Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 386

To put it simply, the ironworks owed wages, and the workers were protesting and causing trouble.

Would they have dared to cause trouble in the past?

But things are different now. Many officials in Foshan know that they might be dragged into a rebellion one day. When they were officials, the people's hearts were nothing. Meeting the court's targets and pleasing their superiors were the things they needed to consider. But if they were to rebel, things would be reversed. Although the people's hearts were still not that important, they couldn't be ignored.

It's ironic, but that's reality.

Therefore, no ruthless suppression was adopted.

Moreover, the workers' protests were not very intense, because the ironworks only didn't pay them, but they were still provided with food, so they could eat their fill, while their families went hungry.

As for why the wages were owed, we have to go back to the beginning. Although these ironworks in Foshan were not government-run, a considerable portion of their production capacity had to be supplied to the imperial court in a guaranteed quality and quantity. The imperial court would also pay them, but not at market price. It was precisely because of this that there was such an office as the Ironworks. Otherwise, what would be the point of having such an office?

Private ironworks in Foshan had to meet these quotas proportionally, otherwise they would be operating illegally. In the past, there were many small factories in the surrounding area, almost one per village, and the government turned a blind eye. But after Luo Nan arrived, a series of measures were taken to destroy the illegal small factories. The surrounding areas were left with only the legal large factories concentrated in Foshan, which were simply supplying raw materials.

In the second half of last year, the imperial court increased the quota and placed an additional large order. Although the price was still lower than the market price, there was still a profit to be made, so all the ironworks worked overtime.

The imperial court took the goods away and hasn't paid a single penny yet.

The ironworks itself is short of funds. The fact that they can even feed the workers is a result of these Foshan officials suddenly having a "purge of conscience" and forcibly forcing them to eat. Otherwise, food? Dream on.

"Overtime pay will not be paid, but salaries will be paid. However, not everyone can come. We will draw lots, and those who are selected will receive a portion of the salary, not the whole amount."

Chapter 895 Paper Money, Book Club, and Talented People in the Temple

The workers also did not want the ironworks to close down.

Many years have passed since Foshan's iron and steel industry flourished in this dynasty. Many of the workers' grandfathers and great-grandfathers have worked in the factories where they worked. They have practically made the factories their homes. Even though many of the factory owners are not from the same family, the owners have never treated them as family.

“When drawing lots, it must be ‘fair.’ There should be people who have worked here for generations, and there should also be new workers. Then, according to the plan, some old workers should be secretly given money, more than the amount, to appease the old worker group. As for the new workers, have someone spread some rumors that some of them have taken money and are speaking on behalf of the factory.”

Ronan gave the order.

The older workers knew each other very well, many were even related by marriage, and there were many seasoned veterans among them, so the main approach was to appease them.

They fall for this appeasement tactic, after all, they have families to support.

The new workers were recruited after Chen Zuolin formed a monopolistic alliance, which Luo Nan further expanded, and after the entire iron and steel industry in Foshan was expanded. They came from different regions and were not familiar with each other, so it was easy to incite the masses to fight against each other.

Many of them are single; they need to be made to fight each other to avoid causing trouble.

“Since Elena’s infrastructure project can’t get a bank established, let’s use the ironworks to set up a bank. We’ll take out the ton of gold we took from India, gather a group of sea merchants, and jointly establish a bank. The ironworks will pledge a portion of its shares, and the bank will lend them money for working capital.”

The maritime merchants are the group with the most money here. If they don't contribute money, who will?

"This isn't entirely a bad thing. From now on, the ironworks will no longer accept the so-called fair price purchases from the imperial court. If they want to buy, they must first settle the outstanding debts, and the purchases must be made at market prices."

Going forward, with major construction projects planned for the area, the ironworks' production capacity will naturally be geared towards local needs.

"After the bank is established, it will need to issue paper money to pay the sailors. The sailors will definitely not trust paper money, but they will spend it. As long as they can spend the money, credit will be established."

The Navy might already be preparing to cut salaries, and paper money would be a good way to fill the gap.

"We've spread the word about our tobacco and liquor factories that prices will be raised soon, and the marines will definitely come to buy."

Tobacco and alcohol are "necessities" at sea, and if prices rise, people will want to buy more at once.

"Once the credit is established, you all know what to do. But I want to remind you of one thing: focus on training the Seres people. Let me emphasize again, we are not here in Seres to make money."

A group of Ju'an people had already come for the sake of the bank. Ju'an people are the Jews of this world. Of course, there are other groups besides Ju'an people, such as the Dutch.

Upon hearing this, Elena and Agustina both nodded.

Actually, the two of them weren't without ideas; in fact, they had thought of everything Ronan mentioned.

But we still need to consult Ronan, and later we'll discuss it with Dinia before a final decision is made.

“In that case, the bank can be established. Is it no longer necessary to persuade the head of the Agricultural Administration?” Elena asked.

If this person weren't so capable, Elena wouldn't have said that; instead, she would have asked if they should eliminate the other person.

Ronan glanced at Elena; she still hadn't fully switched her mindset and was still obsessed with the idea of ​​going with the flow and dying with the consequences.

"The reason we persuaded him is for the sake of unity, to show other officials that we are willing to respect their attitudes. If it's just to carry out this matter, do you think he can really stop us? Do you understand?" Ronan revealed the truth.

Elena nodded to indicate that she understood, but then raised a concern, "However, those sea merchants probably won't give up their money easily."

“That goes without saying. We’ll confiscate the property of a few big landowners first, on charges of treason and collusion with the enemy,” Ronan said.

The maritime merchants were either closely connected with a few large landowners, or they were large landowners themselves.

In the past, Ronan couldn't easily deal with them, but now that he's become friends with several high-ranking officials in the province, can't he just fabricate a charge against them? When war comes, that's when their families will be wiped out.

He wanted both silver and land.

“It’s not just the ironworks anymore; the business is getting bigger and bigger, and we’re not enough manpower,” Agustina said.

“Give me the people from the Reading Club. Use them as the core, and recruit more readers from Seris. Also, get Yingqi back here. What kind of behavior is it to hang out there all day?” Ronan said.

Internship opportunities are available for members of the Reading Club.

Next comes the war, and Ronan will also launch multiple projects while the war is raging, mobilizing the resources of all sectors, industries, and social strata across the province.

Soon, some of them will stand out, while others will be eliminated.

As for Zhao Yingqi, he wouldn't allow any of his women to be idle. Although Zhao Yingqi wasn't very good at managing affairs, she was good at managing people.

"Give me Lily, I don't have anyone here who can fight."

Elena said.

Asgudina also has some people under her command from the Ship Kingdom. Among the people from the Ship Kingdom who came with her, there are several hundred people with low-level upright strength. Although some of them are with the technical team, she also has some on her side, which is more than enough.

Ronan looked at Elena and sighed, "You're her own mother."

"Don't you, as her father, know how unfilial she is?" Elena retorted. Astrid had never gotten along with her mother since childhood, and only Ronan could barely listen to this unfilial daughter.

“Tell her it was my idea, okay?” Ronan reluctantly agreed, then asked, “But what do you want with her?”

“Let her come with me to the Buddhist temple to recruit some talent,” Elena replied.

In the Buddhist temples of Seris, besides monks, there are also non-mainstream people.

As the largest country in terms of territory and population, Seris has hundreds of thousands of extraordinary individuals. However, not all of these individuals are suitable for or willing to learn Seris's cultivation methods. Since Buddhist temples offer various cultivation methods, these individuals gather in the scripture halls within the temples.

This scholastic school is similar to the scholastic schools of the churches in the West in the past.

Western monasteries were less about studying religious texts and more about studying philosophy, using it as a springboard to teach magic. The Seres Buddhist monasteries followed the same approach: studying Buddhism? No, studying supernatural powers.

Therefore, the various sects of localized Buddhism in Seris, while seemingly localizing Buddhism, are actually various non-mainstream extraordinary cultivation schools in Seris using this as a shell for a public listing.

Several temples in Foshan mainly practice something like elemental magic. Coincidentally, Astrid is already a master in this area, at least theoretically.

Elena wanted to use her daughter, the Turning Point Layman, to bolster her team.

"Good heavens, now we have all sorts of monsters and demons under our command."

Ronan couldn't help but sigh.

"Demons and monsters" is just a joke; to put it bluntly, it refers to all sorts of non-mainstream things.

With Elena and Agustina's issues resolved, Ronan's next stop is the technical team; they have an important task for them to complete.

Chapter 896 Collision with a Clan, Mass Production of a Wave of Troops, Ammunition Needs Time to Recharge

Inside the technology base, which had been converted from an abandoned Taoist temple, Ronan called Falek, Faith, and Canaan outside and told them about his plan.

Simply put, Ronan plans to send the technical team and Lu Jianling to Guangxi.

The goal is to unleash a wave of super soldiers.

The specific method involves using the already mature large-scale talent-granting technology, combined with the system created by Falek that integrates totem enhancement and Suleiman's combination magic.

As for the soldiers, they are the Zhuang people, but no one in this world has changed "Zhuang" to "Zhuang" yet, so everyone in Guangxi is called the Zhuang people. In fact, there are many more subdivisions, but who cares? To the Seres people, it is just a code name for a barbarian ethnic group.

The Zhuang tribe is well-suited to Falek's system because the Zhuang tribe is polytheistic, with gods such as the Thunder God, Earth God, Water God, Tree God, and Frog God.

Falek's system is based on totem enhancement, which is compatible with the polytheistic system. It was originally intended for use by Rag slaves. Even those with sensitive skin, or rather, those who are illiterate, can use it. And most of the mountain people there are illiterate.

Most of them are not illiterate; they are from northern Guangxi and eastern Guangxi, as well as other ethnic groups that have been assimilated into Han culture and live alongside the Han people.

What's truly remarkable about Falek's system isn't that it can be used even by illiterate people, but that it allows users to start with combat power at the highest rank.

Of course, the drawbacks are also obvious. It squeezes too much of the soul's potential, making it very difficult to advance further. It can only be said to be more powerful than the original totem enhancement, since the original totem enhancement has a fixed upper limit, at most three levels.

With this wave of extraordinary soldiers, Lu Jianling will definitely be able to crush the Annamese who are about to head north.

Moreover, by using these collision groups, there's no need to worry about them growing too large.

First, this technology is completely in Ronan's hands. Given their level, they wouldn't even understand it, let alone learn it by stealing.

Seris can only understand a very small number of things, and there is no one who can replicate them yet. Only when Ronan spreads this knowledge widely and it is studied repeatedly will someone be able to truly replicate this technology.

Secondly, the soldiers selected at that time will definitely be bachelors. Once bachelors become superhumans, will they think about returning to their clans to live a normal life? No, they will think about going to Han lands to live a superior life.

Even clans can't stop them, so why don't you try stopping a superhuman?

Of course, it's also worth considering recruiting some unmarried girls to form a female soldier battalion. Ordinary women are much weaker than ordinary men in combat, while there's basically no difference in combat power between extraordinary women and extraordinary men.

Third, even if they do not leave the clan and choose to return, it will cause internal strife within the clan.

The Zhuang race does have superhumans. On one hand, they possess bloodline divine descent, which is essentially summoning magic—a practice found worldwide. On the other hand, their magic is similar to that of the natives of the New World, rather bizarre but with limited potential. They are quite capable of killing ordinary people and low-level superhumans, but they are truly powerless against high-level powerhouses.

This is why the area was still under the rule of the Tusi (chieftains).

The value of this land wasn't high enough for the Seres to be so morally bankrupt as to do the things Westerners did in the New World, so that's about it.

As I said before, power is limited. If more superhumans emerge, wouldn't they want power?

If internal strife breaks out, then there's no way to grow big.

"After this battle with the Annamese, we'll probably take over Guangxi as well, right?" Faith looked at Ronan and voiced her speculation.

Ronan shook his head. "We can't say we've taken them down. We're not rebelling. The officials in Guangxi will remain the same. We're just cleaning up a few traitors in the army. We won't interfere in politics."

The regime is negotiable; those in the army who are unwilling to follow them can follow the late emperor.

“Aren’t we in a hurry to leave?” Canaan asked. As soon as she said this, Falek and Fies both looked at her at the same time. Canaan felt uncomfortable being stared at. “Why are you looking at me? I was just asking.”

"Hehe." Falek smiled meaningfully.

Ronan understood, and gave an embarrassed chuckle. "I need to rest for a day or two."

"Hahaha." Falek burst into laughter.

Canaan couldn't hold back his laughter and quickly covered his mouth with both hands.

Faith simply turned her head away; she didn't want anyone to see her awkward smile.

Ronan remained unfazed by the three men's laughter, instead responding with a playful tone, "If you want to do it today, it's not impossible."

Falek crossed her arms, her large, ample breasts protruding from her loose robe, creating a full silhouette. "I still prefer large, satisfying meals to small desserts that just fill my stomach."

She was completely infatuated with the feeling of Ronan violently thrusting into her, making her groin and breasts sway in waves, and finally filling her completely with his fluids.

“I’m the same as Fa,” Canaan followed up.

Anyway, whatever Falek wants, she wants too.

Faith didn't express her opinion. Her unique physiological structure and long-term experience as a clergyman made her quite special in matters of sex: she didn't usually desire it, but she thoroughly enjoyed it when she did. In fact, it wasn't just sex; it was the same with other things. When she wasn't doing anything, she always had a detached, detached feeling, but when she had something to do, she would become extremely engaged, to the point that it seemed like she only had eyes for the task at hand.

It's as if she's two different people, but when you think about it, she really is two different people.

"By the way, are the guns, armor, and flying vehicles all ready?" Ronan asked again, getting down to business.

This is extremely important because Annam has imported a batch of French equipment, intending to give Seris a surprise. If Lu Jianling's army doesn't have it, they'll be in big trouble.

The magic gun is less effective against mortals than a firearm, but it can temporarily disrupt the power of low-level superhumans, causing their bodies to stiffen and making it difficult for them to maintain their defensive membranes.

"The guns and armor are fine, but the flying vehicles are really lacking," Canaan replied.

Guns and armor, non-core components, are ordinary products, just common machinery, and most countries cannot manufacture them.

The core components are manufactured using machinery, which is entirely under their control. Even if someone were to take it apart and examine it, they would be completely baffled, as if they were looking at a divine creation. There is absolutely no need to worry about leaks.

As for assembling non-core components and core parts, that requires people with extraordinary powers to complete, there's not much to say about that.

Compared to guns and armor, the technology of flying machines is far more advanced. Only a team of highly skilled magical mechanical engineers, each responsible for a part, can produce them efficiently. Unfortunately, the team recruited in Seris cannot do that.

In Canaan's view, the Seres were really bad at mathematics; if they were bad at mathematics, they couldn't talk about anything else.

She had even read many ancient mathematical works by the Seres, which were quite interesting and sophisticated, but the textual descriptions were so complex that even some of the more basic concepts were written in a way that most people couldn't understand.

Ronan nodded to indicate that he understood. "It's not a big problem if we don't have aircraft. Anyway, the battlefield environment in Guangxi is mainly mountainous and riverine."

Chapter 897 Gambling is rampant, you're still lacking something, the three great naval leaders

Baochanju, Guangzhou City, is a casino.