Chapter 56 Establishing the Ministry of Propaganda

"Even a hen has to cackle for a while after laying an egg. The high ground of public opinion is right there; if you do not occupy it, someone else will. This is not about seeking fame or fortune, but about widely mobilizing the enthusiasm of the common people, steering matters in a direction favorable to us, and helping our righteous cause reach even greater heights!"

Inside the second hall's official room, An Xin was earnestly instructing Zhang Liang.

An Xin had contributed significantly behind the scenes to keep the public buzz at a fever pitch.

Although Zhang Liang had been running around busily, he remained perplexed, unable to grasp the true significance of these actions.

"I think I am beginning to understand a little."

Under the patient tutelage of the revered Magistrate An—who had single-handedly ventured into a bandit's lair to seek justice for the people—Zhang Liang seemed to have opened a door to a new world. It cleared the fog before his eyes and revealed a deeper, more profound secret.

"Since we now understand this principle, we should seize this opportunity to build our own propaganda team. Do not focus solely on scholarly debates and refined opinions. While scholarly reputation is certainly important, we must not overlook the public opinion work among the lowest strata of the common people. It is true that their voices are rarely heard, their choices ignored, and their struggles rendered futile in vain.

Yet beneath the calm surface lies a turbulent undercurrent.

They are the water, and we are the floodgates. We must be adept at regulating the water, but we must also adapt to its seasonal changes; otherwise, a surging tide will simply wash the floodgates away!

Those figures who stir the winds and clouds ultimately rely upon this boundless, limitless water."

An Xin spoke in a soft voice.

There were some things he left unsaid. In the twilight of this dynastic cycle, tumultuous figures often arose to stir the waters of the common populace. They channeled the pent-up currents, transforming the desperate sentiment of "having no way to survive" into the strength of "resistance," thereby causing the waters of the people to vaporize and vainly attempting to ride the mists straight up to the clouds.

Zhang Liang's expression shifted continuously as he listened, evidently taking every word to heart.

Allowing Zhang Liang a moment to digest these thoughts, An Xin continued, "Since you no longer harbor expectations for the imperial examinations, I shall arrange for you to gain experience within the Bureau of Personnel. At the same time, I will establish an independent Propaganda Office within the Bureau, and you shall be responsible for selecting scribes with simple backgrounds who excel in official documents, storytelling, traditional ballads, and narrative creation to form this team.

Simultaneously, the Propaganda Office must take charge of the county's 'literary and artistic workers.' Whether they are storytellers in teahouses and taverns, songstresses in brothels and entertainment districts, or actors on temple fair stages, register and bring them all under unified management.

You should also acquire one or two theatrical troupes. In the future, they can perform charity shows and bring performances down to the villages, enriching the meager spiritual needs of the common people."

As the magistrate, establishing a specialized "department" within the framework of the Six Bureaus was well within his authority, even if such a department lacked an official imperial quota.

Yet, with this title, Zhang Liang could now be addressed as "Director Zhang."

Listening and recording, Zhang Liang nodded silently.

Having spent a long time by the magistrate's side, he had grown accustomed to various novel terms. He felt that the magistrate was truly an peerless master; the new terms he coined were always both precise and rational, and one could often trace their faint origins back to the classics, making them instantly understandable and clear upon reflection.

This showed that the magistrate had already grasped the essence of the Confucian classics and formed his own unique understanding.

Observing the look of admiration in Zhang Liang's eyes, An Xin smiled and advised, "You should still review your classical studies in your spare time. Even if you do not attain the status of a imperial scholar, passing the examinations to become a cultivated talent or a provincial graduate will at least grant you a higher starting point."

Hearing this, Zhang Liang replied earnestly, "Thank you for your concern, My Lord, but ever since our family was murdered, my elder brother and I resolved to cast aside the brush for the sword. Now my brother is in the military camp, and I am learning by Your Lordship's side. For the two of us to assist Your Lordship in exterminating bandits and accomplishing worthwhile deeds—that in itself is more than enough to satisfy us."

An Xin nodded slightly and instructed, "Go and summon the Chief Clerk of the Bureau of Personnel."

"Understood!"

With that, Zhang Liang turned and headed to the front courtyard.

Before long, Han Maogong, the Chief Clerk of the Bureau of Personnel, walked in.

Upon hearing An Xin's arrangements regarding the Bureau, a look of hesitation flickered across Han Maogong's face. "My Lord, should we perhaps consult with Magistrate Lu..."

Before he could finish, Han Maogong caught sight of the displeasure on the magistrate's face and instantly swallowed the remainder of his sentence. "This student will make the arrangements right away, and will surely handle everything properly!"

"Very well, go attend to your duties."

Hearing the magistrate's dismissal, Han Maogong hastily bowed and withdrew.

Once outside, Han Maogong wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling that facing the magistrate grew increasingly stressful by the day.

Zhang Liang was the magistrate's confidant, and planting him inside the Bureau of Personnel was like driving a nail straight into their operations, heightening his sense of pressure.

Yet, even Lu Xun—backed by the overwhelming prestige of his triumphant return from bandit suppression—could not utter a word of dissent before the magistrate. As an associate of the assistant magistrate, Han Maogong didn't even dare to fart in the face of the magistrate's arrangements.

"The propaganda department is established. Once I acquire a couple of theatrical troupes, it will essentially function as a fiscally subsidized subordinate public institution."

An Xin leaned back in his official hat-chair and calculated.

Even fine wine fears a deep alley. An Xin's cultivation required the dynastic dragon pulse, and the recognition of the common people was one of the primary sources of that dragon pulse.

Where did recognition come from?

If one achieved success in silence without others knowing, it would fail to achieve even ten percent of its potential effect.

Therefore, the mouthpiece of the government was crucial. It could serve both to manage public opinion and to guide it.

It could amplify an achievement to two hundred percent of its actual effect.

It could better propagate the policies one wished to implement, making them easier for the common people to accept.

It could also muddle and suppress voices unfavorable to oneself.

And the other benefits were too numerous to count.

At noon, after finishing his meal and before taking a midday rest, An Xin was informed that Zhang Qian, Hu Changshan, and Liao Guochang had arrived together.

"My Lord!"

After exchanging formal greetings, the three men took their seats.

Hu Changshan and Liao Guochang reported on the progress of the trial concerning Cui Family Village.

The principal culprits were members of the Cui clan within the village, who shared blood ties with the bandit One-Eared and had heavily aided the Tuo Mountain bandits in committing crimes over the years.

These individuals deserved nothing less than execution by beheading.

As for the remaining villagers, though they had not directly participated, they had concealed the crimes. According to the *Great Yan Code*, they were punishable by a hundred blows of the heavy staff or exile three thousand li away.

However, according to the report presented by Hu Changshan and the others, Cui Family Village was also stratified. While the Cui clan acted tyrannically, the smaller Zhang and Dong clans within the village had long suffered under their oppression.

After a brief moment of reflection, An Xin delivered his judgment: "The rest of the villagers suffered under the oppression of the Tuo Mountain bandits and it is only human nature that they dared not report them. Give them thirty strokes of the heavy staff and resettle them elsewhere."

"Understood!" Hu Changshan and Liao Guochang acknowledged in unison.

Turning his gaze to Zhang Qian and noticing that his complexion was still somewhat pale, An Xin asked with concern, "How is your health?"

Zhang Qian expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your concern, My Lord. I am much better. The physician said that as long as I avoid strenuous exercise, I will be fully recovered in another month.

As for this reward for merits, the silver has been accurately calculated based on the number of enemies killed and military rank. A total of seven hundred and twenty taels of silver has been allocated, with the Left Division receiving the largest share and the Right Division the second. The matchlock platoon did not see action this time and thus receives no silver, but they will share in the extra rations alongside the Left and Right Divisions.

Additionally, as Your Lordship requested, I have compiled a roster of the archers who meet the criteria. Please review it, My Lord."

Zhang Qian respectfully handed a small booklet to An Xin with both hands.

An Xin examined the archers who had earned rewards during the combat and flipped further down the pages.

"Liu Tiezhu."

An Xin remembered this was the man whose arm had been severed by a bandit, and to whom he had previously promised a position as a yamen runner.

"This Zhang Wensheng learned over seventeen hundred characters in just two months?"

An Xin looked in astonishment at the profile of one of the archers within the booklet.

Zhang Qian smiled and nodded, "This man was originally completely illiterate, but he is extremely eager to learn. Whenever he had spare time, he would often come to me to study and recognize characters."

"A genuinely diligent and eager learner indeed," An Xin praised with a nod.

"This Xu Changle used to work as an accountant in a shop?" An Xin spotted another name.

"Indeed. This man worked as an accountant in the Wu family's cloth shop. Several years ago, while traveling for business, his father was kidnapped and murdered by Tuo Mountain bandits. Hearing that we were suppressing the bandits, he volunteered to enlist.

Serving as a spearmember this time, he thrust his spear through four bandits!"

Zhang Qian was already intimately familiar with the backgrounds and origins of these men.

"He is a man of pure filial piety. He can be assigned to the Bureau of Revenue as a scribe." An Xin favored such individuals.

Out of nineteen men, fourteen belonged to the First Platoon—all of them either meritorious or wounded.

An Xin checked off names and jotted down short marginal notes beside them.

Most of these men would be deployed as yamen runners, while five who were literate and capable of arithmetic could enter the Six Bureaus as scribes.

That very afternoon, An Xin summoned the heads of the three yamen subdivisions and the chief clerks of the Six Bureaus for a briefing to arrange these matters.

Meanwhile, in Magistrate Lu Xun's official room, the three associate officials gathered together, each frowning, holding tea cups, yet finding the tea utterly bitter.