“Is it really okay to barge in like this without any prior notice?”
“There’s no guest coming anyway, as we’re not a popular media company.”
I entered the Wilson Times branch building located in a commercial area right in front of Kaieff city hall, in the Okhraine Duchy.
Of course, while it’s called a branch, it’s essentially just an office occupying a commercial space on the first floor, nothing different from other offices.
“That’s too much. Who’s to blame for all this?”
“What can a mere captain do?”
I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders. Even if the Wilson Times is one of the top media companies in the Amerian Federation Republic, which is overflowing with gold and money, they are helpless against the petty behavior of the Okhraine Duchy.
Even though it’s freer and easier to enter compared to the Imperial Alliance, it’s still relatively closed compared to the Free Union countries.
The reason why the Wilson Times branch here is only attracting flies is that the permit for publishing newspapers hasn’t been issued yet.
As a result, the amount of information she can obtain is extremely limited.
There’s a high probability that she doesn’t know about my promotion to colonel, or even that there’s currently a war going on in the south.
“However, I have some good news today, which is why I came urgently.”
“Oh~ Really? Can I expect something?”
Sarah Ronald handed me a coffee cup with one hand, the coffee she had presumably brewed earlier. Maybe because she has been staying at the base until now, her attire and demeanor gave off a modern feel rather than someone from a fantasy game.
So, a New Yorker, perhaps?
I’ve always wanted to visit America, but now it feels like I might go there first in a game world instead of reality.
Anyway.
The current priority was not that. For the sake of our poor staff members who are being cut down in real-time, I needed to resolve this matter first.
I took a sip of the coffee she offered and looked at Sarah sitting across from me.
“The Crown Prince has approved the publication of the newspaper.”
“Really?!”
She suddenly stood up from her seat, spilling the coffee from the cup on the table as it shook.
“Gyaah!!”
“Your reaction is a bit over the top.”
“No, no… Of course! This is about the life and death of our newspaper branch.”
“On the other hand, there is one condition.”
When I added another sentence, Sarah Ronald’s expression hardened. She was probably calculating something in her head.
Unlike Ukhraine, where small journals are the entirety of newspapers, in the Amerian Federation Republic, there are dozens of competing newspapers.
In such a competitive environment, it’s natural for conditions to be set politically or economically.
After all, in Haotse, special policies like ‘media control’ or ’embargo lifting’ were often used to manage internal affairs.
Sarah Ronald thrust out her finger after finishing her calculations.
“Hold on! Before we talk about that, let me make one thing clear. The Wilson Times values the spirit of journalism above all else and will never publish biased articles politically or diplomatically.”
Ah, a true journalist of this era.
While this declaration was quite refreshing for someone like me who lived through the chaotic period of South Korea with its manipulation, fabrication, and sensational YouTube content, the condition I was setting wasn’t related to that at all.
“Don’t worry. We’re not interested in that kind of thing either.”
“Then what is it?”
“Can you lend us a printing machine?”
“A printing machine?”
Sarah Ronald looked at me with a bewildered expression, as this condition was completely unexpected.
I smiled slightly and added:
“I want to distribute some flyers.”
“So… Ukhraine is currently at war?”
“Yes.”
I leisurely finished the remaining coffee and replied. It’s only natural that she wouldn’t know. A newspaper branch that has just been established in the capital wouldn’t have any inside information.
“Interestingly, Ukhraine isn’t very interested in the press. You saw the low sales figures, right?”
“Ugh…”
“For people focused on surviving day to day, overseas news isn’t important.”
It’s an awkwardly positioned country between the Free Union and the Imperial Alliance.
There must be a reason why the press hasn’t been allowed in until now.
Moreover, surprisingly, other countries may not want to allow the press into Ukhraine. After all, the press plays a role in enlightening the masses.
If the press were to enter Ukhraine and the citizens’ awareness began to grow, then the national power of Ukhraine would likely explode.
As more intellectuals emerge among the masses, nationalism would spread explosively among the citizens.
While the Amurian Federal Republic is obsessed with money, the Pry Free Democratic State, Reinhardt, and the Soviev Empire are not particularly pleased with Ukhraine’s growth.
But for now, we couldn’t help but be grateful to the Wilson Times.
The press is a necessary element for Ukhraine to survive in the gap between great powers.
“But if it’s news about a war happening within their own country, especially one that started ten years ago by the Azoff rebels, things could change.”
“Indeed.”
A war happening within their own territory, an invasion from a system, and overwhelming victory news!
Nothing could be more stimulating than that.
The Ukhraine citizens already know what atrocities the Azoffs have committed.
It’s been almost ten years since then.
The story of the First Quernen War has been enough time to spread throughout the nation, even without newspapers.
“What do you think? There will surely be many people willing to pay even 1 gold for a copy.”
Sarah Ronald’s gaze changed. She straightened her posture and looked at me with an editor-in-chief-like expression.
Good, she’s hooked.
I didn’t miss this opportunity and pushed further.
“Furthermore, it’s a war. Even if it’s happening in a distant small country across the sea, it’s incredibly stimulating material for the Amerian mainland.”
No one dislikes gossip.
Especially for Amerians, who are overflowing with money and mostly preoccupied with entertainment and leisure.
“And it’s exclusive.”
“Exclu, exclusive…”
“If possible, we could send one of the Wilson Times reporters to cover the war directly.”
“Even a war correspondent…”
Finally, after continued persuasion, Sarah Ronald nodded.
“We can print the flyers. We’re actually just letting the machines sit idle right now.”
“So it’s a deal.”
“Can we just create the flyer design ourselves?”
“Just make sure the information confuses the guys in Fort Morok. Making them angry would be even better.”
At this, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Her expression was filled with confidence.
“We don’t write politically biased articles, but when it comes to messing with someone’s mind, that’s a different story.”
She slammed her palm on the table.
“Don’t worry. That’s our specialty.”
[Declaration of Partial Surrender by the Azoff People’s Liberation Front: The occupation of Fort Morok and Maniopol was done by deserters! Are you just going to stay like a dog, abandoned and silent?]
[Considering the relatively minor civilian casualties, we promise to treat you favorably according to international law.]
[We strongly encourage surrender. They are not enemies. If you want to return home safely and meet your families, surrender. -Lieutenant Aldebaran of the Azoff People’s Liberation Front-]
[Surrender and receive warm and delicious food immediately. Guaranteed comfortable accommodation. Ukhraine ★ Army ★ Southern Corps]
Three thousand flyers with different messages.
The number of flyers was as many as the number of Azoff troops holed up in Fort Morok.
As Sarah Ronald said, the flyers printed by Wilson Times were simple yet highly effective.
The lieutenant mentioned, Aldebaran, is a name of a commander who surrendered at the Fort Morok front.
Although he did not actually say such words, how could one verify this in a besieged city? By the time someone realized they were deceived, they would already be in a prisoner-of-war camp.
Propaganda is made up of 99% lies and 1% truth.
This applies only to people exposed to normal circumstances.
In situations where there is no way to verify, even information that is 100% false must be believed as true.
Moreover, people tend to be swayed by familiar voices.
“Then start the drop.”
“Yes, understood!”
Thus, three thousand sheets of paper were loaded onto three Diabolus aircraft.
The flyers personally created by Sarah Ronald were deployed in a large-scale dissemination operation over five days.
Spraying everything at once isn’t very helpful.
One of the additional elements of this propaganda campaign was to instill a sense of defeat and frustration in them, despite our efforts to promote our cause.
Initially, they showed no significant response, but on the final day of the dissemination operation, Friday evening, a man carrying a white flag arrived at the 17th Division’s base of the Southern Corps, which was surrounding the north of Fort Morok.
The message he handed over, speaking broken Ukhraine and gesturing for conversation, was:
[I am willing to negotiate.]
It was effectively a declaration of surrender.
