Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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"Bang!" Representative Switz slammed his hand on the table. "Not a single inch of land will be given up." With that, he left.

Screw negotiations, let's not talk anymore. At worst, we'll go into the mountains and wage guerrilla warfare. This time, during the invasion of the Kingdom of Fas, we were annoyed by the shepherds' makeshift mountain guns, and then we were even more annoyed by the sniper tactics of the Kingdom of Fas's assault team. But in the same way, we also learned the guerrilla tactics of mountain guns and snipers.

The Switzers left because they were mountain people, able to walk, and capable of being shameless.

The Dutch could not leave, because they were merchants who traded by sea.

Ronan wasn't too bothered by Switz's departure; let him go if he wanted, and the Kingdom of Fass wouldn't pursue the matter, since Switz was still a poor place these days, and fighting him wouldn't make money.

Under the watchful eyes of representatives from various countries, the Dutch finally compromised and agreed to hand over the reserved timber as compensation.

Having reached a preliminary agreement, the subsequent matters were no longer Ronan's concern.

This is similar to business negotiations in large companies, where several general managers meet to determine a general outline, while the specific terms and implementation methods are negotiated by the professionals below.

After Ronan left.

The representatives were escorted away from the palace. The Imperial representative left alone, while the representatives of the Northern Alliance and Venaya were left together, along with the two enemies, Weyland and Villa.

“If you had sent troops, things wouldn’t have turned out this way,” the representative from Villa said to the representative from Wieland.

“I would like to say the same thing to you,” the representative from Wieland responded. “This time, we lost to ourselves.”

"Do you think there will be a next time?" the representative from Villa asked.

His so-called next time is yet another anti-French alliance.

Representative Weyland suddenly turned to look in the direction of the old oak tree. “There will definitely be one, but I’m afraid there will be turmoil before the next one. This is no secret to many people, is it? You, Villa, support the old religious princes of the empire and want to restore imperial power, while we, including the Kingdom of Fas, hope that the empire will continue to be divided, preferably completely disintegrated.”

"Perhaps, that old oak tree will witness another magnificent and bloody chapter in history."

The representative from Villa did not refute the representative from Weyland's words, "You Weylanders just can't stand to see peace on the western continent."

“Otherwise?” Representative Weyland retorted. “I agree with Mr. Ronan’s geopolitical point in ‘A Short History of Democracy’. So, this is not our decision, but the decision of the island that gave us birth.”

“You Protestants always have an endless supply of fallacies,” the representative, Villa, said with some disdain.

The Weylander blew on a non-existent fringe. “This is rational, not fallacious. Although as a Weylander I wish Ronan were dead, I must say that our intellectuals admire him greatly, including myself. Many of us consider him a mentor.”

“You old believers will be eliminated along with the old era.”

Chapter 447 Return, Meeting, Summary

In mid-December, Dinia, Golan, and Camille returned to the capital.

After resting for two days, Dinia returned to her post, and the first thing she did was hold a meeting to recount the results of her investigation and observation of various regions around the kingdom.

The chief secretary of Dinia, Ronan, along with the directors of the Security Bureau, the Inspectorate, the Security Bureau, the Post Office, the Royal Palace Command, and other department heads, were all present. This was the first such meeting held since the establishment of the Ministry of the Interior.

As the head of the Ministry of the Interior, Dinia would naturally not personally give the report on stage; the report-like presentations would be given alternately by Camille and Golan.

Camille was responsible for explaining the general economic and political situation of each region, while Golan explained the operation of the regional security bureaus and their branches.

There's not much to say politically; in short, stability is key.

The legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the state remain in the hands of the central government, and most of the central government's power is concentrated in the hands of the king.

The flavor of authoritarianism is getting stronger and stronger.

Locally, things are becoming increasingly democratic, with the government, parliament, labor unions, and farmers' associations in a triangular relationship, engaging in mutual competition and oversight.

As for the leadership of the labor government, parliament, trade unions, and farmers' associations, they are still the same as before. It's hard to find many who are not corrupt. It's just that compared to the past, they are not as direct or brutal, and the amounts involved have decreased.

This certainly doesn't mean that these people's moral standards have improved. On the contrary, in this chaotic era of declining old religion, emerging capitalism, and the rise of rationality, the overall moral standards are actually declining, and the ruling class is accelerating the decline.

The improvement in local corruption is due to two main reasons. First, many local officials have had their central government protectors removed in the past few years, and without central-level protection, they dare not act so recklessly anymore. Second, due to the special triangular relationship between the government, parliament, and labor unions and farmers' associations, they can hardly form a close alliance. With the Ministry of the Interior's eyes and ears around, each party has to adopt more complex and covert methods to engage in corruption.

Economically, the western coastal areas are developing at a rapid pace.

In Dinia's words, staying in those places meant hearing new stories of wealth almost every other day, but at the same time, almost every day someone committed suicide because of bankruptcy.

The economy in the central, eastern, and southwestern regions is relatively good, but this is from the perspective of the country and capitalists. For the farmers in these agricultural areas, nothing has changed. They are still poor and still at risk of starving because the fruits of agriculture have been plundered by capitalists and the state.

There's no other way; without exploiting farmers, there would be no cheap raw materials, nor cheap bread to provide for workers.

Economic growth along the southern coast has almost stagnated. With the opening of new shipping routes, Vena's position in trade has declined, and the scale of trade along the northern Mediterranean coast has almost stabilized, with no sign of growth and unlikely to decrease much further.

Faced with the overwhelming trend, no amount of reform could be effective, and the people of the south were forced into a life of relentless, competitive struggle.

We can only wait until the kingdom becomes the overlord of the western continent and then develops "Africa". Only then can the south regain its vitality.

Meanwhile, the north, which had been declining for many years, has been revitalized thanks to the steel industry.

Before long, this place will become the largest steel, textile, and ceramic manufacturing center in the Western Continent.

Here, there are state-owned enterprises, represented by state-owned steel plants, covering various industries. A large number of people have entered state-owned enterprises and live a secure life. Compared with the western coastal areas with huge wealth gaps, the central and eastern regions where a bumper harvest does not necessarily mean enough to eat, and the highly competitive southern coastal areas, in a sense, ordinary people here are the happiest. At least they have work to do, and with work, they can at least make a living.

After Camille finished speaking, it was Golan's turn.

Overall, the Ministry of the Interior's local branches are operating relatively smoothly.

The local Bureau of Industry and Commerce Security is actually more like a part of the government, except that it is directly managed by the Ministry of the Interior and mainly manages and supervises all aspects of the market.

The Security Bureau is an intelligence agency, but it only has branch offices in the states. Very few people in the branch offices are field agents; the vast majority are clerks responsible for collecting, analyzing, and transmitting intelligence. The branch offices contact the local area through the postal system. In the local area, there are only part-time intelligence agents, including hotel owners, company employees, school teachers, and even low-level civil servants.

The supervisory bureau is basically a formality because it has too few people and is unable to effectively supervise officials.

As for recruiting more people, firstly, it is really difficult to cultivate people who are loyal and reliable enough. If they are not loyal and reliable enough, they will have a negative effect on supervision.

Secondly, I really don't have any money.

Ronan and Dinia have now reversed roles. Back in New Sea City, when Ronan was the secretary-general and Dinia was the mayor, Ronan wanted to increase the number of civil servants to expand his power, while Dinia wanted to reduce staff and save on public funds. Now, Dinia wants to spend more money training a new generation of young civil servants to deal with the problem of local officials abusing their power and oppressing the people, while Ronan only wants to spend money on military equipment and doesn't care whether local officials are abusing the people; as long as tax revenue is guaranteed and political tasks are completed, that's all that matters.

There's not much to say about postal and transportation services.

As for the Royal Palace Command, this organization has no local branches.

Golan finished her report, left the podium, and returned to her seat.

Dinia stepped onto the stage. "Finally, I'd like to mention something additional, but very important, and I hope you will all take it seriously, regarding the Magic Academy..."

He started with a long sentence; under Ronan's influence, Dinya's speech was becoming increasingly bureaucratic.

It wasn't a big deal, really. Dinia, following Ronan's advice, went to the magic academy and expressed great appreciation for the work of a certain headmaster, who was someone who opposed the Ministry of Magic's reforms to magic education.

Everyone present was a bureaucrat, and they all understood that Dinia's actions were actually an act of opposing the Ministry of Magic on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior.

That's how bureaucratic systems work in societies ruled by men: if you reject a person, you also reject their policies, and vice versa; if you affirm a person, you are making a statement.

The crowd applauded enthusiastically, expressing that the Minister was absolutely right and had completely stood on the side of fairness and justice.

Dinya didn't react much.

She certainly opposed the Ministry of Magic's proposals, but she was also very dissatisfied with the current model of wizard education.

Aside from a very small number of outstanding graduates—like Golan, who was already a top student with exceptionally strong connections and destined for greatness—the majority are merely novice magicians from humble backgrounds. These graduates face three things: student loans that resemble high-interest loans, unpaid internships, and mandatory job counseling.

Novice magicians can be considered the backbone of a nation. Many positions such as grassroots officials, police officers, junior military officers, ordinary teachers, small business owners, small landowners, senior factory workers, and middle managers in small businesses are filled with novice magicians.

However, they are also the targets of rampant exploitation.

But for now, this matter has to be put aside.

Chapter 448 Two Years Later, Growth, Prime Minister's Re-election is About to Begin

Two years passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now 1593.

That year, Ronan was thirty-seven, Dinia was thirty-eight, and Ambrina was twenty-nine.

Elena is thirty-one, Alice is thirty, and Agustina is thirty-seven.

Isabel is twenty-seven, Golan is twenty-eight, and Ashley is twenty-nine.

Prince Lucien Jr. and Princess Ina were five years old that year, while Astrid, the little oddball, was four years old, just like Ronan and Agustina's son Carlos.

That year, Ronan and Ambrina had another child, a boy, whom they named Louis.

Ronan was still the same as before, with the face of a handsome young man in his mid-twenties, a well-defined physique, clear muscles, and boundless energy. His magical strength remained at the fifth rank, and his position was Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior.

Dinia hadn't changed much; it was still the same face, the same body that always captivated people—a sixth-tier official, Minister of the Interior.

Ambrina, who has given birth to another child, has not lost her figure, and her eyebrows and eyes look a little more mature.

She remains as lazy as ever when it comes to government affairs, but no one dares to underestimate her.

Prime Minister Alexander privately told Ronan that Her Majesty the Queen was even more adept at wielding power than the late King.

The late king favored "fishing-style intrigues," while Her Majesty the Queen prefers "open and open schemes like besieging a point to attack reinforcements." She would suddenly and unreasonably seize on someone from time to time, drawing opposition from the crowd. Then she would pick out a few of the opponents and get rid of them, while the person who initially became the focus of attention would be lifted up high and then gently put down.

Elena has changed slightly, looking a little more mature, but she still looks to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. Her magic is still at the fourth level, but she is using her innate abilities better and better, and she still works at the Bureau of Industry and Commerce Security.

Alice appears more mature than Elena, mainly because her expressionless face carries a hint of disdain, and she wears non-prescription glasses to project an air of authority. Currently at the third tier of power, her summoned guns can move freely within a certain range, and she can control the bullets at will, summoning up to five guns. Her magic's main weakness is its insufficient power, making it only effective against weaker opponents.

In addition, Alice was promoted; she is now the head of the Operations Division of the Inspectorate, officially.

Agustina was still the oldest-looking of Ronan's women, appearing to be around thirty years old. Of course, this thirty-year-old was Ronan's perception of her; for ordinary women from the Western Continent, thirty years old was no longer considered attractive.

Fourth-tier elemental mage, Director of the Security Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior.

Isabel hasn't changed much. She's now the second-in-command of the Security Bureau, and her strength has reached the third tier. After all, her ability to summon other dimensions is a fairly common method in the Freigo family. Because it's common, there are more records within the royal family to refer to. With these references, steady improvement shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Grandan's appearance hasn't changed much. He's still enthusiastic about role-playing when doing those kinds of things. He's now a third-tier elemental mage and is currently in charge of the Red Mill Education Center, a place that officials dread.

Ashley remained the head of the intelligence agency, responsible for both dry and wet tasks, occasionally showcasing some special skills when reporting to Ronan alone.

Everything seemed the same as before, but everyone knew that a change in distance was imminent.

Because this year is the last year of Prime Minister Alexander's term, and elections are about to begin.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the new prime minister will be chosen from among three candidates: Interior Minister Dinha Eguis, Commerce Minister Pierre Nantes, who has had the most successful track record in recent years, and Agriculture Minister William Cassel, who has the longest tenure in the central government and has served three terms.

The prime minister is elected by the electoral committee, which is chaired by the king. Other members include nobles, ministers from various departments, as well as church representatives and civilian representatives. The so-called civilian representatives are actually the top magicians.

Currently, Dinia has no advantage. It's true that the king supports her, but she is a young woman, and the nobles, ministers, church and civilian representatives do not have a good impression of her. Most people are unlikely to vote for her.

Pierre Nantes, who is in charge of commerce, has maintained close relationships with many nobles and church figures over the years, which may garner him a lot of votes.

As for Minister of Agriculture William, the old man has been in the central government for decades and has a very deep network of connections. In addition, Digna is radical and is not liked by his colleagues. Pierre Nantes is more like a businessman than an official and is also not liked by his colleagues. Therefore, the ministers' votes will basically go to this Minister of Agriculture.

Nighttime, in Dinia's home, in bed.

With her back to Ronan, Dinya's large, round buttocks, encased in thick, silky black stockings, faced him. She spread her legs, leaned forward, braced herself on the bed, and raised her buttocks high before slamming down, inserting Ronan's entire penis. The force of the impact made the bed tremble, and the resulting shockwave caused her large, white breasts to sway slightly. She then raised her buttocks high again, leaving only the head of Ronan's penis at the entrance, before slamming down once more.

Ronan was half-lying, half-sitting, leaning against the headboard pillow, his eyes fixed and unmoving. The center of his vision was mostly occupied by his large, curvy buttocks in black stockings, like two water balloons squeezed into shape and then stuffed into the black stockings. The black stockings were stretched almost transparent by the flesh of his buttocks, and the black of the stockings at the base of his thighs was slightly darker, reaching the darkest point behind his knees.

The changing colors of the stockings are like a continuously injected aphrodisiac.

On either side of the field of vision were legs in black stockings, kneeling apart, their calf muscles taut, the black stockings on their calves stretched to the point of being half-transparent, while the slender ankles were the same black as the stockings, gleaming with a soft sheen.

Dinia kicked the sheets hard, creating ripples and wrinkles on both sides. Her stockings were almost completely transparent, directly facing Ronan's line of sight.

Ronan remained still, using one hand to grab, knead, and pat the black stockings, while the other hand would gently tug at the white hair on Dinya's genitals that matched the color of her hair, stimulating her vaginal walls to contract. He would also gently poke her anus, causing her cute little opening to shrink.

Dinia's movements became increasingly intense, her loose white hair dancing wildly in the air as she tossed her head, and her pair of plump, white breasts swaying violently up and down.

Whenever she felt anxious, she would indulge herself and vent her emotions in Ronan.

Ronan knew very well that although Dinya had become much more worldly and sophisticated over the years, this was a form of self-suppression in order to achieve her goals. The real Dinya was still that idealistic woman with violent revolutionary tendencies.

Deep down, she still wanted to wipe out this world full of injustice and unfairness, and then build a new world.

Ronan couldn't help but marvel at how interesting he and Dinia were—a combination of a reactionary bureaucrat and a revolutionary, yet this very pair was reviving a declining nation and making it thrive.

"And the next step is to win the biggest and most interesting game in the country and take the position of prime minister."

Ronan felt his blood boiling.

Chapter 449 Explicit Rules, Implicit Rules, Just Wait and See

In October, there was still a month before the first round of voting began.

The prime ministerial election consists of two rounds of voting.

On election day, election committee members took turns entering a small, dark room equipped with a magic detection device to conduct secret ballots, and abstentions were not allowed.

After the voting ended, the chairman of the election committee, who is also the king, counted the votes on the spot.

If more than one-third of the election committee members believe the results are incorrect, then a public show of hands vote will be held on the spot.

Regardless of the number of votes received in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes among the three will be eliminated, and then the second round will begin.

The second round of voting follows the same procedure, but abstentions are allowed.

The person with the most votes is elected prime minister and can also promote a secretary from the prime minister's office, usually the chief secretary of their own department.

As for replacing a few ministers with one of his own, that's an unspoken rule, not a right written into the rules and regulations.

If there is a tie, the King will decide directly between the two candidates who will be the Prime Minister.