There is another scene on the outskirts of the west gate of Jinxia City.
Temporary camps previously established for refugees can naturally also be used to house captives.
But rather than cleaning their bodies, what they need more is a full meal to dispel the coldness accumulated along the way.
The Secretariat is not stingy in this regard. The porridge uses seasonal grains stored in the granary. After cooking, you can insert chopsticks to keep it from pouring. The porridge was mixed with salt and fish mince, which was delicious and filling. It was more abundant than the food in the Privy Council's army.
The prisoners had never experienced such treatment. They all held bowls and wolfed down the food.
Even if this is the last meal in your life, you have to eat before you go on the road.
"Master Hong, the stage in the camp has been set up and can start at any time." Ding Pan reported to his superior. Ever since Hong Siqi turned his back on the dark side and officially gave up his official title of prefect, joining the Affairs Bureau and becoming the head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he, who was originally a domestic servant, also got a secret position.
Although the rank of this position is not high, it is also listed in the Secretariat. In layman's terms, it is the "official of the imperial court." Ding Pan is overjoyed to be able to achieve this position as a domestic servant. For him now, the most important thing is for Jin Xia to defeat the imperial court and completely replace it. At the worst, he must maintain his independence. Only in this way can he secure his official status and become a master in one fell swoop.
Of course, Ding Pan also knows that the propaganda of the Secretariat has always emphasized that officials should serve the people, so he can only think about this in his heart, but this does not prevent him from working hard towards this goal. For example, when it came to dealing with prisoners, Ding Pan was particularly concerned about letting these people go. They might still return to the enemy's army, so if he wanted to weaken the power of the Privy Council, it was best to keep them all.
This was also the thought in Hong Siqi's heart.
In other words, people who have served in the imperial court and the Privy Council of Qi State will have the same expectation that their status will be stable only when the original regime falls.
Hong Siqi vaguely realized that Xia Fan saw this and entrusted him with the task of guiding the prisoners.
"Let's go over there."
The so-called stage is a ten-foot-square stage. When Hong Si climbed on it, the prisoners below were being escorted in one after another. It can be seen that after a hearty meal, everyone looks much better than when they got off the boat, and their eyes also have a little sparkle. However, when they were brought here by the Jinxia City guards, they showed obvious uneasiness and even some resistance.
Hong Siqi thought about it for a while, and suddenly realized that the stage was built in a hurry, so the layout was rather crude. At first glance, it looked a bit like a guillotine.
"Look what a stage you've put up!" Naturally, he would not admit that this was his omission, and Ding Pan scolded him, "Don't you think it looks shabby? Go buy some colored silk quickly and decorate it around. Both sides Putting a few more flower pots will save money here!"
Seeing the latter nodding quickly to do it, Hong Siqi cleared his throat and said loudly to the prisoners, "Everyone, listen to me."
Under the effect of the amplified notes, his voice instantly spread throughout the western suburbs camp, and the more than 5,000 people below immediately became much quieter.
"This is not an execution ground. You don't need to worry about being decapitated. On the contrary, during this time in Jinxia City, you can enjoy the same meal every day until you get rid of your status as a prisoner."
As soon as they heard that they had enough food to eat every day, everyone's uneasiness was immediately curbed. No matter what the situation was in the future, at least they could feel relieved in the short term.
After the fear temporarily dissipated, it was replaced by doubt and speculation.
"Is Her Royal Highness really so kind?"
"There's meat in those white porridges."
“What does it mean to be freed from captivity?”
"They probably put us into the army."
Hong Siqi pretended not to hear the discussion and continued to speak loudly, "Now that we have eaten, it's time to talk about business. But it must be boring to listen to me nagging here alone, and it may not be very good. We understand Jinxia’s policies, so I’d better let you listen to Dr. Tea tell a few stories first.”
After saying that, he actually walked towards the audience.
Next on the stage were a tea doctor and two piano girls.
This was the first time the prisoners encountered such a situation, and they all stayed where they were. The other party didn't care what the audience's reaction was. After playing a little tune, Dr. Tea told the story on the spot.
There are only a handful of entertainment projects in this era, especially for the lower-class soldiers. What’s more, what the other party is talking about is not the entanglement between the young master and the eldest lady, but a new generation of vernacular written by the Propaganda Department at the request of Xia Fan. The easy-to-understand beginning quickly made everyone immersed in it.
The story tells the past of three representative characters.
One is a soldier who was forcibly recruited into the army.
"He" originally had a happy family, but because of the outbreak of the war, he was forced to join the army by the yamen. He ate pie and gruel and received the lowest pay. Even so, he would be exploited by his superiors from time to time, and he would always be in front of the generals in battle. Comrades from all walks of life died in battle one after another. Although he was lucky enough to survive to the end, when he was sent home, he found that his family had declined, his wife was prematurely old, and his family property had been sold off, leaving him with only a piece of deserted land.
One is a brothel girl who has the courage to travel from Gyeonggi to Jinxia alone in the face of change.
This part is basically based on Yu Shuangxue's experience, but in the story, her experience is more tortuous. In the end, under the care of the policy, she succeeded in her career, got married smoothly, and lived a happy life in a new city.
The third is the deeds of Huo Ying, an official in Baisha County.
From an ordinary scholar to a reserve official of Jinxia City, and then to his heroic sacrifice to protect the mines, this event is remembered by all Shenzhou residents. While his widow and descendants received generous pensions, they also received the respect of the neighbors and the care of the Secretariat. , in sharp contrast to the neglected soldiers in the first story.
There are many more stories like this in the Propaganda Department. However, after repeated reference and comparison, Hong Siqi finally chose these three stories as the focus of his preaching.
He is a prefect and has also done conscription work. He understands the living conditions of the lower-class soldiers. In his opinion, the first story is already euphemistic. In fact, when the main labor force of a family is conscripted, the subsequent consequences are far worse than It's terrible to have a wife and children separated. How long you can survive depends on how much savings you have in daily life. This is also the most worrying thing for soldiers, that is, after finally escaping the battle of life and death on the battlefield and returning to their hometown alive, they find that their former home has long been changed, their farmland has been occupied, and their wives have been snatched away, but they have no one. Revenge everywhere.
As Hong Siqi expected, the first story resonated greatly with the prisoners. When Dr. Tea talked about how the protagonist returned to his hometown and found that his family had experienced drastic changes, there was even a low cry in the scene. With Qin Nu's sad tune, the atmosphere was a little solid for a while, so he had to interrupt the narration on the stage. , to avoid causing riots.