Although the hour hand on the clock tower has pointed to 8 o'clock in the evening, a teahouse in the east of the capital city of Jinan, Shandong Province, is still full of people.

In the past, it would have been dark and rumbling at night, and it would have been impossible to do anything by the shadowy light of the oil lamp. The teahouse is not a brothel of the Qinglou, whether it is watching a play or reading a newspaper, it needs a bright environment. Generally speaking, by eight o'clock the tea house is closed, where will there be customers?

However, now, Jinan has electricity and electric lights, which is very different.

The Jinan Pilot Power Station has been officially opened, and this teahouse is located on the first street in Jinan Province to be electrified, and it is the first to install electric lights.

The rumbling experimental power station will transmit an endless stream of electric energy to the city of Jinan, bringing light to the people of Jinan under Li Zhi's rule.

Because the other teahouses have no electric lights, and all of them are closed at night, so the business of this teahouse is particularly good at night. Tea guests not only come to this teahouse to drink tea, watch plays, listen to newspapers at the end of a busy day, but also come to see what this electric light is.

Every seat in the teahouse is full, often one or two groups of people sharing a table, and there are some late guests outside from time to time. As soon as the later guests entered the teahouse to see the full hall, they all sighed and admired and left helplessly.

I only heard a gong, and the "Dingxingbo vs. Jiangbei Army" on the teahouse stage was finished, and the teahouse guy took out a copper basin to receive the reward. The spectators took out two or three coins from their money bags and threw them into the copper basin, and after a while, a thick layer of coins was received from the copper basin.

Under Li Zhi's governance, the living standards of the people of Shandong caught up with Tianjin. Ten years ago, it would have been good to get a hundred dollars for a teahouse after a play. But now in Jinan, these two or three cents are really not a matter now, and often a teahouse can get five or six hundred cents after a play.

Many opera troupes from other places with unique skills have also come to Shandong to earn copper money from Shandong people, which has greatly improved the level of opera in Shandong.

For example, a few days ago, "Dingxingbo vs. Jiangbei Army" is a new drama written and arranged by the local drama troupe. Although it is a new drama, it is quite exquisite, and the level is not low.

After watching the play, the newspaper reader stood on the stage.

Other teahouses only have oil lamps at night, and it is impossible to read newspapers. But under the light of the electric light, the newspaper reader of this teahouse can read the small print on the newspaper clearly. So in this electric light teahouse, reading the newspaper every night is the most popular program.

"The new army of Jingying crossed the Yangtze River and attacked the Jiangbei army."

The first piece of news in today's newspaper attracted everyone's attention. One by one, the crowd pricked up their ears and listened carefully to what was said in the newspaper.

"The new army of Jingying has gathered 100,000 troops and will fight a decisive battle with 90,000 Jiangbei troops. If this battle is won, the anti-tax movement of the Jiangnan gentry can be put to rest. The new law of the Son of Heaven will be implemented in the world. ”

"The Son of Heaven has the intention to prove the strength of the new army in Beijing, and he did not recruit the Tiger Army to participate in the war."

"However, the king of Tianjin, as the king of the Ming Dynasty, cannot sit idly by and watch the new army of Beijing camp stand in danger. Therefore, the king of Tianjin took the initiative to send Dingxingbo Li Xing to lead an army of 20,000 to the south to contain the soldiers and horses of the Jiangbei Army in Nanchang, and to create conditions for the victory of the new army in Beijing. ”

"If the Son of Heaven wins this battle, the court will be strong! Within the four seas are the king's land. ”

Hearing the recitation of the newspaper reader, the people in the teahouse did not speak one by one. Especially when they heard the last sentence, everyone was a little stunned.

What does it mean to "all the four seas are kings"?

Next is a commentator's article: "If Beijing Camp wins, I am afraid of withdrawing one town and nine provinces". ”

This article was written by a local commentator in Shandong, and the words are spicy and to the point, telling the deep meaning behind the Son of Heaven's adventure to the Jiangbei military soldiers. The commentator said very directly: "The Son of Heaven took the risk of using troops alone, and what he sought was nothing more than prestige after a great victory!" The Son of Heaven is seeking prestige, which is nothing more than to dismantle the Tianjin system of one town and nine provinces with a heroic attitude. ”

"One town and nine provinces are not the territory of the county king, but they are under the jurisdiction of the county king. If the Son of Heaven wins this time, he will directly send officials to govern the nine provinces, and cut the king of the county into a free prince..."

The people in the teahouse listened to this, and their faces showed a look of surprise.

Is it possible that the Son of Heaven will deprive the prince of the county of his jurisdiction over Shandong and send civil officials to govern Shandong? This is undoubtedly bad news for the people of Shandong. Which of those civil servants is good? How could he have served the country and the people like the officials of the prince of the county?

If Shandong is ruled by civil officials of the imperial court again, then wouldn't the good life that the people of Shandong have lived all these years have to be returned in one day?

Immediately, the teahouse exploded. Tea guests whispered on the table, discussing the big news that would affect everyone's lives.

Suddenly, someone yelled: "Shandong is the Shandong of the king of Tianjin!" You can't let the imperial court manage Shandong! ”

The tea guests in the teahouse heard this roar and applauded in unison.

A scholar in his thirties stood up and said loudly: "What are the faces of those civil officials, everyone has seen it clearly after decades. Let them manage Shandong, and I, the people of Shandong, are the fish and meat on their chopping board, bullying and exploiting at will! ”

"Over the years, we have been managed by the king of the county in Shandong, and we are getting richer and richer day by day. Now if you find a random errand in Jinan, you can get four or two months of money to feed the family! ”

"I abandoned the book of sages and kept accounts for merchants, and I paid more than five taels a month. This kind of life, which of our people in Jinan dared to think before? ”

Hearing the words of this scholar, all the tea guests applauded in unison.

However, a middle-aged businessman said loudly: "If the imperial court defeats the Jiangbei army, it will control the entire Jiangnan." At that time, the Son of Heaven was not short of silver, and recruited 300,000 or 400,000 new troops to surround Tianjin. If the king of the county does not agree to the Son of Heaven, will he raise the banner and rebel? ”

Hearing the merchant's words, the tea customers in the teahouse fell silent again.

The Son of Heaven treats the king of the county well. With the style of the county king, he will not rebel no matter what. If the king of the county had the intention of rebellion, he would have rebelled a long time ago.

At that point, will the county king give up his power and be willing to be a free prince?

Suddenly, a young man shouted, "No! The king of the county could not send troops to help the new army of Jingying attack the Jiangbei army. If Jingying wins, Shandong will fall into the hands of civilian officials again. The king of the county is abandoning us! In any case, you can't let the county king send troops to contain Nanchang! ”

"As long as the king of the county does not send troops, where can Jingying defeat the Jiangbei army?"

When the tea guests in the teahouse heard the young man's words, they applauded in unison.

A middle-aged man dressed as a vendor stood up and said loudly: "The good days of the people of Shandong are given by the king of the county!" The king of the county wants to abandon us, and we can't say nothing! Seeing that this day is getting better day by day, something like this has happened! We must prevent the king of the county from sending troops to contain the Jiangbei army. We must gather the people and go to the governor's yamen to petition and resolutely oppose the county king's relinquishment of control of the nine provinces! ”

"Even if we fight for this life, we will also let the county king continue to manage Shandong."

Remember the mobile version URL: