1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

The offices of the London Express were completely silent.

The young editor who asked the question dropped his pen to the ground, but he was completely unaware.

Everyone was shocked by what Michael said.

The Home Office highly praised this newspaper, calling it "the conscience of London."

Isn't this a blatant provocation against the Ministry of the Interior?

It's important to understand that while Britain doesn't have a dedicated press and publishing agency, the Home Office undoubtedly holds the power of life and death over all London newspapers.

As the core of the British central bureaucracy, the Home Office is responsible for domestic security, speech, and publication control. Based on the Sedition Act of 1795 and the Blasphemy Act, it has direct power to regulate the political and inflammatory content of newspapers.

The Ministry of the Interior generally offers several options for dealing with dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric.

Package One: For newspapers that publish content inciting the overthrow of the monarchy, defaming Parliament, inciting class conflict, or blaspheming religion, the Ministry of the Interior can directly issue search warrants to raid the newspaper's printing plant, seize manuscripts, and arrest editors and publishers.

They wiped you out in one fell swoop, completely annihilating you.

Package Two: Issue a written warning to the newspaper, demanding the removal of sensitive content and the suspension of certain columns. If the newspaper refuses to comply, it can be declared as "endangering public order" and ordered to temporarily or permanently cease publication.

This is like smashing your pot.

Package Three: Monitor the newspaper's editorial team and writers, interview, warn, or even restrict the publication of "dangerous authors".

This is to gag you.

Therefore, it can be said that no one in the entire London newspaper industry wants to be associated with the Home Office.

"Michael, are you out of your mind?" Robert's voice had changed.

"We were just warned by the Ministry of the Interior that if you do this, they will come with the police and seal our place off tomorrow."

"Seize it?" Michael turned around, his face showing excitement and madness.

"That's absolutely impossible!"

"Robert, you're only seeing the surface of things."

"What do you think that guy named Henderson is here for? A warning? No, this just reveals the true attitude of the Ministry of the Interior."

"Huh?" Robert was completely confused.

"That's right."

"Otherwise, why didn't they issue a formal warning to us? Instead of just sending a low-ranking civil servant to give us a verbal warning? The official document they gave us didn't even mention that we were the London Express."

Michael's gaze swept across the office, taking in the fearful faces before he continued.

"Because they dare not! Because the fire ignited by 'Sleepyhead' has burned too brightly. Now all the poor people in London, no, even many middle-class people, are on our side."

"If they act now, it will be tantamount to announcing to all of London that they are the cold-blooded murderers who killed Natasha!"

"That would cause real riots! That's what they're really afraid of, not our little newspaper."

Robert seemed to understand.

Michael wasn't courting death; he was walking a tightrope, using the Ministry of the Interior to do so.

This is both a crisis and an unprecedented opportunity. If successful, the London Express will shed its reputation as a third-rate tabloid and rise to become the most influential emerging force in London's newspaper industry.

But if he is not careful, he will fall into an abyss, along with the London Express.

He then recalled the words Michael had spoken to him a few weeks earlier when he invested in Michelle.

"Not gambling means you won't lose, but you'll also never win. Sometimes, going all in is a form of wisdom."

Clearly, Michael made a fortune from his investment in Michelle.

But will he win this time?

In the office, Michael, looking excited, continued speaking.

"Therefore, what we need to do now is not to back down, but to support them!"

"They want to 'maintain social stability,' right? Then let's give them a hand!"

"By publishing this headline, we are telling all of London that the Home Office supports us, that they are the ones who sent us to expose the darkness, and that they are the backers of 'London's Conscience'!"

"At that time, the public's anger will turn into praise for the government."

If they deny it, they are contradicting themselves, admitting that they are lying, and admitting that they are enemies of the people.

If they don't deny it, we'll have no choice but to accept this reputation and use it as a shield for us!

Besides, even if it's banned, it doesn't matter; the more it's banned, the higher the sales will be. At worst, it can just go back to being an "illegal newspaper."

In fact, the core of Michael's tactic was to use newspaper opinions to forcibly manipulate public sentiment by "distorting" and "reprocessing" information, thus putting the Ministry of the Interior on the defensive.

This tactic also shone brightly in Prussia decades later, and can be described as "editors changing the fate of the nation".

In 1870, King Wilhelm I of Prussia sent a telegram to Chancellor Bismarck, reporting on his meeting with the French ambassador. The original telegram was polite and mild-mannered, depicting only a routine diplomatic encounter. However, in an attempt to provoke France and ignite the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck, without altering the original facts, removed the polite language, making the telegram read as if the French ambassador was being unreasonable, and thus the Prussian king sternly rejected him.

The "edited" telegram, once published in the newspapers, caused a huge uproar. The Prussians felt their king had been insulted, and the French felt their ambassador had been humiliated. Ultimately, under public pressure, France declared war on Prussia.

This is a classic example of how public opinion can hijack the will of the state. Compared to Bismarck, Michael's efforts were merely a small test.

"In Eastern parlance, this is called turning the tables on someone!"

A young editor who had read some books blurted out, his eyes shining.

"Well said!" Michael snapped his fingers.

"They gave us a rope and wanted us to commit suicide. All we had to do was use that rope to tie them a nice bow tie!"

"Hahaha!"

Someone burst out laughing first, and a burst of laughter erupted in the long-suppressed office.

This is insane! It's a huge gamble! But it's so exciting!

"Guys, if we succeed, our London Express will become one of the most influential newspapers in London."

"Your wages will also rise accordingly."

"So, stop standing there! Change the headline, layout it! Print it! I want this newspaper plastered on every street corner of London before sunrise tomorrow!"

Michael's rallying cry ignited the passion of the entire editorial team.

"yes!"

Everyone was as if they had been injected with adrenaline and immediately sprang into action.

Change the layout, adjust the article, reformat...

The entire editorial office of the London Express became a high-speed machine, with everyone's face beaming with an excitement of participating in history.

Michael, pipe in mouth, stood in the center of the office, watching the bustling scene with a satisfied smile.

He knew that from tonight onwards, the London Express would no longer be a third-rate tabloid for the common people.

They are making history.

At midnight, the printing press roared to life.

Newspapers, still warm from the ink, were produced, with the utterly absurd headline standing out prominently.

A young printer, staring at the newspaper headline, couldn't help but swallow hard. He whispered to the older printer beside him, "Are we really going to print this? Will we lose our heads?"

The experienced mechanic glanced at him, slowly wiping the grease off the machine, and answered without looking up:

I don't care if I lose my head or not.

All I know is that the editor-in-chief said everyone's salary will be doubled tonight.