Chapter 130 Gymnasium

Song Yuzhu asked anxiously: "How is Changle now?"

"The princess is fine on the viewing platform, but I can't get close to her because she is surrounded by the people."

"How could a stampede happen?" Song Yuzhu rushed towards the carriage next to him.

When he chose the location, he specifically chose this open space outside Beijing because he was afraid that too many people would cause overcrowding. In addition, the competition venue was next to the military camp, so if chaos occurred, the soldiers could be dispatched at any time to stop it.

The person in charge of delivering the message was Deputy General Yang Ping. As he walked, he said, "Too many people came to watch the game today. Before the morning hour, the area was already full of people. There was also a steady stream of people heading towards the outskirts of Beijing."

Shangjing has a permanent population of 370,000. I'm afraid that more than 100,000 people have gone there today, causing the entire West Camp to be overcrowded.

Song Yuzhu got on the carriage and was escorted by a large group of people towards the west gate. On the road, many people could be seen walking towards the west gate, but there were already soldiers stopping them and persuading them to turn back.

When they reached the west gate, General Chai Rong ran over to stop the holy cross and said, "Your Majesty, you can't go! It's too chaotic over there now."

Song Yuzhu lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Princess Changle is still there!"

"I have already sent people in to protect the princess." Song Yuzhu was still worried: "Why did things suddenly get chaotic?"

"Someone outside the city is deliberately creating chaos."

When Song Yuzhu heard this, she thought to herself, "As expected! In such a spacious place, it is impossible for the people to cause a stampede. Someone must have instigated it."

"Where's Du Chong?"

"Your Majesty, he has been reflecting on his mistakes at home these days."

"What are you thinking about? Let him come here quickly!"

"Yes!" Chai Rong quickly asked his subordinates for a horse and hurried towards Du's house.

"Yang Ping, send someone to find some thin wooden boards."

"Hey..." Although Yang Ping didn't know what the emperor wanted the wooden board for, he immediately did it after receiving the order.

Soon Du Chong and Chai Rong came riding over on a horse. Just as he was about to kneel down and apologize, Song Yuzhu lifted his collar and said, "Go up to the tower quickly and tell the people to go back!"

"Yes, sir!" Du Chong was famous for his loud voice, and he had never lost a challenge on the battlefield.

Holding the hem of his clothes, he ran up the tower in two steps, cleared his throat and shouted, "All people, listen up! Turn around and go back to the city now, and don't push forward any further!"

The people crowded outside were stunned for a moment when they heard the sound, and some of them obediently started to walk back.

However, there were still people shouting, "Hurry up! We won't be able to watch the game soon!" When the people around heard this, they crowded forward more anxiously.

"Stop pushing! Stop pushing, we can't move forward!"

"Oh! Who stole my purse?"

"Hey, who's stepping on my foot?" People were shouting, drowning out Du Chong's voice, and no one went back.

Song Yuzhu also climbed up to the city wall. Looking ahead, he saw a huge crowd of people, packed together like sardines in a can.

This cannot go on. If someone falls, it will definitely cause a larger stampede.

After a while, Yang Ping came over with a pile of thin wood chips. These wood chips were about two feet square and only as thick as a few layers of paper.

"Your Majesty, this is a piece of wood I found at a nearby coffin shop. I wonder if it can be used."

Song Yuzhu bent the wood piece with his hands and found it was very tough. He rolled it into a bucket shape. Song Yuzhu tried it with the small hole in the middle and found the sound amplification effect was quite good.

"General Du, use this to make a public announcement and tell them that anyone who disobeys the order will be fined 500 coins."

"Hey!" Du Chong took the loudspeaker and shouted.

"All citizens, listen up! If you don't return to the city, you will be fined 500 coins!"

When they heard that the fine would take effect immediately, the people behind couldn't wait to run back, and the crowd suddenly rushed towards the city gate.

The city gate was narrow, and Song Yuzhu was afraid of causing another stampede, so he quickly climbed up the city wall and said, "Calm the people and don't let them worry."

Du Chong hurriedly said, "Don't be anxious, line up and enter slowly. Anyone who deliberately crowds will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane!"

The speed slowed down and everyone entered the city in an orderly manner.

Some people in the crowd seemed to not want this farce to end, and shouted: "Everyone, don't leave! With so many people here, the government will definitely not punish us."

"I heard the competition is very interesting. If you miss it, you won't know when you can see it next time!"

However, the people were not fools, so how could anyone listen to them? If they really had to pay a fine, they would pay it! Five hundred coins were enough for an ordinary family to live on for a month.

Chai Rong had good eyesight and took the opportunity to catch these instigators. He would bring them back to the imperial prison for strict interrogation.

Soon the people outside were cleared out, and the people inside slowly lined up to go back. The soldiers blocking the barracks were finally able to come out to maintain order.

The injured civilians were carried to the military camp for treatment. More than ten were seriously injured and more than seventy were slightly injured. Fortunately, no one died in this accident.

However, the city defense camp and the Ministry of Rites were unlucky. The reason for the crowding was that the Ministry of Rites made a mistake in judgment and did not pay attention to the increase in the number of onlookers. Then the city gates continued to let people out, causing this accident.

In order to avoid further accidents, the sports meet was forced to be cancelled, and a good event was ruined.

*

Song Yuzhu took Song Yutong back from the stands. The little girl was not afraid. She leaned on Song Yuzhu's shoulder and said, "Brother, I saw someone deliberately making a noise and making the people behind squeeze the people in front. They are so mean!"

"Yes, my brother has sent people to arrest them."

Song Yuzhu suddenly had an idea and said, "Tongtong, do you have a way to prevent the people from crowding so much next time?"

Song Yutong thought for a moment and said, "Make a lot of stools. When they are full, don't let them in anymore."

"Isn't it unfair that you can't see people?"

The little girl frowned and thought for a while before saying, "You can buy a spot with money. If people who can't buy it can't see it, it's not unfair."

Song Yuzhu didn't expect that she could think of these things at such a young age. They were almost the same as the rules for buying tickets to enter in later generations! He pinched her little face and said, "Next time, brother will do it according to your method!"

We still have to hold the sports meet, but we can’t do it in such a simple and crude way.

Song Yuzhu planned to build a sports stadium that could accommodate thousands of people directly in the western suburbs. The outer part would be built into a stepped stand, and the middle would be the competition venue. If you want to watch the game, you have to buy a ticket to enter. This would promote sports and boost the economy, killing two birds with one stone.

The next morning, when Song Yuzhu put forward his idea at the court, it was refuted by many people in the court.

"Your Majesty, building such a venue is a waste of money and manpower and is really not advisable."

"Yes, this stampede has served as a reminder that ordinary people should not be allowed to participate in sports events."

The speaker was Wei Hao, the commander of the Military Department. Two days ago, his men participated in that stupid relay race and were made fun of by the people from Xuanyi Building. He lost face and became more and more opposed to the sports meeting. Hearing that the emperor was going to hold it in the future, he quickly came out and said a few words.

However, the Minister of Revenue Liu Lin said, "It is a good thing to encourage the people to keep fit. We cannot give up because of this mistake. I think the idea proposed by Your Majesty is very good."

The Minister of Works beside him coughed and said, "I second the motion."

As soon as the two of them spoke, the noise of the quarrel in the court suddenly became much quieter. After all, one contributed money and the other contributed labor, and no one objected. If they objected again, it would seem a bit ungrateful.

Song Yuzhu gave Liu Lin an admiring look. This kid is smart. He would not do a business that would lose money. He must be thinking that the gymnasium can make a profit.

After the court session, Song Yuzhu summoned Liu Lin and Ji Mingli to the Shangshufang to discuss the matter.

Song Yuzhu showed them the sketch of the stadium he had drawn last night. This sketch was based on the appearance of the largest stadium in his memory. However, the construction was a bit difficult, so he simplified the overall plan.

"My Lords, please estimate how much silver it would cost to build such a large venue?"

Ji Mingli was the best at calculating costs. He took a look at the sketch, first calculated the floor area, then the material and labor costs, and finally added them all together and gave a quote of 1.5 million taels of silver.

This offer was quite reasonable. Liu Lin stroked his beard and calculated, "How much more would it cost for Lord Ji to build ten independent small pavilions on the high platforms on the south and north sides?"

"The size of the pavilion depends on its size."

"Put in a table, chairs and benches that can accommodate four people."

Ji Mingli added another 100,000 taels of silver, and finally settled on 1.6 million taels.

Song Yuzhu asked in confusion: "Jingjie, why did you ask Master Ji to build pavilions on both sides?"

Liu Lin cupped his hands and said, "I think those rich people would definitely not want to be crowded together with the common people. It would be better to build some independent places for them to watch the game."

"Of course, these places are not given to them for free. They cost one hundred taels of silver per visit. I think those people must be happy to spend this money."

Song Yuzhu couldn't help laughing: "You! You are only interested in money!" The idea of the VIP viewing area is not bad. It turns out that the ancients were just like modern people, with endless ideas for making money.

Ji Mingli beside him couldn't help laughing. He really understood the name of the sports event. "Does it cost money to enter here to watch the sports event?"

Liu Lin said: "Of course you have to spend money, you have to buy tickets to watch a play. But the price can't be too high, this is a long-term business, we have to rely on repeat customers."

Ji Mingli asked, "Ten cents per time?"

"Ten coins is too little. I can't make much money. A match must sell for at least three hundred coins per ticket. If five thousand people watch, that's one thousand five hundred taels of silver. If you add the viewing platform next to it, I can make at least two thousand taels of silver per match."

Dozens of competitions, big and small, are held every year, so the money is earned back, right?

Song Yuzhu nodded and said, "We can also hold cultural performances here on weekdays."

The two wondered, "What is a theatrical performance?"

"It's just singing and dancing. There are many famous singers and dancers in Shangjing. If we invite them to perform here, I think there will be a lot of people to support them."

Liu Lin clapped his hands and said, "This is a good idea!"

After the matter was finalized, the Ministry of Revenue allocated money and the Ministry of Works was responsible for construction.

Just as Song Yuzhu sent the two people away, the system in his head suddenly issued a shrill alarm.

Song Yuzhu was startled and quickly opened the system to check, and saw a line of small words appearing on it: The territory is under attack.

Song Yuzhu quickly opened the map. The entire territory of Daqi was intact, and there was no sign of being attacked.

After looking around, Song Yuzhu suddenly remembered Roufuzhou in the Strait of Malacca and clicked on it to take a look.

As expected, this place can no longer be viewed. It shows that the regime in the area has changed and it is no longer under the jurisdiction of Daqi.

Song Yuzhu's eyes darkened. This was his rubber plantation, how could he give it to others?

"Come here, send someone to recruit the admiral of the navy to come to the capital!"

(End of this chapter)