Chapter 1533: Seizing Power

This was a two-level promotion, managing the team of craftsmen. With punishment, there must naturally be rewards.

Magistrate Xu was overjoyed and thanked the King for his grace.

"Since the monarch has set a four-month deadline, Magistrate You and I must not fail the trust and must keep a close eye on the project progress." He Lingchuan said word by word, "If the new city houses and land cannot be sold within four months and the money cannot be returned, this project will definitely not be able to continue! At that time, everyone here will have to bear the consequences."

The officials looked at each other, no one making a sound.

What was meant by bearing the consequences? This project involved hundreds of officials, and if you counted the periphery, it was more than several thousand people. It was said that the law does not punish the masses; could King Yao punish all these officials?

What a shock that would cause in the Yao royal court!

Then who would dare to do things for the monarch in the future? He Lingchuan knew very well what they were thinking, and immediately said: "Progress has lagged by seven days! To catch up with these seven days, we must work overtime and work twice as hard! My King has already approved that the new city expansion is not allowed to stop for a moment, and we must work at full strength for twelve hours every day! From tonight, from this moment, we must fight through the night! Every official should work according to this schedule and complete their duties on time."

"Those who think they cannot persist can walk out of this door now and follow Qi Shuhuan." He pointed to the book on the table. "Those who decide to stay, sign the military order now, one for each person. But if there is any delay or dereliction of duty, it will be dealt with according to the order! At that time, it will not be as simple as just losing your job."

The officials were shocked: "Magistrate You! This, this?"

They were not fighting a war on the front line, so why sign a military order?

You Rongzhi also nodded: "The King said, building a new city is like fighting a big war! Whoever does not do it well will be dealt with according to the law! Please take it seriously and do not be negligent!"

The officials thought that the law does not punish the masses, and if such a big project is not done well, it is a collective dereliction of duty; how can it be blamed on one person?

He Lingchuan's method was to let them make their own mistakes and carry their own pots.

There was no group to be punished, only individuals.

Only when the stick hits the individual will they know pain, and only then can they settle their minds and work honestly.

He Lingchuan slowed his tone and said solemnly: "There is still time. I guarantee to everyone that as long as you pull yourself together and work according to the rules, we can not only catch up with the seven-day construction period but also explain the task within four months! When the new city rises vigorously, everyone will be rewarded, which will not live up to this rare position!"

The officials present, besides those who were engaged in palace construction and had experience in construction, also had many who bought tickets to enter.

Just like Qi Shuhuan, they were the "positions" bought by families at a high price in the capital's eastward expansion project, and the cost was very high.

Therefore, the responsibility on their shoulders was also very heavy, and it was impossible for them to withdraw on their own halfway.

This position was so precious that others would break their heads to squeeze in; how could they dare to hand it over? Even if they were willing, the forces behind them would not be.

"Distribute the orders."

At He Lingchuan's order, the palace guards took out the prepared military orders and distributed them one by one.

Most of the officials present were seeing the legendary military order for the first time, and seeing the glaring red seal on it, their hearts sank suddenly.

That was the weight of responsibility.

Looking at the rules above, one, two, three, four, five, detailed and strict, the general idea was that if the official who signed the order violated it, they would be dealt with according to the order.

Huang Shilu calculated, if he really acted according to the rules, the time he spent eating and sleeping every day would not add up to three hours, and the rest of the time would have to be spent on the project, busy like a whipped spinning top.

Other officials winked at him. Huang Shilu weighed his tone and was about to speak, but He Lingchuan's gaze swept over, and he walked up to him, looking down: "Magistrate Huang, do you have any questions?"

His smile was meaningful, making Huang Shilu feel cold, fearing that he would be targeted: "Nothing, nothing!"

So the officials, with mixed feelings, pricked their fingertips and signed their blood-red names on the military order.

Although they were extremely reluctant, this military order emphasized efficiency and progress, and did not have any regulations on corruption. Probably the superiors also understood that this aspect could not be prevented, so they simply did not mention it.

Their purpose for entering this team could still be achieved.

After Huang Shilu finished the last stroke, He Lingchuan picked up the military order to blow it dry, while laughing: "These military orders will be kept by me. Everyone, please work together and move forward!"

Everyone understood that this meant he would supervise the work.

This guy, this guy is really not afraid of offending people!

Along with the thunder and lightning outside, He Lingchuan revealed the unscrupulous face of the party: "Working overtime starts from tonight."

Huang Shilu muttered: "Island Master He, the rain is too heavy recently, and the mountain rocks are sliding. It is truly dangerous to build roads on Mount Lou at this time. Yesterday, two refugees paving the road slipped to the bottom of the cliff, and they haven't been found yet."

Most of the new city terrain was flat, with only two small mountains, and Mount Lou was one of them. Although it was not high, the rock and soil were weathered and loose, the road was very difficult to repair, and it often collapsed while being chiseled.

But without Mount Lou, the road between Yunsong Town and You Lake would have to take a detour.

Having just signed the military order, he immediately found an excuse, and Huang Shilu was ashamed and afraid that He Lingchuan would deal with him.

He Lingchuan also walked this road every day and knew he was right. It had been raining for days, and the probability of collapse was very high.

He wanted to catch up with the construction period, not harvest lives.

Of course, he also understood that if he insisted, the project would continue tonight, but there might be a few more unjust souls under the cliff.

He Lingchuan turned to You Rongzhi: "Please ask Magistrate You to enter the palace and pray to the King for the use of Yuan power!"

You Rongzhi was shocked: "Wh..."

With so many eyes watching from the side, he could not lose his composure, so he pulled He Lingchuan to the side and confirmed in a low voice: "Island Master He, are you talking about Yuan power?"

"Yes." He Lingchuan pointed outside the window. "It looks like the rain will last at least another seven or eight days. If we don't use some special means, the Mount Lou road will not be repaired well. Then, the transportation of materials from the south will have to take a detour, and the project progress will not be fast."

"But Yuan power is a national treasure; using it to repair roads is really..."

"Good steel should be used on the blade. The capital's eastward expansion is also a war, and it is a big war that must be won and cannot be lost. Look, we have all signed the military order." He Lingchuan said solemnly, "The Yao Nation has had good weather in recent years, and there is no war or famine. Shouldn't the Yuan power saved up like this be used for major national livelihood matters?"

You Rongzhi was silent.

The words were very reasonable, but...

He Lingchuan continued: "Everything is difficult at the beginning. It was not easy to adjust the atmosphere to this point tonight. If we stop now, our play will be performed in vain, and the project will be done slowly. Magistrate You, the most important thing is to strike while the iron is hot. We want everyone to overcome obstacles, so we must first overcome difficulties ourselves!"

"Strike while the iron is hot?" What did it mean? You Rongzhi could understand it roughly from the literal meaning, and after a little pondering, he raised his volume: "Let everyone prepare, I will enter the palace first."

After speaking, he left in a hurry.

At this time, the palace guards also collected all the military orders and handed them all to He Lingchuan.

He patted the thick stack of papers in front of him heavily: "Alright, please return to your positions and perform your duties. Magistrate You should be able to get the Yuan power down soon. But a little wind and rain cannot stop us from building the city!"

He had called for dismissal, but the officials did not leave immediately; at least seven or eight people gathered around, asking him for further guidance on their work, extremely humble.

He Lingchuan also switched expressions in a second, amiable, humorous, and no longer coy.

Huang Shilu also stayed by his side, asking for advice for more than a quarter of an hour before leaving.

Outside was a long wind and rain corridor, a bit like a arcade, walking underneath to watch the wind blow and trees shake, the rain could not fall on the body.

Huang Shilu had not walked a few steps when two friendly officials chased after him: "Brother Huang, Brother Huang, let's go together."

"Hurry, hurry, I still have to rush to Mount Lou." As soon as he left this wind and rain corridor, even with an umbrella, he would be half wet.

An official said: "Brother Huang, do you think the King is serious this time? Really asking He Xiao to manage things?"

Another asked: "The one in charge is Magistrate You; can he let go of power?"

Huang Shilu heh-ed: "You two haven't seen it clearly yet? The offensive words are all said by He Xiao, and the offensive things are all done by He Xiao, while Magistrate You still acts as his good old man."

Both officials gave a long "oh," so it turned out they had a division of labor.

"If Magistrate You came forward to offend people himself, who could mediate?" Huang Shilu coughed, "This should have been the job of Magistrate Wang Dongxing, but he got sick."

"Alas, ginger is still old and spicy." Another official said in a low voice, "He Xiao is young after all, and Magistrate You cannot be decisive."

"This has nothing to do with age. Magistrate You works in the royal court after all and has to consider human feelings." Huang Shilu shook his head, "But He Xiao has no position or title; although he got a medal, he is still a commoner, and a foreigner! No matter how hard he offends people here, after the eastward expansion project ends, the King can find any reason to deal with him, which will not only vent our anger but also not chill the hearts of the subjects."

He Xiao is a bad guy, King Yao gets rid of him, and they, the ministers, still have to be grateful and call the King wise.

Both said: "Brother Huang sees it clearly."

"Then conversely, for the next period of time, the King will really let He Xiao manage things." Huang Shilu looked at the two, "We all have to bow our heads and do things, don't hit his blade with your chest."

Here, He Lingchuan left the room and took a horse to see the new city construction site.

With no one on the side, the Soul-Absorbing Mirror asked him: "Hey, can You Rongzhi get the Yuan power down?"

"Yes." He Lingchuan thought without thinking, "If he wasn't sure, he wouldn't need to loudly remind himself to enter the palace before leaving. Yuan power is something that, if not used on major national affairs, where else can it be used? The situation is already on the verge of breaking, and he can figure it out, so King Yao can figure it out even more."

The mirror was silent for a while before saying: "What are you doing tonight?"

"Seizing power." He Lingchuan laughed, "King Yao tacitly approved, and You Rongzhi didn't fight for it, so why should I be polite? Of course, I have to hold it firmly in my hand!"

"You Rongzhi has always been unwilling to offend people, letting me be this bad guy. But conversely, being able to manage people means having real power." King Yao never gave him power, but it didn't matter; as long as he, He Lingchuan, had the final say, he would have real power!

He said slowly: "Only after gathering this part of the power can I start the next step of action."

As soon as the words fell, a giant lightning bolt crossed the night sky ahead, ferocious like a dragon!

That light illuminated the wilderness, casting a cold chill on his face. ===== CHAPTER 1534 =====