Hahaha!
Lin Yi waved his hand and laughed, "There's no question of who else but me. As the Heir of Northern Liang and the Prince of Xiliang, it's natural for me to ensure the livelihood of the people under my rule!"
"The common people don't ask for much; they just need to be fed. But often, even this small request cannot be met, and that is a dereliction of duty by the rulers."
"Perhaps I cannot realize this dream world, but I hope that the people under my rule are happy and have smiles on their faces."
These words moved everyone present.
As Lin Yi said, the common people often really only have this one request, but the rulers often can't even meet this request, so it would be strange if they didn't rebel.
Amidst the crowd, Zhang Ci was filled with mixed emotions. His apprehension towards Lin Yi intensified. With this article published, the entire North would likely turn its attention to Xiliang.
If he truly achieves his so-called dream, then the All Under Heaven will revere him as a god.
In that case, what use would the emperor have in the north?
This newspaper is indeed extraordinary; it possesses a terrifying ability to manipulate people's minds.
But just relying on this thing, Lin Yi may be a little short of changing the world structure, right?
The North is poor to begin with, so I doubt there are many people who can read newspapers.
No matter how well you write, it's useless if the person can't read.
He chuckled inwardly. The Prince of Xiliang was still too young; there were probably very few literate people in the vast Northern Liang and Xiliang Liang regions.
The thought had barely formed when Xun Yu asked in surprise, "Your Highness, what is this Pinyin? Why do people say it's a magical tool that will enable everyone in the All Under Heaven to learn to read?"
Pinyin?
Literacy?
Zhang Ci's expression changed slightly. He quickly flipped through the pages and found a special section that turned out to be a literacy section, teaching people how to read in this newspaper.
He had never heard of this pinyin before, so why would it be considered a magical tool? It was completely baffling.
Does Lin Yi really intend to promote literacy among the entire population using some kind of pinyin system? That's utterly delusional!
"Pinyin is definitely a great thing; it can be called a magical tool!"
Lin Yi smiled but didn't explain. Instead, he looked at Cai Yan and said with a smile, " Wenji, explain to them what pinyin is!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Cai Yan smiled at Lin Yi, then looked at the crowd and explained, "This pinyin was taught to Wenji by our lord. It contains letters with pronunciations like a, o, and e, as well as vowels and tones, to complete the interpretation of pronunciation."
"That's amazing?"
Even Xun Yu became interested and enthusiastically took notes. "This is really interesting. It even has initials and finals. My lord is truly amazing!"
"Miss Cai Yan, could you tell me more about it?" Zhang Ci couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Of course, for example, the lord's name in the article is composed of 'L' and 'in', which together form the pronunciation of 'Lin'..."
Cai Yan did not refuse. Her task was to promote the publication of the newspaper, so she could not slack off. Moreover, the key to promoting the newspaper was that everyone had to be literate, so she planned to teach people to read in it.
She was at her wit's end and was preparing to ask her lord to promote the establishment of schools, but she never expected that her lord would actually introduce the pinyin system, which amazed her.
With this thing, everyone except a pig can read and recognize characters.
Holy crap!
Zhang Ci's eyes lit up. He tried spelling out his name and suddenly realized, "Damn, this pinyin is really good!"
etc!
If someone can spell out their own name after just one glance, then Lin Yi is completely capable of making everyone in Xiliang and Northern Liang literate. That's terrifying!
In this way, the power of newspapers becomes terrifying.
Lin Yi could easily use the newspapers to spread his will and other information to the common people, and even slander the emperor...
Holy crap, this is a huge problem.
The thought of the Emperor being denounced by the entire northern populace sent a shiver down his spine. He muttered, "No wonder they say this thing is powerful enough to change the course of the All Under Heaven. If this were used to slander the Emperor, he wouldn't be able to defend himself even if he spoke a hundred times."
The only saving grace now is that although Lin Yi is promoting literacy, there are still a few hurdles to overcome.
One issue was the manpower needed to copy the newspapers. The combined population of Northern Liang and Xiliang was several million, which meant that several million copies needed to be copied. Even if the people of Xiliang wore out their pens from writing so many, it wouldn't be enough.
There's also the cost of newspapers; that's paper, something only noble families in Great Ning could afford, ordinary people couldn't.
If Lin Yi wanted to promote it in the north, he certainly couldn't produce too many, otherwise he would have to sell his underwear.
Xun Yu also calculated the pinyin and was immediately amazed. He excitedly said, "My lord, I think this set of initials, finals, and tones can be disseminated through notices. As long as the people know the pronunciation, they will naturally not waste this learning opportunity!"
"That's certainly feasible. It would be best to pair it with an official who understands pinyin, then we can complete the first step," Cai Yan said with a smile, having already considered this issue.
Lin Yi nodded and smiled, "I'll leave this matter to Wenji. In the name of the Prince of Xiliang, I appoint Cai Yan as the chief editor of the Northern Daily, in full charge of the newspaper. Xun Yu, if she needs anything, you'll fully cooperate with her."
"Understood!"
Xun Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at Cai Yan with a meaningful look. This Miss Cai Yan has caught the eye of our lord, which is why he has been entrusted with such an important task.
Is this the future matriarch?
Lin Yi's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said in a deep voice, "I attach great importance to this newspaper. It can not only broaden the people's horizons but also allow them to experience the policies of Xiliang firsthand, so it is very important. To make it affordable for the people, I have decided to distribute it to the public at a price of five copper coins per copy, with no limit on the quantity!"
Holy crap!
No quantity limit?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ci's face stiffened, and he looked at Lin Yi with disbelief, thinking to himself: Is this Prince of Xiliang so rich that he's panicking? He's a complete spendthrift, with no limit on the amount he can have.
Five coins? That's a huge loss!
He couldn't help but look at his brother Hao Datong, intending to have a word with him, but he saw his younger brother staring at the newspaper with bloodshot eyes, looking like he was gritting his teeth.
This caused Zhang Ci's expression to change. Was he possessed?
He couldn't resist touching his friend, but the guy shoved him away, then exclaimed excitedly, "So this is what you call 'never risking your life for someone'? Who could tolerate this in a situation?!"
"If it were me, I would fight Tuoba Yu to the death too! The Prince of Xiliang is a true man, his merits are immeasurable!"