Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 375: Records of Eastern Observations, Lao Zhu Wants to Start a Newspaper [Request Subscription]

In April of the 21st year of Hongwu, Lee Seong-gye and Cho Min-su took advantage of the opportunity when the general manager was reviewing the Kaesong Guard to take control of the troops and exile the powerful Goryeo official Choi Young.

In May, King Wang U of Goryeo was forced to abdicate by powerful military generals such as Cho Min-su and Lee Seong-gye, and was forced to pass the throne to Crown Prince Wang Chang.

At the same time, Cho Min-su and Lee Seong-gye were appointed as the left and right ministers, and Cho Min-su was concurrently the governor-general of Yangguang, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, Seohae, and Giaoju, while Lee Seong-gye was concurrently the governor-general of the northeastern province of Sokbang and Gangneung.

In June, Lee Seong-gye used Zhao Jun's impeachment to exclude Cao Minsu and seize power.

In July, Lee Seong-gye was appointed commander of all Goryeo military affairs, both domestically and abroad, and concurrently served as the judge of the Sangseo Office.

At this point, Lee Seong-gye had already become the most powerful official in Goryeo, second only to the emperor.
···
It’s the end of August.

The summer heat has not yet dissipated and autumn has not yet arrived. The climate in the Ming Dynasty capital is cool but still warm.

On the main road paved with cement and the streets on both sides paved with blue bricks, a young man in blue clothes was riding an ordinary bicycle slowly along the street.

On the back seat of his bicycle was a bamboo bookcase with a long flag on it that read "The Fourth Issue of "Overseas Scenery"".

There were a lot of people on the street in the morning, so the young man rode very slowly.

He rode without a hurry, shouting, "The fourth issue of 'Overseas Scenery' is out! Why did the Korean nobles build cities as their homes? Where is the highest mountain in Japan? How many active volcanoes are there on Ice and Fire Island? Why is Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain never frozen?"

"The scenery of Korea and Japan, the beauty of Beiyang and Jilin, all in this issue of "Overseas Scenery" - one copy, sold out immediately!"

"Wait a minute, bookseller. I want a copy of Overseas Scenery."

"I want one too."

"Is this fourth issue about Goryeo and Japan? Give me a copy too."

Soon, the young man and his bicycle were stopped by several scholars, who took out their banknotes to buy "Overseas Scenery".

Speaking of it, "Overseas Scenery" is not cheap. One string of coins is equivalent to ten days' income of an ordinary person in the capital (the income of ordinary people in the capital has increased in the past few years), but there are still many people who buy it.

The bookseller from Sanwei Bookstore had only ridden halfway down the street when all fifty copies of the fourth issue of "Overseas Scenery" in his bamboo box were sold out.

Many people bought the publications, and went to teahouses and taverns on the street, or simply sat down at roadside stalls to read and talk with others.

"I never imagined that the Goryeo nobles would be so detrimental to the country and its people. Not only did they seize large amounts of land and absorb the population, but they also refused to pay taxes to the Goryeo royal court."

"The Goryeo royal court is useless. Unable to collect taxes from the nobles, they increase taxes on the common people. Now Goryeo is in dire straits and the people are living in misery."

"This noble family even built a city as their residence, which is actually a fortress. Isn't it similar to the Northern and Southern Dynasties in our history?"

"Who says it isn't?"

"The Goryeo nobles were comfortable, but the Goryeo people suffered."

"Looking at the publications, Japan has quite a few wonderful places, including volcanoes, snowy landscapes, and hot springs. It says that soaking in hot springs is quite beneficial to the human body. If I have the chance, I'd like to go and see them."

"I heard that Japan is now divided into three kingdoms, constantly at war with each other, and suffering from years of famine. It's not a good place to live."

"What are you afraid of? We are Ming people. Whether we go to Korea or Japan, who would dare to embarrass us?"

"Haha, that's what you said, bro."

"···"

Liu Kuan walked along the long street with his entourage and heard a lot of similar discussions. A smile appeared on his face.

"Overseas Scenery" was not only intended to broaden the horizons of the Ming people and help them understand the world, but also had some political propaganda effect.

For example, in several issues of the publication introducing Goryeo and Japan, the author indirectly describes how miserable the people of Goryeo and Japan were living, and how the aristocratic families were harming the country and the people.

In this way, when the Ming Dynasty swallowed up Korea and Japan in the future, many people would think that doing so was just and helped the vast majority of civilians in Korea and Japan. In fact, this is not much different from the facts.

The Koreans will become a minority in the Ming Dynasty in the future, but they will also be treated more fairly.

Most of the Japanese women who married Ming Dynasty soldiers and men were able to live a better life than before.

Even Japanese men were mostly sent to Southeast Asia. As long as they were obedient and hardworking, they could marry local women in Southeast Asia and live a good life. They even had the opportunity to make contributions to the Ming Dynasty and earn a better future.

Liu Kuan came to Tiangongyuan and handled official business in the office for more than an hour. Then a young eunuch came to the palace. It turned out that it was Old Zhu who summoned him into the palace to discuss matters.

Liu Kuan did not ask the young eunuch what he wanted. He gave some instructions to the officials who stayed in Tiangongyuan and then went into the palace.

When he arrived at Fengxian Hall, he saw Zhu Biao was also there, so he bowed to both of them.

The ceremony is over.

Old Zhu got straight to the point. "Liu Kuan, we've learned from the intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard that since your Overseas Scenery magazine was published a few months ago, the opinions of the people in the capital and other places where it's widely sold have changed significantly regarding overseas affairs."

"For example, the imperial court previously established the Luzon Military Commission and is planning to establish the Hailong Military Commission. Although no one in the court dared to raise any objections, I know that there is a lot of criticism among the people. They say that Nanyang is a wild and barbaric land full of miasma, and that establishing a military commission there is a sheer waste of manpower and money."

"However, since the first three issues of Overseas Scenery introduced the various treasures and specialties of the Southeast Asian countries and islands, this kind of public criticism has decreased significantly."

"There were even some daring merchants and adventurous young scholars who took the initiative to go to Southeast Asia to do business or travel."

"Now it seems that your publication is even more effective in promoting the court's policies than storytellers and singers."

Liu Kuan smiled modestly and said, "Your Majesty, your compliments are too kind. Publications only have a slightly greater influence among scholars. For the general public, more popular propaganda methods such as storytelling and singing are more effective."

"The impact on scholars is very important." Old Zhu sighed, then changed the subject and asked, "Liu Kuan, what do you think about the court publishing a publication similar to Overseas Scenery, specifically targeting scholars to promote court policies?"

After hearing this, Liu Kuan was surprised at first. He didn't expect that Zhu Yuanzhang would think of publishing an "official newspaper" on his own.

Then I felt that it was natural for Lao Zhu to understand the importance of newspapers.

The Ming Dynasty inherited the system of the Song and Yuan dynasties and already had official bulletins, which were distributed specifically to various government offices to inform officials of the government policies or to announce rewards and punishments for certain typical officials.

Now that Zhu Yuanzhang had witnessed the propaganda effect of "Overseas Scenery", he naturally thought of expanding the propaganda effect of the court gazette to cover the Ming Dynasty's scholar group.

After coming to his senses, Liu Kuan nodded and said, "Of course it's possible."

Seeing that Liu Kuan didn't try to stop him, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded, then asked, "What suggestions do you have for this publication the court is planning to publish? Tell us in detail, and I'll have Biaoer write it down."

In fact, in the few years since the publication of the journal "Natural Science", there have been many imitative journals among the public. Of course, the themes are different and there are no standards.

Although many publications have small circulation and little influence, they are slowly growing and developing.

If the Ming Dynasty court ignored these publications, as the Ming Dynasty's papermaking and printing technology continued to improve, the newspaper industry would definitely become chaotic, causing adverse effects.

Therefore, even if Zhu Yuanzhang did not think of publishing an "official newspaper", Liu Kuan would find an opportunity to remind Zhu Yuanzhang to regulate the newspaper industry.

By then, Zhu Yuanzhang must have also noticed the importance of newspapers in propaganda.

With this in mind, Liu Kuan felt that he should make some suggestions for the creation of "official newspapers".

　First update.

　　I feel really helpless. I already have a cold, and my family forces me to go on a blind date, which delays the update. The person on the other side is not reliable at all. It's a shame to date him.

　　I will write less today.

　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)