"Father, mother, since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been in a dilemma, this time, my son is afraid that he will not be able to give you filial piety!"

"Wu'er rest assured, Your Majesty has a decree, and the government has an order, you should kill the enemy and serve the country!"

"Daddy! Mother! ”

The three people on the stage hugged each other tightly and froze for a few seconds before they faced the audience below the stage and bowed deeply along with the other people who came out from behind the scenes.

Ning Yu sat in the audience and took the lead in applauding, while the other ministers also followed suit and began to applaud.

"Okay, okay, this kind of drama is enough to shock people's hearts and make more people accept it!"

With a smile on his face, Ning Yu looked at Cui Wancai, the deputy assistant of the cabinet, who was sitting next to him, and admonished: "In the future Northern Expedition battlefield, there need to be more stage plays, which can better play a role in boosting morale." ”

Cui Wancai smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, since the completion of the National Center for the Performing Arts, there have been many new stage plays, but they are a little more straightforward, and many people say that it is better to watch Kunqu Opera or Erhuang." ”

At present, the National Center for the Performing Arts has not really opened, so its reputation among Shilin is not very good, almost equivalent to the existence of Goolan Washe, just like the original newspaper, too simple and easy to understand, it is impossible to be loved by Shilin, and even greatly derogatory.

Ning Yu nodded slightly, of course he knew that this kind of stage play brought by Ernst from the West would not be liked by the princes and ministers, mainly because compared with traditional dramas such as Kunqu Opera and Erhuang, it was too indecent, and even a little straightforward, but Ning Yu still chose to support it strongly, and also built a big theater to support this new stage play.

The reason is very simple, the stage play is not an elegant art for the princes and ministers at all, but a drama specially for the sergeants and soldiers of the army.

"If it is really Kunqu opera and Erhuang, I am afraid it will not be popular in the army...... If it was just a drama for a small number of people, would I still be so attentive to this? The stakes are high, and it's not as simple as you think. ”

Ning Yu couldn't help but sigh in a low voice, these gentry officials always impose their preferences on the people of the world, thinking that their preferences can cover everything, that is, they are elegant, as for the others, they are vulgar, this kind of self-righteous thinking almost covers the vast majority of the gentry officials. But the fact is that what the people like has never had much to do with elegance.

After returning to the palace, Ning Yu also summoned the cabinet ministers, the privy envoy, the privy deputy envoy and others, looked at the crowd, and said with a smile: "After reading this "Dingnan", what do you think?" ”

Although Ning Zhongjing, the first assistant of the cabinet, was busy with state affairs, he still took the time to watch this scene, stroked his beard and said softly: "If you just look at it, although it is not as good as Hui Opera and Kunqu Opera, it also has some characteristics, and the story is also very good, but it is a little more straightforward......"

Ning Zhongyi, the privy deputy envoy, moved in his heart and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, after reading it, the minister thinks it's not bad, although the story here is slightly exaggerated, for example, that Xue Zhongjing did kill seven Tusi soldiers under Guiyang City, but he didn't die in battle, and he didn't have a wife to marry waiting for him, but on the whole, it was quite good." ”

Shang Shu Ning Zhongquan of the Ministry of Education said in a deep voice: "This is nothing, after all, it is a performance, and it is nothing to exaggerate at all..... It's just that the minister thinks that if this method is used to reward the army, the effect will be quite good. ”

Ning Yu nodded slightly, and said softly: "The Northern Expedition is about to usher in, if you can organize such a song and dance troupe, it must also have a very good effect on morale....... As for the National Centre for the Performing Arts, it can also be open to the people on weekdays, and it will certainly play an inspiring role in interpreting some of the heroic deeds that happened on our front line. ”

"In addition, on weekdays, newspapers, dramas, and so on may seem inconspicuous, but if the imperial court uses them properly, it will be a good tool for governing government affairs, and they can make the imperial decrees less cold, and even better mobilize the enthusiasm of the people."

Propaganda will always be an extremely important battlefield, and Ning Yu's propaganda methods through newspapers, stage plays, and some new situations that may appear in the future will naturally not be just to find some fun for the people, but always have their own purpose.

It's like the imperial court is going to war, and it needs to boost morale and encourage the people to join the army, so you can use these propaganda methods to let more people take the initiative to enter the army, which can not only better maintain combat effectiveness, but also reduce a lot of trouble.

For another example, if the imperial court wants to implement the Industry 1.0 plan, then in order to reduce the opposition of the people, it is natural to use these methods to publicize the benefits they will bring in the future, so as to avoid greater friction and contradictions.

Whether it is to draw a pie or to really practice it, it needs to be told and spread to the ears of the people in order to have a real effect, and these cultural means of communication are excellent ways of publicity.

Speaking of this, everyone can naturally understand what Ning Yu means, but Ning Zhongjing, Cui Wancai and others are more or less worried, what they are worried about is not anything else, but the conflict of ideas involved behind this, that is, this propaganda method is essentially mobilizing the people, although it is very useful, it is also a double-edged sword.

Therefore, whether it is a newspaper, a drama or even a play, it is essentially a process of opening up the wisdom of the people, only when the people have their own ideas, will they get moved and even other emotions from this, the problem is that this idea is not necessarily completely beneficial to the imperial court, what if it is used by people with intentions in the future?

When Ning Yu listened to the worries expressed by Ning Zhongjing and others, he didn't feel too strange in his heart, because the essence of this problem was the biggest contradiction and conflict point in this era, and there was no one.

Strictly speaking, since the advent of muskets, the form of warfare has gradually changed, and after the musket technology has gradually matured, the traditional mode of warfare has been completely subverted, which has also changed the key factors in warfare.

In the classical war, everyone usually practices the strategy of elite soldiers, and the number of real front-line combat armies is always controlled at a low level, at this time, the quality of the army is greater than the quantity, and only a part of the elite is enough to lead the victory of a major war, so such as the Guanlong aristocratic group, the Mongolian aristocratic group and the Eight Banners military group, etc., have successfully achieved the world.

However, after the era of muskets, war became a queue of shots, and a group of soldiers who could be trained to go to war could be trained in three months, and those samurai who had been trained for ten or twenty years could only become a pile of rotten meat in front of the muskets, and the influence of quantity was greatly strengthened.

Just like what Ning Yu said before, by this time, war has become a mathematical problem, calculating the number of people and firepower, so that the result of the war can be obtained - of course, this is a bit of a joke, but it also reflects a point, the war in the era of firearms, from a small number of elite soldiers to a large number of ordinary soldiers, is an inevitable fact.

As for the reason why the Fu Han army has been able to win more with less, it is entirely because the Fu Han army is using a new army to beat the old army of the Qing court, if the enemy is replaced by the British army or the Russian army, then it will not be so simple to win, and then the number will become a very important determining factor.

Therefore, when people become the decisive factor in war, it is natural that more and more people need to pick up guns and go to the battlefield, with the current population of the major powers, the people with guns are theoretically enough, but how to mobilize them is the real problem.

If it is just a simple title of official and knight, it is not enough, because people will die in war, and there are not many people who just hope to use military merit to obtain wealth and status, and those who are unwilling to enter the army need to be turned into soldiers who can take up arms in order to meet the needs of this era.

For this problem, the current Western countries have begun to think, because the traditional way has gradually lost its effect, if you want to mobilize the people to fight, you need some other things, and this thing has been found by the Prussians, that is, education, through the way of education, so that the people have a sense of ownership, so that they will voluntarily fight with guns.

Ning Yu knew in his heart that Ning Chu could not carry out large-scale basic education at the moment, so in turn, he could use newspapers and periodicals, dramas, etc., to guide the people quietly, which was also Ning Yu's purpose all along.

"I used to think a lot in the past, and I deeply thought that the people could carry a boat or overturn the boat, and the decline of the Qing court naturally could not escape this truth."

Hearing Ning Yu say this, all the ministers nodded their heads, after all, the Qing court won the world by entering the customs with the Eight Banners, and there was always some reservation in the appointment of Han people, which was both used and guarded against by the Han people, which invisibly had a big shortcoming.

After all, the people in the world are not blind, in the past, only you loved Xinjueluo's official shop, so in order to be an official, it was just a matter of compromise, but since the Ning Chu incident, the people of the world have one more choice, and they began to wait and see, and after Ning Chu unified the south, the other Hanchen in the Qing court began to mumble, and everyone was thinking about the way back.

This is true of officialdom, and even more so of the people.

Seeing that everyone nodded yes, Ning Yu then threw out his thoughts, "As far as Ning Chu is concerned, it is not only the gentry and landlords in the world who want to be wooed, but also countless ordinary people, so the newspapers and periodicals must be understood by the people, and the dramas must be understood by the people, so that they will be interested in the court." ”

"This matter must be coordinated by the Ministry of Education, and seven or eight dramas must be discharged before the war, just keep it simple, the main content is on the battles we fought before, as well as the Northern Expedition, etc., the content must be reviewed!"

"Your Ministers obey."

Shang Shu Ning Zhongquan of the Ministry of Education said in a deep voice, but he had already begun to think in his heart, who will write this new book?

.........

In late April, Ning Yu took Ning Zhongjing, the deputy assistant of the cabinet, and Ning Zuyi, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, and dozens of ministers, under the escort of the first regiment of the Praetorian Guard Division, along the Yangtze River waterway towards Wuchang.

Nowadays, the two cities of Wuchang and Hanyang have completely become the production places of all the armaments in Ningchu, with more than 10 production plants of various sizes, such as gun factories, gunpowder factories, grenade factories, rocket factories, etc., and there will be a huge amount of resources flowing into these factories every day, and a large number of finished weapons are shipped out and distributed to various troops, and all the workers served by these factories alone are as many as more than 30,000 people.

In addition, as the emperor's hometown of Wuchang and Hanyang, its loyalty is also the highest, in the current Fu Han army, a large number of officers and soldiers, are from the second mansion, so Ningyu's trip to inspect is also to further stimulate the morale of the army.

Since Ningchu took the southwest, the Yangtze River waterway has been completely unblocked - theoretically speaking, Ningyu can take a boat all the way through the Three Gorges to Chongqing, of course, at the same time, the Yangtze River has also returned to its former prosperity, and there are many more cargo ships on the water.

Of course, this is only a section of waterway from Nanjing to Wuchang will seem so prosperous, after all, the two places are not small on weekdays, but it can be inferred that in the future, Ningchu through the Yangtze River waterway, can better achieve upstream and downstream connection, access to water transport dividends.

"Cui Qing, do you know how long it will take us to get to Wuchang this way?"

Ning Yu stood on the bow of the boat, wearing a brocade cloak, looking at everything on the river in the distance.

Cui Wancai was also wearing a cloak, but he said in a low voice: "If there are no other problems along the way, I'm afraid it will be there in ten days." ”

"Yes, from Nanjing to Wuchang is a boat against the current, and it takes ten days to walk on the waterway, while from Wuchang to Nanjing is to go straight down the river, and it takes three days........ But what I want to say is that if there is a ship that can only take you from Nanjing to Wuchang in the future, it will only take two days and two nights, do you believe it or not? ”

Ning Yu smiled and looked at Cui Wancai with a bit of fun.

"The minister naturally believes it, because what His Majesty said, no matter how unbelievable it seemed at the time, but it was fulfilled one by one afterwards, and now the minister has to believe it even if he doesn't believe it."

"Cui Qing deserves to be my teacher, and this alone is enough for me to learn again."

Ning Yu smiled bitterly, he originally had a little ostentatious idea in his heart, but now he didn't have it anymore, and then sighed: "When the technology of the steam engine makes some progress, this kind of ship can be realized." When that happens, it will all change a lot......"

"Steam engine?"

Although Cui Wancai has guessed many times in his heart, he still didn't think of this, and then thought about the mint and mine before, he couldn't help but be a little curious, could it be that this steam engine can be used anywhere?

If so, it will indeed be a blessing to all peoples.