I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 150 Hero

Chapter 150 Heroes

Hanshan Square.

Wang Wenzhou named the large open space in front of the stadium Hanshan Square. Due to time constraints, the paving stones had not yet been laid; it had only been simply leveled.

A massive structure, 10 meters high and 50 meters wide, stands in the center of the square. The people have already learned that this is the "Hanshan Heroes Monument" that Wang Qingtian mentioned.

Wang Wenzhou had a plan in mind: to build several more buildings around the square, such as "Tiananmen Square," "White House," and "Pentagon."

Today, Wang Wenzhou has gathered the people of Hanshan in the square so that the names of those heroes can be engraved on the monument.

Wang Wenzhou said loudly, "In this riot, many people lost their precious lives in order to protect the people of Hanshan and to eliminate the bandits. Human life is only once, and I have always believed that those who give up their lives for any specific goal deserve admiration."

Wang Wenzhou turned around, pointed to the monument, and continued, "Today is the unveiling ceremony of the Hanshan Heroes Monument, and the names of heroes will be engraved on it for the first time. Now I hereby announce that the unveiling ceremony officially begins."

The yamen runners, who were already prepared, quickly lit the firecrackers.

"Crackling..."

After the firecrackers stopped, Wang Wenzhou walked to the monument, waved to several people standing to one side, and said, "These are the heroes who quelled the rebellion. Now, please welcome Liu Rushi, Fu Xingping, Zhu Yi..."

Fu Xingping and Zhu Yi were the two sedan chair carriers who fought against Lin Hu in the battle with Wang Wenzhou. The others were all wounded soldiers who were war heroes.

"Stand still, Ruru, come here and stand next to me," Wang Wenzhou directed the crowd, who lined up close to the monument.

"Everyone get ready. After I start the countdown, we'll unveil it together." Wang Wenzhou pulled at the cloth covering the monument and announced, "1, 2..."

With a tug, the cloth was pulled down, revealing the words "Hanshan Heroes Monument" in large characters.

Wang Wenzhou was silent for a moment, then said loudly, "Not only are we who are alive heroes, but those who died in the line of duty are even more heroic. From today onwards, the names of all those who died in the line of duty in Hanshan will be engraved on the monument for future generations to admire and remember."

Liu Rushi silently looked at Wang Wenzhou beside her. She couldn't understand why Wang Wenzhou was acting this way. Given the fat man's character, everything he did had an ulterior motive.

Wang Wenzhou took out a piece of paper, glanced at it, and said, "Later, every time I read out the name of a hero, a stonemason will carve it on the monument. We who are alive must remember the names of these heroes forever."

"Alright!" Wang Wenzhou placed his hands on his trousers and said, "Now, let's observe three minutes of silence."

After speaking, Wang Wenzhou bowed his head and stood in silent mourning.

The act of observing a moment of silence is not a traditional Chinese custom; it is a custom that originated in the West.

The common people didn't know what this meant, but since Wang Qingtian did it this way, they followed suit and silently lowered their heads in deep thought.

Three minutes later, Wang Wenzhou announced loudly, "Now I will begin to read the names of the heroes, in no particular order. Lei Feng, Qiu Shaoyun, Huang Jiguang, Ma Huateng..."

Dozens of stonemasons lined up on a ladder. As Wang Wenzhou called out a name, a stonemason immediately began carving words on the monument.

“Jack Ma…” Wang Wenzhou read aloud.

"Dad!" At this moment, a young man in the crowd burst into tears. Yes, Jack Ma was his father. Hearing his father's name, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

With tears in his eyes, he watched as the stonemason's chisel struck the stone.

With each strike of the chisel, he felt a surge of longing; the image of Jack Ma lingered in his mind, impossible to shake off.

After carving the character "horse," he sighed softly: "Father, I am so proud of you. If I ever encounter something like this in the future, I will become a hero of Hanshan, just like you!"

"Clap clap..." The stonemason's hammer struck the chisel.

His gaze followed the hammer, and for a moment, he felt his vision blurred as his father's smile appeared on the name.

"Go Anguo!" Ma Anguo seemed to hear his father's words. He clenched his fists and secretly vowed to become a great hero like his father, Jack Ma.

"Li Yanhong..."

Two hours had passed, and the sky was gradually darkening, but Wang Wenzhou was still reciting the heroes' names word by word.

Liu Rushi stood by Wang Wenzhou's side the whole time, wondering what the fat man was up to. But she couldn't figure it out.

"Zhang Chaoyang!"

Wang Wenzhou read out the last hero's name. Then, he silently watched the stonemason finish carving the last hero's name. He turned to the people and said, "Now, bow three times to the heroes!"

Bowing is a traditional Chinese etiquette. The people present followed Wang Wenzhou and bowed three times to the monument.

Wang Wenzhou looked up and around, then said, "Today's hero memorial ceremony is officially over. I don't want anyone else's name to be engraved. But I think that if Hanshan ever faces danger, I will definitely step forward, even if it means sacrificing my precious life."

Liu Rushi rolled her eyes at Wang Wenzhou, thinking, "I don't believe you!"

After the ceremony, the people left.

Liu Rushi suddenly asked, "You fatso, why are you like this?"

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Heroes, of course, should be commemorated and remembered."

"I don't believe it!" Liu Rushi said, pursing her lips.

"Ru Ru, kiss me and I'll tell you why I did this," Wang Wenzhou teased Liu Ru Shi again.

"Get out!" Liu Rushi turned and left.

Wang Wenzhou quickly caught up and said ingratiatingly, "Actually, this is a kind of brainwashing ritual."

"Brainwashing?" This was the first time Liu Rushi had heard this term.

Wang Wenzhou explained: "So-called brainwashing is when the manipulator uses rituals, performances, language, text and other information transmission methods to instill in others what he wants them to do in accordance with the manipulator's wishes."

"Huh?" Liu Rushi still didn't understand and looked at Wang Wenzhou with a suspicious expression.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile: "To put it more clearly, it means to make heroes shine like the bright moon and stars, so that people can admire and respect them, and sincerely want to be heroes themselves."

"You're shameless!" Liu Ru was very angry and walked away without looking back.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly. "Ruru is truly too clever; she understands immediately. All heroes die quickly. To put it more clearly, it's about inspiring people to be courageous in dedicating themselves, to contribute, and to sacrifice."

Sacrifice, like morality, is used to encourage oneself.

Morality can only be used to restrain oneself. Using morality as an excuse to demand that others do certain things is the most immoral thing a person can do. This is what is called moral blackmail.

Similarly, using various "halos" as "bait" to "lure" others into becoming heroes and making sacrifices is also the most shameless thing to do.

The difference between "Comrades, charge!" and "Brothers, follow me!" is enormous!