Chapter 789: What Can I Do?
As the film concluded, a subdued atmosphere settled over the VIP section.
Lian Guoshi was the first to rise, letting out a long sigh and brushing down his official robes. "Alas! The border conflicts are going poorly, and the situation is grim, truly grim."
Wu Shen asked, "Governor, could you explain how we civil officials can possibly aid the soldiers on the frontier?"
Lian Guoshi sighed deeply. "What else can be done? By diligently managing government affairs and providing more weapons and provisions to the frontier army, that is the greatest contribution we civil officials can make to the imperial court."
The mention of government affairs gave Lian Guoshi a throbbing headache. Shaanxi hadn't seen rain since last August...
Northern Shaanxi was currently teeming with rambunctious bandits; merely listing their names would take up over a hundred characters. It was only thanks to Regional Commander Shi Jian and his troops keeping them suppressed that chaos hadn't utterly erupted.
The entirety of Shaanxi was currently relying on the northwestern region of Xi'an for its sustenance.
This region included Chengcheng County, Heyang County, Baishui County, and others. It was said that this area had received the blessings of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, with intermittent rainfall and the aid of Celestial Fertilizer, producing abundant grain that filled the stomachs of the people of Shaanxi. Otherwise, Shaanxi would have surely descended into utter chaos by now.
In recent days, Dao Xuan Tian Zun had frequently manifested in Xi'an, bringing several downpours, and the farmlands around Xi'an City had begun to recover.
He had to use the grain from these rain-blessed areas to feed the populace in regions that received no rain. As for supporting the frontier army, that task could only be entrusted to the prosperous regions of Jiangnan.
Zhu Cunji, his face pale, leaned closer to Shi Kefa and whispered, "Master Shi, you are a Jinyiwei. Your intelligence network is far more extensive than ours. Is what this film depicts true? Are there any false exaggerations?"
Shi Kefa replied, "Yes!"
Zhu Cunji breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, it's good that it's exaggerated."
Shi Kefa corrected, "It exaggerated the personal martial prowess of the protagonist, but everything else is true."
Zhu Cunji gasped, "What? So the fact that the Manchu are so formidable, that's also true?"
Shi Kefa nodded. "It's true!"
Zhu Cunji pressed, "Aren't the Manchu savages? Do they really possess so many cannons to bombard cities, that's also true?"
Shi Kefa nodded. "It's true! The Manchu had already acquired cannon-building technology several years ago. Their firearms are no weaker than those of our Great Ming. It's laughable that so many still regard them as savages."
Zhu Cunji cried out, "Ahhh! What should we do? The Manchu are that formidable? What if they reach us here?"
Shi Kefa offered, "They shouldn't reach Xi'an yet..."
Zhu Cunji's expression softened slightly. "That's good, that's good. Oh, what a film! This humble heir's heart is pounding... truly... oh, my!"
Shi Kefa also felt a deep unease in his heart.
But at this moment, he couldn't foresee that in just a few years, the Manchu would conquer the entire realm. What pained him was the common folk in Dalinghe City, reportedly eaten as military rations.
"The common people suffer so greatly."
Shi Kefa stood rigidly. "I should do something, but what can I do?"
Shi Kefa suddenly realized with dismay that he seemed utterly incapable.
He was far more lacking in talent than he had ever believed.
Inside the Xi'an Grand Theater.
"Reporting to the Heavenly Lord." Chen Qianhu, dispatched by Lao Nanfeng to Xi'an for the "movie premiere," clasped his hands respectfully and reported to the Puppet Heavenly Lord avatar, "The Xi'an Grand Theater has achieved tremendous success, with extremely high box office receipts."
Li Daoxuan smiled. "You know, what I'm interested in isn't the box office. That holds no meaning for me."
Chen Qianhu quickly changed his tack. "The Battle of Dalinghe has had a tremendous impact on the dignitaries and nobles of Xi'an. They have for the first time realized how brutal frontier warfare is, and how powerful the Manchu truly are. Your subordinate heard that after the film concluded, Zhu Cunji produced five thousand taels of silver to support the Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian."
"Five thousand taels?" Li Daoxuan nearly burst out laughing. "That fellow spends hundreds of taels just on snacks, and he only coughed up five thousand to support Chongzhen?"
Chen Qianhu explained, "He's been overly extravagant. The princely estate's treasury is running a deficit."
Li Daoxuan chuckled.
Chen Qianhu continued, "However, he has grown more concerned with the West Yan Railway. In recent days, he has been rushing to the railway construction site daily, urging the laborers to complete the railway as quickly as possible so he can start earning money from it sooner. He even claims he'll use that money to 'kill off the Manchu.'"
Li Daoxuan found it even more amusing. "Hahahaha, that fellow is actually quite interesting. I originally planned to confiscate his property once the new state was established. But my thoughts have changed now. If he genuinely benefits the country and its people by building railways and developing industries, then I won't confiscate the money earned from these ventures; I'll let him keep it and continue his operations. I'll only confiscate his Prince of Qin's residence to turn it into a museum, and incidentally, his fiefdom."
Chen Qianhu chuckled. "Then the Heavenly Lord is truly benevolent. In other dynastic changes, the remnants of the previous imperial family would all be purged without mercy."
Li Daoxuan replied, "Killing, killing, killing isn't good. Don't always think about exterminating everything."
Just as they were speaking, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and a small child darted in, clutching a bamboo water gun from who knew where. He aimed at Chen Qianhu and, with a 'pew,' sprayed him.
Li Daoxuan, quick-witted and agile, leapt backward, perfectly dodging the spray.
Chen Qianhu, however, was hit squarely in the chest by the water gun's 'pew,' and his clothes were instantly soaked in a large patch.
The child burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, I hit him!"
Li Daoxuan expected Chen Qianhu to be quite annoyed, but to his surprise, Chen Qianhu let out a tragic cry of "Ah!" clutching his chest and slowly collapsing. "You... you..."
Thud, he hit the floor, motionless.
The child, overjoyed, scampered out, shouting, "I've eliminated a menace for the country! I've eliminated a menace for the country!"
Only then did Chen Qianhu sit up from the floor and begin wringing out his clothes.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "Oh, Chen Qianhu, not upset anymore? You even played along with the child's act."
Chen Qianhu grinned. "Once you get used to it, it actually feels pretty good. How wonderful it is to make children happy! An actor's job, after all, is to bring joy to others, and I'm proud to be in this profession."
"Wait a minute!" Li Daoxuan said, "You're a thousand-household commander, a general who fights battles. When did acting become your main profession?"
Chen Qianhu scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'll have to retire eventually. Once peace reigns throughout the land, your subordinate plans to become a full-time actor. Being an actor is truly joyful, far more so than fighting battles."
"Hahahahaha!" Li Daoxuan was greatly pleased. "Very good, your ambition is excellent. I have high hopes for you."
Chen Qianhu was also overjoyed. "With the Heavenly Lord's support, your subordinate has nothing to fear! From now on, I will fight with all my might to bring peace to the world as soon as possible. Only then can your subordinate become an actor without any regrets."
"Next time, how about playing Nurhaci?"
"Ahhh, Heavenly Lord, please spare your subordinate!" Chen Qianhu pleaded. "Your subordinate wishes to play a good person!"
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