Lu Shi saw off the two visitors.
As they said goodbye, the two revealed their upcoming itineraries.
Gu Hongming will stay in London temporarily and make plans to travel to Europe;
As for Zheng Guanying, he was supposed to visit various railways and investment companies, but after listening to Lu Shi's words, he put away those thoughts and returned to China to deal with the follow-up of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway.
Lu Shi returned to his seat and thought about the "Fifteenth Year of Wanli".
The author of this book, Huang Renyu, is a Chinese-American, so the manuscript is in English. The title of the book is "1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline".
(1587 AD = the fifteenth year of Wanli)
The general frame can be used directly.
But this book also has shortcomings,
For example, when quoting historical materials, you will be biased and only quote content that is beneficial to your own point of view.
In some cases, historical data are even distorted and misread, and the theory of "Feng Bao stepping down" is even more ridiculous.
An expert on Ming history commented on "The Fifteenth Year of Wanli":
"It is not qualified as an academic monograph."
This is also the limitation of the author Huang Renyu as a Chinese-American when studying historical materials.
Lu Shi muttered: "It's difficult..."
He wrote the English title on a piece of paper, followed by the subtitles for each chapter, listed in several lines.
At this time, Natsume Soseki came back.
We broke free from the cat-walking leash, rushed into the house, and rolled around at Lu Shi's feet.
"Meow~"
Natsume Soseki looked around,
"Is the person gone?"
He walked behind Lu Shi and couldn't help but marveled when he saw the content on the paper: "You chose such a difficult content..."
Lu Shi stretched himself.
"Wait a minute, the textbooks are still early~"
He folded the paper, put it aside, and said, "Do business first."
…
Three days later.
Palace of Westminster.
Wodehouse came out of the House of Lords, muttering words such as "crazy" and "a waste of time", and walked quickly towards his office.
As soon as he reached the door, he saw Churchill waiting there.
Wodehouse looked up and down;
"I said, have you gained weight?"
Churchill raised his eyebrows,
"It's caused by not exercising for too long after coming down from the battlefield."
He didn't want to waste too much time talking about his body shape, so he changed the topic and said, "By the way, I hear you keep complaining. Is there something wrong? Could it be..."
Before he finished speaking, Wodehouse interrupted: "That's the 'could it be'. Go into the room and say it."
He pushed open the door and entered.
Churchill followed and consciously went to the cigar cabinet to get a cigar, so that the thief would not leave empty.
Wodehouse was too lazy to complain;
While packing his things, he continued the topic: "Ten minutes ago, Belfort went hysterical and crazy again."
Churchill chuckled,
"Arthur?"
Arthur James Balfour was the nephew and political heir of Robert Gascoigne-Cecil, the current Prime Minister.
Wodehouse said "Yeah" and said: "France and the United States are causing trouble, and Tsarist Russia is also in great trouble. If you want to protect overseas interests, there are too many places where money needs to be spent. The people in the cabinet It would be weird if you weren’t crazy.”
Financial issues have always been a top priority.
During New Year's Day, there was a rift between the Royal Navy and the cabinet over the budget. Churchill foresaw the current situation at that time.
He said: "Isn't it going to be more and more difficult for Robert?"
This is a question.
Wodehouse smiled slyly;
"do not ask me."
He put on his bowler hat, stood by the door, made a "please" gesture to Churchill, and said, "Why, do you still want me to carry you out?"
Although he trusted Churchill very much, he would not leave him alone in the office.
Churchill took two more cigars before going out.
He asked: "Where are you going?"
Wodehouse said: "Professor Lu asked me to meet at the cafe across the river. I was a little worried that he would switch to another place."
The open invitations from Oxford and Cambridge were published in the newspapers.
Compared with these two schools, the University of London Union is just a younger brother. It has poor resources, poor teachers, and even its degrees are far behind.
No wonder Wodehouse is worried.
Churchill shook his head, "I still retain my previous views. Professor Lu leads a polling project in London Political and Economics. He has a high degree of freedom and is respected by people. You may not get this kind of treatment when you go to Oxford or Cambridge."
"I hope my worries are unfounded," said Wodehouse.
He waved his hand,
"It's almost time. I have to leave quickly to avoid being late."
…
The café looks across the river from the Palace of Westminster.
In the box, Scott and Cooper were sitting opposite each other, drinking coffee and reading the newspapers in their hands.
Cooper asked: "What do you mean, Professor Lu asked us to come over? Could it be that he has a new work? I have been eyeing his "Roger Mystery", but it is a pity that the supplement of "The Scotsman" has limited space. …”
Omit a few hundred words later.
It can be seen that Cooper is very sorry.
Scott comforted: "You, don't think so much. The writing method of "Roger Mystery" is a narrative trick and is not suitable for serialization."
Cooper nodded reluctantly, then shook his head.
"Why is it not suitable for serialization?"
Scott laughed,
"Don't take it seriously~Don't take it seriously~"
The two have a good relationship, chatting and laughing without affecting their relationship.
After a few minutes, the door of the private room was pushed open, and Lu Shi and Wodehouse stood at the door.
Lu Shi stepped forward,
"You two, I've been waiting for a long time."
The four shook hands one after another and took their seats.
Scott couldn't wait to say: "Lu, you are really unreasonable. How could an article as good as "I Have a Dream" be published in an old-fashioned newspaper like the "Daily Telegraph"? This is a naked pearl casting darkness!"
Lu Shi looked at the other party's heartbroken look and wanted to laugh a little.
He replied: "It was an impromptu speech, and the manuscript was compiled by Cambridge University. There is nothing I can do about it."
Scott sighed after hearing this,
"well……"
When Wodehouse saw that there were two chief editors at the scene, he knew that Lu Shi was not looking for him to resign, and he felt relieved.
He felt a little more relaxed and asked proactively: "Professor Lu, what do you want from us?"
Lu Shi said: "Sir, you are the honorary president of the University of London Union and are in charge of school affairs. Have you ever thought about publishing journals, magazines, and newspapers in the name of the school? This can expand your influence and challenge Oxford and Cambridge."
The atmosphere in the box instantly became a little weird.
The corners of Wodehouse's mouth twitched.
"Who are you challenging?"
He thought he heard wrongly.
As a result, Lu Shi repeated with certainty: "Challenge with Oxford and Cambridge."
Wodehouse said: "Are you kidding me?"
Lu Shi was puzzled.
"With so many universities in London forming alliances, don't they have such thoughts?"
This question stopped Wodehouse.
It has to be admitted that the establishment of the London University Alliance had certain political considerations, but the main reason is still in education.
Oxford and Cambridge are pretty good.
Is London bad?
Scott on the side asked: "Lu, do you have any ideas?"
Lu Shi nodded and expressed his idea about the tabloid.
After listening,
"hiss……"
"hiss……"
Scott and Cooper gasped simultaneously.
Neither of them expected that a Chinese was not conservative at all and was even more open-minded than the British.
Cooper said: "This idea is really... really..."
He didn't know how to evaluate it.
Scott next to him said: "If you think about it carefully, this kind of newspaper must have room for survival."
Because of the fight between Lu Shi and Doyle, the sales of "Manchester Guardian" increased sharply, which made Scott start to consider a fundamental question——
Why do people read newspapers?
In the past, he always thought that people read newspapers to receive information.
But now, his mind has changed.
"Reading newspapers is also a form of entertainment in itself," he said.
Cooper said "hmm" and whispered: "I agree with your point of view."
Scott was surprised,
"Do you agree?"
Cooper couldn't help laughing;
"What? Do you think I will object? As a journalist, if I don't have this sensitivity, I would just resign as editor-in-chief. Think about it, what has become of Le Figaro now? It looks good, but the sales are ridiculously good..."
"Le Figaro", a comprehensive daily newspaper in France, is based on the protagonist Figaro in the famous play "The Marriage of Figaro" by French playwright Beaumarchais.
Figaro is a highly respected literary figure in the French literary tradition. Many literary masters, including Zola, Molière, and Gide, have created works with him as the protagonist.
Therefore, the name of "Le Figaro" sounds very literary.
But just such a literary and artistic newspaper began to follow the commercialization route of the Riba people——
Print ads like crazy.
There is a thick stack on the surface, but the actual content is pitiful. News has to be found through the gaps in advertisements.
But the people just accept this trick.
There will be no increase in price for increasing the quantity~
You can tear up those advertising pages and use them as toilet paper.
The success of "Le Figaro" has impacted the entire newspaper industry, making editors of various newspapers reflect on what the basic functions of newspapers are.
Send message?
Entertainment?
Toilet paper provided?
…
As a result, editors began to show their talents, and all kinds of weird newspapers sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.
Wodehouse suddenly said: "I support Professor Lu."
Scott:? ? ?
Cooper:? ? ?
Lu Shi:? ? ?
All three were a little confused by Wodehouse's sudden statement.
Cooper whispered: "Sir, we haven't discussed the specific details yet. How come you...why are you so proactive?"
Wodehouse was embarrassed;
He took the initiative because he had a sense of crisis.
Oxford and Cambridge had extended an olive branch to Lu Shi. If he didn't express his position, it would be more of a loss than he gained if Lu Shi was allowed to join the gentle countryside of other schools.
To run a newspaper, you can do it for as little as tens of thousands of pounds or as little as several thousand pounds.
It's not considered a waste to win over Lu Shi.
What's more, after listening to Cooper and Scott's comments, it seems that there is a market for tabloids, and they shouldn't lose money.
It would be even better if we could expand the influence of the University of London Alliance.
Cooper said: "It is of course a good thing that Jazz is so supportive. However, if the newspaper is published by the London University Alliance, the newspaper must pay attention to a certain degree of authenticity, otherwise it will have a negative impact and will be very troublesome."
Scott nodded,
When he turned to Lu,
"Lu, what do you think about the layout?"
Lu Shi replied: "First of all, the length. It is best to be only half the size of The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Manchester Guardian."
The other three nodded in agreement,
Since we want to completely move towards the popular line, we must make newspapers portable.
A large newspaper like The Times is suitable for reading while sitting at the table while eating breakfast.
The situation is inherently serious, conflicting with its playful temperament.
Cooper suggested: "I think it would be better to get more illustrations."
This experience comes from the "Illustrated London News",
The price of this magazine is not low, but it sells very well every time during festivals such as Christmas and New Year's Day, because the pictures are closely related to the word "entertainment".
Lu Shi also agreed,
The world's first tabloid, the Daily Mirror, was not successful when it was first founded. It was later changed to the Halfpenny Pictorial.
cheap+illustration,
Then it sold out.
Wodehouse asked: "What about the content?"
The content of tabloids is generally entertainment news, sports news, gossip and scandals, people’s livelihood consumption, and scandals.
In short, whatever is exciting comes.
However, when a university runs a tabloid, it is easy to cause problems.
Lu Shi said selectively, and then added: ", comics, gender, jokes, common sense of life."
Scott clapped,
"Okay! It's very interesting to hear it!"
Wodehouse muttered: "If I had known at that time, I should have integrated the School of Arts and Entertainment into the Union. There are many students in that group who can draw."
After Lu Shi heard this, he was unable to complain.
Cooper couldn't laugh or cry,
"Sir, are you too utilitarian?"
Wodehouse touched his nose in embarrassment and waved his hands: "No, no, I am doing it for the alliance too~"
The other three didn't bother to talk to him.
Lu Shi said: "Mr. Cooper, Mr. Scott, I asked you to come here just to help you run the newspaper. After all, the publishing house of the London University Alliance only produces magazines, and you are all experienced journalists. Know how to run a newspaper.”
Scott nodded,
"Of course, I'll help."
Cooper on the other side also said: "Count me in. But, what should I call this newspaper?"
Wodehouse suggested: "The Times of London?"
Scott rejected it immediately: "No, the Times is not appropriate."
Times, corresponding to the English "Times", famous ones include "The Times" and "The New York Times",
In general, all the times have the characteristics of comprehensiveness, paying special attention to the dynamics of the development of the times and related events, and their layout and intentions are relatively high.
This is the so-called "quality report".
But the sales volume of this kind of newspaper often fails, so it has to be changed.
For example, The Times became popular in 1908.
Wodehouse added: "How about the Renton Post?"
Cooper sighed, thinking that the imagination of politicians only goes so far. Why do they all have such common names?
"Not loud," Scott said.
This is a euphemism, but it is still too common.
Wodehouse was rejected two proposals in a row, and immediately gave up, saying: "I really can't think of any interesting names."
The name of the newspaper is really hard to think of.
It needs to be impressive without being overly complicated.
Scott said: "I have recently been considering changing the name from "The Manchester Guardian" to "The Guardian", so I know how difficult it is to choose a name. It is better not to be too anxious, slow work can only produce good work~"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
After half a minute, Lu Shi said: "Call it "The Mirror". The media should reflect the beautiful ideals of society like a mirror."
He said this without blushing.
You are quite thick-skinned...
Cooper, Scott, and Wodehouse all secretly admired him.
On the surface, they showed great agreement, saying in unison: "What a name!"
(End of chapter)
