My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 173 Free Reading
A letter from King Zhao arrived, indicating that war was about to begin.

Li Bailong had a good night's sleep and regained his energy. He sat in the Tongwen Bureau, ready to fight.

The drum sounded and officials from the Tongwen Bureau gathered. Governor Li was sitting in the hall. He looked around, pondered for a moment, and said confidently, "Nalan Wenbo, remember this. I will make the following arrangements..."

A rising star from Tongwen who had been promoted in recent days stepped forward and listened to the lecture with a pen in hand.

Governor Li said calmly, "First, announce the first list of members joining the Huazhou Writers Guild to the public, and explain in detail the responsibilities and benefits of the guild members. The Tianhe Department must cooperate in the publicity."

Nalan Wenbo nodded and said, "The newspapers in Huazhou have been following the governor's steps closely, and they will definitely discuss this matter. People from all walks of life in Huazhou are grateful for the governor's good governance and will also praise him enthusiastically. The task of the Tianhe Department is simple and small, just to ensure that these voices can be heard by the people of Huazhou."

Upon hearing this, Governor Li couldn't help but praise: "Nalan's work is fun!"

The young secretary bowed modestly.

Lord Li gave another instruction: "The essay contest is in full swing, and we must continue to build momentum. It is about presenting gifts to the court and showing the world the prosperity of Huazhou, where the government is stable and the people are harmonious, and everything is thriving. In my opinion, it cannot be limited to the vernacular texts, and the entire literary and artistic community must participate! Each class in the bureau will visit the bosses of various industries such as opera and drama. This official intends to hold a large-scale literary and artistic performance. All units are welcome to participate and submit their programs for review."

When Nalan Wenbo saw the governor looking over, he responded, "Yes, we will let each class and each academy know that the Tongwen Bureau is the most reasonable and will never force anyone to attend the tribute performance. It all depends on each person's wishes."

"Third, in view of the numerous policies of the Tongwen Bureau, which cannot be communicated to the public in a timely manner, nor can it listen to the people's opinions, I refer to the Huazhou poster model and plan to buy a store opposite the Tongwen Bureau's office and call it a 'forum'. Changes in the Tongwen Bureau's policies will be posted at the top of the forum. The public can also post and discuss any Tongwen-related matters here. Readers, authors, and even bookstore owners can speak freely..."

Nalan Wenbo just followed through and asked, "May the Governor grant us the name of the forum?"

Li Bailong pondered and said, "My name is Bailong, and this forum can be called Dragon's..."

Before he finished speaking, a hurried shout came from outside: "Sir! Sir!"

Everyone turned to look outside the hall, all frowning.

Someone had already blocked the door to prevent the uninvited guests from breaking in.

Boss Ye was seen crawling in with the doorman, looking embarrassed, and shouting, "Governor, help me!"

Li Bailong waved his hand slightly, and the officials made way and helped him in. Boss Ye Cha, who had secretly joined Governor Li, knelt on the ground and stammered, "Cao, Cao Gang..."

He was pale, fear and hesitation flashed in his eyes, and his expression was still full of disbelief.

“——The Cao Gang has started distributing books for free!”

Li Bailong's expression changed slightly, and he said calmly: "Tell me in detail."

Seeing that he was calm, Ye Cha felt a little relieved, but he was still sweating profusely.

He is a smart man and really likes doing this job.

"About two quarters of an hour ago, dozens of bookstores in the city opened their doors and put up signs saying that from now on, all books in the store are free to read. Readers only need to pay a deposit to borrow the book, and can return it at any time with a receipt, and the deposit will be fully refunded! If anyone has spent money to buy a book in the store within three months, bring the book to the store for verification, and the full refund will be made immediately!"

He said in panic: "When I heard about it, I didn't believe it. But when I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it. I thought those bosses had gone crazy. Since Zheng Xiuyuan, there have been seven bosses in Qushiwenhui, and all the bookstores under their names have started to give out books for free... One person may go crazy, but a group of people definitely won't!"

Boss Ye looked at Li Bailong and said hurriedly, "I went to several stores. There were several large boxes in the stores, all filled with silver. In addition, there were carts of books being transported in. The people escorting the vehicles were all transport workers... Only the transport gang would do such a thing!"

Li Bailong waved.

Immediately, an officer with profound skills stepped forward and held Boss Ye's back to help him pass his internal energy.

The other party's mood gradually calmed down and his confusion and panic settled.

Governor Li asked, "Have you ever met the owners of those bookstores?"

"I wanted to look for them, but after going to two houses, there was no trace of them."

Boss Ye whispered, "When I was still looking for a place, my family sent someone to deliver a message saying that Yunhua Hall had sent someone to invite me. I thought the banquet was not good, so I didn't dare to go. I just rented a car and came to report the news to the governor."

Just then, someone else came to report: "Boss Chen from the ０文书店 is here!"

Chen Botang came in a hurry.

After all, he had experienced many storms and was much calmer than Boss Ye. After bowing, he said directly: "The Cao Gang is here to overturn the table and smash the market. I would like to ask the governor to come up with a plan."

A trace of worry flashed across his face. "The news has spread. The flow of customers to our store has dropped dramatically. Customers have all gone to watch the fun and take advantage of the bargains. If this continues...something bad will happen!"

Aozi has already started shouting: "Fuck! The Cao Gang is a bunch of bastards!"

Li Bailong looked calm, but he already felt the situation was troubling.

He thought for a moment and asked Boss Chen, "Did Yunhuatang invite you to a meeting?"

"Yes," Chen Botang replied, "This is a serious matter, so I'm here to ask the governor for advice first."

Li Bailong waved his hand and said, "Boss Ye, you and Boss Chen go together."

Ye Cha was a little panicked: "The Cao Gang...will the Cao Gang do anything to me?"

Chen Baitang said in a low voice: "We are all innocent citizens. What do the six major sects have to be afraid of?"

That's such a cool thing to say.

The officials from the Tongwen Bureau present had all been persecuted by the six major factions, and they all looked at him with awe when they heard this.

"It's okay." Li Bailong comforted, "If the Cao Gang dares to touch you, I will lead my men to defeat them."

When Chen Botang saw Jie Yuanlang's plan, he took Boss Ye and left.

When the two of them left the main hall and the government office, Chen Botang said, "Boss Ye, let's ride in the same car."

Seeing that this country bumpkin from Lin County was so calm, Ye Cha could not help but admire him. His previous words "What's there to be afraid of among the six major sects" were even more terrifying. He did not look like the ignorant and fearless person.

He couldn't help but ask, "I see that Brother Chen is fearless. Is it because he has great confidence in the governor?"

Boss Chen raised his hand and called the driver over, his expression calm: "I was once harmed by Fenglin Huoshan... The genius of Bafengtai ordered to arrest me, and all the charges were fabricated, and they wanted to falsely accuse me of colluding with the Demon Sect. Let me ask you, how does that situation compare to what happened in Huazhou today?"

Boss Ye was just a wealthy businessman in Huazhou and was not worthy of knowing the inside story. He was stunned by the intimidation.

He looked up and down and saw that Chen Botang's hands and feet were intact, so he asked in disbelief, "How did Brother Chen escape unscathed?"

Chen Baitang smiled proudly: "Prince Zhao, the former prime minister and Master Zhang came forward in person and said that I am innocent."

"!!!!!!"

This is definitely not bragging!
After all, he must be tired of living to dare to spread rumors about these three people in one breath!

When Ye Cha thought of this, he was shocked and became more polite to this country bumpkin from Lin County.

In the Tongwen Bureau, Li Bailong gave orders: "Go and keep an eye on all the bookstores, and also monitor the situation at the docks. Ask the ambassador of the River and Lake Bureau to come over..."

Orders were passed down one after another, and the officials took them one after another. After everyone had left, Li Bailong stood up, paced a few steps in the hall, and slowly exhaled.

damn it.

How could the Cao Gang turn the tables in such a disadvantageous situation?
While he was thinking about it, Nalan Wenbo came back.

He reminded, "Governor, I suddenly realized that the free books distributed by the stores must have been funded by the Cao Gang. Since the governor gave clear instructions a few days ago that if the Cao Gang wants to get involved in this business, they must obtain approval. They did this today without permission. Should we send someone to warn them and interfere?"

Li Bailong waved his hand: "No need, go do your work first."

Nalan Wenbo lowered his head and said, "Yes."

Aozi asked curiously, "Doesn't what he said make sense?"

"The Cao Gang has come up with such a plan. It's too easy to circumvent the so-called industry restrictions." Li Bailong said calmly, "Besides, the current fight has turned into a bargaining between Prince Zhao and Lord Yun. I have to make the Cao Gang suffer a loss in an upright manner, so that my uncle can lower the price..."

He shook his head and said, "Don't think about this kind of procedural problem. Let's think about the challenges that are coming."

Free to read.

Although it’s not free reading in the true sense…but it’s not far away.

Although there is a deposit issue, in theory, readers do not need to spend any money.

"The Cao Gang is burning money."

However, the Cao Gang had plenty of money, and the outcome of this battle could not be measured by money.

He sighed: "Huazhou's literary world will suffer a severe blow... a major reshuffle."

If there are free books to read, I'm afraid a large number of readers will flock to them... This is human nature.

Aozi didn't care about this, he only cared about the sales of the imperial book: "Does this have any impact on us?"

"Of course there is, and it's very big." The Royal Book has almost no reader base in Huazhou. The reason why readers buy it is because Li Bailong constantly uses his power to conduct official diversion and also hires water armies to push it.

But now, the Cao Gang has used money to provide free reading, and the exposure will definitely be drawn away!
Aozi asked anxiously: "What should we do? Should we do it too?"

Li Bailong hesitated.

He also thought about free reading.

Of course, what he called free reading was to simply distribute the books to everyone for free.

In Lin County, this is actually not possible.

You, a pulp author, have written a book full of violence, revenge, mount-and-blade stories, and intense sensory stimulation that is so deceptive.

Then he paid for it out of his own pocket and printed many copies.

And give it free to ordinary people.

——So, man, what do you want to do?
And now...

"Let's wait for Chen Botang and the others' report first."

An image of Ye Cha's panic-stricken, frightened, and resentful look flashed through Li Bailong's mind.

This Boss Ye is more sober and smarter than he thought.

I hope there are many people as smart as Boss Ye in the Qu Shiwen Club.

The carriage rumbled and stopped in front of Yunhua Hall.

Chen Baitang and Boss Ye got out of the car one after another and reported their identities. They were then politely invited in by the doorman. When they reached the patio outside the hall, they heard Ma Fulong's words coming out leisurely from the main hall.

"Don't worry, everyone. The Cao Gang has its own reasons for doing this. You are all good friends of Yunhuatang, how can we let you suffer a loss? Reading books is free, but you don't have to worry about loss of income... During this period, the Cao Gang will make up for the money that your treasure accounts have lost!"

Ye Cha and Chen Baitang looked at each other and were both shocked.

At this time, Ma Fulong said, "Please come in, the two of you. We have been waiting for you."

The two men came in and saw that the spacious hall was full of people. Zheng Xiuyuan was among them, but he looked haggard and listless, as if he was worried about something.

Seeing Ye Cha looking at him, President Zheng subconsciously turned his head to the side.

"In this way, all the friends in Huazhou who are engaged in the storytelling business are here."

Ma Fulong bowed to the two men and said calmly, "You two have heard about the situation. The Cao Gang wants to buy the bookstores under your names, but of course, we won't force it."

"If you are reluctant to give up the business you have worked so hard for, please cooperate with our gang during this period and provide free reading services to the people of Huazhou. As I said before, during this period, the money you lose from this will be doubled by our gang!"

Someone immediately said, "I don't know how to make up for it. Now that the books are free for readers to read, how do we determine how many copies could have been sold? Should we determine it based on the sales of previous years and months? But some people's stores did not do well last year, and this year they discovered a few good new people, but..."

Taoist Ling, who was sitting next to him, said calmly, "How about doubling last year's profit?"

At that moment, some bosses are calculating how much profit they can make.

Some people have shown surprise.

There was another person who looked anxious and worried... He found that others seemed to make more money than him, and felt a little unhappy.

Then there was a noisy whispering sound.

These businessmen originally had complaints about the Caobang's free model. After all, everyone was making money well, and wouldn't this incident make readers waver?

Now that I heard the capital say that it could double the compensation, I put this matter out of my mind.

Just then, Ma Fulong slammed the table.

The noise died down, and everyone looked over to see the Yunhua Hall Master with a stern expression.

"Even if we make up for the double amount, there is still a difference in how much you get, which is not fair."

He said calmly, "The Cao Gang did this in Huazhou for its own strategic considerations, which disturbed our local friends. Yunhua Hall asks all friends to cooperate with us. You must show your sincerity and not bully others with your power."

He slowed down his tone, and his words and actions slowly attracted everyone's attention.

"so."

Ma Fulong smiled.

“Compensation will not be based on profits from previous years.”

He said word by word: "From now on, until the Cao Gang finishes its business, all of you, the Cao Gang will pay you for the number of books you rent out, and there is no upper limit."

When these words were spoken, everyone present, even the wealthy merchants from Huazhou, could not help but be shocked.

The sound of chairs being dragged and falling to the ground continued to be heard, and almost everyone stood up in shock.

Even the most cunning businessman changed his expression and asked in a lost voice: "Are you serious?"

What a joke!
They have already seen the so-called free model. As long as they pay a deposit, they can take the book away and return it at any time. In other words... they can even hire a group of thugs who don't read books at all to borrow and return books repeatedly. And the Cao Gang will pay for every borrowing and returning?
What a joke!
This money is simply falling from the sky!

"What the Cao Gang says cannot be false."

Ma Fulong looked calm and composed as he looked around at the faces of the merchants. Money was like a thread, pulling at the hearts of ordinary people and changing them in an instant, making these people who claimed to be rich and powerful look like ants.

Their wealth is unimaginable to the common people in Huazhou.

But the wealth of the Cao Gang was beyond their imagination.

- Look at these ridiculous eyes, ecstatic, incredulous, even doubtful and hesitant, but their shock, their greed, their speculations are all duckweed in the water and foam on the waves of the river. They will never guess my intentions and will never understand our destiny.

Go crazy about the unreal.

These all have a price.

He opened his arms and smiled: "Our gang wants to make friends with you."

The merchants cheered wildly.

"That's it."

The head of Yunhua Hall was surrounded by them and looked around at everyone: "Free things will never be forced. If you don't agree, you can leave on your own. The Cao Gang will never stop you."

Why stop it?

How could merchants refuse such huge amounts of silver?

Even if there are some stubborn people who refuse, most booksellers have already joined the Cao Gang and promoted the free model. With the terrifying financial support of the Cao Gang, how can readers stay?
The Cao Gang’s financial offensive was like a flood. Who could bear such reckless spending of money?
Chen Botang's face turned pale with horror.

Because Huazhou's colleagues had already gathered around Ma Fulong and turned their heads to look at him.

He was the only outsider present.

His background and position are extremely clear.

Boss Chen took a deep breath and didn't even look at Ye Cha beside him.

After all, if it weren't for Feng Lin's incident, if it weren't for Jie Yuanlang's kindness and promise, it would be difficult for him to control himself.

It's a bit of a pity.

He smiled helplessly, bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

Ma Fulong nodded happily and said gracefully: "Please give my regards to Governor Li."

He never expected to get Chen Baitang to betray him. The reason he invited this guy was just to demonstrate to Li Bailong... He had to let the governor know what happened.

Just then, a voice sounded from beside Boss Chen.

"Master Ma, I want to ask you a question."

Chen Botang turned around in surprise.

Ye Cha's face was covered with sweat, his eyes were wandering, and he clenched his fists.

He said softly, "How long will the Cao Gang's big event last in Huazhou? We can't just keep giving everyone money, right? After this is over, what will happen to Huazhou? What will happen to the literary world? What will happen to this industry?"

(End of this chapter)