Chapter 507: Opportunities for Advancement

Baifeng nodded and said: "That's right. Since some people are enterprising and want a better life, we should give them the opportunity. A beautiful life is something one strives for; there is no logic in doing nothing and only enjoying blessings."

"Just like our Huaxia City and Lema City, they were all built by our people, brick by brick and tile by tile. Now our Huaxia has people when we need people, and grain when we need grain; we lack nothing. The conditions are so much better than before. It is merely building a small town from scratch in a remote territory of Huaxia, what is so difficult about that?"

Everyone turned their heads and looked at each other; it seemed to be the right logic, but this time, it really couldn't be that simple, could it?

The people from the Ministry of Revenue raised the most critical question: "King, what about the management of that small town? We cannot let tenant farmers and Slaves who understand nothing go over to manage it, can we? I fear they would not be able to support a town of several thousand people."

Baifeng then stated the policy regarding the officials: "Certainly, we will not just let them go alone. Officials and professional technical personnel, that is to say, Artisans and Soldiers, must be sent over. As for who to send, and which people to send..."

Baifeng paused, then looked around at the crowd of officials below. Although most of them had expressions of determination, there were still a few who were somewhat guilty and flustered, unable to help but lower their heads. These people were noted by Baifeng in his heart. To put it nicely, they could only maintain the status quo and lacked a spirit of struggle; to put it bluntly, these people only knew how to eat what was already prepared but could not endure hardship. Baifeng would naturally not let such people go to higher positions.

Seeing that most people had no problems, Baifeng stopped speaking in riddles and said straightforwardly: "We certainly still need some experienced, mature people to go over and guide them, leading this town onto the right track. Of course, after everything is running smoothly, if you are unwilling to stay, you can apply to return. As for that place, I want it to become a place to train newly appointed officials, and also to test their abilities. If you want to master a large city, you must first govern a small town well. If you don't even have the ability to govern a small town, how could I confidently hand over a large city for you to manage?"

Baifeng took a tactical sip of water and simultaneously continued to observe the changes in everyone's expressions. He put the lid of the teacup back on, and the maid he had trained immediately stepped up to refill the water for Baifeng. At the very least, it was much more pleasant to look at than a big man wearing Iron Armor doing these things, and Baifeng had no intention of creating something like eunuchs, which violated human social morality.

"In the future, such towns will only be built more and more. This small town is just the beginning, not the end. I believe everyone has clearly realized that whenever we want to leave the city to go to more distant places to handle matters, we feel uneasy. Whether it is a lack of grain or a lack of protection, we just feel that danger is everywhere. However, wanting to build more cities is not something that can be done casually; it can be said to be too difficult."

"But a town is different. It is much larger than a Village, and it can also have its own city walls, balancing safety. The area is not that large, and it does not require that many people. Creating a town cannot be considered too great a difficulty. Moreover, once a town is built, it can become a supply point for everyone when traveling far, which can increase your supplies and also allow you to sleep soundly."

"For the whole of Huaxia, our territory will have more arable land, and the sources of grain will be more abundant. We will not need to use such a tiny bit of land to support so many people. Vacant territory can be developed. If an enemy comes, we can issue a warning at the first moment, and government decrees and military power can be transmitted to any place in the Huaxia territory. Is this not a tremendous good?"

No one refuted, and no one dared to refute. They were all thinking about what Baifeng had said. It was indeed all benefits and no harm. It was just that some people might suffer for a few years, but this could also be considered good news, as it allowed everyone more and greater room for progress and opportunities to perform meritorious service.

Finally, Baifeng directly issued an order and asked: "This time, I will not forcibly require anyone to go. Whoever wants to strive for a career and make a greater contribution to Huaxia, let them submit a memorial to me themselves. Although the town is small, all departments must be present. The allocation of personnel will be reduced, but because it is remote, the treatment will be appropriately increased."

"By the way, let me tell you one more thing, and that is that I plan to recall a portion of the people from the various departments of Lema City. Because at the beginning, they were just a makeshift Squad, and their overall level can only be said to be barely acceptable. Now that Lema City wants to develop faster and better, their level is no longer sufficient. At the same time, I will add the position of City Mayor, the kind that truly gives orders and has actual power, not the one with a nominal title like now. The City Mayor can have absolute power to manage and coordinate all departments, and he only needs to be responsible to me. In terms of rank, it is one level higher than the Ministers of the various departments."

"I originally wanted to select from the young people of today, but now it seems that since there is an opportunity for verification and training, everyone should be more proactive. As long as you can develop the small town into the shape I want within the specified time, then the position of City Mayor of Lema City will be yours. In the future, all those who want to serve as the main person in charge of departments or as City Mayor in all cities built must first go to the various towns to train and then produce results for me. Do you understand?"

After hearing this, everyone's faces changed instantly. It was not panic, but excitement. Everyone had thought that they no longer had the opportunity or space to continue developing upward, because the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the several major departments were all old-timers who had followed Baifeng from the beginning. Not to mention their ability, just their contributions and the degree of Baifeng's trust meant that unless these people were too old to work, they would absolutely not be removed. As for departments like the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Agriculture, the professional requirements were too high; no one felt they had the ability to stare at beans and find differences like that, so naturally, they would not think about it.

But now, a City Mayor position was suddenly offered to them, which was even higher than the Ministers of the various departments in Huaxia City. Who wouldn't be tempted? Previously, no one cared about Lema City because the Ministers of Lema City were not even as good as the Vice Ministers of Huaxia; that was a management relationship of superior and subordinate. But looking at it now, it seemed that the Ministers of the two cities would become equal in rank, under the management of the City Mayor, and not under the management of the Ministers of Huaxia City. Just like Baifeng, Baifeng is not only the King of Huaxia but also the City Mayor of Huaxia City.