My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 274 Familiar Old Friends, Shocks Upon Shocks

The influence and reach of the "Restoration News" exceeded everyone's expectations.

On the first day alone, more than 3,000 copies were sold.

In the following days, the program was rolled out across various channels in all eleven counties of Jianning and Shaowu prefectures.

Tens of thousands of newspapers were distributed, which greatly shocked the nerves of the millions of people in the area.

Qin Yuan used this thin newspaper to make an extremely successful political declaration.

He clearly declared his political views, historical perspective, and worldview to the people under his rule, as well as to potential enemies and onlookers.

Among them, those scholars and literati who had read books and had some knowledge were the most affected.

They were the ones who suffered the most severe impact.

The traditional concepts of Chinese and barbarians, the awe of the imperial court, and the vague understanding of the West began to develop deep cracks under the impact of these three articles.

Some people denounced it as "outrageous" and "spreading heresy," and angrily tore up the newspaper.

Many more people fell into deep confusion and contemplation, their original worldviews collapsing.

A new world, more brutal and realistic yet full of unknown challenges, slowly unfolds before them.

The impact of this ideological storm was by no means limited to the areas controlled by the Restoration Army.

Since Qin Yuan did not deliberately block the news, a large number of merchants and messengers carried the "Guangfu Xinbao" or orally transmitted its contents to various places every day.

Fuzhou Prefecture, as the political and economic center adjacent to the war zone, naturally became the first stop to receive the spillover effects of the "Restoration Army ideology".

Various startling news items and original newspaper articles circulated secretly in government offices, academies, guild halls, and the private residences of gentry, causing a silent uproar.

Fuzhou Prefecture, Gong Lane, Shen Mansion.

Shen Weiqing, sixteen years old this year, obtained a place as a tribute student thanks to the protection of his father, Shen Baozhen.

His mother, Lin Puqing, was the daughter of the famous minister Lin Zexu.

Growing up in such a family, he should have followed the proper path of the imperial examination and brought glory to his family.

However, in recent months, the Shen family has been shocked to discover that the young master seems to have become a different person.

He abandoned his studies for the imperial examinations and became obsessed with martial arts and military affairs.

I get up at the crack of dawn every day to practice martial arts and hone my skills.

He even tempered his body with seawater and sand at night, making his temperament so resilient that he was like a completely different person.

In just over a month, the fair-skinned, frail scholar disappeared, replaced by a dark-skinned young man with a sharp and capable air.

Even when he reads books, they are mostly military treatises and strategies, unlike a scholar, but rather he has the appearance of a general.

Fortunately, despite his eccentricities, Shen Weiqing still ate at home every day and didn't mix with others.

In addition, his father, Shen Baozhen, was far away in Guangxin, serving as the prefect, and his mother often protected him, so the Shen family had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.

On this day, Shen Weiqing had just returned to his residence after completing his routine ten-lap run when he immediately sensed an unusual tense atmosphere in the air, with the servants all looking somewhat bewildered.

A maidservant hurriedly greeted him: "Young Master, you're finally back! Madam instructed that you go to her room immediately upon your return!"

"What happened at home?" Shen Weiqing frowned slightly, but his breathing remained steady.

The maid lowered her voice and said nervously, "This morning, my uncle sent an urgent letter from the north, saying it was to be delivered to Master Guangxin. Madam's face turned very pale after reading it. Now, rumors are flying that those 'Cantonese bandits with bound hair' from the north are about to attack. People in Fuzhou are in a state of panic!"

"Attack Fuzhou City..." Shen Weiqing's gaze sharpened, and his heart inexplicably skipped a few beats.

He paid no attention to the details of "father's name" mentioned by the maid, his attention was entirely drawn to the news of "the Cantonese bandits who tied up their hair" and "the attack on Fuzhou".

"This second instance, just as Brother Yuan predicted, is set in a layout similar to an ancient battlefield."

He thought to himself, "Brother Yuan has obtained the World Coins, so his starting point is higher. He has probably already entered a higher level of dungeon... It's a pity we can no longer fight side by side."

As he pondered this, he adjusted his breathing and walked steadily toward his mother Lin Puqing's courtyard.

Even while walking, the weighted sandbags strapped to his clothes continued to hone his physical abilities.

Before long, they arrived at Lin Puqing's residence.

"Mother, you wanted to see me?" Shen Weiqing bowed as usual, her expression calm.

Lin Puqing, looking worried, handed him an opened letter: "Songtian, you're sixteen now, an adult. This is a letter from your uncle in Jianning Prefecture, take a look." Songtian was his courtesy name, so he didn't seem bothered by it.

On the contrary, hearing the words "Jianning Prefecture" stirred something in Shen Weiqing's heart.

He vaguely knew the current faction distribution in the instance through "player permissions": the corrupt Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Tianjing, and the "Restoration Army" that split off from the Taiping Army and occupied northern Fujian.

The character name "Shi Dakai" is lit up on the faction map, which means that it has been logged in by a player!

This "Restoration Army" must have been the work of that player.

He had heard of the Restoration Army, the Restoration of China, and the expulsion of the Tartars.

But it also has a certain spirit.

He took the letter and read it carefully.

He quickly skimmed through the text after a brief chat about everyday matters, but slowed down when the conversation turned to the various policies of the Restoration Army.

The more I looked at him, the stranger he seemed.

Why are these policy proposals so similar in their thinking and direction to certain historical fragments he learned in the first trial world he experienced?
Could it be that the player who took on the identity of "Shi Dakai" also experienced a dungeon similar to "The World of Business"?

He heard that the "Business World" copy only spanned a little over ten years before it ended.

However, some other concurrent instances have been running for forty or fifty years without ending.

He suppressed his doubts and continued reading.

His brow furrowed as his gaze swept over the headlines of the core articles from the "Restoration Daily" copied into the letter.

The blood debts of the Qing Dynasty are too numerous to count.

This article uses bloody historical facts to starkly expose the ethnic oppression behind the "shaving of hair and changing of clothes" policy.

Its sharp writing style and use of historical materials are a thorough nationalist enlightenment.

However, the content he wrote made him feel physically uncomfortable.

His original plan was to use his status as Shen Baozhen's son to eventually travel to Jiangxi, seize the opportunity of organizing a local militia, and gradually build up his power.

However, this content caused him to feel a strong sense of unease and rejection.

Is such a dynasty truly worthy of loyalty, or of seeking reform within its framework?
Then he saw the second article, “Open Your Eyes to the World: Global Colonization That Has Lasted for Centuries.”

A strong sense of familiarity struck him instantly!
This article completely breaks free from the outdated framework of the "Celestial Empire".

It briefly outlines the grand historical panorama of how, since Columbus and Vasco da Gama, Western powers have used their superior ships and cannons to frantically expand colonies, plunder resources, and enslave indigenous peoples around the world.

The article points out that the world is no longer a world dominated by a "central country" and barbarians on all sides, but a vast stage where the strong prey on the weak and fierce competition takes place.

"...Spain occupies Luzon and Latin America, the Netherlands controls the islands of Southeast Asia, and England is the British Empire on which the sun never sets; its merchant ships and gunboats have already knocked on our door!"

If our land does not rise up, it will surely become like India and the countries of Southeast Asia, reduced to the prey of foreign powers!

Shen Weiqing silently recited this ending, his heart trembling: "These things, this perspective and understanding... could an ordinary player explain them so clearly and systematically?"

This far exceeded his estimate of the average player's historical knowledge.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the third article, "Why Did the Great Powers Attack China?"

This sense of familiarity reached its peak!

In the first instance, his elder brother often analyzed the international situation in his ear, talking about the nature and ambitions of the great powers such as Britain, France, the United States, and Russia.

Some say that the Soviet Union was now a feast of partitioning, a dog-eat-dog world.

Therefore, he was also very curious about why these powers were invading China in this current scenario.

He read it word by word, sentence by sentence, with utmost care.

He suddenly stood up when he saw the signature.

There was a sentence clearly written on it.

[Article written by: Qin Yuan]

(An extra chapter has been added. We're almost at 4,000 monthly votes. I'll add another chapter once we reach that milestone.)
(End of this chapter)