On the morning of May 5, 1848, the Polar Star featured the article "On Bonaparte Thought and Britain's Democratization Movement" written by editor Hani on May 4 as the front-page news. To make it easier for readers to understand the news content (or perhaps to sarcastically critique the British Kingdom Government), the "Polar Star" thoughtfully printed a striking ink painting on the lower-right corner of the news. The painting depicted a "little chubby fellow" with a humorous appearance, wearing Lev's formal suit, a scimitar at his waist, and a two-horned hat (also known as a Napoleon Hat), arrogantly pointing at a map on what resembled a podium, glaring at a shivering couple in the corner, portraying an image of bullying. However, next to the "little chubby fellow" was a string of words: "I will spread the thought of France here, let your subjects rebel against you, and let the Universal Suffrage Law begin to shine."
If it were just this, that would be one thing, but the key was that the shape of the map in the painting was almost identical to the shape of the British Isles. The couple standing beneath the "little chubby fellow" included a man with a bushy mustache and a woman short and plump in stature. Without needing elaborate explanations, one could easily see that the couple was none other than Victoria and Albert.
Upon closer inspection, one would find that the so-called "podium" was structurally very similar to the Parliament's.
Just this picture alone was worth a thousand words, and when combined with the article content, it produced a magical chemical reaction, achieving the goal of spreading from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, thereby igniting the entire London opinion circle.
Hani decisively printed seventy thousand copies of the newspaper and pushed them all into the London market, believing that the curious London gentlemen would not reject the "gift" he had prepared for them.
This country desperately needed a reform to perfect the existing system.
Sure enough, after the "Polar Star" was released into the market, it took just one morning to capture nearly a third of the London market share, with less than 3000 copies of the seventy thousand remaining.
"Editor, we've succeeded! We've succeeded!" A reporter staggered in, shouting at Hani, who was still revising manuscripts and proofreading translations in the editorial office.
At the same moment, all the reporters in the Polar Star's office raised their heads to look at that reporter.
Facing the many gazes of his peers in the office, the message-bearing reporter unflinchingly reported to Hani: "Editor, our newspaper sold nearly over 70,000 copies in just one morning, and in some areas, there's even a shortage!"
At this moment, nearly all eyes were on Editor Hani, some filled with joy, some puzzled, and some deeply worried.
Hani, the chief writer of this issue, was equally excited, his hands trembling. The sale of seventy thousand newspapers meant that at least tens of thousands of minor affluent social elites had taken note of their newspaper. As long as a portion of these twelve thousand people could lean towards the Charter Faction, all of Hani's efforts would not have been in vain.
Of course, this was just a bold estimate. The "Polar Star's" true target was the working-class middle and lower class, whose numbers far exceeded the elite class, and it's not excluded that several workers might jointly buy one newspaper.
In any case, Editor Hani felt that the "first shot" against the United Kingdom had been fired perfectly. What followed was to thoroughly consolidate the existing achievements, progress steadily, and, if necessary, continue orchestrating a petition movement to pressure the United Kingdom to accept their terms.
"How are the printing and scheduling? Can we continue to put out more?" Hani inquired about the follow-up distribution issues.
"No problem! I already arranged it on my way back!" The reporter proudly held up five fingers and said, "Five printing machines are working simultaneously, and even if the entire London region subscribes to our newspaper, it's more than enough!"
Hani nodded with satisfaction and then stood up.
With the first shot fired, there was absolutely no reason to retreat. Hence, he needed to find some "Alliance Army" to support him.
...............
On the other hand, Jerome Bonaparte, having organized all his cousin's belongings and paid the last month's rent, was quietly waiting for news from the France side.
The article on May 4th did not seem to cause much of a stir in Britain's opinion circles; like a small stone dropped into the water, it merely raised a small ripple and vanished without a trace.
This made Jerome Bonaparte, who had confidently anticipated a wave of public opinion, start to doubt himself.
Was it because my writing wasn't good enough? Or was my approach incorrect?
Seeing British public opinion not developing as expected frustrated Jerome Bonaparte.
The failure of British public opinion seemed set in stone.
If the French media circles were as lifeless as the British ones, his plan would definitely be thwarted.
At that time, Jerome's number one problem became figuring out how to get his cousin back to France.
"I'm going out for a walk!" The restless Jerome Bonaparte decided to leash Ham (Louis Napoleon's adopted dog in Britain) and take a walk.
"Your Highness, let me have Fleury accompany you out!" Unsettled by Jerome Bonaparte going out alone, Percy advised Jerome Bonaparte.
"No need! I'm just going out to relax!" Jerome Bonaparte decisively rejected Percy's suggestion; he didn't want to lose his freedom before becoming President.
"Your Highness, please take this with you!" Percy returned to the room and took out a finely crafted revolver and a cane, which concealed a sword.
Jerome Bonaparte accepted the cane and revolver handed to him by Percy, leashed Ham, and walked down Shafberitz Street until he reached St. Martin's Church.
At the junction of the poor and wealthy districts, Jerome Bonaparte noticed that the police presence was noticeably higher than on Piccadilly Street, with many vigilantes, like Jerome Bonaparte, holding canes and revolvers, vigilantly watching the distance.
Following the vigilantes' gaze, Jerome Bonaparte looked into the distance and saw a café not far from St. Martin's Church, gathering quite a crowd of people, some dressed handsomely and others raggedly, all assembled in front of the café.
Due to his distant location from the café, Jerome could only faintly hear words like "Napoleon" and "equality."
This aroused Jerome's intense curiosity, and he decided to investigate.