[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rise-of-the-empire-spain":3,"chapter-rise-of-the-empire-spain-rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-136":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rise of the Empire: Spain",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2365064,4632,"Chapter 136: Rectifying the Officialdom (Two-in-One Chapter)","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-136",136,"\u003Cp>Since the end of the Franco-Prussian War, European countries have entered a stage of relatively stable development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every country has recognized its own shortcomings and is currently desperately carrying out reforms and improvements. History also tells us that this period was precisely the time when emerging industrial nations, led by Germany and the United States, were constantly rising, eventually overtaking old-school powers like Britain and France in terms of industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did the British give up their efforts during this time, recklessly letting things slide and allowing Germany and the United States to surpass them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not at all. The British industry and economy also grew significantly during this period; the main reason was the scale limitations of the British mainland, which meant there was a ceiling to how high Britain could go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Britain’s strength was driven by the First Industrial Revolution and the colonization of nearly half the world. If not for such vast colonies, Britain would not necessarily have been a match for Germany.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The German region had been one of the hegemons of Europe since the time of the Holy Roman Empire, but the various states within the country were divided into factions and fought incessantly; this was the reason why the German region had not produced a top-tier great power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the German region has moved toward unification, and Germany’s development can no longer be restricted by any country. When all the German states are combined, the territory and population they possess are even greater than those of Britain and France, which is one of the foundations of Germany’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although a country with a large population is not necessarily strong, a strong country must possess a large population. The reason why European countries have gradually declined in later generations, even needing to rely on the European Union to compete with major powers like the United States, is precisely because the population of individual European countries is far inferior to that of strong nations like the United States.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason is also easy to understand. The larger the population, the greater the labor force; the greater the labor force, the faster the economic expansion. Between two countries with the same industrial and economic scale, the one with the larger population will have greater development potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before there is highly developed technology to replace human labor, population is one of the standards for measuring a country’s strength, and it is a relatively strict standard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good news is that Spain’s population growth rate, which had stagnated for several years, has finally begun to increase steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only 6 months of 1872 have passed, but Spain’s population has already grown by at least 150,000, close to the total increase for the entire previous year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although there is no precise figure for Spain’s total population, it is certain that Spain’s population has officially exceeded 17 million, approximately between 17.05 million and 17.1 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this good momentum of population growth can be maintained this year, it is expected that Spain’s population will exceed 17.2 million by the end of the year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the great powers, such a population is naturally not large. But for Spain itself, being able to achieve a relatively good rate of population growth also proves that the efforts of the Spanish government have not been in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A major reason affecting population growth is the increase in Spain’s per capita income.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it is normal to think about it; only when the masses have enough to eat and can survive will they consider the issue of having children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one cannot even survive, having a child will not only increase one’s burden but also cause the child to live a life worse than death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The birth rate can, to a large extent, measure the happiness index of a country’s people, because the unfortunate will not even consider the issue of having children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Spain is not doing excellently in this regard, it has already made significant progress compared to the previous government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time reached July 1872, the spring breeze of reform finally blew into the interior of the Spanish government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the reform within the government, Prime Minister Primo had only two opinions: simplifying government departments, reducing the number of government office staff, monitoring corruption, and improving government efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corruption exists in every country; a decaying government will always breed corruption, which is unavoidable in any political system or country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the current Spanish government was established after the revolution, this revolution did not have a very deep impact on the regional governments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main impact was on the Spanish cabinet government, and it is very difficult for these officials in the cabinet government to engage in corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there is Prime Minister Primo overhead, as well as the more powerful parliament for supervision. But for state and municipal governments, it is still very easy to engage in corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spain’s annual fiscal budget is limited, so it is naturally impossible to waste a portion of it on corrupt officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in order not to cause a profound impact on the government, Prime Minister Primo still decided to let bygones be bygones regarding past corruption, focusing on supervising future corrupt behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to focusing on supervising government corruption, Prime Minister Primo also issued a decree ordering major regional and municipal governments to reduce the number of officials at their discretion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some regional government departments have too many officials, and some people are just muddling through their days. Since the income of Spanish officials is generally higher than that of the ordinary public, it is naturally better to clear these people out sooner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ka Luo is naturally willing to see the government attach importance to the supervision of corrupt officials. Ka Luo cannot manage these things at the moment, so it is of course best for Prime Minister Primo to take the initiative to supervise corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In order to make all levels of the Spanish government more clean and efficient, after careful consideration, Ka Luo also recommended to Prime Minister Primo the establishment of a bill regarding official performance appraisal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ka Luo did not explain in detail; the specific bill still needed to be formulated by Prime Minister Primo himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The specific regulations are also very simple: based on the different responsibilities of government officials at all levels, they will be subjected to various assessments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who pass will accumulate political achievements, and meeting certain achievements will fulfill the conditions for promotion. Conversely, if the achievements are too poor, they must be prepared to be demoted or even directly dismissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, doing so will certainly offend a large portion of officials; after all, they are doing just fine in their current positions and may not necessarily be willing to be passively moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, it is better for such a bill to be submitted and promulgated by Prime Minister Primo; Ka Luo does not intend to participate too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prime Minister Primo was not opposed to this either. Such a method can effectively improve the administrative efficiency of officials while also serving the purpose of supervising them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it will offend some mediocre officials who are just muddling along, these people are of no benefit and only harmful to the Spanish government, so it is better to weed them out as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The issue of offending people is no big deal for Prime Minister Primo. The reform has already offended a large group of forces; what does it matter to add one more?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he approved of the performance appraisal system proposed by Ka Luo, within a few days, Prime Minister Primo personally submitted a draft of the \"Official Performance Appraisal Bill\" to the parliament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason he submitted it himself was also because of the importance he attached to rectifying the officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Prime Minister Primo personally submits such a bill can it attract the attention of those officials, thereby achieving the effect of actively rectifying the officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone still thinks that Prime Minister Primo is just going through the motions, when the sword of integrity and incorruptibility is held to their necks, it will not be up to them to decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the draft of this bill, Prime Minister Primo divided the Spanish government into three levels: national government, regional government, and municipal government, all of which were included in the scope of performance appraisal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officials at the three levels of government who perform excellently can be promoted exceptionally to higher-level governments. Those who fail to meet the requirements will be punished with demotion at best, or directly dismissed from office at worst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering that this appraisal bill involves a large number of officials, the content of the assessment will not be overly harsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basically, as long as officials complete the tasks within their scope of responsibility, they can get a rating of \"qualified\" or above. If they make certain political achievements, they will receive a rating of \"excellent\" or above and be prepared for promotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those officials who cannot even do the things within their scope of responsibility well, leaving them in their positions will only have a negative impact on the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For current Spanish officials, there are many aspects where they can add to their political achievements. For example, promoting the development of the local economy and industry, reducing the illiteracy rate, promoting literacy education, promoting national integration, and even developing the population, etc., can all increase their political achievements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as there is even a tiny bit of contribution, it is not difficult to muddle through to a \"qualified\" level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main purpose of doing this is to weed out corrupt elements and incompetent officials. Anyone with even a tiny bit of ability would not fail to make any achievements at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Spanish Constitution, the parliament has the power to appoint and remove officials at all levels of government. Therefore, as long as this bill is passed by the parliament, the performance appraisal for the three levels of government can be successfully implemented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a proposal caused an uproar in the parliament, and even the members who originally supported Prime Minister Primo were somewhat hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such an appraisal system is unprecedented and will break the system of appointing people based on nobility and seniority that has been maintained in the Spanish officialdom for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large number of nobles can easily obtain quite good official positions by virtue of their bloodline, and old hands in the officialdom can also compete for high positions by virtue of their seniority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those who are truly capable rarely can obtain titles and official positions through their own efforts; for commoners, besides emigrating, it seems the only way out is like Prime Minister Primo, obtaining their identity and status through revolution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new official performance appraisal system completely broke Spain’s original bureaucratic system, changing from valuing bloodline and prestige to valuing personal ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a national level, this is naturally a kind of progress. Only when these officials rack their brains to create political achievements can Spain’s economy and industry move forward rapidly under their efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If these officials in major regions and cities do not have much enthusiasm for the growth of the economy and industry themselves, how can Spain’s comprehensive national strength advance rapidly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By linking the progress of the national economy and industry, including some decrees issued by the cabinet government, with the political achievements of these officials, even if not for the development of the country, they will work hard for their own personal interests, for their own political achievements, and for their own higher official positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is a clear difference between doing things passively and doing them actively; for the current Spain, there is an urgent need for some more passionate and energetic young officials to change the pattern of the officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Excellency Prime Minister, is your bill a bit too radical?\" A member of parliament raised an objection, clearly somewhat dissatisfied with the content of the bill submitted by Prime Minister Primo:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This completely breaks Spain’s previous bureaucratic system. May I assume that this will cause a violent shock to Spain’s existing bureaucratic system and also cause a large number of officials to lose their existing jobs?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I admit that what you said is very correct.\" Prime Minister Primo nodded lightly in the face of the questioning, and then questioned: \"But why not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of letting those guys who don't do real work continue to stay in high positions in major regions and municipal governments, it is better to let young people who have the ability and motivation take such positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, are you willing to give up Spain’s future development for the sake of your position?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prime Minister Primo’s questioning immediately made the member who raised the objection break out in a cold sweat, waving his hands repeatedly and hurriedly explaining: \"I am not willing to give up Spain’s future development, I am just worried that such a bill will cause a shock to the existing bureaucratic system and destroy the stability that Spain has managed to maintain with such difficulty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is no need to worry about this matter.\" Prime Minister Primo said with a playful smile on his face, with a deep meaning: \"This bill is a necessity for Spain’s reform and also concerns the success or failure of the reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gentlemen, are you willing to see those who are unwilling to contribute to the country standing in important positions in major regions and municipal governments?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the sake of Spain, we are willing to endure any pain. Only by letting those who are truly willing to work for the revival of Spain take important positions can the revival of Spain become a reality, rather than just a dream of ours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the fluctuations caused by the bill are temporary, and the impact on Spain is long-lasting. For the sake of Spain becoming stronger in the future, I think we can tolerate temporary pain in exchange for the opportunity for Spain to become stronger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some persuasion by Prime Minister Primo, the reformist members also expressed their support for this bill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, most of the reformists are young people with ideals, ambitions, and a certain amount of ability. Their voice in the political arena is not high, and this bill will not only not affect them but will instead become a sharp weapon for their promotion in the officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, seniority-based promotion is common in the officialdom of various countries; after all, everyone is willing to trust officials who look more mature, rather than a hot-blooded youth who has just started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For other jobs, twenty or thirty is the time when one is full of energy. But for government work, thirty or forty is too young, and forty or fifty is the golden age when a politician is most mature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prime ministers of various countries are generally old men of forty or fifty or even sixty, because only in this way can they convince officials and the public of various countries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, in terms of the prime minister and important government departments, the harm of seniority-based promotion is not that great. But in major regions and municipal governments, the harm of seniority-based promotion is quite large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If older officials do not move, the new generation of young people cannot move up. Currently, in Spain’s major regions and municipal governments, young officials under 30 are only a small part, and most are middle-aged officials over 30.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large part of these people are conservatives. When facing the reform decrees issued by the Spanish government, even if they do not have much opposition on the surface, they will secretly hinder the passage of the decrees in various ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The failure of decrees to be implemented is the biggest problem in Spain at present. Decrees issued by the Kingdom government are difficult to be successfully implemented in major regional governments quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The method to solve this problem is also very simple: replace those pedantic conservative officials with young officials who support reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These young officials who have been promoted will support reform even more in order to keep their positions and to move further, which will naturally promote the advancement of Spain’s reform more effectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reform of every country is extremely difficult because reform needs to fight against the vested interests and some pedantic conservatives existing within the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of whether they are willing to be loyal to the Kingdom government, as long as they hinder the advancement of Spain’s reform, this problem will eventually need to be solved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I do not oppose the implementation of this decree. But I have a question: if we implement an official appointment and removal method that prioritizes political achievements, will it cause some officials to go to extremes for their own political achievements?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, how can we ensure the loyalty to the government of these officials promoted because of political achievements? If they are not loyal to the government, then promoting them will also cause harm to the country.\" Another official raised his own question, but this question was clearly much milder compared to the previous direct and explicit opposition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is also simple.\" Prime Minister Primo nodded and gave his answer: \"In terms of performance appraisal, the parliament can be fully responsible and establish a corresponding agency for official performance appraisal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any fraud in political achievements will result in the abolition of the achievements and the worst result in the assessment. What we need are political achievements that can truly improve Spain’s people’s livelihood and economic and industrial development, not achievements that officials fake for their own interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, in official assessment, requirements for political thought can also be added. All Spanish officials must be officials who love this country; I do not want those guys who have no feelings for the country to take high positions in the government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in this regard, certain assessments can be set up to ensure that our officials have excellent ability and loyal thoughts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This point is something Prime Minister Primo had already thought of. Although personal ability is relatively important in the new performance appraisal system, this does not mean that the assessment of an official’s personal character and thought should be abandoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how capable an official is, if their thoughts are problematic, they will cause harm to the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wrong thoughts will lead to corruption and graft at best, and betrayal of the country and the government at worst; whichever choice it is, it will cause huge harm to Spain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prime Minister Primo does not want the officials he screened out through the performance appraisal system to step into the whirlpool of corruption again, or even worse than corruption, directly betraying the country and the government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five-thousand-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3155,"2026-06-25T09:27:12.995Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","3c45ab2f7a7df0bc56dd07ef2d83ce63eca6a585b92fd61a24aa141d3f1eab8b","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-137","rise-of-the-empire-spain-chapter-135",493,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frise-of-the-empire-spain-cover.jpg"]