Chapter 506: Public Opinion

"Your Highness, besides improving printing, have you also improved papermaking?" Mi Wen was increasingly excited.

If both printing and paper could become inexpensive, the common people of Yanzhou would be able to afford books in every household in the future.

If so, reading and literacy would no longer be an unattainable luxury for farming families.

Zhao Xu nodded, "You could say that. Therefore, your Propaganda Department can get moving. The current situation facing Yanzhou is severe; this Prince needs unity of thought from top to bottom."

If guns and cannons were the sharp claws of Yanzhou's conquests, then the Propaganda Department was Yanzhou's tongue.

This tongue, besides handling internal propaganda, must also take on the responsibility of external propaganda.

Coming from the modern era, Zhao Xu knew well the importance of controlling public opinion.

Often, before a war, public opinion mobilization must be conducted first, so that everyone can be of one mind.

At the same time, through public opinion, one can also disrupt the enemy's morale and make them fall into disarray.

Although the dissemination of information in this era was quite primitive.

The Propaganda Department could not be like in the modern era, where one could sit in front of a computer and send a message to make the whole world know.

But Rome was not built in a day.

Just like the Four Courts that Xu Ke was responsible for, it always had to be established first, then consider development and growth, and finally become a leader.

"Yes, Your Highness." Mi Wen became excited. He said, "Your Highness, during this time in Yanzhou, this subordinate has met several like-minded people among the students of the Academy. They are all exceptionally talented in literature. If they are allowed to join the Propaganda Department, it will surely be like a tiger gaining wings. I hope Your Highness will grant this."

"This Prince will give you a handwritten note later; you go directly to find Liu Fu," Zhao Xu said. Mi Wen was asking him for people.

Mi Wen was delighted and continued, "Also, according to your instructions, Your Highness, although the affairs the Propaganda Department is responsible for are simple, I fear it will require many people to run errands to timely convey Your Highness's ideas to the ears of the common people. Therefore, this subordinate also wants to recruit some more scholars."

He paused and said, "After Your Highness took the Southern Three Commanderies, quite a few scholars flooded into Yancheng. Apart from a portion with talent who were selected into the Three Great Academies, there are still some mediocre ones. These people can read, but are not refined, yet they are enough for the Propaganda Department."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu sized up Mi Wen.

He discovered that he had somewhat underestimated this Mi Wen.

This kid's brain was quite flexible.

But then again, Mi Wen was a year younger than him; young minds were always free-spirited.

Influenced by him, it was not strange that ideas similar to his own style sometimes popped up.

He said, "This is exactly what this Prince was thinking. Make the best use of everything. Rather than letting them end up on the streets, copying books and painting for a living, it is better to give them something to do."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "However, if they are only asked to run errands, they will certainly not be happy. But if all of them are made officials or clerks, that would be a huge expense for the Government Office."

Mi Wen had not thought of this problem just now and immediately frowned.

That was right; the silver needed to support so many people would not be a small amount.

Just as he was worrying, he heard Zhao Xu say again, "Therefore, this Prince has thought of an idea for you:

Since the Propaganda Department is responsible for propaganda throughout Yanzhou, then establish a Propaganda Pavilion in every county town, set up one official responsible for the Propaganda Pavilion, and assign two clerks."

"The remaining scholars will be collectively called Propaganda Officers. They are neither officials nor clerks, but they will also receive a salary from the Government Office, though the salary will be very small. In this way, the forty-nine counties of the Yanzhou Seven Commanderies will not cost much silver."

In ancient times, 'Pavilion' was also a commonly used name for an institution.

For example, Liu Bang once served as a Pavilion Chief.

Hearing this, Mi Wen clapped his hands happily, "Your Highness is still the most thoughtful. These Propaganda Officers only need to be given enough salary for food and clothing. After all, they will continue to study for the Official Examination."

"That is exactly the meaning," Zhao Xu laughed.

These Propaganda Officers were equivalent to temporary workers for the Government Office.

Just like in the modern era, although the pay was low, there would still be people scrambling to do it; after all, it was a bit of a face-saver to say it out loud.

Ancient and modern times only differ in the level of technology, but human nature is the same.

In this way, he solved the cumbersome propaganda affairs at the minimum cost.

At the same time, he also solved the livelihood of these scholars.

Mi Wen ruminated for a while, becoming more and more impatient, "Since the Propaganda Pavilions below are like this, the newspaper office should also be implemented accordingly."

After saying this, he bowed and said, "Your Highness, this subordinate will go post the notice and build the Propaganda Department."

Zhao Xu nodded, discussed some details with Mi Wen, and let him go get busy.

In the following few days.

The originally calm Yancheng boiled over like water hitting a wok of oil.

In the streets and alleys, scholars were all discussing the same name: Propaganda Department.

By the side of the official road in the North City, inside a tea shed, three scholars with clothes full of patches were holding the cheapest clear tea, sitting on bamboo chairs.

They had just returned from traveling outside and had just settled down here.

At this time, looking at the crowd squeezed together at the city gate, a tall scholar in the middle said, "What's going on over there? So lively."

The old man who was pouring tea for guests back and forth heard this and said, "Don't you know? The Government Office just established a Propaganda Department and is recruiting people. I thought you guys wouldn't look down on this Propaganda Department."

"Propaganda Department? When has there ever been such a thing among the official institutions of Great Song?" a scholar next to the tall one said.

"Yan Wang is always unconventional; it's not strange to set up a new institution. Should we go and find out?" the third scholar said.

"Forget it. The three of us are from poor families, have no money to buy books, our knowledge is shallow, we failed the Official Examination, and we failed the Government Academy exam too. This Propaganda Department won't fall to us anyway," the tall scholar sighed.

"You're wrong about that. I heard that the number of Propaganda Officers recruited by the Propaganda Department this time is large, and they want scholars just like you. Moreover, although these Propaganda Officers are neither officials nor clerks, they also receive a salary from the Government Office," the old man said, looking at the three with his hands behind his back.

He was not a meddlesome person. If it were back when the Yuan Family still governed Yanzhou.

He wouldn't even bother to listen to matters of the Government Office.

But now it was different; now Yanzhou belonged to Yan Wang.

Under Yan Wang's governance over the past two years, the dilapidated and lifeless Yan Commandery had gradually come back to life.

Under extremely low taxes, the common people harvested two or three seasons of grain, their households gradually became wealthy, and they had spare money to drink tea; his tea shed's income had become much more abundant.

Regarding this, he and the common people could only be grateful to Yan Wang, who saved them from the sea of misery.

Especially the people of Yancheng and the surrounding areas; they witnessed with their own eyes Yan Wang eliminating the three rich clans of Zhang, Huang, and Du in Yan Commandery, and had seen Yan Wang personally arrive on the battlefield to face the blade of the Northern Di.

It could be said that Yanzhou being able to have today was condensed with the blood and sweat of this Yan Wang.

Therefore, like every commoner in the fief of Yan Wang, they supported Yan Wang from the bottom of their hearts.

They supported any policy of Yan Wang, and they were willing to take the initiative to do anything that was beneficial to Yan Wang.

Now that Yan Wang wanted to establish a Propaganda Department, he naturally also wanted to help promote it along the way.

Upon hearing this, the three scholars immediately stood up, stopped drinking their tea, and slipped away into the city in a flash.