian Prefecture is still very weak. He cannot blatantly put up slogans and set up flags. He can only use the cultural expansion method of running periodicals, that is, he must try his best to show the world the civilization and prosperity of Shuntian Prefecture.
, and try not to arouse the hostility of the court. This is called soft power expansion.
Since this journal was not only published within Shuntian Prefecture, but also promoted to the Ming Dynasty, the content must be simple and straightforward and popular with the people. Another purpose of issuing the journal is to control public opinion and spread the message that Shuntian Prefecture values people's livelihood and loves the people.
facts, and let the people see the emperor's true nature clearly, so as to win over people's hearts.
Of course, if this kind of periodical that propagates the idea of "the people value the monarch over the emperor" is published within the Ming Dynasty, it will definitely cause controversy. To deal with those doglegs who loyally protect the Lord, the literati from the Ming Dynasty must be used to fight against them.
They completely refute it, let more people see their true colors, and then treat them
Only through verbal and written criticism can we completely occupy the battlefield of public opinion, let the people's idea of valuing the emperor over the emperor completely defeat the feudal idea of ignorance and loyalty, and let the people know that the world is not the emperor's world, but the world of the people. Who can govern the world well?
Only by allowing people to live a good life can they be qualified to be elected as leaders.
At the same time, periodicals would also publish advertisements for some products of Shuntian Prefecture, letting the people of the Ming Dynasty know that the products produced by Shuntian Prefecture were of high quality and low price, so as to enhance their yearning for Shuntian Prefecture.
In this world, material desire is the most powerful driver of society. If the people do not have enough to eat or wear, and the imperial court tries its best to sell melons to boast, the people will not be fooled.
At noon the next day, Wan Lei was discussing the establishment of the open-hearth steelmaking plant with Tie Xuan when he saw a government official come in and reported to Tie Xuan: "Mr. Liu is here and is waiting for you in the side hall."
"Let someone bring tea and fruit snacks immediately, and we will go over right away." Tie Xuan put down the stack of drawings in his hand and said to Wan Lei: "Xiannephew, the person you want to invite has been invited. Let's go over to meet him.
.”
"Oh." Wan Lei responded, stood up, straightened his appearance, and then followed Tie Xuan.
The person who came was a middle-aged man who looked about forty-five years old. He was wearing a Taoist robe with several patches on it. He looked like a well-dressed scholar. If Tie Xuan hadn't mentioned it in advance, Wan Lei would not have been afraid to believe it.
This is actually the son of an earl.
You must know that the Ming Dynasty had very strict management of titles. Except for relatives of the emperor, those who had made great military achievements could not be given titles. As a scholar, Liu Ji had never killed the enemy in battle, and he was not Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown.
Party, being able to confer a hereditary earl is already considered outstanding.
As the second son of Liu Ji, Liu Jing was eligible to inherit his father's title due to his brother's early death, but he gave up the title to his nephew. However, his nephew was unlucky and died two years after succeeding to the title.
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to intend to eliminate the title of the Liu family and never granted it to the Liu family. Liu Jing lost his official position due to an incident a year ago, and his salary was gone, which inevitably made his life difficult.
Tie Xuan gave an introduction to both parties. Liu Jing glanced at Wan Lei a few times and seemed a little surprised. Finally, the two parties sat down separately. However, he still did not take the initiative to talk about anything. Instead, he exchanged greetings with Tie Xuan and exchanged views on the Yellow River.
The impact of flooding on the people shows that he still cares about the world.