Chapter 482： First is the newspaper

The priests of Lu’an City did not know what was going on outside the blockade’s walls. In fact, even without a blockade, they would not notice the infiltration and destruction from the bottom of the population since the open fire on the square that day. The city of Luan was temporarily calmed down. The priests of the cathedral thought that burning the propaganda materials solved the problem, at least promptly prevented the further destruction of the Cecils. However, in fact, the more surging forces are in the illusion of calm. It is brewing in every corner of this blocked city.

Some unspeakable gossips began to spread in the city. People sneaked into the house after the night, discussing the diminishing supply of rations and the gates of the church area. Some people said that the food of one car and one car was transported to the church. In the district, some people say that the underground of Lu’an Cathedral is full of food for the whole city to eat for a year, and some more disturbing news points out that the priests in the city have begun to prepare for the escape. The rumors blossomed like a night out, and then spread quickly throughout the outer city.

More flyers and brochures enter the city through secret passages in this dark tide.

The burning and fire in the square did have a strong intimidation effect. A large number of civilians were shocked. After the new flyers appeared, many people immediately chose to turn in their hands, but others chose to secretly leave those things. In the second batch of leaflets, there is not only the disclosure of the Church of the Light, but also a description of another good life: a more open-minded belief, a more prosperous life, and a holy light belonging to everyone. It is inexplicable attraction for the Luan people who have already suffered from the long-term high-voltage blockade.

Therefore, while a large number of leaflets were handed in, other parts of the leaflets were transferred to more secret channels, which spread in unintentional alleys, spread on dim nights, and spread among hungry and fearful people. They may have been more difficult to spread, but they have left a deeper impression on people's minds, and in the process, Lu'an City is gradually splitting in an undetectable way.

The priests in the cathedral probably never understand why the flyers are so attractive to civilians, but the officers of the military bureau who are carrying out sabotage operations in the city can understand this well: before the rise of Cecil, There has never been a superb group or aristocratic group in the world who will use the attitude of "people" to talk to the people, even if the conversation is just a few words printed on paper, just a few greetings, a few encouragements, a few promises. The temperature they carry is also precious in this cold age.

The civilians in Lu’an City are regarded as the best among the civilians. They are richer, more decent and have higher literacy rates than the average civilian. But they are only civilians in the end. In this era of distinct people, they are in Lu Ancheng is still the bottom of the crowd. In the time of peace and prosperity, they may still be better than people in other places, but after the situation is difficult, their living conditions will turn sharply, and this huge The gap has further aggravated the dissatisfaction in their hearts, causing them to have deeper barriers with the gods in the city.

Of course, the cathedral is not always aware of the intricate connections between the edge of the church and the outer city. As new flyers are discovered and turned over, high-ranking priests are finally alert to the number of these flyers. Suddenly surprised by the speed of replenishment, he began to conduct searches and cross-examinations in various regions. In the process, Luan Bishop François also specially convened a city resident and conducted sermons in the square. Telling everyone that the difficult situation in Lu’an City is caused by the Cecil’s blockade. The Cecil talent is the chief culprit in the difficulty. He appeals to everyone to maintain the piety of the Holy Light and their loyalty to the church. Face the current difficult situation with the greatest tenacity.

This was a successful sermon. François Braun saved a little of the confidence of the civilians. However, after the end of the sermon, dozens of civilians suspected of privately discussing the church and discussing the flyers were publicly whipped, along with the skin. When the whip fell, more people only accumulated resistance and resentment against Luan Cathedral.

It may be the Cecils who blocked the city, but the monks who waved the whip and plundered the rations. For most ordinary people, they did not care about the details of the confrontation. They only care about their own lives.

More image data was transmitted to Lu'an City for the first time. It was passed to Cecil's hometown and passed to the printing factory in four new industrial cities in the South. It became tens of thousands of newspapers and was sent to The entire South.

With the application of industrial printing presses, the circulation and frequency of the Cecil weekly newspaper have greatly increased. Now it can not only be published throughout the country, but also changed from one week to two in a week, and occasionally one more. Special issue.

The Cecil Weekly, which has a wide audience, now has more and more readers. Merchants use it to sniff business opportunities. Scholars use it to accumulate knowledge. Literacy civilians also rely on it to understand changes in food prices and changes in government orders, even if they are not. Literacy people will also gather around literate people and listen to the contents of others reading newspapers to understand the changes in this land, because this information is closely related to their food, clothing and accommodation.

Benny, who lives in Carroll City, is a close-knit person. He goes to the place where newspapers are sold early on the first and sixth days of the week, and gets the latest issue before everyone. Cecil Weekly, and take many copies at a time.

Because he is a newsboy.

This is an emerging "professional". Even the officials of the Vocational Affairs Office are not recruiting a group of children in the newly established general education school in order to let the newspapers be released as soon as possible and reduce the pressure on the newspapers and periodicals. The recruitment criteria are family poverty and good grades. These children go out to work on Mondays and Saturday mornings without classes. Although the income in half a day is not much, it is still a valuable supplement for them and the families behind them. Benny got this valuable job because he had learned some spelling skills from his father and had a good grade in school.

In the early morning, the first line of sunshine still hesitated on the horizon. The newly opened magic spar street lamp on the city street has not been extinguished. Benny has already arrived at the newspaper office. He has more than a dozen people behind him, half of which are Half the old child like yourself.

Say hello to your friends, talk about the new things in the city, or talk about the teachers in the general school. Time is passing unconsciously. Benny enjoys this relaxed feeling, although he can’t say it, but he Knowing that the arrival of the Cecils has changed everything in the city, many adults are worried about the changes in the city, but Benny feels that life is quite good now.

Shortly after the first sun rose to the horizon, the newly built mechanical bell rang outside the two streets. With the bells of the first time of the day, the magic spar lights on both sides of the road were extinguished one after another. The door of the Press Office opened.

Not long after, Benny received the newspapers to be delivered and sold today. He prepared two large bags, one bag containing newspapers ordered by others, and one bag containing newspapers ready for retail.

Rich people such as businessmen and scholars hope to see the new newspaper in the first time. They usually spend a few more copper plates to handle the one-month “delivery service”, and the special person will send the newspaper directly to the home. It is said that in the big cities in the south, such work was done by professional postmen, but the number of postalmen in Carroll was not enough, so the work of sending newspapers was also handed over to the newsboys.

Benny took a heavy bag and walked quickly toward the street. He quickly completed the task of the neighborhood he wanted to send, and then he found a clean place and took a report to seriously. Looks like.

This is lazy, but no one will come to him for trouble in the corner where no one pays attention.

Benny is not worried that he will not be able to complete the sales task of the day because of reading the newspaper. Because the number of people reading the newspaper is becoming more and more, this thing has always been in short supply.

At least it is now.

Benny looked at it seriously. He watched the first edition of the news and current affairs, and then began to look at a new section that recently caught his attention.

The name of this section is "Faith and Church"

This is a new section, which appeared in the Cecil Weekly for the first time in a special issue before the third issue.

In the first two or three newspapers, the content of this section is not unusual, mainly classic religious allusions and easy-to-understand fable stories, as well as some common-sense content about religious rituals and gods, regardless of the above. What is it, it is very interesting for Benny, he is reading these as interesting stories.

But this time the above seems a bit unusual. Benny didn't see the stories and fables of the short paragraphs, but saw a full-page article and a striking headline on the article:

"Where does the wealth of the priests of the Northern Light Church work?"

Benny was a bit curious, but just before he wanted to continue watching it, a curse from the side interrupted him: "Hell!"

Benny was shocked. He turned his head and saw that the old Tom, who lived in the same block, was holding a newspaper in his old cobbler. He looked angry and sighed again: I do not believe!"

Benny narrowed his neck, and he was afraid of the old man: Old Tom was a light believer, and he was pious and stubborn. It is said that he donated half of his family to the church after his wife died. On weekdays, he lived a frugal and lonely life. . As a cobbler, the old Tom's craft is unquestionable, but as a stubborn and lonely old man, he seems very difficult to get along with.

The children are very afraid of him.

At this time, old Tom continued to whisper and cursed. He seemed to be very dissatisfied with the contents written in the newspaper. However, while cursing, he couldn’t help but pick up the newspaper and continued to look at the content above. Look at a sentence.

The more he looked at Benny, the more he was afraid. He felt that this lonely old man was probably not really normal, so he quietly stepped back and prepared to leave quietly, but he had not moved yet, and his temperamental old cobbler Cried him: "Child! You said that the things in this newspaper are nonsense!?!"

When Bennetton was shrinking his neck again, he boldly raised his head and prepared to take two sentences and leave. However, at the moment of raising his head, the half-year-old child was shocked.

He saw the grotesque, old-fashioned coward who was stunned and squinted, his eyes blushing, the face that was always cold and cold, all in pain and distorted.

"It's all nonsense! It must be nonsense!" Old Tom grabbed the newspaper, and the newspaper was almost wrinkled in his hand, but his voice shook. "They told me... The golden coins rang, my name went to the kingdom of God, and Martha will wait for me in the kingdom of God..."

Benny blinked, he didn't know what the old cobbler was saying, but his eyes swept through the newspaper in his hand, written on the "theological commentator" signed "White Knight". The words are clear and clear:

"...they (the pastors) are good at using all kinds of unconfirmed short promises to defraud the believers' money. There are several common sayings... When the gold coins are ringing, they can reserve their seats in the Kingdom of God, or Sending the soul of a deceased relative to the Kingdom of God, but in reality it has nothing to do with the teachings of the Light...

"In the original light of the Holy Light, there is a clear statement about the salvation of the soul. However, the priests will never let ordinary people see this part, or will not interpret this part in detail..."

Old Tom’s mood seemed to have finally stabilized a little. His eyes were still red, but he stopped cursing. Instead, he picked up the newspaper and quickly looked at the things again.

"Pooh."

He snorted and sipped, then hesitated to throw the newspaper away, but in the end he stuffed the newspaper into his clothes and walked away slowly.

Benny looked at the scene in confusion, then noticed that more people around him were holding newspapers.

People gathered together in twos and threes to discuss the contents of the newspaper. Some people were worried, some were angry, and some were confused.

It seems that no one has the same intense reaction as the old Tom. However, they are undoubtedly very concerned about the contents of the newspaper. There are still many people who do not hold newspapers. It seems that they are also asking others.

Benny thought about it and suddenly knew what he should do.

He raised the newspaper in his hand and shouted loudly: "Sell the newspaper! Sell the newspaper! The new Cecil Weekly! Take a look! The inside story of the church! The first-hand news!"