Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 543 Pre-War Propaganda
Evening is the most leisurely time of the day for the people of Spark City. Many people have even finished their dinner and gone out for a walk. After the Emperor's voice came from the alchemical loudspeakers installed everywhere in the city, more people who had been staying at home also came out of the house and gathered in groups of three or five under the loudspeakers to listen quietly.

Everyone was confused with a hint of curiosity, but out of their confidence in the emperor and his army, no one showed any panic even after hearing such shocking news from him.

Patrolmen began to appear on the streets, blowing their whistles with serious expressions to maintain order. Most of these policemen were from local backgrounds and were extremely trusted and respected by the people. Naturally, no one would choose to cause trouble for them. Although His Majesty did not declare a curfew, many people spontaneously returned to their homes after listening to the broadcast and did not linger on the block.

So what if we're enemies of foreign races? We have towering, sturdy walls, loyal soldiers of common origin, and cannons that can instantly blast our targets into pieces... As long as His Majesty and the Northern Army are here, Spark City will always have an impenetrable line of defense.

They had never lost any battle in the past.

So, the people who gathered together privately began to discuss involuntarily... What exactly are those alien enemies in the northern wilderness? How strange are they? And where are they?

……

At the same time, there was an uproar in Harvey's castle office.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is still thousands of miles away in the Isengard Rift. We will activate the highest alert immediately. It is really too much for you to personally send a broadcast to the people..." Reiner paused and tried to organize his words, but he held the second half of the sentence back in his stomach.

"Are you trying to say that we are like frightened birds?" Harvey kindly helped him to continue speaking the truth.

Asdalen said solemnly, "Before a large-scale battle officially breaks out, it's necessary to let the people know the truth in advance. This is also a form of early desensitization. When the Demon Lizardmen actually reach the vicinity of Spark City, people won't riot out of fear."

Harvey nodded in agreement and reassured Reiner, "I know this will cause a lot of trouble for City Hall. Just think of it as a stress drill... When war breaks out, the pressure you face will be far greater than it is right now."

According to the plan formulated by Harvey, the Academy of Magical Sciences, the Alchemy Laboratory, the Medical Institute and the Spellcaster College will be merged into the "New Federation" in the future to become the country's general scientific research institution, forming three administrative entities of the same level as the Municipal Hall and the Military Department.

Any planned action involving national security and future development must be approved unanimously by the three departments before it can be implemented, and Harvey has the power of approval and veto.

The military was naturally happy to hear about war, and even if they had no target, they would find ways to create an imaginary enemy for themselves... But the City Hall hoped that the war would never break out, leaving them enough time to sort out internal affairs and develop the economy. Reiner had just received the production increase plan for the East Expansion Base approved by Harvitt during the day. No one expected that the news of the appearance of the Demon Lizardmen would come so quickly, leaving no one prepared.

Pierce quickly handed a document to Harvey and said with great energy, "Your Majesty, this is a request for the early conversion of 3,000 reserve militiamen into regular troops, as well as... the recall plan for 2,000 soldiers of the garrison regiment."

Deputy City Hall Mayor Orange Peel and Agriculture Minister Kenny's eyes widened as they exclaimed in unison, "Are you crazy? The garrison troops are preparing for the upcoming spring plowing! Recall them all... If we fail to meet our grain production targets next year, will you be held responsible?"

Reiner also spoke up to support his two subordinates. "I have no objection to informing the public of the truth in advance and strengthening strategic defenses, but the problem is that the Lizardmen are still thousands of miles away in Isengard. We don't need to be so cautious."

Harvey waved his hand, interrupting their argument. "The regularization of the reserve militia is feasible, but the recall of the garrisoned corps will be temporarily suspended... Agricultural production and factory manufacturing must not be halted at will. Food will always be the key to winning the protracted war." He turned to Minister of Construction Haru and said, "Construction on the railway, originally scheduled to begin next spring, running directly from Spark City to the River Valley Outpost, will begin immediately... Regarding the expansion and reinforcement of the River Valley Outpost, you will discuss this separately with the military engineering team."

The Academy of Magical Sciences fully cooperated with the Alchemy Laboratory. All experimental teams immediately stopped unrelated projects at hand and devoted themselves to the research and development of combat-type alchemy beasts.

The National Medical Institute also shifted its focus on pharmaceutical research and development to battlefield medical treatment.

As Harvey issued brief instructions one after another, all the officials present received the parts they were responsible for, and a war machine called the country began to operate silently.

The heads of departments who needed to collaborate and discuss voluntarily left Harvey's office and returned to the lounge downstairs to continue their meeting. As fewer and fewer people came in and out of the office, Harvey finally spotted his old friend Ash, who was huddled in a chair against the wall, bored.

His Minister of Culture and Propaganda.

"If you want to sleep, go home. Do you still want to sleep on the floor in my office?" Harvey couldn't help teasing.

Ash blushed and muttered, "They just proposed closing the theater and stopping the football games... to vacate the sports field for training newly recruited militia. Haha, it seems that my cultural propaganda department can't play any role in winning the war."

"You don't understand the importance of propaganda," Harvey blinked. "I kept you until last because I wanted to entrust you with an important task... I plan to merge the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Propaganda, and use them as a unified channel for national and official news releases."

Ash was stunned for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "How do you release the news? Like today...wouldn't it be enough for you to announce it to the public personally through the alchemical transmitter?"

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Then I won't have to do anything anymore. I'll just be the announcer in front of the alchemy speaker every day... You can take the throne of the emperor!"

Ash was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly to admit his mistake. "No, no, no! Isn't it just to spread the news for you? I'll go down and do it right away. By tomorrow night at the earliest, new signs will be erected at every intersection and square in Spark City!"

"No need for notice boards." Harvey picked up a scrap of paper covered with draft documents from the table. "I want you to have the information you need to convey to the public mass-produced into something called a 'newspaper' by the printing factory... It won't be limited to official information released by Spark City, but will also include important events throughout the North and Saint Valen."

Back in the pioneering days, erecting a huge billboard in the square in front of the city hall and sending officials and college students to stand on wooden boxes and preach loudly was essentially a forced move... At that time, most people were illiterate and could only rely on the most primitive word of mouth to achieve the goal of making it known to everyone.

However, with the gradual development of the territory and the rapid popularization of compulsory literacy education, the basic literacy rate of the local people has achieved gratifying results. Therefore, it is natural to take the initiative to occupy the propaganda position and allow the people to have reliable sources of information.

(End of this chapter)