I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 561: Inciting hatred

Chapter 561 Drawing Hatred

With tears in his eyes, Sheng Liang, the young racing star, looked at Wang Wenzhou with a wronged expression. "Brother, are you drunk again today? Is it my fault that I act well? Other people act well because they have good acting skills and professional ethics, unlike those stunt doubles, green screen actors, and dead fish eyes who take small paychecks and don't even act properly."

"Well done!" Several people on the platform picked up stools and wanted to go forward and beat the dead Tartars again.

Wang Wenzhou saw things were not going well and quickly stood in front of Sheng Liang and the others.

Wang Wenzhou waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and the scene quickly quieted down.

Wang Wenzhou said loudly, "Now the Tartars have seized Liaodong, the capital of our Great Ming Dynasty, and have even established the puppet Qing Dynasty there. I once went to Liaodong on a mission, and what I saw and heard there was simply unbearable to look at."

"Sigh..." Wang Wenzhou sighed, and said with deep emotion, "Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents, and we dare not damage them; this is the beginning of filial piety. But those damned Tartars are all illiterate; they don't understand any reason at all. They forced the people of Liaodong to shave their heads and leave them with this bizarre hairstyle!"

Wang Wenzhou, holding Sheng Liang's coin-shaped rat-tail whip, asked loudly, "Do you think it looks good?"

"It doesn't look good!"

"Uglier than my dog!"

The people scoffed at it, saying it was just too ugly.

Whether it was the aesthetic standards of the Ming Dynasty or later generations, the "money-tail braid" was shockingly ugly. The braids seen in later television dramas were actually from the late Qing Dynasty. However, even then, Westerners considered them incredibly ugly. To this day, some British films and television series, which slander the Chinese, occasionally feature actors with Manchu braids.

Wang Wenzhou asked sternly, "If one day the Tartars invade our Great Ming and force all the people of our Great Ming to wear this kind of queue, would you agree to it?"

"No!" the people shouted.

Wang Wenzhou said loudly, "Although it may sound alarmist to say that the Tartars have invaded our Great Ming, the facts are before us. Liaodong has already been conquered by the Tartars. In order to save the people of Liaodong who are living in dire straits, I have funded the formation of an expeditionary force. One day, we will recover Liaodong for our Great Ming."

"Smoke rises, the land stretches northward, dragons rise and swirl, horses neigh, swords flash like frost, the heart is as vast as the Yellow River. For twenty years, across the land, who can stand against me..."

At that moment, the music of the female police officers began to play, and the female guards sang along with the music in a powerful and resounding manner.

Wang Wenzhou pointed at the female guards and said loudly, "A true man should defend his country. Now, the women of my Great Ming can go into battle to fight the enemy and defend our country. Are the men of my Great Ming inferior to the women?"

"Who said that? How am I inferior to women?"

"I want to sign up for the expeditionary force!"

The people were immediately excited, especially the young people, whose faces turned red to their necks. Life in Hanshan had improved, and most people were not short of money. Although Wang Wenzhou offered a high salary, few people had signed up for the army these past few days. That's why Wang Wenzhou staged this performance to trick the people into joining the army.

Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said loudly, "Welcome all good young men to join the army. Let's continue watching the performance. Those who want to enlist, please register at the square tomorrow."

After Wang Wenzhou finished speaking, he strolled back to the VIP seats.

Sheng Lan looked sad and lost in thought, completely unaware that Wang Wenzhou had already returned.

Seeing Sheng Lan's expression, Wang Wenzhou assumed that Lan Lan was angry with him, since he had called her by the wrong name twice. Never mention another girl in front of a girl—that's the golden advice from the ancients.

In fact, Sheng Lan felt that Wang Wenzhou had changed his mind. As the saying goes, you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. Just now, in front of so many people, Wang Wenzhou slapped Sheng Liang repeatedly. In Sheng Lan's eyes, this meant that her nemesis no longer loved her.

Wang Wenzhou gently nudged Sheng Lan and asked, "Lazy Lan, Lazy Lan, what's wrong?"

Sheng Lan burst into tears of grievance. Her nemesis had changed his heart, but instead of hating him, she felt immense guilt. She was his first wife, yet for so long, her womb had failed her, unable to bear him a child. A mother's status depends on her son; even if her nemesis loved her dearly, in the long run, a hen that doesn't lay eggs would surely be disliked.

When Sheng Lanbao cried, Wang Wenzhou's heart broke.

Wang Wenzhou quickly hugged Sheng Lan and asked anxiously, "Lan Lan, what happened?"

Women are strange creatures; sometimes, the more a woman likes a man, the less likely she is to reveal her true feelings to him.

Sheng Lan wiped away her tears and said softly, "It's nothing. It's just that the people in the play were killed by the Tartars, and I felt sad."

Wang Wenzhou pursed his lips. Regardless of time or place, women are always emotional; they can cry buckets while watching a TV series.

Wang Wenzhou quickly kissed Sheng Lan and said with a smile, "Lazy Lan, to tell you the truth, the people of Liaodong are not actually that miserable, and the Tartars don't kill people indiscriminately."

"Huh?" Not only was Sheng Lan stunned, but Chen Yuanyuan also didn't believe it.

Chen Yuanyuan quickly asked, "Husband, you're talking nonsense again. How could that be?"

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Babies, babies, think about it carefully, what is the most important thing in a war between two countries?"

Chen Yuanyuan thought for a moment and then asked, "Grain?"

Wang Wenzhou shook his head.

"weapon?"

Wang Wenzhou hugged Chen Yuanyuan and kissed her, then said with a smile, "Don't guess, you'll never guess! Population!"

"Population?" Neither baby believed it.

Wang Wenzhou explained, "Aside from some objective factors, population is the most important factor! Think about it, if a country with one million people goes to war with a country with one hundred thousand people, who will win? Of course, it's the country with one million people."

Chen Yuanyuan quickly said, "Husband, you're wrong! If that were the case, the Tartars would have been wiped out long ago!"

Wang Wenzhou patted Chen Yuanyuan and said with a smile, "Yuanyuan is getting smarter and smarter; she can even think about problems on her own now."

Chen Yuanyuan rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzhou. "You rascal, is that how you praise someone?"

Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, there aren't many real Tartars. Don't listen to the Tartars' boasting, like 'If the Jurchens number less than ten thousand, they can't defeat us!' In reality, most of the Tartars are Han Chinese. The Tartars have grown strong precisely by absorbing us Han Chinese. Therefore, they won't massacre civilians on a large scale."

Sheng Lan and Chen Yuanyuan still didn't quite believe it.

Sheng Lan said, "Wang Wenzhou, according to you, wouldn't the Tartars become living bodhisattvas?"

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Of course, it's true that soldiers would force themselves on girls. Even in the Ming Dynasty, the government troops who suppressed bandits were not much different from bandits, and they would force themselves on girls as well. As for the massacre of civilians, it has happened from time to time in history, regardless of whether it was an invasion by a foreign race."

"When the general has no money to reward his men, he issues a city-wide massacre order to boost morale and reward soldiers who fight to the death," Wang Wenzhou explained.

Sheng Lan finally understood and asked, "Was everything that was shown in the play just now fake?"

"Haha!" Wang Wenzhou laughed and said, "Of course it's all fake. The reason for staging this play is to help the Tartars stir up hatred and trick the people into joining the army!"

At this moment, Li Xiangjun rushed over and said, "Husband, you should go back to the manor quickly! A fight has broken out!"