The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"Wait, I don't quite understand!"

Fang Xuanling couldn't help but interrupt, because what Chen Huai'an said was too astonishing. If it could be done, it would be comparable to an army of 100,000 in some respects.

"The entire Tang Dynasty comprises ten circuits, hundreds of prefectures, over a thousand counties, and countless regions. If we were to produce and distribute the so-called imperial gazette as you suggest, how many sheets of paper would be needed? Woodblock printing... Could we possibly print them all?"

"Secondly, can the national treasury support this?"

"It sounds like since it's a monthly report, it means it has to be issued every month, twelve months a year, every single month. That's no small expense."

Fang Xuanling did not ask whether the matter was worthwhile, but instead asked whether the national treasury could withstand it.

If you can handle it, then everything is negotiable.

If you can't withstand it, then everything else is just empty talk.

Li Shimin's hands were trembling at this moment. Hearing Chen Huai'an's suggestion, a problem he was most unwilling to admit but had to face, seemed to have a hope of being solved.

Since ancient times, the emperor has been far away and his authority has not extended to the countryside.

Why?

Because when the emperor's policies were issued, the common people had no idea about them!

Especially in some remote areas, policies are sometimes just a piece of paper.

The emperor's reach couldn't extend that far, but now, Chen Huai'an's method seems to allow him to extend that far.

Besides, isn't this the best way to suppress powerful families and elevate one's own reputation?

Whether in terms of centralization of power, finance, military and political affairs, prestige, or combating corruption, the court newspaper could play an unimaginable role.

It's impossible to explain in just a sentence or two.

The only downside... might be that it's a bit harsh on others.

Once the court gazette was published, how others responded depended entirely on how Li Shimin wrote it.

It posed a huge threat to local officials, high-ranking officials in the imperial court, nobles in Chang'an, and powerful families.

But did Li Shimin care?

The one thing the General of the Heavenly Strategy has in abundance is courage!

"The national treasury..." Chen Huai'an drawled, and amidst everyone's tense atmosphere, he said with a smile, "Of course it can support us in doing this."

"We've been able to sustain the work-for-relief program for so long, let alone a morning newspaper!"

"In comparison, the cost of the morning newspaper is a drop in the ocean!"

Fang Xuanling did not refute this.

Last year, many disaster victims were actually taken to mine salt and iron mines. The compensation for these people was already included in the cost of refined salt and ironware, so there's no need to elaborate.

Then there were the disaster victims who reclaimed wasteland and built granaries, which cost a lot more, with daily expenses amounting to a considerable sum.

If it weren't for the wealthy families pouring money into it, and the fact that salt and iron were extremely profitable, the national treasury simply couldn't sustain it.

In comparison, the cost of the morning newspaper, no matter how much, is not much more.

"Huai'an, tell me in detail." Li Shimin's eyes were eager, making Chen Huai'an feel a little uncomfortable.

However, he didn't care about such a small matter and patiently explained, "I think everyone is very clear about the purpose of my proposal to publish the court gazette. In the past, it was the aristocratic families who commented on the government, praised and criticized officials, and defined right and wrong."

"The purpose of the court gazette is to reverse this situation, so that the court can define what is right and wrong, who is a virtuous minister and who is a parasite."

"This is actually an optimized version of an official notice!"

"We can roughly divide the morning report into three main sections!"

"These are the performance evaluation section, the law and discipline section, and the people's livelihood section!"

"The 'Achievements' section lists the achievements of officials from humble backgrounds in governing the people, the border defense achievements of military generals, and the incorruptible deeds of local officials. Its purpose is to tell everyone that one should become an official based on one's abilities and gain fame through merit."

"The 'Law and Discipline Column' is what I just mentioned. All verified cases of corruption, land grabbing, and exploitation of the people, regardless of background or social status, will be published in the newspaper with the full names of the perpetrators and their punishments revealed, so that the whole world can see and condemn them!"

"The section on people's livelihood... lists policies that benefit the people, such as lower salt prices, bumper harvests, completed water conservancy projects, and tax reductions, clearly informing the people of the benefits the court has brought."

Furthermore...

Chen Huai'an spoke eloquently, and the more everyone listened, the more silent they became, while Li Shimin grew increasingly excited.

I've already made up my mind, I'm going to do the Morning Post!

We have to do it!

Even the King of Heaven himself couldn't stop him, that's what he said!

"Of course, the court gazette plays a significant role, but we cannot rely on it entirely." Chen Huai'an added, "The situation in the world is incredibly complex. We still cannot reach remote villages and clans deep in the mountains, and the voice of grassroots clan elders will not simply disappear."

"The role of the court gazette is to allow the court to guide public opinion, but not to monopolize it. Your Majesty must understand this point."

"That's enough, that's enough!" Li Shimin nodded hurriedly. Just these few things made him feel like he had been hit by a pie falling from the sky. What more could he ask for?

As long as the court gazette is published, the voice of the world is the loudest, so what more could Li Shimin ask for?

This one thing alone is enough to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening.

Seeing that he had no objections, Chen Huai'an said no more.

This thing is actually a simplified version of a newspaper, but it can indeed be considered an upgraded version of an official notice.

no way.

If given the choice, who wouldn't want to run a newspaper?

But Chen Huai'an was ultimately a science student, and he believed in using data to support his arguments.

Given the current situation in the Tang Dynasty, starting a newspaper is simply not realistic.

Putting aside the fact that transportation is extremely difficult and the area is remote, it would take ten days or half a month for the news to reach the destination. Also, 99% of the people are illiterate, so what is the point of running a newspaper?

"Impressive!" Dai Zhou exclaimed sincerely. "Originally, I didn't support taking action against the Zheng family, but with the imperial report, many risks are now manageable."

"Oh, right," he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is it still too late to start working on the morning report?"

"If possible, wouldn't it be better to produce the court gazette at the same time as taking action against the Zheng family?"

"The Li family of Zhao County wants to kick the Zheng family out of the game, so they must have a lot of dirt on Zheng family officials. Once this is exposed and published, the Zheng family's reputation will be completely ruined!"

"This is even more ruthless than killing them!"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up.

Dai Zhou's suggestion resonated with them perfectly.

"No, no, no!" Chen Huai'an objected, "We can't do that!"

"Why?" Dai Zhou was very confused. Li Shimin's smile froze, and his eyes twitched.

"This concerns the reaction of the powerful families and the credibility of the imperial gazette!" Chen Huai'an's attitude was quite serious: "Does the Zheng family lack money? Not at all!"

"Even if some of Zheng's officials abused their power for personal gain or engaged in corruption, the number of them probably wouldn't be too large; half of them would be quite good."

"When everyone works together, there will inevitably be some filth and dirt involved, you know what I mean."

"We can find two individuals with solid evidence of corruption or abuse of power to publish in the court newspaper, but we can't publish all of them!"

"Otherwise, this will force the other families to resort to desperate measures, and... for the court gazette to be effective, the necessary condition is that it be truthful."

"..."