Chapter 112 Celebration (Part 3) Now, let's bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new...
Amidst the anticipation of many, the busyness of some, and the intense tension of others.
Lunar New Year's Eve has arrived.
The city's residents and tourists alike all put on new clothes that they would only wear during the Lunar New Year.
Children dressed in red ran around in the street playing a team battle game, their laughter carrying far.
The elderly strolled leisurely with canes, smiling as they watched as each household pasted up Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (fortune).
Young people and middle-aged people were involved in various activities, some selling and buying things at the market, while others were helping out at the "People's Square" for the administrative office.
"It's crooked, it's crooked to the left, higher, higher."
"Don't put that tree there, it's asymmetrical and doesn't look good! Move it to the other side."
"Check the platform again. Is it safe when there are many people? Will it collapse?"
"Why don't you guys go up and jump around and try it out?"
"Aaaaaah! What's going on? Why is there such a difference in elevation? What if someone falls? Help!"
Everyone was extremely busy.
The soldiers in the camp have already changed into neat military uniforms.
It was designed by the staff of the embroidery workshop, combining the styles of predecessors and ancient military uniforms from another world. It is both warm and does not restrict movement, and it looks very imposing when worn.
They are now lining up on the other side of the square, waiting for the celebration to begin.
Some soldiers who were feeling nervous stood still and trained on their own, calling out commands and reviewing everything.
His comrade encouraged him, "Don't be nervous, we've been training for so long!"
"This square is actually named 'People's Square'?" The out-of-towner stared in astonishment at the wide square filled with people.
“Yes, yes,” the local said proudly, pointing to the stone tablet in the flowerbed (artificial flowers for winter) with four large characters engraved on it: People’s Square.
The out-of-towner was initially incredulous, but then exclaimed, "These characters are beautifully written!"
The locals proudly replied, "It was written by our goddess herself."
Needless to say, the goddess's calligraphy was exceptional, with strokes as swift and powerful as dragons.
Moreover, the goddess was generous with her writing; she personally inscribed names for academies, libraries, markets, squares, and even future exhibition halls.
"As long as they don't carve a stone statue of me and put it there, it's fine," He Qinglan said.
The people in the administrative office were speechless and puzzled: Why did the goddess always refuse to have a temple and statue erected for her?
The people of Jinzhou are deeply grateful for the goddess's blessings, and many are willing to burn incense for her for the rest of their lives.
The goddess declined several times, and no one could outwardly comply but inwardly defy her, which was a pity.
The winter sun felt warm on my skin. People from out of town looked up at the blue sky and white clouds overhead and marveled at how the weather had been sunny and warm just a few days ago, as if God had specially cleared the sky for the sake of the New Year.
His gaze fell from the sky to the distant, yet-to-open, new market.
That was the second market in Jinzhou city, and also the largest market in Jinzhou at present.
It will officially open on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The streets have been cleaned.
Most of the shops have been rented out one after another, and the quick-acting shop owners have already hired people to renovate their shops and put up signs.
In the store, goods are constantly being brought in from outside, and the owner and shop assistants are busy arranging them on the shelves one by one.
Inside the snack shop, the staff were kneading dough, washing vegetables, chopping meat, cleaning dishes and chopsticks, and arranging tables and chairs, while the female owner stood at the counter checking the accounts, both looking forward to and nervous about the opening the next day.
The staff from the Ministry of Finance of the Administrative Office, responsible for this market, brought in a batch of fireworks and firecrackers for the shop owners to use during their opening.
They shouted happily, attracting many people from the shops to come out and watch.
"It's free, consider it a New Year's gift from our Ministry of Finance. We wish you all great success in your business!"
The shop owners were naturally grateful, saying, "I've been too busy to buy anything myself, thank you for your help."
Outsiders would know this because they heard the inn's accountant read the newspaper while having breakfast in the morning.
It was quite strange that the innkeeper would have his accountant read the newspaper to the guests.
Without spending a single word, he learned about Jinzhou's current policies, recent developments, and upcoming events.
Little did they know that this was also one of the propaganda department's tactics.
After all, they spend a lot of time, manpower, and resources publishing newspapers irregularly, not to make money, but to spread the information they want to convey.
However, many people are not aware of the importance of buying newspapers. Therefore, places with high foot traffic such as inns, restaurants, and teahouses have arranged for people to read newspapers to locals and tourists.
At noon, the people began to enter the market.
Given the large number of people present today, the soldiers who were not part of the parade and were transferred from the army to maintain order on site (the city guards maintain order within the city).
Seeing the soldiers with their stern faces and menacing demeanor, the people lined up obediently, afraid of being dragged out and thrown out.
An hour and a half later, the New Year celebration began.
As the new governor of Jinzhou, He Qinglan, dressed in a red blouse, stood on the platform and addressed tens of thousands of people who looked up at her.
"Happy New Year!" A rare smile appeared on the young woman's face. "Everyone did a great job in the past year, and I hope we can do even better next year."
The people cheered.
Countless people shouted, "Happy New Year, Goddess!"
"Thank you, Goddess! Without you, I would not exist!"
Happy New Year, Goddess, Happy New Year, Happy New Year to everyone!
"We will work hard."
"We will not let the goddess down; we will build a new Jinzhou!"
...
He Qinglan nodded in satisfaction.
A clear, cool voice rang in the ears of everyone present: "Now, let's bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new!"
The military parade begins.
A vanguard battalion of one hundred soldiers marched in from the other side of the square with neat, firm, and powerful steps.
They were carrying various weapons.
They were expressionless.
Their footsteps were synchronized and clear.
They looked quite imposing.
As the troops marched past the platform, the soldiers displayed the results of their training over the past period.
"One, two!"
Everyone turned their heads in unison and simultaneously began to march in perfect unison.
The leg-lifting movements were synchronized, the height of the leg lifts was consistent, and the sound of the feet landing was uniform.
Whether viewed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, it is a straight line.
This excited the people of Jinzhou, amazed outsiders, and alarmed visitors from Ningzhou.
Whether or not they had ever seen a military parade before, everyone present was seeing soldiers and an army like this for the first time.
"My God, have my brothers been practicing this lately?"
"It looks impressive that we all walked over together!"
"The footsteps were all in unison, thump thump thump thump."
"These are our soldiers from Jinzhou! They are the soldiers who conquered the entire city of Jinzhou!"
"Look, look! That's my dad! My dad!"
"I didn't expect our soldiers from Jinzhou to be so capable; they give me a lot of peace of mind."
"These are the goddess's soldiers, of course they have to be this powerful!"
These are proud people of Jinzhou.
"So this is what a military parade is like?"
"The soldiers in Jinzhou look really tough, completely different from what I've seen in... "
"They are in good spirits. It's really different when there's no shortage of food. They are all very energetic."
"How can it be so neat!"
"I have to say, it's quite intimidating when everyone walks over in such a neat and orderly fashion."
"The soldiers of XX are not like that!"
These are surprised outsiders.
The guests from Ningzhou had very mixed feelings.
With a smile on his face, Cao Ruheng praised He Qinglan repeatedly, "The soldiers in Jinzhou are really well trained. I really didn't expect that a military parade could be like this."
Zhu Yunwei also said, "The Jinzhou soldiers truly embody the spirit of 'strict discipline and obedience' to the utmost. I admire them greatly."
"Yes, no wonder he was able to conquer Jinzhou for Governor He."
"How did they train like this?"
"They practiced so well, their movements are so neat and orderly, it makes me really want to try it myself."
The people of Jinzhou were very happy.
Everyone has worked very hard during this period, and now the results have been presented, successfully amazing all the viewers.
I feel so accomplished!
However, in front of the guests from Ningzhou, everyone smiled reservedly, as if everything was under control.
The vanguard, armed with various weapons, were the first to appear.
Next came the infantry battalion armed with long spears.
The third unit was a cavalry battalion riding fine horses and wielding curved swords.
The fourth team was the firearms battalion, and they were carrying bows and arrows.
The fifth team was the supply battalion. The soldiers carried nothing, which allowed the audience to see their arms swinging in perfect unison.
The fifth team was the leadership team composed of centurions.
Finally, chariots and siege engines appeared.
This is the Jinzhou soldiers declaring to the people they protect: We are strong enough, please believe that we can protect Jinzhou.
It's also a show of force to outsiders: if they want to take over Jinzhou, they'll have to step over our corpses first.
The military officers from Ningzhou exchanged glances.
Someone whispered, "The two things they've paired with their horses are really good."
Someone shook their head, "There are three things. Didn't you see the horse's hooves?"
"I had heard before that saddles and stirrups were being used on the northern battlefield, but I hadn't seen them myself, so I didn't know..."
"The northern battlefield?"
"The man surnamed Sun investigated He Qinglan and learned from her. When the imperial court went to war with them, naturally..."
"When we go back... it really does seem like it will allow more soldiers to learn to ride horses."
The firearms battalion wouldn't blow something up for everyone to see, so the audience didn't know what the firearms battalion used and thought it was just ordinary arson of mountains and cities.
However, they were amazed when they saw the improved chariots and siege equipment.
Mo Jingchun said softly, "Next year we will fight in the southwest and northwest, and we will go to the north to meet with the imperial court. This military parade is to tell our people and put their minds at ease."
Tell the people of Jinzhou that we have the strength to contend for the world, and ask them to trust us.
Sitting next to her, Xiang Yuesheng lowered his voice and replied, "It's also to tell all the lords in the world not to underestimate Jinzhou."
Don't underestimate the goddess.
Ning Huai'an's gaze was firm; they were about to leave Jinzhou and go on to contend for the world.
Everything starts here.
Hu Dazhu laughed and said, "Our tasks are very important."
Ning Huai'an turned to look at him, "May we both return victorious and celebrate the New Year again."
Hu Dazhu was taken aback for a moment, then flashed a set of white teeth. "You're making it sound so serious, it's a bit..." He raised his teacup, clinked it against Ning Huai'an's, and said, "Just do it!"
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Author's Note: 12000/15000
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