Chapter 207

The invention of the steam engine is meant to liberate productive forces. Why did I dare to lower the price, slashing the cost of a newspaper down to two copper coins? Beyond knowing what kind of profit newspaper advertising could bring, it is because the emergence of the steam-powered printing press will drastically increase production efficiency and reduce costs, allowing me to provide an account to both the merchants and the Imperial Household Department. In reality, the funds they are advancing for the development of the newspaper only need to cover these few months while the steam-printing technology gradually matures. Compared to not knowing how much it would cost, the burden is now completely quantifiable. As long as there is a concrete figure—even if that figure is not small—the merchants following my lead will have a baseline and will not be lost or hesitant. Furthermore, with the example of the steam-powered printing press, the cost for the Hundred Schools of Thought to run their own newspapers will drop significantly. Previously, even the Confucianists and Legalists felt uncertain about running a newspaper, needing to discuss sharing the costs among the Hundred Schools. But now, even a single household has a chance to afford the costs of running a newspaper.