As the ceremony began, everyone's eyes turned to the giant screen nearby, which displayed the square at that very moment. As the camera moved, it had already settled on the gate tower.
The surroundings fell silent, all eyes fixed on the screen in anticipation.
The moment the Welcome March sounded, they all entered and stopped beside the gate tower. Looking at the celebratory atmosphere in the square, everyone wore smiles as warm as a spring breeze.
As the host of the event, Cai Qi adjusted his attire slightly under everyone's gaze, then stepped before the microphone. "The capital's grand assembly celebrating the eightieth anniversary of Huaxia's founding now begins. Fire the ceremonial guns!"
Cai Qi's deep, solemn voice spread across the entire square, and the assembly officially began as fifty-six ceremonial guns fired!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The thunderous, weighty blasts resounded through the sky, echoing for a long time. As the first cannon boomed, the National Flag Guard set out from the Heroes' Monument and marched toward the flagpole base.
Every step was perfectly synchronized, solemn and dignified.
Across the entire square, apart from the heavy booms of the ceremonial guns, only the guard's grave footsteps remained. It was as though every step landed upon everyone's hearts, and all eyes unconsciously turned toward the monument behind them.
From the monument forged by heroic predecessors with their flesh and blood to the flagpole where the national flag flew, the path was not long, yet it was a great road to the heavens carved out by countless predecessors who had braved thorns and hardships.
Those solid, solemn footsteps filled the on-site audience and viewers watching the live broadcast from before their televisions with reverence.
Today's glory had been earned through the blood and sweat of yesterday's forebears. Every inch of land beneath