Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 604 Consumption Trends
Snapped--

Harvey threw the stack of newspapers on the table and grumbled to Ash, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "I asked you to publish more government news and war information. Look what you let those pens in the Propaganda Department write instead."

He tapped his fingers repeatedly, pointing to the words on the inside pages of the newspaper, and read them out loud while suppressing his shame.

[Shocked! His Majesty the Emperor's daily diet actually includes such affordable and delicious food!]

[Follow the current fashion trends and own the same exquisite cotton and linen clothing as senior government officials!]

[Inter-clan marriage seeking! Tall, strong, and muscular half-orc youths, a single officer's fraternity with generous pay and benefits awaits you!]

Taking a deep breath, Harvey managed a stern face and scolded, "I told you to train professional journalists, but all you've brought out are paparazzi who specialize in writing gossip?"

"Paparazzi? Haha! That's a fitting description. My reporters' noses are indeed sharper than dogs'." Ash scratched his head awkwardly, then explained with a smile, "You know, the public prefers gossip to those old-fashioned, boring policy news. I'm not making it up... Since we started publishing this material, the newspaper's sales have more than doubled."

"Then please give me some consideration. What's so special about the meals I eat every day that deserves to be advertised in the newspaper?"

"You don't understand. Since your daily life isn't covered by the confidentiality regulations, what's wrong with publicizing it? It makes His Majesty appear more approachable. You don't know how many people admire you..." Ash blinked and teased, "Once the palace menu got out, dozens of restaurants in the market area started offering the same menu, and their business has been booming recently."

Even the new official uniforms that Harvey casually ordered to be designed, along with their styles and styles, became popular throughout the entire royal capital in an instant. A large number of private tailors and clothing stores launched the same styles, carefully avoiding regulated colors and official logos, and made a lot of money by doing so.

In a sense, the Emperor's every word, action, and even his preferences... have become the supreme authority of fashion in the eyes of the people of the royal capital.

Harvey, forced to "promote the product," couldn't argue with him and could only say helplessly, "No matter what, the front page of the weekly newspaper must still publish the content strictly required by the State Department. Whether it's the analysis of newly issued decrees or major military operations, this aspect must not be neglected..."

He thought about it, and suddenly realized something. He slammed the table and pointed at Ash, saying, "All this gossip of yours... is just advertising for others!"

Ash was stunned, his face slightly red as he said hesitantly: "I knew I couldn't fool you so easily."

He flipped open the newspaper, pointed to the marriage advertisement, and explained, "The Ministry of National Defense sent me a message asking for help... They say a lot of young officers in the army are struggling to find a husband, especially orcs, who are particularly unpopular in the matchmaking market. Helping them start families and build careers would also contribute to the stability of the kingdom and the army."

As for some contents that are obviously promotional, they are mostly hints sent from the Ministry of Commerce from time to time. From the launch of new bicycles to discounts on daily necessities, they are basically intended to guide and encourage the public to spend the money in their bulging pockets.

This is indeed a good way to speed up the circulation of currency and increase tax revenue for the kingdom and the government...but Ash himself probably didn't think it through that much and ended up doing a good thing by accident.

Harvey had an idea at this point, and he ordered, "If that's the case, you'll go down and start working on it immediately. Change the weekly publication frequency to twice a week. Let private businesses bid on the vacant advertising space in the newspaper and sell it directly."

"Taking money to advertise for those businessmen?" Yaxiu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he slapped his head, "Yes! Why didn't I think of it at the beginning? As long as the source of the goods is legal and compliant, these advertising spaces can be auctioned publicly, and the highest bidder wins!" In the future, the Propaganda Department will no longer need to beg the State Council for funding for newspaper distribution!

Ash immediately nodded and agreed to Harvey's proposal, then left the office excitedly.

……

Asdalen, who had been silent to the side, suddenly spoke up and said slowly, "Your Majesty, do you intend to use this to ease the situation and eliminate the dissatisfaction of merchants and nobles with the demonetization bill?"

Harvey chuckled. "Dissatisfied? I know they're upset, but they can only keep it to themselves. Selling advertising space publicly is just to give the public more channels to obtain information."

You have to know that in the past, most of the income earned by ordinary lower-class people and even the urban middle class was used to buy food and clothes, and occasionally there would be a small surplus... Most people would choose to hide it carefully at home, or even dig a hole in the backyard to bury it.

The idea of promoting consumption was a completely new concept that had never been heard of by the common people who were struggling on the poverty line and were oppressed by the aristocracy and lived in fear of their future.

But the new factories and farms built by Harvey across the kingdom provided a large number of stable and long-lasting jobs for these poor people who had no food to eat. The salaries paid out like a stream allowed them to have enough food to eat while their family savings gradually increased.

Just saving money without using it is not good news for Harvey... Even if he buys one more bar of soap or one more set of new clothes every month, it can greatly boost the tax revenue of state-owned factories and municipal chambers of commerce.

When the gold yuan banknotes officially replace gold and silver currencies in circulation throughout the country, people will be able to truly realize the value and purchasing power of the new currency through frequent consumption, and the government's authority and legitimacy will also be demonstrated at the same time.

"Tell me about the recent events in Jinhui City... the case involving the nobles colluding with merchants and openly inciting the people to resist the new currency policy."

Seeing Harvey bring it up, Asdalen was prepared and responded in a deep voice, "A group of spies planted by Leon Waters, Earl of West Wind, in the old capital have colluded with two local nobles who were already dissatisfied with the confiscation of their fiefdoms. They simply want to secretly stir up trouble."

When the old royal capital was destroyed, many local nobles who hadn't committed any serious crimes had only to surrender their fiefdoms and pay a hefty fine. Most of them, with Harvey turning a blind eye, managed to escape trial and punishment...

Many of these people were "gold-plated rice buckets" who relied on squeezing land rent and taxes and sucking blood from the people. After losing the rent and tax income on which they depended for their livelihood, and coupled with their own inability to run other industries, they soon reached the ridiculous point of being on the verge of bankruptcy.

It's not surprising that he could be instigated by just a few words and become a collusion with Earl Zephyr.

Harvey was so angry that he laughed. "After Earl Zephyr fled back to the Principality of Yarid, hasn't he been actively working to recruit troops and seek help from the Holy See?"

Since he is so eager to commit suicide, the plan of "passing through" Yarid and sending troops to Goris... should be put on the agenda immediately.

(End of this chapter)