My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 273 Shi Dakai has gone mad, a catastrophe!
Of these three articles, one settles old scores and incites ethnic hatred.

An article that broadens global perspectives and dispels the illusion of China as a superior nation.

This article analyzes the current crisis, points out the Qing Dynasty's traitorous nature in seeking survival, and elucidates the future direction of China's struggle.

The progressive structure forms a complete, incisive, and highly persuasive ideological system.

Its lofty ideals, novel viewpoints, and profound arguments completely surpassed all public opinion and even official documents at the time!

In this era of information isolation and intellectual constraints, this is truly groundbreaking and unprecedented!

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

A down-on-his-luck scholar in a long gown sat at a tea stall, newspaper in hand, his trembling slightly. He muttered to himself, "This... Commander Shi, he actually has such insight! These are no mere bandits, they are clearly... a generation..."

He dared not utter the words "powerful ruler," but the shock and admiration in his eyes were hard to conceal.

Many of the historical details mentioned in the article are things he, a scholar who has studied the classics, may not even be familiar with, and his analysis of foreigners is something he has never heard of before.

"No wonder they dare to call themselves the 'Restoration Army.' They want to restore the Han Chinese attire and revitalize China, to compete with the Western powers!" A cloth merchant who could read also exclaimed.

He was more interested in the article "Why Did the Great Powers Attack China?"

The simple principles about the market and profits inside made him, a small business owner, suddenly realize that the root of the problem was that foreigners came to fight!
In the streets and alleys, all the merchants, tutors, and minor officials who could read and understand the contents of the newspaper were stunned and sweating profusely by this "Restoration News".

For the first time, they realized so clearly what kind of blood and tears were etched on the "money rat tail" above their heads.

This is the first time I have come to such a clear understanding of the power and greed behind the "foreigners".

For the first time, I realized how vast and cruel the world outside of China truly is.

This was the first time I had been told so bluntly: the Qing Dynasty, this dilapidated house, was already riddled with holes and on the verge of collapse!

In teahouses and taverns where crowds gathered, the discussion was even more heated.

Someone slammed their fist on the table and shouted, "Great! It's long overdue to expose these heartless acts and let the world see them!"

Some people looked around anxiously, their faces pale, and whispered, "Speaking so frankly is taboo. We've offended the court... the Qing court and the foreigners. Won't the Restoration Army be in for a terrible disaster? Will we be implicated here in Jianning Prefecture?"

More radical young people, their eyes gleaming, whispered their opinions: "I think this Restoration Army is quite interesting. Unlike the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which claimed to have gods descending to earth, they make sense!"

The entire city of Jianning seemed to be stirred up by this thin piece of newspaper.

Various emotions, including discussion, speculation, panic, and excitement, filled the air.

The servants sent out by wealthy families to make purchases were terrified when they heard these rumors.

Those who were quick-witted immediately bought a newspaper out of their own pocket, tucked it into their pockets, and hurried back to the mansion to report to their master.

The study in the inner courtyard of the Lin residence.

Butler Liu practically ran in, clutching a newspaper tightly in his hand, his expression panicked: "Master, something terrible has happened! Please take a look at this!"

Lin Lichuan was checking the accounts when he heard this and his heart skipped a beat. He thought the Restoration Army had come again to urge for grain and payment. He frowned and said, "Didn't we already pay the Restoration Army's 'cooperative grain' in full? The receipts have all been issued. What else is there?"

It turns out that collecting taxes from various places takes time, and the grain that Shi Dakai brought from Anhui has already been consumed, from Zhejiang to Fujian.

Therefore, without engaging in looting, Qin Yuan temporarily borrowed a sum of money as "restoration tax" from merchants in the prefectural city and various counties and towns, based on their business scale, stating that this was a temporary loan and that it could be used to offset taxes after the new tax system was implemented.

Furthermore, they solicited "cooperative grain" from all large households within the territory that owned more than 100 mu of land, based on the amount of land they owned, and issued IOUs in return, promising future exemptions.

Those who refuse to pay or conceal their land will naturally be severely punished.

As for ordinary farmers, this year's summer grain tax only requires them to pay 50% of the amount due under the old system, and the rest will be exempted!
It was announced that starting next year, a new system of "integrating land tax into poll tax, with officials and gentry paying taxes together" would be implemented!

This is tantamount to collecting taxes in advance, and mainly targeting the wealthy.

As a first-class wealthy family in Jianning Prefecture, the Lin family not only owned many shops and properties in the city.

Moreover, there are hundreds of acres of good farmland in the countryside, which naturally makes them a key target for land acquisition.

Although the other party was relatively polite and even wrote an IOU, it was still a significant loss for him, causing him great distress.

Back then, if he hadn't been so reluctant to give up this vast family fortune, he would have followed some of his relatives and friends and fled to Fuzhou to avoid trouble.

"Sir, it's not a grain requisition, it's a newspaper! A newspaper published by the Restoration Army!"

The butler hurriedly handed the "Restoration News" to Chen Lichuan.

Lin Lichuan then noticed this novel item and took it with a puzzled look.

As he unfolded the newspaper, the first thing that caught his eye was the notices about the Restoration Army's efforts to pacify the people, recruit talents, and provide preferential treatment to military families. These had already been publicized by propaganda teams with gongs and drums, so he was not surprised.

He looked at the butler with a puzzled expression: "Old Liu, what's the big deal? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Master, it's not this, it's the middle section, look at those big articles in the middle!" The butler anxiously pointed to the core pages of the newspaper.

"The middle?" Lin Lichuan shifted his gaze to the middle section as instructed. The moment he looked up, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart sank!
The blood debts of the Qing Dynasty are too numerous to count.

Eight large black characters, like eight heavy hammers, slammed into his heart.

He suppressed his rapidly beating heart and a strange chill, took a deep breath, and read on, word by word.

Part 1: The Calamity of Attire: The Blood and Tears of a Land Under the Hair-Shaving Edict

Since the Qing invaders entered the pass in the year Jia Shen (1644), the land of China has been shaken.

At that time, Li Zicheng wreaked havoc in the capital, the Ming dynasty collapsed, and the country was without a ruler. The Qing invaders, under the guise of "punishing the rebels on behalf of the Ming," actually seized control of China.

However, the foundation of its state was not based on benevolence and virtue, but entirely on the sword! The first and foremost measure was the forceful implementation of the "shaving the head and changing clothes" edict.

In the second year of the Shunzhi reign (1645), the Qing court issued a strict order: "Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head!" All Han Chinese men were ordered to follow Manchu customs and shave their hair around their heads, leaving only a small patch of hair on the top of their heads, which they would then braid and hang down their backs, a style known as "money rat tail".

At the same time, they abandoned the Han Chinese clothing that had been in place for thousands of years and started wearing Manchu clothing.

This decree caused an uproar throughout the country!

Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents; we dare not damage them, for this is the beginning of filial piety!

Clothing and cultural relics are symbols of civilization and carriers of etiquette!
The Qing dynasty's actions not only aim to destroy our nation, but also to eradicate our culture and sever our ethnic identity!

Eighty-one days in Jiangyin, three massacres in Jiading, and the shaving order sparked widespread resistance across the country. Suzhou, Nanchang, Guangzhou... everywhere, there were indomitable spirits.

The Qing court brazenly declared that "those who do not comply will be punished according to military law," and openly proclaimed that "in every prefecture and county we pass through, those who shave their heads and surrender, opening their cities and paying tribute, will be granted titles and emoluments, and their wealth and honor will be preserved for generations. Those who resist and disobey will be slaughtered in droves the moment our army arrives!"

For a single queue and a set of clothes, the Manchu Qing dynasty did not hesitate to slaughter millions of my compatriots!

Today, our Restoration Army has reverted to Han Chinese attire, and the entire army has tied their hair up, precisely to proclaim to the world:
The humiliation imposed upon us by the Qing invaders must be washed away! The civilization that our martyrs protected with their blood will surely be restored!

Upon seeing the words "To find out what happens next, please read the next installment: 'Blood Rain in Jiangnan: The Ten Days of Yangzhou and the Tragedy of Nanchang'" at the end of the article, Lin Lichuan was already drenched in sweat, and the silk shirt on his back clung tightly to his body.

He looked up abruptly, his voice trembling slightly: "You just said that this newspaper... is being sold all over the city?"

"It's not just the whole city, sir!"

The steward said urgently, "I heard that the Restoration Army also sent this newspaper to various counties and important towns under their control through the postal system and special messengers!"

“Even in the countryside, there would be propaganda teams taking newspapers to read and explain to the peasants!”

"They're insane... This Shi Dakai... no, this Restoration Army, they're absolutely insane!" Lin Lichuan held the newspaper, his hands trembling like leaves in the wind.

Such an open and systematic attack on the Qing Dynasty, bringing up grievances from over two hundred years ago, is a complete break with the Qing government, leaving no room for compromise!
This is no longer a simple rebellion; it is an attempt to fundamentally deny the legitimacy of the Qing Dynasty's rule!
"Sir, please read the second and third chapters!"

The butler reminded them, "I heard people in the teahouse saying that today is the inaugural issue of the 'Restoration News,' and it features three articles written by Shi Dakai himself!"

"Written by Shi Dakai himself? And in three parts?!" Lin Lichuan was shocked and quickly looked down.

The second article is titled "Open Your Eyes to the World".

The title was fairly mild, and he quickly glanced at it, his eyes filled with the names of Western countries such as "Spain," "Portugal," "England," and "France."

There are also unfamiliar words such as "colony" and "plunder," which are difficult to fully understand at first.

But the sense of global upheaval conveyed between the lines made him feel inexplicably suffocated.

He eagerly jumped to the third article, the title of which instantly captured his entire attention—

Why did the great powers attack China?

This article no longer dwells on distant historical grievances, but instead addresses the most acute and pressing real-world problems of our time!
Lin Lichuan held his breath and began to read carefully.

The article begins by questioning why "Western barbarians" such as Britain and France, separated by vast oceans, repeatedly violate our maritime borders and force us to sign treaties under duress.

It bluntly pointed out that the root cause was not the ferocity of the barbarians, but the corruption and weakness of the Qing court itself!

The article compares the Qing government to a "fat but sickly giant ox," while the foreign powers are a "pack of wolves" that have smelled blood.

It was the Qing Dynasty's policy of isolationism, corruption, and military neglect that attracted greedy invaders.

The article goes further, analyzing that the Qing government was not unwilling to resist foreign aggression, but rather powerless to do so.

Its rule was based on keeping the people ignorant and exploiting them. With its finances depleted and its army corrupt, how could it possibly compete with the powerful nations with their superior ships and cannons?

The article ruthlessly tore away the fig leaf of "Celestial Empire etiquette," pointing directly to the core of the foreign powers' invasion as "market, raw materials, and profits."

The analysis reveals that the root cause of the Opium War lay in Britain's efforts to reverse its trade deficit, highlighting that the purpose of Britain and France's return was to further open up the Chinese market, acquire more privileges, and forever reduce China to a dumping ground for their goods and a source of raw materials...

"...They don't want tribute; they want to break the backbone of China's self-reliance! The Qing court is as afraid of the enemy as a tiger, ceding territory and paying indemnities. This is like inviting a wolf into the house and trying to get something from a tiger!"

"This...this..." Lin Lichuan felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head as he read this!
As a businessman, he understood all too well what "market" and "profit" meant.

This article laid bare the crisis he subconsciously sensed but couldn't articulate in the most straightforward and brutal way.

The Restoration Army not only opposed the Qing Dynasty, but also had such a clear and profound understanding of foreigners!

They had a longer-term vision than the Qing Dynasty.

Even more frightening is the content revealed in the article.

It directly points out that in order to maintain its rule, the Qing court did not hesitate to "cede territory and pay indemnities, exhausting the resources of China to win the favor of foreign powers," attempting to gain the support of foreign powers for its rule by selling out national interests!

Such a scathing remark has utterly torn the last fig leaf from the imperial court!

This exposes the Qing court's despicable mentality of "preferring to give to friendly nations rather than to domestic slaves"!
Finally, the article also connects the rise of the Restoration Army with saving the nation from peril.

It points out that only by overthrowing this corrupt court that sells out the country for survival and hinders progress, reforming the old and establishing the new, and learning from the superior techniques of the barbarians, can the country truly achieve independence and prosperity.

After reading these three articles, Chen Lichuan slumped into his armchair, the newspaper in his hand falling to the ground.

He felt a wave of dizziness.

This Restoration Army is no ordinary force.

Shi Dakai was no ordinary person.

He finally understood that what the Restoration Army wanted was not just money and food, nor just territory.

They are going to change the world!

It is about fundamentally negating the current court and the existing order!

The situation in Jianning Prefecture is probably about to change.

How should the Chen family, and all other wealthy families like his, conduct themselves in this unprecedented upheaval?

"Disaster...a terrible disaster is coming..."

Lin Lichuan gazed out the window, muttering to himself.

He realized that Jianning Prefecture, and even the whole of Fujian, could probably never go back to the past.

A storm far more profound and thorough than military conquest has descended with this newspaper.

"Quickly, make a copy of this newspaper and send it to Fuzhou immediately."

Lin Lichuan realized what was happening and quickly said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Restoration Army will definitely march on Fuzhou within ten days. Let the eldest son's side make preparations as soon as possible."

A great figure emerged from the main branch of the Lin family; his name was Lin Zexu.

(End of this chapter)