Chapter 1260 Mr. Storyteller
Whenever there is a foreign war in Haihan, the official will launch various publicity channels to report the process in detail. In particular, the Ministry of National Defense, which has information about the war, has used foreign military operations as the main means of self-propaganda to the people, so as to build up the public's awareness of being proud to join the army and serve the country. The Executive Committee also believes that this will help cultivate the patriotism consciousness of the people. It is of great significance to the nascent regime of Haihan, so it has always given the green light to the military. Almost all reports on the war progress in newspapers are by the Ministry of National Defense. The operation of the pen holder is completed.
The drafts issued by the military were naturally written in a passionate style and tried their best to arouse emotions, making everyone who heard them feel excited. On this day, in a teahouse outside the Sanya Port area, the storyteller in the hall was reading the contents of the newspaper about the war in the South China Sea to the port workers who had just finished work. These workers did not have much education and were not too interested in the official stereotyped articles published in Haihan Times. Instead, they liked the slightly exaggerated writing style of popular books such as Nanhai Express and Current Affairs Express. In order to achieve results, storytellers are often more willing to preach such articles with greater room for free expression.
After all, Haihan Times is an official media, and the content of articles published cannot be changed at will during the lecture, and can only be read according to the content in the newspaper. But these unofficial tabloids don't have such scruples. They use exaggeration to win over readers. Storytellers can make some secondary processing that is innocuous but can arouse the emotions of the audience based on their own style and the environment they are good at. , so it is also very popular among ordinary people.
"...The enemies of the two countries stormed our base on Star Island with several times the force. Fortunately, General Roger was on the front line, commanded effectively, and personally led the soldiers in a bloody battle. Although the enemy's offensive was fierce, they were blocked from advancing outside the territory until dark. The enemy retreated angrily after leaving hundreds of corpses in front of the battle line. The next day, the enemy attacked again with Western-style artillery. The infantry relied on large shields to cover and attacked close by, less than ten feet away from our front line. It was clearly visible. However, there were more than a thousand unarmed immigrants behind our formation, and there was no room for concession. At the critical moment, General Luo appeared in front of the formation with his four-foot-one-inch, six-minute-long magic gun, and aimed it at the enemy's formation. The officer shot all at once..."
The workers in the audience all clicked their tongues after hearing this, and some young and energetic young men had secretly clenched their fists. Although the outcome of the war has long been announced in the official newspaper, hearing Mr. Shu's detailed account of the battle still makes people's blood boil and makes them worried about their own army. Some workers had not been in Haihan for a long time and had never seen Roger's true appearance, but they had already imagined the image of a fierce general based on the storyteller's description.
As for the weapons used by Roger, they were also passed down by word of mouth from the soldiers who retired from the army he led. These people did not understand what "HK416" meant, so Roger's exclusive weapon became "HK416". "Six" is the code name. Storytellers naturally do not have the opportunity to see this legendary weapon with their own eyes, so they can only perform artistic processing based on their own understanding and imagination. This information is then transmitted to the minds of the audience, and Roger has become a powerful figure holding a magical weapon, half human and half immortal.
The article in this tabloid had a lot of exaggeration, and with the storyteller's editing and interpretation, it became a legendary story like the Water Margin of the Three Kingdoms. The capable storyteller even added his own dramatizations and adapted it, and in a very short time So he compiled the Battle of Star Island into a chapter chapter biography, and finished it in several days, in order to attract popularity for himself.
At this time, the storyteller on the stage, whose stage name is "Leave a Voice" and whose real name is Liu Shang, is following this path. At the critical moment, he slapped Xingmu and said loudly: "The enemy troops are approaching the city, our army is stationed The crisis is critical. Although General Luo is brave, it is not easy to defeat the enemy with a steel gun. How can he repel the enemy in front of him? Where are the reinforcements coming from Ambona Island? I want to know later. Whatever happened, I will continue here at this time tomorrow. Dear young and old, that’s it for today. Please come early tomorrow!”
Immediately, a boy came out with a tea tray. Although the audience below was still not satisfied, most of them followed the default rules and took out their change and put it into the tea tray as a reward for the storyteller. Although most people only pay a dime or two, Liu Shang recently talked about the content of the Battle of Star Island, and the attendance rate of the teahouse was quite good. Occasionally, there are businessmen who come here to top-notch businesses who spend a lot of money, and there are also cases where they directly give a few yuan. . In addition to the basic appearance fee from the teahouse, Liu Shang also receives a reward of at least four or five yuan every day. This is definitely a high income among local craftsmen. Even among his peers, Liu Shang can earn such an income. There are only a few people of this standard.
"Leave a Voice" has not been in Sanya for a long time, but when he talked about the Battle of Xingdao, he became famous in the local storyteller circle. It also brought a pretty good customer base to the teahouse, and it has even begun to have more and more customers. Many people paid extra to reserve seats. The boss was afraid that someone else would poach him to find another job, so he recently took the initiative to cancel the commission on rewards. The hard chairs were replaced with sofas and chairs from the official office brand "Sheng IKEA" designated by the government office. Even the tea he brewed when he was reading was made by two people. A pound of ordinary tea was replaced by Dahongpao from Wuyishan, Fujian, sold in the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Shang made a bow to the audience, then stepped down and left. The waiter in his own shop opened the way for him and led him to the back hall to rest. The owner of the teahouse, Jiang Han, had already prepared snacks. When he saw Liu Shang coming, he asked him to sit down. Liu Shang was not polite. After thanking him, he sat down and ate a few snacks.
Jiang Han waited until he was almost finished eating before he said, "Mr. Liu, I have something to discuss with you. Please consider whether this can be done."
Liu Shang picked up the towel in the tray and wiped his mouth, nodded and said: "Boss Jiang, please speak, I am all ears."
Jiang Han said: "I have seen Mr. Liu's abilities, but we will finish talking about the Battle of Star Island in a few days. I wonder if Mr. Liu has prepared other stories to continue his current popularity?"
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Liu Shangying said: "I haven't been in Sanya for a short time, and I don't know what the local people like. I would like to ask Boss Jiang for some advice."
Jiang Han said: "Our country of Haihan has only been established for a short period of time, but it has fought many foreign wars. Every inch of its territory can be said to have been obtained by the Haihan army's expansion of territory. Therefore, the martial spirit in the country is very strong, and the people I also like to listen to this kind of subject matter. I think Mr. Liu’s ability to compile a book is quite extraordinary. It would be better to compile the past wars of Haihan into chapters, which should have a good response.”
Liu Shang pondered: "Boss Jiang is right, I might as well give it a try. However, I am new here and am not very familiar with the history of Haihan. I have to trouble Boss Jiang to find some historical written materials to read about these topics."< br>
"It's easy! You can check out all the newspaper materials published in the past few years in the municipal library. There are reports on relevant wars. You can use them as reference when the time comes." Jiang Han had obviously made a plan and did not hesitate. A solution was given.
Liu Shang added: "It's just that I don't have Haihan nationality at the moment. I'm afraid I won't be able to enter the municipal library, right?"
"I forgot about this!" Jiang Han patted his head lightly and said, "But it doesn't matter. When you go, I just go with you. You can still enter the library, but you can just borrow materials. You need to have national identity." "Then there's Boss Lao Jiang!" Liu Shang seemed to have agreed to Jiang Han's proposal.
"It's not hard work for everyone to make money together!" Jiang Han was in a good mood when he saw Liu Shang being so cheerful: "When the time comes, just pick out a few paragraphs about the Annan Battle, the Taiwan Battle, and the Zhejiang Battle, and you'll be done. It's enough to last a year and a half. When Mr. Liu becomes famous, we can start pre-sales, and our income will be greatly increased. I think Mr. Liu will be able to buy a house in Sanya and become a citizen in less than a year!"
Liu Shang cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Boss Chengjiang! In that case, let's choose a day to start!"
At this time, the waiter in the store had collected the rewards and sent them over. Liu Shang counted the number in front of Jiang Han, and the total was four yuan and two cents. Liu Shang rewarded the two cents to the boy in charge of collecting the money, and then Jiang Han changed the change into one-yuan Haihan coins on the counter and put them away. Although it has now been designated as legal tender, old citizens like Jiang Han who have been naturalized for several years are still accustomed to calling it circulation coupons.
Liu Shang came out of the teahouse and walked along the warehouse area for about the time of an incense stick before returning to his temporary residence in Sanya. Linchun Third Village is a settlement of migrant workers on the east bank of the Linchun River. Foreigners like Liu Shang who have not yet obtained Haihan nationality and only have temporary residence rights can only live in this area designated by the government. This place is several miles away from the bustling Sanya Harbor. Further north are large collective farms. It can be said that it is already on the edge of Sanya city.
Generally speaking, new immigrants who come to Sanya through official or dental organizations will make unified arrangements for their destination, while scattered people who come to Sanya on their own to seek wealth can only settle in places like Linchun Three Villages. The public security environment in this kind of place is not as good as that in the main city. People from all religions and nine schools often live together, including some daring people who try to come to Sanya to make money. There are also many shady businesses, which are often carried out by these police forces. Cannot be used in areas that cannot be fully covered.
There are a total of nine rooms in the courtyard where Liu Shang lives, all of which are currently occupied. The toilets, kitchens and bathrooms in the courtyard are all shared. Liu Shang walked back slowly with his hands behind his back, nodded and greeted the neighbors he met, then returned to his room and closed the door. He came to Sanya alone, so he currently lives alone in a room. Although the furnishings in the room are simple, it is quiet and comfortable.
Liu Shang lit the candle, took out the pen and paper, sharpened the ink himself, and then began to write what he would talk about in the next few days. However, his manuscript was extremely brief, basically an outline, with all the details perfected in his mind. He had read the contents of the "Times" many times and already knew the process of the Battle of Star Island. All he had to do was to perform artistic processing on the basis of the original facts and add some information that could fully arouse the emotions of the audience. gimmicks and gags.
Is this job difficult? As long as you have a certain cultural foundation and imagination, you can do it. However, many people who eat this kind of rice are only good at telling stories, not making up stories. A book has been passed down for several generations without major changes, and even the tone of some key plots remains the same. This is naturally not as interesting as Liu Shang's "added material" adaptation of current events.
Living in the same courtyard as Liu Shang is a juggling troupe from Leizhou Prefecture. They came to Sanya about a month before him and have been allowed to perform in the main city of Sanya and parts of Shengli Port. Originally they rented the entire courtyard, but a few days ago the only female character in the class went back to Leizhou, leaving a vacant room unoccupied, so they rented it to Liu Shang, who had just arrived in Sanya.
The juggling troupe had to cook their own meals every day. Liu Shang was alone, so he joined the team and only had to pay for the food. Liu Shang eats with them every morning and evening, and at noon he goes to the teahouse where he currently works.
When it was getting dark, people from the same courtyard invited him to eat outside the house. Liu Shang opened the door and went out of the house, came to the patio and sat at the same table with the jugglers. Although the dishes on the table are not rich, there are only four meat and two vegetarian dishes in total, plus a large bowl of cabbage and tofu soup. This dish is indeed a bit shabby for ten people, but fortunately the portion is not bad, so there is no problem of filling up.
Everyone was silent during the meal, only the sound of each chewing food was heard. After eating, the dishes were removed, and only Liu Shang and the leader of the juggling class were left at the table. The leader of this group is named Liao Yuan. He looks about forty years old, has a bald head, a big nose, and a strong back and waist. He has a very eye-catching appearance. He was the first to speak: "How did you gain today, sir?"
Liu Shang looked in the direction of the courtyard gate and said expressionlessly: "A lot more people came to listen to the book today. They all said that Sanya is rich. This rumor is indeed true. The livelihood of this storyteller is comparable to Landlords in many places in the Ming Dynasty were much better off. The teahouse owner even came to talk to me and suggested that I follow the current method and adapt the past wars of Haihan into a legend. I can't see it for half a year. You can enter the house locally by following this doorway. ”
"Then it's much easier for you than us!" Liao Yuan sighed: "A group of us played on the street for half an hour, doing a few boxing dances and a few sets of sword and stick skills, but there weren't many spectators at all. Rumors say that Haihan How come there are so few knowledgeable people in martial arts? It’s been so long since I’ve been here that I don’t even have anyone who has taken the initiative to learn from me.”
Liu Shang glanced at him sideways, and then returned his gaze to the direction of the courtyard gate: "It is true that Haihan admires martial arts, but what they admire is not personal bravery, but the strength of Haihan's army. Anyone who wants to be a hero must join the army. If you join the army, you won't be willing to make a living by selling tricks on the street. Learning from you is slow and will not be of much use in the army. Naturally, your original intention of coming here is wrong. ”
(End of chapter)