sovbooks Chapter 23 How can these civil officials be so audacious?
Chapter 23 How can these civil officials be so audacious?
The first issue of the Tianqi Daily was published on the very day Wang Tiqian returned from his trip to Southeast Asia.
On the day Shen Yourong returned with the fleet, many people came to Zhangjiagang, but none of her friends from the Donglin Party came to join the fun!
But he later heard that on the day the first issue was released, the entire capital city was shaken as if by a cataclysmic explosion.
A newspaper, eight pages, sixteen sections, with the headline on the front page in seven large characters:
The Truth Behind the Apocalypse Explosion
The subtitle read: "Jiang Jurchen spies infiltrate the capital, detonating the Wanggongchang gunpowder depot, causing 200,000 civilian casualties!"
"The Emperor is furious and vows to avenge this!"
The newspaper was stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty, and the article ended with "Da Ming Bao She" (Da Ming Newspaper). It is said that 100,000 copies were printed and sold out before noon. On the black market, one copy was sold for five qian of silver.
Shen Yourong didn't witness the grand occasion that day, but he later met Gao Panlong.
He would never forget the look on Gao Panlong's face that day.
"Brother Ninghai!" Gao Panlong grabbed his sleeve, his voice extremely low, "You just returned from Fujian, did you see that 'demonic report'?"
Shen Yourong frowned: "What demonic report?"
"It's that 'Great Tianqi Daily'!" Gao Panlong's eyes were bloodshot, and his lips trembled slightly. "First issue, second issue, third issue... four issues already! Brother Ninghai, do you know what's written in it?"
Shen Yourong hadn't actually looked at it carefully at the time; she had only heard that a new newspaper had been published in the capital, so she shook her head.
Without saying a word, Gao Panlong pulled a stack of papers from his sleeve. "Take a look! Take a good look!"
Shen Yourong took the newspaper and immediately saw the headline on the front page.
He skimmed through the text, his brow furrowing more and more as he read, and a chill creeping down his spine.
"Jiang spies? Detonating the bomb at Wanggongchang?" Shen Yourong looked up. "This was... ordered by His Majesty?"
"Who else could it be?" Gao Panlong asked, his voice trembling. "It's printed by the Ministry of Works, stamped with the official seal. Who would dare to do this except the Emperor?"
Shen Yourong remained silent for a moment before continuing to read.
The second episode, "A Retrospective of the Tianqi Military Parade: The Reorganization of the Three Major Battalions, the Might of the Capital Army Shakes the World."
It describes in detail the heroic figure of Emperor Tianqi personally attending the military parade, accompanied by a woodblock print depicting the emperor in his bright armor and the empress in her phoenix coronet and embroidered robes standing on a high platform, with the three armies shouting "Long live the emperor!"
The third issue, "Wang Tiqian Goes to Southeast Asia: He Secures Peace for Various Countries and Shakes the Southeast Asia, Attracting Tribute from Many Nations, and Portugal Offers Congratulations."
It describes Wang Tiqian leading his fleet on a voyage, passing through Champa and Luzon, and arriving at the Strait of Malacca, showcasing the power of the Ming Dynasty to afar.
The Portuguese even sailed to Beijing, presenting gifts and requesting permission to trade.
The front page of the fourth issue reads "Nurhaci's Seven Major Crimes of Rebellion Against the Ming Dynasty and His Three Changes of Reign Titles in an Attempt to Plot Treason".
It describes how Nurhaci rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and established his own dynasty, usurping the title of Jin. During the Wanli era, he adopted the reign title "Wans". In the first year of the Taichang era, he changed the reign title to "Teddy". During the Tianqi era, he changed the reign title to "Tianming".
He changed the reign title three times, usurped power, and attempted to overthrow the Ming Dynasty's "Tianqi" reign title in order to seize the throne.
After reading the newspapers, Shen Yourong looked up at Gao Panlong with a complicated expression.
"Brother Cunzhi, these... are all true. It is true that my navy escorted Wang Tiqian on his voyage to Southeast Asia. It is also true that various countries came to pay tribute and Portugal came to congratulate him."
Gao Panlong's face flushed red: "I'm not asking whether these things are true or not! I'm asking about the first issue! The first issue said that Jurchen spies detonated the bomb at Wanggongchang, do you believe that?"
Shen Yourong did not speak.
Of course he didn't believe it.
On the day of the Tianqi Explosion, although he was not in the capital, he felt the tremors at sea.
Later, he sent people to Beijing to inquire, and the news he received was that the cause of the explosion was unknown. Some said it was a fire at the gunpowder factory, some said it was an earthquake, and some said it was a meteorite falling from the sky. There were many different opinions.
No one has ever said that it was a Jurchen spy who did it.
But Shen Yourong was a man who had fought in wars his whole life, and he knew all too well.
Sometimes, the truth doesn't matter.
The important thing is what ordinary people believe.
"My dear brother," Shen Yourong said slowly, "does it matter whether you believe me or not?"
Gao Panlong was stunned.
"The important thing is that the people of the capital believe it, and the people of the whole country believe it too!" Shen Yourong said. "I've heard it all. Everyone in the capital is cursing the Jurchens now. Isn't this exactly what the court wants?"
Gao Panlong's face changed from red to white, and then from white to green.
"You...you think so too?" His voice trembled slightly. "Brother Ninghai, you're a military officer; you don't understand. This is blaming a deer for a horse! Today they can pin the explosion on the Jurchens, tomorrow they can pin anything on anyone! If this continues, how can the court maintain its credibility?"
Shen Yourong sighed.
He certainly understands this principle.
But he understood another principle: in the face of life and death, public trust is insignificant.
The most important tasks for the Ming Dynasty now are to fight the Jurchens, to protect Liaodong, and to defend Shanhaiguan.
As long as it can unite the people's hearts and morale, Shen Yourong would feel it's worth it, even if it's not about framing the Jurchens, but even if it's about framing the King of Hell.
But he didn't say these words aloud, only asking calmly, "Brother, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Gao Panlong took a deep breath and looked around. Although there were only the two of them in the study, he still lowered his voice.
"Brother Ninghai, do you know that this newspaper does not include the Ministry of Justice?"
Shen Yourong was taken aback: "The newspaper has the Ministry of Works' seal on it."
"The seal is genuine, but the person who orchestrated this was the Emperor himself," Gao Panlong said, emphasizing each word. "I have investigated. The newspaper article originated from a place called the 'Great Ming Royal Academy of Science and Technology' in the southeast corner of the Imperial City. The people there are all craftsmen and scholars personally selected by the Emperor. This newspaper, from beginning to end, is entirely the Emperor's doing."
Shen Yourong's brows furrowed even more.
"Furthermore," Gao Panlong continued, "this newspaper bypassed the cabinet and was distributed directly to all government offices, businesses, and bookstores in the capital. Ordinary people could buy it for just a few coins. The Emperor is using this newspaper to replace the official gazette, issuing direct orders to the entire nation!"
Shen Yourong finally understood.
Gao Panlong wasn't afraid of what was written in the newspaper, but of the newspaper itself.
In the past, imperial decrees were sent to various government offices through the official gazette, and then relayed by civil officials layer by layer.
Civil officials can embellish, take things out of context, and insert their own agendas.
The news that ordinary people hear has already been filtered countless times.
Now that we have this newspaper, the emperor can speak directly to the people.
It's written in black and white, stamped with the official seal; no one can alter it.
"Brother Ninghai, this newspaper, in its first issue, characterized the Great Explosion; in the second, it sang praises to the Emperor; in the third, it erected a monument to Wang Tiqian; and in the fourth, it portrayed the Jurchens as a great terror. The Emperor is using the newspaper to replace the official gazette, bypassing the cabinet, and issuing orders directly to the world!"
Gao Panlong became more and more agitated as he spoke, "Brother Ninghai, we've known each other for many years, so I won't beat around the bush. This newspaper isn't reporting the facts; it's a cult newspaper that's manipulating public opinion."
He took a deep breath and softened his tone: "The emperor wants to use this newspaper to cover up the truth about the explosion, direct the people's resentment towards the Jurchens, and portray himself as a wise and powerful sage ruler."
"But Liaodong is a harsh, cold, and desolate border region; it's simply not worth it..."
"Keep it..." Shen Yourong was completely stunned, so she interrupted him, "Stop talking nonsense!"
What do you mean Liaodong is too cold and not worth defending?
If that's the case, then all those years of service as the General of Dengzhou and Laizhou have been for nothing? And all that effort to win over Nurhaci's son-in-law, Liu Xingzuo, has been wasted?
Gao Panlong was speaking enthusiastically when Shen Yourong stopped him abruptly, causing his face to turn pale and his lips to tremble.
"Preserve it," Shen Yourong's voice softened slightly, "The threat from the Jurchens in Liaodong is very real, don't you understand?"
Gao Panlong was stunned. Nurha was just a wild boar skin from Liaodong.
What's there to be afraid of? The great victory at Ningyuan earlier this year drove them away!
What threat? There isn't one!
"I don't understand? Brother Ninghai, there are some things you don't know because you're not in the court, but you should know that if the Donglin Party members didn't speak up for you in court, where would your military pay, provisions, and warships come from?"
Gao Panlong took a deep breath and replied, "You also know how much military expenditure the imperial court has spent over the years, yet the situation in Liaodong has not improved much. Isn't this just the border army nurturing bandits to enhance its own power?"
"That whistleblower, Fan Shiqi from Liaodong, is deliberately exaggerating the threat posed by the Jianzhou Jurchens, probably to conceal the fact that border generals are embezzling military pay and funds!"
"..." Shen Yourong was speechless. They were still arguing at a time like this. Impressive!
The Jianzhou Jurchens posed no threat?
How can these civil officials be so audacious?