My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 375 Being a Lord is Really Not Easy

The zoo is bordered by the steel city on one side and various government offices in the district center on the other.

It's one thing to smell animal feces and urine normally.

I listened to howling all night long.

Bear Mountain, Tiger Valley, Elephant Pavilion, all roaring in turn...

I don't know if it was amazement at the unprecedented fireworks display or the intense stimulation it gave my young heart.

Even the usually gentle swans were honking loudly.

Before he even got off work that evening, the animal expert was already asking Rang Weidong if he had frightened the children.

Wei Dong, however, was more certain. He remembered seeing many videos of fireworks displays at the large zoo in eastern Guangdong: "Maybe it's for fun. Animals need entertainment too. Being kept in captivity every day would probably make them depressed. Let's give it a try."

Until the 1990s, zoos in China mainly focused on animal displays, emphasizing the number of species and their aesthetic appeal.

There is a lack of scientific understanding of animal behavior and psychological needs.

The animal staff at this time have not paid attention to correcting their stereotypical behaviors.

At most, I wonder if this will scare the babies. They'll just listen and be fine.

After the fireworks display ended and the zoo closed for cleaning, Wei Dong was told to rush home to pick up his wife. On the way, he talked to Steve about how the zoo had brought such radiant smiles to everyone's faces, and how there would be even more tomorrow. He said this was an improvement that even Edison could bring.

He boasted even more: "This is the romance of us Chinese. We'd rather use gunpowder to make these fancy things than to use it for guns and cannons to kill people..."

What was clearly a mockery of traditional culture by later public intellectuals became a source of pride for Wei Dong.

Steve listened in amazement, believing it to be true.

Dong Xueqing was incredibly proud of her role as a translator.

Shen Cuiyue, unusually playful, dragged Qin Yuye along and they ended up staying at the "guesthouse" on the tower above the entrance, so only she accompanied him back.

However, having said all that, Wei Dong didn't realize that there were more citizens standing on the street than usual.

People were chatting and standing by the roadside, all wondering if there would be a few more fireworks.

Although fireworks and firecrackers were not banned back then, people in the community had never seen many large fireworks displays; ordinary firecrackers and sky rockets were about the same.

These professional fireworks, as thick as a bowl, can bloom into colorful, high-end fireworks when they hit the sky, leaving even the demolition experts stunned.

After playing with explosives for over ten or twenty years, are there still such creative tricks?
Powerful firepower was prepared overnight.

Wei Dong, of course, only went home and finished venting his anger on his wife before finally going to sleep contentedly.

I never imagined that even he would sing the praises of Dong Xueying so effusively, that the more than 20,000 tourists would spread like mercury to every corner of the city, and even spread the news to his neighbors and relatives.

Furthermore, in the era before online social networking, no one could have imagined that this level of popularity would have become so intense.

Even the city didn't realize that these fireworks were like a signpost pointing the way for a massive army to arrive.

The next morning, Wei Dong was awakened by a phone call from Shen Cuiyue and the others from the zoo entrance.

"Oh my god! It's completely jammed! The entire area in front of the zoo is jammed, the streets are packed with people, people everywhere..."

It made Wei Dong's head go blank for a moment!
Finished!

It got too hot and burned.

He quickly arranged to enter from the back of the construction site, and then took his wife, children, and sister-in-law downstairs to set off.

It's actually very close to the zoo from here, only four or five bus stops away, about five or six kilometers.

But as soon as they got to the street, the family couldn't help but look at each other in disbelief, because everyone on the street was heading in that direction!
Then quite a few people were already walking on the road, because the sidewalk was a bit crowded.

The more we walked, the more crowded it became. Even before we reached the central roundabout in the western district, it was already causing some traffic disruptions.

The more crowded it got, the more excited everyone became, curious to see what was going on.

There won't be any mobile network warnings or public service reminders at this time.

Fortunately, in those days when there were no private cars, no bicycles, and very few motorcycles, everyone walked.

They even thought it wasn't a big deal; if they missed the bus, they could just walk.

Unexpectedly, not even buses could be seen, and traffic on the road was almost paralyzed.

It's not even 7 a.m. yet!

Are people this enthusiastic about visiting the zoo?

In an era when there weren't many forms of entertainment, this was what everyone loved.

The proportion of people who do *that* early in the morning is not high. Indulging in lust during the day is not a good habit. The bright daylight should be used for studying and working, and you should exercise early in the morning.

Train your body for the revolution!
In particular, the zoo has a rule that admission is free if you enter before 7 a.m.

Just to save five cents... so many people have already gathered?
As for?
The old security guard's face turned a little pale, and he decisively turned around and went around.

Because the zoo occupies a huge area, the construction site is located in another block.

Then, to my horror, I discovered that quite a few other people were also walking there!

The section near the Post and Telecommunications Building marks the boundary between the Central District and the Western District, while this section marks the boundary between the Education District and the Western District.

It's clearly people from both districts flocking there. You guys aren't going out to have fun during the holiday, you're all...

Holy crap, that's when Wei Dong realized he was doomed.

These days, where can you find road trips or travel to other places?

Even in Shangzhou, before private cars became popular, people basically stayed at home during holidays, and going to the city park was almost the only form of entertainment!
If he had a cell phone, he would definitely have called the city police to report the crime by now, and would have offered his apologies in humility.

Fortunately, no one knew that there was construction going on behind the zoo, let alone that the tightly sealed construction site gate led into the park.

The minivan darted across several roads already congested with pedestrians in one direction, quietly slipping behind them.

The construction soldier opened the door for him with a look of surprise: "The main gate and the side gate are both crowded. We have already called the regimental headquarters to report."

After Wei Dong made the arrangements, he immediately drove to the park office to call the city. Dong Xueqing took the few walkie-talkies she had and went to the main gate to oversee the situation.

Dong Xueying still stayed in the office with her child to oversee the headquarters, and called Lao Geng and Gou Dan to request that all departments come in from the construction site to provide support.

As a county-level unit, the zoo naturally has more than two phone lines.

In fact, before Wei Dong arrived, he was already receiving a barrage of inquiries from the district and city authorities.

However, they all called to ask what was going on, and some even called with a laugh to ask if they could get special treatment through connections.

Even when the city government received a call, Wei Dong didn't get nervous; they teased him, saying he was doing a great job.

Wei Dong was about to kneel down and beg for mercy, not to kneel before power, but because he was afraid of losing lives. In later generations, this would be the most feared mass incident in security work.

When they organized the event at the Shangzhou Free Market last time, the 30,000 participants almost drove Ding Haifeng and his team crazy.

We are now urgently requesting various forms of support from the city: "We did not take into account the public's demand for a richer cultural life, so we overestimated our reception capacity and underestimated everyone's enthusiasm. The streets outside the zoo are now basically paralyzed. We hope that relevant departments can assist in clearing and blocking the traffic."

He still lacks experience; Shangzhou is not a mega-city like Jiangzhou.

In previous years, they often organized mass events that attracted 100,000 to 200,000 people.

So, although the atmosphere was somewhat somber, they agreed to immediately raise the level of city order maintenance, but still praised Wei Dong for his foresight.

They exchanged contact numbers and contact persons, and informed each other of the existence of a back door passage for entry, etc.

Then Wei Dong grabbed a walkie-talkie and started running around everywhere.

I later learned that the most serious situation was at the side gate, the one that was temporarily opened separately during the construction of the front gate.

It is hidden in a street surrounded by district government offices and residential buildings.

It serves as the main passageway for family members of various functional departments to exercise in the morning and take walks in the evening.

The zoo is quite experienced; it closes its doors to the public for free on weekends and holidays, allowing only those with monthly exercise passes from the surrounding area to enter.

As a result, the narrow streets here were quickly crowded to the side of the road, and there was no room to step!
Then, the increasingly agitated crowd couldn't help but bang on the iron gate, which was more than ten meters wide.

If it weren't for the fact that this section of the wall is separated from the outside by a winding stream, the wall might have been torn down.

Some people have already started lifting their shoes and trouser legs to test the water depth, trying to breach the moat!

In contrast, the renovated front gate is modeled after the single-entry gate of Uncle De's amusement park. The iron gate, which is as thick as a forearm, is only about one meter wide. If you bump into it, the impact surface is only that wide, and it is not so shaky!
As for the city gate-style vehicles entering the gate, because it was tightly closed, it wouldn't cause such a big impact.

So they mobilized hundreds of construction engineering soldiers living on the construction site, and had them all go to the side gate at waist level to desperately hold the large iron gate up so that it wouldn't be overturned by the jeers.

The arriving city police officers skillfully set up loudspeakers again, emphasizing the importance of discipline and order...

This is different from what it will be like 30 or 40 years later. The citizens are quite obedient; if they say they won't cause trouble, they really won't.

But if you can't hold your poop and pee, you'll also get thirsty.

A large number of police officers were drawn from other areas and began to persuade people to turn back from the outer intersections several kilometers away, preventing them from gathering closer.

By 8 a.m., reports had been compiled, estimating that over 300,000 people had gathered in this area, with the total number no less than 500,000 moving towards it...

When Wei Dong heard the park's "command center" ringing with a cacophony of phone calls, reporting a multitude of situations and numbers of people, he was nearly scared to death!

Damn, Cao Cao sent an army of 800,000 to fight in the south, and everyone says it's an exaggeration. Now I'm being besieged by 500,000 people. Can I save and replay this game?

He ran to the front door and quietly climbed up the castle's round tower, which was about six or seven stories high.

Peeking furtively into the distance, all I could see were hordes of people!
His posture was just like that of a lord besieged by Cao Cao's army on the city wall during the Three Kingdoms period, making Shen Cuiyue, who was hiding behind him, laugh until her stomach hurt!
Wei Dong was just looking for a way to vent his anger: "Laugh, laugh, I can't even cry. What if something goes wrong and someone dies!"

Qin Yuye, who had more experience, said, "Yes, in Hong Kong, because the Star Ferry raised its fare by five cents, someone instigated a situation, and the entire Kowloon was filled with looting and riots, and people died..."

Her words only made Wei Dong more terrified, and he cursed her along with her: "Please shut up! Now we need to figure out how to retreat... oh, I mean evacuate the crowd!"

If this were during wartime, he might have surrendered without a fight.

Shen Laosan, who was squatting on the ground, laughed so hard that his whole body was shaking. He buried his head in his arms. How could he be so funny?

Infected by her, Qin Yuye also squatted down and trembled, acting like a concubine facing the fall of her kingdom.

Completely irrelevant.

Fortunately, at this moment, Lao Geng stepped forward with the air of "I have a plan": "It's like a cement mixer that's hardened and will get stuck. So we need to break up this increasingly tight container. We'll send people out to evacuate, and combined with persuasion and obstruction from the outside, we'll gradually clear the way out..."

That's what they say, but it's so crowded down there you can't even fit a needle!
They saw people peeking out of the tower and cheering everywhere...

This made the lord's heart tremble!
(End of this chapter)