Controlling public opinion
"Those qualified to serve as Hall Master are not Ordinary Person, but rather middle-to-lower-level elites. Not to mention, many of these Hall Master may be under thirty years old."
"Under normal circumstances, they will be under forty years old after two terms, and even after four terms, they will be under fifty. Among these people, there are always some who can't stay idle. Without official authority, if these people are allowed to unleash their potential, I'm afraid there will never be a peaceful day on the mainland again!"
Qian Renxue's concerns were not unfounded.
In all the peasant uprisings that have occurred on the Douluo Continent over the years, in which instance have the peasants truly gained the upper hand?
So-called peasant uprisings are more often challenges launched by the lower-class elites against the upper-class elites, with the peasants merely being tools mobilized by the lower-class elites. If an uprising were purely initiated by peasants, there is no doubt that it would be suppressed by government officials on the very day it began.
The Spirit Hall is an excellent platform for nurturing talent. Even those who do not achieve Hall Master still gain considerable strength through training on this platform. Allowing them to become idle would have unimaginable consequences.
Wu Qi had certainly considered this issue.
He once said that Soul Master are the foundation of the Spirit Hall, and these Hall Master are themselves Soul Master, whose influence should not be underestimated. They are definitely the group that Wu Qi needs to unite.
He replied with a smile, "Elder of Judgment, please don't be impatient. My Spirit Hall's administrative system cannot support so many officials, but that doesn't mean my Spirit Hall is incapable in other areas."
"This is what I'm going to talk about next, and it's a plan that requires a lot of manpower."
Qian Renxue knew that Wu Qi was not one to speak without reason, and couldn't help but be curious about what arrangements he would make next.
After a pause, Wu Qi smiled and said, "Gentlemen, turn to the next page of the white paper and take a close look at its contents."
Starting with Qian Daoliu, the white paper was passed from hand to hand among the people.
According to Wu Qi's account in the white paper, it was indeed able to absorb most of the elite Soul Master from the lower ranks who were "eliminated" from the officialdom.
However, there are considerable obstacles to pushing this plan forward. If the Two Great Empires do not agree, the plan will be stillborn and will never even have a chance to come to fruition.
The organizational structure provided by Wu Qi was precisely the framework of the Newspaper Office.
Newspaper Office are a means of controlling public opinion. This wasn't done in the past, not because no one thought of it, but because the cost of collecting and transmitting information across regions was too high. If newspapers were priced too high, no one would buy them; if they were priced too low, they wouldn't cover expenses and would eventually go bankrupt.
The Spirit Hall has fertile ground for "cultivating" Newspaper Office, and its branch halls scattered throughout the continent are their unique advantage.
Using the Spirit Hall's internal communication channels, it wouldn't be difficult to gather the newspapers in Spirit City and publish them in a short time; it would simply require adding more manpower to the existing channels.
Even if the newspaper fails, the Spirit Hall can accept the sunk cost; if it succeeds, it can control the discourse across the entire continent—why not?
Qian Daoliu voiced his concerns, "Your His Holiness the Pope, I do not doubt the brilliance of your plan. However, what you have described is only a theoretical scenario. The major powers are not fools. There will always be people who see through the newspaper's tricks and spread it widely across the continent, which will be detrimental to the reputation of my Spirit Hall."
"Of course, what I described is only the mildest scenario. In a more serious situation, the damage to my Spirit Hall would be immeasurable."
Wu Qi had certainly considered these things. Otherwise, could he have stayed up for a month just to prepare this white paper?
In the past, he might have seemed a bit theoretical, but after working with the Spirit Hall, he gained a deep understanding of the environment on the Douluo Continent, and the content of this proposal was tailored to local conditions.
"Please don't rush, everyone. Please turn to the next page. I have made detailed supplementary annotations. If there are any omissions, please point them out on the spot, and we will solve them together."
Qian Daoliu sighed softly, picked up the white paper, and continued reading.
He finally understood why Wu Qi had targeted redundant officials.
The problem of redundant officials remained prevalent during his years as Pope. But there was nothing that could be done about it; the Spirit Hall's core membership was Soul Master, and without providing some benefits to lower- and middle-level Soul Master, it would be difficult to maintain its current position.
Even so, given the Spirit Hall's financial situation, there shouldn't be any problems, as the Spirit Hall has many revenue-generating industries that are sufficient to cover these expenses.
Now, in order to promote the newspaper and gain dominance in public opinion, Wu Qi has to invest a huge amount of money in it, and he really doesn't have the money to pay the salaries of these redundant officials.
But soon, Qian Daoliu's thoughts completely changed.
It seems that, within the framework established by Wu Qi, the newspaper will not only not lose money, but will also be a stable source of income.
In addition to reporting major events on the mainland, the newspaper also had advertising space.
Once successfully launched, the newspaper will undoubtedly become a sensation across the entire continent, providing an excellent platform for businesses lacking marketing expertise to showcase their products.
Furthermore, Wu Qi stated regarding layout that newspapers do not require strict control over page size. If there are enough advertisements, simply print more pages; the advertising revenue will be sufficient to cover the additional paper costs.
However, by the end, Qian Daoliu's gaze was fixed on the price of the newspaper.
"One Copper Soul Coin per copy? Isn't that a bit too low? I've done a rough calculation, and the paper cost and transportation cost of a ten-page newspaper are more than three Copper Soul Coin. Even with advertising revenue, we'd probably still lose money, wouldn't we?"
"In my opinion, a price of three Copper Soul Coin is appropriate. It covers the costs, and the remaining advertising expenses are our profit."
After he finished speaking, he handed the white paper to the other Elder for circulation.
Not only Qian Daoliu, but the other Elder also held the same view.
Wu Qi shook his head and replied with a smile, "There are some other ways to make money that I didn't write down here. Because the situation is somewhat special, if the newspaper can implement this, I've decided to conduct a small-scale pilot program to see how it goes."
"As for your concerns, I will not answer them now. I have a question for you instead."
"Our Spirit Hall compiles information at the Spirit City headquarters and then distributes it throughout the continent. This back-and-forth distribution process is very costly. Take Heaven Dou City as an example. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect thinks our newspaper is profitable, wouldn't they also create a similar newspaper?"
"They don't need to collect information from the entire continent. Just create a Heaven Dou City Daily, reporting only the strange and interesting things happening within Heaven Dou City. Let's calculate their costs."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is a friendly force of the Spirit Hall, so naturally they wouldn't do such a thing. But Wu Qi's use of them as an example was quite apt.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a deep presence in Heaven Dou City, and with its relationship with the Imperial Family, it can gather news and interesting stories from within Heaven Dou City using its existing information channels, at almost no extra cost.
Their only cost was printing and selling the newspaper, which cost less than a Copper Soul Coin.