Among the common people, the Ming Forum gradually replaced the imperial gazette, offering more detailed information and a clearer picture of the emperor and the court's policy direction.
For the past month or so, the newspapers have been serializing the story of the Liaodong War, starting with the Later Jin's rebellion against the Ming and ending with the first time Xiong Tingbi was dismissed due to factional disputes and replaced by the civil servant Yuan Yingtai.
Although this had already happened, not many people knew clearly the dispute in the court and the real reason why Xiong Tingbi resigned.
By describing the whole story in this clear and concise way, the evil consequences of party struggles and the faces of officials from various factions who ignored the overall situation and only cared about fighting for power and profit and their own selfish interests were fully exposed.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was another merciless exposure and criticism by the emperor, which clearly showed his hatred for factional strife that harmed the country and for selfish officials.
At the same time, this was also the reason the emperor found for dismissing a large number of officials, and he occupied the moral high ground.
Although the series is still going on, considering the disastrous defeat of Liaoshen and the crisis in Guangning, and looking at the current situation in Liaodong, many people have guessed that this is the emperor proving the correctness and wisdom of his plan.
Facts speak louder than words. In the past two years, the Ming army has reversed its decline and has frequently received news of victories, both large and small, which is indeed a strong proof.
More powerful evidence continued to arrive, which once again sparked a joyous atmosphere in the capital and soon spread among the people in a more popular way.
Bang! With a knock of the wooden clapper, the storyteller in the teahouse or tavern began to tell the heroic story of 1,800 brave warriors fighting against tens of thousands of Jiannu.
The story was a bit thin at the beginning, but soon became rich and detailed under the processing of Liu Mazi, Zhao Tiezui and others, gradually reaching the level of being "heart-wrenching" and "blood-stirring".
This form of propaganda is actually easier for the people to accept than newspapers. After all, it is appreciated by both the elite and the masses, and there are very few people who can read.
Using storytellers to spread public opinion among the people was also an experiment by Zhu Youxiao. If the effect was good, other art forms would also be adopted.
Dang li ge dang, dang li ge dang! Don't talk about the old days, let's show off our tiger-slaying hero Wu Erlang; who says three bowls of wine is enough? Let's finish all the white wine and beer...
Yes, Zhu Youxiao still found the one who used a small bamboo board to gesture and speak in vernacular, with a strong Shandong accent, quite interesting. I wonder if it still exists now.
In any case, any art form that is popular among ordinary people can actually be used for public opinion propaganda, the only difference is the degree of popularity and prevalence.
Many people did not understand why the emperor did this, including Ni Wenhuan, the imperial penman who carried out the specific execution.
The sages said: "The people can be led to follow it, but not to know it." Ordinary people, illiterate, what's the point of preaching to them? There are newspapers; they can just be shown to the educated.
In fact, this is the same as the emperor's decree to add conditions to the preferential treatment for students: free teaching, which many people do not understand.
Universalizing education and improving the overall quality of the nation are high-sounding terms that Zhu Youxiao obviously did not want to say, and not many people could understand them.
Since ancient times, education has been a privilege for the minority. For ordinary people, being able to write one's own name was considered impressive, let alone being able to read a book or newspaper.
However, understanding the notices and knowing the country's policies and laws, and reading documents to avoid being deceived are exactly the basic requirements that Zhu Youxiao has for the education of the people.
Of course, this is not a goal that can be achieved overnight, but it does not prevent Zhu Youxiao from making arrangements and taking the first step from now on.
Let’s go back to the public opinion propaganda. The easy-to-understand and popular forms are like the art troupes in the army and the operas in the countryside in later generations. They have a wider audience and are more guiding.
Ordinary people are the easiest to fool. They are uneducated. How can we not guide them? The social status of the military is low. The efforts of the emperor or the court alone are not enough. Traditional public opinion is also very important.
During the Battle of Guangning, heroes such as Liu Yikuan of Xiping Fort were favored by the emperor and their deeds were publicized in newspapers. Now, with this great victory, not only the news in newspapers but also word of mouth among the people is spreading the news, which has a better effect.
Just as the heroic deeds of 1,800 brave warriors had just set off a wave of controversy, the news of their victory in conquering and destroying the Khorchin tribe, an ally of the Later Jin Dynasty, annihilating 5,000 Jiannu and capturing alive Amin, the second Beile of the Later Jin Dynasty, spread throughout the capital, causing an even greater sensation.
Although they had won battles from time to time in the past two years, including the recovery of Lushun Fort, the recovery of Jinzhou, and now the recovery of Guangning and Liaonan, it was the first time in history that they had wiped out such a large number of Jiannu and captured such a high-ranking enemy general alive.
"What kind of official position is Beile?" someone asked in confusion, and was immediately met with roll of the eyes from others.
"I call myself the Khan, and the highest rank his sons and nephews have is Beile." Someone showed disdain and explained, or perhaps even boasted, "It's equivalent to a prince. There are only four Beile in total. This Amin is my nephew."
Oh, oh, the questioner suddenly understood and scratched his head and said, "Now I remember, those 1,800 warriors fighting the Jiannu were actually fighting against the troops led by the great prince Daishan?"
"Dabeilu Daishan is the son of an old slave. He was originally the equivalent of a crown prince, but because he was soft-hearted and listened to his concubines, he abused his own son and was deposed..."
The fact that we were able to know such detailed information about the Jiannu people was due to the role of newspapers, storytellers, and Zhu Youxiao's promotion.
Just like when the storytelling "The Complete Biography of Yue Fei" was most popular, even the most uneducated people knew the gist of the story. They knew the villains Jin Wushu, Jin Danzi, and Hami Chi, and the heroes Yue Fei, Yue Yun, and Niu Gao!
One of Zhu Youxiao's goals was to let the common people understand the situation of the Jiannu and know the names of the Ming soldiers who fought bravely. Coupled with the generous rewards from the court, this fostered a culture of caring about the war and respecting soldiers.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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