Chapter 502 Fireside Chat
Chapter 502 Fireside Chat
April 1881, 4, Jiangyan Stadium.
The stadium, which could accommodate 80,000 people, was packed, and with 11,000 temporary seats added in the aisles and on the top steps, the number of spectators reached a staggering 91,000.
The first Daxia Open Tennis Tournament officially kicked off here and will last for 14 days.
This stadium was built after the end of Wimbledon last year. It has no cover, only stepped stands, so it was much easier to build and was easily completed in less than a year.
Hailing has a population of over two million, and even though the stadium has been built as large as possible, it still cannot meet the needs of everyone who wants to watch the fun.
The stadium stands were packed with people and tickets for the opening ceremony were hard to get.
Of course, Shao Quanzhong did not need to buy a ticket. He sat in the VIP box, which was the best place to watch the game. On his left was Shao Quanzhong's good friend, former Federal President Andrew Johnson. On his right was the leader of the Federal athletes, John Davis Rockefeller.
The "promising young man" invested by Shao Quanzhong back then is now 42 years old. He has become one of the largest industrialists in the federation, a billionaire, and a fairly stable middle-aged man.
Federal athletes entered the stadium, and the military band played "The Star-Spangled Banner." Rockefeller and Johnson stood up solemnly at the same time, with their right fists on their chests.
In the next box, Grant and Emery also stood up at the same time. In the audience, a large number of American spectators who followed Rockefeller and federal experts and technicians who had settled in Daxia all stood up naturally, with solemn expressions.
Shao Quanzhong stood up politely and sighed inwardly.
This is a great country, it has produced a series of great men, the most recent of which is Lincoln. Even Johnson, who is next to him, is not a great man, but he is also a selfless and fearless man.
Although the Federation has produced many shady villains who only care about money, it is clear that the virtues of their founders still remain.
This can be a strong support, not an enemy. The Pacific Ocean is vast enough, so it should be able to accommodate two great powers to dominate the world together, right?
This Jiangyan Open not only had British and American athletes participating, but also the Russian team from Crimea, the South Slavic team from Sofia, the Austro-Hungarian team from Vienna, and Australia, a colony of the British Empire, also formed a separate team to participate.
When the Australian team came out, they did not play "God Save the Queen", but "Advance Australia Fair", composed by Peter Dodds McCormick and first performed on November 1878, 11.
It is said that when members of the Windsor royal family are present, Australians do not do this. They play God Save the Queen first and then play the Australian national anthem at the closing ceremony to give face to the colonial country.
Shao Quanzhong is also a member of the Windsor royal family, but Australians pretend not to know.
This means that after the European war, cracks have appeared in the iron empire of big brother Britain, and even its own sons Australia and Canada have begun to become independent.
Canada has just signed a Fisheries Cooperation Agreement with the federal government. In the past, the signing of such agreements required the presence of British officials, but now the British have been ignored...
The Daxia team, as the host, was the last to appear. When the new music "Brother Jacques", also known as the tune of "Two Tigers", was played, more than 90,000 people in the audience stood up.
When the British and French allied forces invaded, many of the subjects of the Qing Dynasty sold grain to the enemy to make money, and some were hired by the foreigners as "Chaoyong".
Are the common people unpatriotic?
The ancients said, "If the ruler treats his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the ruler as their own heart and soul. If the ruler treats his subjects as dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the ruler as their fellow countrymen. If the ruler treats his subjects as dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler as their enemy."
What does the Aisin-Gioro family’s empire have to do with me?
Of course this does not mean that those traitors are right, but the rulers bear more than half of the responsibility.
When Daxia was first established, under the leadership of Shao Quanzhong, Daxia rose rapidly, and all the people benefited. Daxia's national fortune was rising like the sun in the east, and the people's patriotism suddenly rose.
In the sequence of Daxia athletes, the first one, walking under the colorful flag, is the Wimbledon women's singles champion Dongmei.
She is now a celebrity and the spokesperson for Wen's Diamond Company, and received warm cheers when she waved to the audience.
After the entrance ceremony, the grand opening program "Prince Rui's Breaking the Formation" was launched to warm up the audience. As the program progressed, Rockefeller began to chat with Shao Quanzhong, and Johnson, who was standing beside him, acted as an interpreter. "Old Joe" had lived in Hailing for four years and his Chinese was quite good.
"President Garfield has just vetoed the 'Chinese Exclusion Act' passed by Congress. We are determined to maintain friendship with Daxia. However, Garfield is facing great difficulties."
"Parliament is controlled by financial capital, we can't get enough budget, there is no money."
"Also, we are fighting the enemy alone. The newspapers do not belong to us. The people do not know what the president has done for them. Garfield cannot get the support of the people—"
Not far in front of Shao Quanzhong's box is the live broadcast site of Hailing Radio Station. The station director Ping'er personally hosts the live broadcast, which is broadcast simultaneously in 24 provinces of Daxia and the Cyprus region.
The time was too short and the radio station receiving towers of the various feudal states had not yet been completed.
Ping'er's excited voice reached the box, and Shao Quanzhong's mouth curled up and smiled. Ping'er learned her ambition from Cixi. Now, she has calmed down and is still very capable.
Originally, he had no way to deal with Rockefeller's complaints, because that was the rule of the federation. But now, he suddenly had an idea.
"Um - Lao Luo, did you hear that? The 14-day competition will be broadcast live across Daxia."
"The crystal radio in Daxia only costs five dollars. Can ordinary people in the Federation afford it?"
Rockefeller was a very smart man, and he realized it immediately. "The Carnegie brothers and I can sponsor and subsidize so that ordinary people in the whole federation can afford it. However, we need the strong support of Daxia Telecom--"
A month later, the construction team of Daxia Telecom arrived at the Federation, and all the materials and a large number of construction workers prepared to build a receiving tower for the Daxia vassal state were temporarily transferred to the Federation.
Also delivered were 75 crystal radios.
On June 6, iron towers for receiving and transmitting broadcast signals were built in all cities in the Federation, and the number of radios in the hands of ordinary people in the Federation reached 9 million. This was the "Daxia Speed".
On June 6, after dinner, the first federal broadcast was officially launched, and more than 10 million people gathered in front of the radio to listen to the broadcast.
Coming from the radio was President Garfield's kind and calm voice, just as he was lecturing students at Hiram College.
"My dear compatriots, thank you for bringing me, a teacher, to my current position."
"At the same time, I would like to thank Daxia Telecom for its selfless help. You have heard my voice, but Daxia Telecom has not received a penny of construction fee because I have no money to give them."
"The parliament's funds are controlled by people with ulterior motives. Those who oppose the people from hearing my voice and vetoing my orders include..."
"Let me explain my new economic policy to you. Everyone knows the income situation of the people in Daxia. I am determined to learn from Daxia and create tens of millions of middle-class people in the Federation so that everyone can afford a car and buy a radio without the need for a generous interest-free loan from a kind-hearted person."
"But - there are people who don't want ordinary people to make money. I'm fighting them and I need your help. You chose me eight months ago, and I would rather sacrifice my life than work for you."
"Here are the projects I plan to invest in. The Federation has money, but they won't let me spend it on you. The congressmen who vetoed this order include..."
"I am now sitting in front of the fireplace in this palace. From now on, I will talk to my people face to face every day to let you know what I am doing."
"For the Federation, for everyone's future, please support me. God bless the Federation."
(End of this chapter)