Ministry of Truth's Conspiracy (2)

Frankly, the Britain were not unaware of the activities of the France media and the political conspiracies hidden behind them. After all, when it comes to intrigue, if the Britain consider themselves second to none in the world, no one dares to claim the top spot. In this regard, whether it's their inherently lower moral standards or the skills accumulated over the years, the Britain are unparalleled in the world when it comes to intrigue.

So when the France came to Britain to establish media outlets, the Britain naturally wanted to do the same in France. Some Britain newspapers also launched various French-language publications in Paris. However, the circulation of these publications in France was far less than that of France publications in Britain, not even a fraction of it. In fact, they were being steadily defeated by France publications not only in France but also in Britain.

The main reason for this phenomenon is that the costs of these Britain newspapers have never been able to come down.

In France, apart from purely academic publications like Nature, the primary source of income for various newspapers and periodicals is not sales revenue, but rather advertising revenue. (Of course, Nature and similar publications are non-profit social organizations and are inherently not profit-driven.)

For a newspaper, the larger its circulation, the more valuable and profitable its advertisements become, resulting in higher advertising revenue and greater ability to set lower prices. Furthermore, provided quality is maintained, the cheaper a single copy of the newspaper, the easier it is to increase its circulation.

Under Lucien's leadership and with the support of the Military-Industrial Consortium, when France newspapers entered Britain, they brought not only reporters and editors but also an entire advertising support team. Therefore, even without prioritizing profit, the France were able to drastically reduce newspaper prices.

However, in Britain, there was no monopolistic behemoth like the "Military-Industrial Consortium," nor did they have the support of an "advertising backing group." Thus, a cycle that gave newcomers a headache appeared before those Britain newspapers.

The first problem those Britain newspapers faced after being published in France was the issue of pricing. In France, low-priced newspapers had gradually become the norm, with each copy often costing only the cost of materials—paper and printing—and profits coming entirely from advertising. However, the newly arrived Britain newspapers couldn't do that, which meant they also needed to rely on the price of their newspapers to make a profit. This resulted in their newspapers being more expensive than France newspapers.

This was a fatal consequence, leading to a series of subsequent problems.

Because the price was high, no one bought them; because no one bought them, no one was willing to advertise; because no one was willing to advertise, the price had to be high... Although these newspapers had tried their best and exerted all their efforts to solicit advertisements everywhere, even Britain merchants were unwilling to advertise with them—who told you not to sell your products? They would rather spend a lot of money advertising in local France newspapers than give these Britain compatriots a single penny.

France merchants, of course, were just as discerning as the Britain. Therefore, the Britain newspapers could only attract low-priced advertisements like "missing person notices" and "lost dog notices." Even entertainment companies like the Moulin Rouge in Paris disdained advertising in the Britain, which had "pitifully small circulations, low total prices, but an exorbitant average price per copy"—considered "worthless tabloids." In France entertainment circles, a sarcastic remark about those second-rate entertainment companies, unpopular young girls, or past-their-prime beauties was. "They can only advertise in Britain newspapers."

So, although Lucien seems to have made a very irrational promise, the chances of him being put in a cannon and shot at the sun are actually quite slim. Unlike someone else, who could easily spend a week playing in the sun.

In fact, even in London, Britain newspapers felt the pressure from the France cheap newspapers. At seven pence for two newspapers, without considering advertising revenue, it was a complete loss. Even taking advertising revenue into account, these two newspapers barely made a profit.

However, these two newspapers are backed by the France newspapers * Science Truth Daily * and * French Business Daily *. It is said that Mr. Nucingen, a director of * French Business Daily *, said at a board meeting:

"Britain is a completely new market. Here, the most important thing for our newspaper right now is not to make a profit, but to seize as much market share as possible. Gentlemen, if we can force our competitors to suffer huge losses or even go bankrupt by temporarily making less money, or even making no money, or even incurring a small loss, then these losses are worthwhile and should be regarded as successful investments."

Gentlemen, once those traditional Britain newspapers are driven into bankruptcy and forced to withdraw from the market by our crackdown, will you still worry about us not making money? At that time, all advertisements will have to be published through us to gain widespread recognition, and all members of parliament, whether Whig Party or Tory Party, will have to go through us to ensure their voices are heard. At that time, will we still have to worry about not making money?"

The Britain were certainly aware of the dangers of continuing this situation. However, Britain had not yet formed a large-scale newspaper trust at this time. To be more precise, Britain was still in the most classic period of free capitalism. The stars had not yet aligned in their proper positions, and monopolies—that indescribable thing covered with ubiquitous tentacles—had not yet taken shape. Then, suddenly, they encountered an invasion from outside.

Only nuclear weapons can counter nuclear weapons, only detonators can counter detonators, only the Great Old Ones can counter the Great Old Ones, and only trusts can counter trusts.

Individually, the Britain newspapers could not compete with the France media trusts. So, on the very day Fagin left Paris, a group of Britain newspapers gathered in London for a successful and triumphant conference, announcing the formation of an organization called the "England News Alliance." On the same day, the England News Alliance announced a restructuring of its assets, with many poorly managed newspapers being shut down. Incompetent personnel would be dismissed, and resources would be concentrated to create several new newspapers—the * Times Review * and the England Economic Observer *.

Clearly, these two newspapers were directly targeting the two newspapers of the "Seven Penny Alliance".

Besides the original newspaper owners, some gentlemen from other industries also joined the alliance and invested in it. The highest-ranking investor in the alliance was former Britain Prime Minister Pitt.

It is a well-known fact that Pitt Younger was penniless. Due to previous investment failures, Pitt was a notorious debtor. Therefore, many people speculate that the money Pitt invested was mostly a loan from the King.

With the addition of Pitt., this alliance naturally became imbued with Tory Party characteristics.

The emergence of such a Tory Party newspaper alliance immediately alarmed the Whig Party. Although this "England News Alliance" seemed to be aimed at the France "Seven Penny Alliance," they were not yet a fatal threat to the France, but they posed a far more serious threat to the Whig Party.

Clearly, just as the scattered Britain media couldn't defeat the "Seven Penny Alliance" in the past, now that the media siding with the Tory Party have formed a large alliance, even if they can't defeat the France for the time being, they can easily crush the remaining small newspapers that lean towards the Whig Party.

A few days later, another press alliance, the England Free Press Alliance, was also established in London. Perhaps because it was established in a hurry, its various organizational rules and measures were almost entirely copied from those of the England News Alliance.

Its main convener was Charles James Fox, the leader of the Whig Party, and he also had the support of many wealthy people behind him.

Thus, the England news battlefield suddenly became a three-way standoff.

"Mr. Fox is a very interesting man. Ideologically, he is closer to the France, even closer to the Jacobin. When North America gained independence, he openly praised the North America people's resistance against tyrants. When we beheaded Louis XVI, he openly said in Parliament that it was Louis XVI's own fault. This extreme attitude caused him to lose many friends and allowed the Tory Party to maintain the upper hand in Parliament. In fact, many Tory Party, who were originally Whig Party, became Tory Party because of their ideological conflicts with him."

Well, this guy is a good orator and debater. He never loses in parliamentary debates, and anyone who goes up against him is left speechless, but he almost never succeeds in voting.

Because of his pro-French stance, this time, he also has some textile and steam engine merchants behind him in his alliance. However, overall, his alliance is still far inferior to the 'England News Alliance'. "Hmm, Joseph, Napoleon, I think we can give them some support. Let's devise a conspiracy against the 'England News Alliance', using that new, yet-to-be-publicized discovery of yours, Joseph."