Chapter 2935: Propaganda Department and Publishing a Newspaper

In addition to the new institution of the Psionic Network Research Center, the Northland Alliance will also establish a new department for the standing Mage corps to facilitate management, command, and even checks and balances between various parties.

Regarding this latter piece of news, even Xia Duo has not received any explicit information, only public rumors; however, rumors are rarely without foundation, so they may not be entirely unbelievable.

It could even be said that since the Alliance has established a standing Mage corps, it must incorporate it into its organizational structure, which inevitably requires the establishment of a new department; after all, under the Alliance's current system, there is no position capable of accommodating a Mage corps.

……

In April, the weather gradually turned warmer. Seeing that this abnormal winter was about to pass, all parties in the Northland finally breathed a sigh of relief; the worst-case scenario had, after all, not come to pass.

Meanwhile, in Daxia Territory, while Xia Duo was busy with his own research, he did not forget to pay attention to the spring sowing in the territory. Since the Territory Development Department did not stop working during this winter, although the efficiency was not as high as usual, a considerable area of usable land was still developed.

Consequently, in mid-April, the territory held a land-granting ceremony on a scale far exceeding previous ones. Over five thousand households received their own land at the ceremony and settled their accumulated merit rewards from the development period.

Of course, once land was granted, it meant exiting the development sequence. From then on, they would have to seek their own way. They could choose to join the Development Department to continue working as development laborers, but their actual income would not be as high as when they were still in the development sequence.

However, looking at it from another perspective, exiting the development sequence also meant more possibilities for their future lives; in such a vast territory, it was impossible that they wouldn't even have a meal to eat.

Besides the limited recruitment by the Territory Development Department, the various factories in the Linshui Town Industrial Zone also needed a small number of workers. Development laborers coming out of the Territory Development Department were already familiar with the territory's organizational order, and training them into workers for other fields was far easier than training newcomers.

"Does the Lord want the Propaganda Department to create something similar to a port price manual, only not limited to prices, but also including territory policies and events inside and outside Netheril?"

"Still, we must find a way to recruit more people. Any new regulations or policies from the Government Hall must be notified in a timely manner; we must try our best to let all residents understand the major and minor affairs of the territory."

Upon receiving Xia Shao's reminder, Laidun's eyes suddenly lit up. Just a moment ago, he was still somewhat unsure where to start, but if a Bard could help, then this matter would be much easier.

Apart from laws and regulations, many of the territory's administrative procedures had not been announced to the residents in a timely manner, or the publicity was inadequate, inevitably leaving room for unwritten rules.

So, upon arriving at Laidun's office on the second floor, Xia Shao did not rush to speak about what he had originally intended, but instead told Laidun—

"Have the candidates for Evereska been finalized?"

"A newspaper?"

Speaking of the Propaganda Department, Xia Shao thought of another good idea: "After the Propaganda Department is established, let's start a newspaper. Select the essence of major and minor events from the territory and even inside and outside Netheril to publish in it, providing residents with a new perspective to view the world."

For example, whether the territory prohibits a certain industry, what needs to be prepared to register for a certain type of business qualification, or what subsidies are available for cooperatives formed by new villages after land grants, and so on.

"By the way, you can go ask the Culture and Education Department. If anyone is willing to transfer to the Propaganda Department, prioritize internal transfers, especially those who have experience as Bards; they are most adept at doing this."

"Yes, I will discuss it with Lawrence."

Legal education within the territory is mostly about popularizing the contents of the Code; regarding specific detailed regulations, the popularization work is still not thorough enough.

It is only the middle of the month now; producing a first draft before the end of the month is not too rushed. After all, Xia Shao does not have very high requirements for the newspaper right now; as long as the major and minor events happening in the territory are described in clear and logical text, that will suffice.

"Yes, I will keep the Lord's instructions firmly in mind and fully implement this instruction into every person and every matter of the Propaganda Department."

"Teachers and propaganda personnel must be separated. Teachers belong to the Culture and Education Department; establish a separate Propaganda Department specifically responsible for this matter."

……

In a sense, the Territory Development Department is a large melting pot, forging new residents from different places into official residents of Daxia Territory.

"There is no need to completely copy my template. You can design a new layout yourself. Furthermore, keep one point in mind: the newspaper relies on content. Layout can add color, but it is only adding color and cannot replace the content."

……

Bards are good at attracting audiences and telling stories. At the very least, there is no need to worry about the logic; it is nothing more than changing a story from being told by mouth to being described in text.

"It's more or less like that. You can let people explore how to do it. Let's tentatively set it as a semi-monthly publication; let's call it 'Semi-Monthly News'! I will transfer a few Mages from the Tower of Time to assist with the printing, but we won't interfere with the content or layout, and you had best find a way to recruit or train some people who can skillfully use the Magic Printing Press."

After finishing these two matters regarding the Propaganda Department and the Semi-Monthly News—which had been planned for a long time but only now put into arrangement—Xia Shao finally entered the main topic of his visit—

Considering that the territory had never had a newspaper, and even the Elves had not given birth to such a new thing (they had journals), Xia Shao left two newspaper templates for Laidun, but also cautioned:

"No need to be too serious. However, this matter really needs to be hurried. It would be best to give me a first draft before the end of the month."

Laidun repeated this new term proposed by the Lord, appearing somewhat unfamiliar with it yet not understanding its meaning. Thinking of the role the Lord had set for the newspaper, he became thoughtful:

"There should be quite a few people; perhaps they have all gone to the School to teach the children recently."

An inter-departmental transfer is not something that can be solved with a single sentence. The Territory Culture and Education Department is currently short of people too. If transferring people from there makes it impossible for the Culture and Education Department's original work to proceed normally, then who should be held responsible?

Even as the Administrator of the territory, Laidun inevitably had to negotiate with Lawrence, the person in charge of the Culture and Education Department, in advance.

The Tower of Time has already opened Middle School Courses, and most new Mages still hope to continue their advanced studies. Whether he can keep people or recruit others requires Laidun to find a way himself.

After the land-granting ceremony, Xia Shao and Laidun returned to the Government Hall together. The busy scene in the first-floor lobby made Xia Shao feel very gratified. Passing by, he paid a little attention; many were not there to handle business, but to inquire about territory administration.

In Xia Shao's hometown in ancient times, there were institutions specifically used for propagating politics and education; in modern times, that goes without saying. They were adept at both internal and external affairs. He is now merely referring to ready-made, effective cases from his predecessors.

The Great Xia Code is not omnipotent; it is mostly composed of principled clauses. With the refinement of territory management, more and more new regulations are appearing, while old regulations are constantly expiring or being abolished.