The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 657 Too Many Idlers

The novel's popularity successfully sparked Liu Bei's interest in opera, and he was now eager to know what opera was all about.

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "What they are rehearsing is not opera, but an early version or prototype of opera, somewhat similar to the drama or stage play of the Western Qin Dynasty."

"As for traditional opera, the scope is too broad. There is Peking Opera, Henan Opera, Yue Opera, Qinqiang Opera, and even Nuo Opera. These operas are all distributed according to region. For example, Qinqiang Opera is from Guanzhong, Henan Opera is popular in the Central Plains area around Luoyang, Peking Opera is from Zhuojun, which is Your Majesty's hometown, and there is also Huangmei Opera from the Jianghuai region. In short, there are too many."

Liu Bei asked in astonishment, "Peking Opera, as the name suggests, is an opera performed near the capital. Isn't the capital Luoyang or Chang'an? How did it end up in Zhuojun?"

Guan Xing replied, "The capital was located in Jicheng from the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty was established by the Mongols, which was close to the grasslands. Moreover, the Yuan Dynasty did not have the imperial examination system. Those scholars had nothing to do and nowhere to use their talents, so they could only write and rehearse opera scripts, which allowed opera to develop fully. Tang poetry, Song lyrics, and Yuan opera were as famous as Tang poetry and Song lyrics, which shows how amazing they were."

"After the Yuan Dynasty, Ming and Qing opera developed again on the basis of Yuan opera and reached its peak. Because the Ming and Qing dynasties chose the same capital as the Yuan Dynasty, the opera in your area is called Peking Opera."

Liu Bei felt a chill run down his spine as he listened, and finally said irritably, "I have no interest in the history of opera. Just tell me how the opera is sung, sing a couple of lines and I'll hear it."

This stumped Guan Xing. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I only know a couple of lines of Qinqiang opera, and I haven't memorized all the lyrics. I'm afraid I won't sing it well."

Liu Bei said, "It's alright, sing a few lines for me to hear."

Guan Xing racked his brains for a long time before saying, "Then I'll sing a few lines of 'Offering to the Lamp,' which tells the story of Prime Minister Zhuge's review of his life before his death."

Zhuge Liang: “…”

I'm perfectly fine, can't you sing something else? It's so irritating to listen to.

Seeing that no one objected, Guan Xing took a few steps imitating the gait of a traditional opera actor and then began to sing loudly.

"From the back tent came the news of Zhuge Liang: 'A hermit in a thatched hut has been diligently cultivating, achieving immortality in the cave of Wolonggang. He regrets that his senior brother once recommended Liang to repay the emperor's kindness...'"

"For the sake of the country, I have fought in the south and the north; for the sake of the country, I have launched six expeditions to Qishan; for the sake of the country, I have risked my life in Xicheng; for the sake of the country, I have devoted my heart and soul to the cause..."

Qinqiang opera sings of patriotism and the tragic grandeur of the landscape. Its singing style emphasizes the word "roar," expressing grief and indignation through shouting, which can easily ignite people's emotions.

Therefore, when they heard "toiling away for the country with all his heart and soul," Zhuge Liang's hand holding the fan suddenly froze, Liu Bei's nose tingled and tears welled up in his eyes, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's hands on the armrests tightened at the same time, as if they wanted to break the armrests in half.

Although they already knew the historical outcome from Guan Xing, they still couldn't imagine how difficult Zhuge Liang's later years must have been.

"I have been afflicted with blood loss and illness by the earthen platform surrounding me, and I greatly fear that Liang's life is in danger... In the front tent, I have placed seven life lamps, and all the Zhuge Liangs kneel before the precious tent to plead with Heaven..."

After Guan Xing finished singing, it took a long time for the four of them to recover from their somber mood. Liu Bei wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "This singing style is so immersive and relatable. It makes the singer want to cry. Moreover, it's about current events, which is more suitable for our current propaganda. But is it about your past?"

You can make things up, but you can't use your own fabricated stories to sing about things that haven't happened yet; that's too fake.

Guan Xing said, "Yes, Your Majesty, there are Qinqiang operas such as 'The Dragon and the Phoenix,' 'The Great Revenge,' 'Liu Bei's Sacrifice to the Spirit,' and 'The Conquest of Eastern Wu,' but unfortunately, I don't know any of them."

The four of them rolled their eyes in unison, and Zhang Fei retorted irritably, "If you can't do it, what are you talking about? Can't you even sing a song?"

Guan Xing roared, "Heavens above! Please spare my brothers! We were separated in Xuzhou, and my second brother was trapped on this earthen hill..."

Zhang Fei exclaimed excitedly, "This is great! It tells the story of how we were besieged and separated by Cao Cao in Xuzhou. Please continue!"

Guan Xing said awkwardly, "I forgot my lines, I don't know the rest."

Zhang Fei: “…”

I'd like to give you a major memory recovery technique. Would you like to try it?

Liu Bei said, "Alright, Third Brother, stop grinning. Opera isn't something Anguo can handle alone. It's good enough that he can get started and point the way. The rest is up to us. Let's find some people from Liangzhou to try. Since opera is regional, it should be easier to find locals."

“But Anguo, you still have to write the script. You should write more often. You might remember it while you’re writing. Don’t just stay in the inner quarters drinking and feasting all the time. Look at that rouge mark on your neck. Can’t you be a little more discreet in broad daylight?”

Guan Xing instinctively looked at his neck and said, "I washed it before I came out, didn't I wash it properly?"

Liu Bei stood up and said, "Alright, let's go back first. I'll leave the propaganda work to you. As soon as possible, compose a few good operas so I can see the results. It would be best if they were meant to attack Cao Cao and his son."

Guan Xing saw the four people off at the door and called out to their backs, "Your Majesty, Father, Third Uncle, Prime Minister, take care, and come visit us often."

After seeing off his elders, Guan Xing returned to his inner quarters and continued to sing and dance shamelessly with his concubines, contributing to the rapid recovery of the Han population.

Guan Xing is the leader. Once the leader has finished planning and assigning tasks, he has nothing to do. But the people below him are in trouble. Their busy work has officially begun.

Cai Jia led the DaHan Online Literature Platform to work overtime to write, and various works were constantly published. After completion, proofreading, approval and printing, they were immediately sent to bookstores in the commercial street for sale.

This time it's not a free giveaway; the cost of the paper has been included, making the price outrageously expensive.

Despite this, people still flocked to buy the novels. Those who couldn't afford to buy could rent them, and those who couldn't even afford to rent could read them directly in the bookstore. Business was so booming that Guan Xing had to rent two more storefronts to expand the business.

Meanwhile, the opera "The Legend of the White Snake," rehearsed by the troupe, was successfully staged and performed in the city's training ground. On the day of the performance, the training ground was packed with people, forcing Liu Bei to send troops to maintain order.

After the performance, the cultural industry in Dahan experienced explosive growth. Firstly, due to the success of the performance, Yu Yang, the head of the commercial district, personally introduced opera into brothels, which made the brothels even more popular.

Secondly, writing a novel is a slow process. A novel can be read in a day, but it may take several months or even half a year to write. Therefore, although Cai Jia's creative team seems to have a large number of people, it cannot meet the needs of readers. Some readers who have no books to read simply pick up their pens and write their own, and then sell them to Cai Jia. This way, they can satisfy their creative interests and make a small profit. Why not?

Furthermore, those aristocratic young masters who found writing novels troublesome and had nothing better to do turned their attention to opera, hiring people to rehearse and consulting opera troupes when they encountered difficulties.

The situation in the Han Dynasty opera world was similar to that in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Both had many idle scholars who were unwilling to farm. Since the imperial examination system was not established, these scholars had nowhere to release their energy. With nothing to do, they focused their energy on opera. For a time, various operas were performed in turn, including both the best and the worst, making it a mixed bag.

However, a new problem arose: cultural and artistic work could not be carried out only within the territory of the Han Dynasty; it had to be spread to the territory of Cao Wei. How could these things be spread to Cao Wei?