Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 398

Ronan had already told them that if they wanted the navy to get involved, they had to offer them substantial benefits.

This position should have gone to Pei Jinghai without any surprises.

Xu Tianci lightly slammed his fist on the table, looking at the river outside. "Historically, it has always been the imperial court that commands the guns. How can the guns command the imperial court?"

Wang Si was rubbing his chin. "Brother Ji Yu, do you have a solution?" Ji Yu was Xu Tianci's courtesy name.

“Originally, there was no way, but Mr. Luo said he wanted an internal election, and everyone agreed. So it's all about the majority rule. As long as we have enough people, we can certainly elect him. Brother Qingyuan, don't you think so?” Xu Tianci spoke eloquently.

Wang Sizheng looked at Lü Delin and asked, "Old Lü, what do you think?"

Xu Tianci is no good. His system is like an internal kingdom, with a narrow network of connections, making it difficult to garner votes. Wang Sizheng has his own connections, but his personal image is poor, and he is seen by many as a cruel official.

Lü Delin is a good example. He's a lazy bum, so he has a good image. As the second-in-command, his connections are undeniable, and his background means that people who aspire to more open policies will support him.

“I can’t,” Lü Delin shook his head and refused.

Although he was persuaded by Ronan to join the group, he only wanted to secure a position on the committee so that he could have a say in the future. He did not want to climb to a high position, nor did he want to compete with others for it. No matter how many times he thought about it, he could not understand how he became the governor. Were the higher-ups all blind?

Lu Delin's reaction was within Xu Tianci's expectations, and he didn't intend to persuade him. "How about the King of the South Sea?"

“This…” Wang Sizheng hesitated for a moment, “It’s possible now, but what about later? He can be our puppet now, but someone will definitely join in the future. Although he will still be a puppet, he will most likely no longer be our puppet.”

The King of the South Sea does not possess the formidable strength of the founding emperors of past dynasties. No matter how the committee changes, he is merely a puppet. But if a powerful figure joins in the future, this puppet will no longer be a puppet in their hands, so what is the point?

"That's true," Xu Tianci had no choice but to agree.

At this moment, Wang Sizheng spoke up, "Actually, our goal is not to have anyone elected, but rather not to have Pei Jinghai elected."

"Is there a difference? Their navy has six people," Xu Delin interjected.

He didn't mention the twelve people each of the six recommended, because in his view, those twelve who weren't directly invited were naturally inferior.

At this moment, Xu Tianci understood what Wang Sizheng meant. "Old Lu, do you think Pei Jinghai is the superior of those other five people?"

Lu Delin was taken aback. How could this not be counted? Pei Jinghai was a commander, and the others were all of lower rank.

However, upon closer inspection, it really doesn't count.

The Guangdong Navy was too large, but it had to be so large, otherwise it would not be able to deter the entire Southeast Asia. However, it was too far from the central government, so it naturally lacked control. It was not allowed for such a force to be controlled by one person, so someone was arranged to check and balance the Admiral, even though the Admiral was the absolute superior in military rank.

But that's not actually the case.

However, if Pei Jinghai becomes the chairman, he will be able to mobilize resources outside the navy through the committee, and the others will no longer have the power to check him. Naturally, Pei Jinghai will become their true superior.

This is not something that the other powerful figures in the navy want to see.

"Gentlemen, with a formidable enemy at hand, we mustn't incite internal strife," said Lü Delin. He might be a lazy bum, but he'd already boarded this pirate ship; he couldn't let it capsize, or else he'd have boarded it for nothing.

“He can still be the head of the navy, or the army, but he cannot be the chairman,” Xu Tianci said. “The country cannot allow a military man to come to power.”

Lu Delin's eyelid twitched. "Uh, Lao Xu, which of the founding emperors of past dynasties wasn't a soldier?"

Xu Tianci started slamming his fist on the table again. "That was before. Now we are carrying out a revolution. Do you know what a revolution is? It's about breaking down the old consensus and building a new one."

Wang Sizheng shrugged and said, "Then you suggest what to do."

"Let's go ask the other guys in the navy who they want to vote for first. The point is to find a way to get Pei Jinghai's votes," Xu Tianci said firmly.

"Come on, let's stop talking now and have some fish porridge," Xu Delin said.

The pot is heated up and contains thick white porridge. Then there are three plates of river fish fillets drizzled with soy sauce and peanut oil. Pour them into the porridge, sprinkle with chopped green onions and shredded ginger. The fish fillets curl up and are ready to eat, fresh, sweet, and smooth. Paired with flavorful braised goose liver and crispy beef meatballs, this meal is simply divine.

Meanwhile, Pei Jinghai and his six companions were also having a meeting.

However, the atmosphere was much colder. No matter what Pei Jinghai said, the response was almost always "yes, yes, yes, okay, okay."

Upon hearing this, Pei Jinghai knew that among his subordinates in the navy, some were plotting trouble, and there was more than one.

Sure enough, we can't rely on this group of people; we have to find outside help, otherwise we might not be selected.

Meanwhile, various parties are also making connections.

The reason they all approved the proposal for internal elections is because it is feasible and almost feasible; otherwise, what would be the difference between them and the original government?

Of course, those who are chosen must already be in high positions; otherwise, they would not be able to gain the respect of the people.

Ultimately, there are only three candidates.

Before the governor arrived, the temporary leaders were Lü Delin, the head of the provincial government; Pei Jinghai, the naval commander of Guangzhou's largest military force; and finally, Zhao Junyong, the Prince of Nanhai, who had nothing but an identity.

Meanwhile, Zhao Junyong was also busy traveling.

Even if Lü Delin isn't elected, he'll still be the Provincial Treasurer; even if Pei Jinghai isn't elected, he'll still be the Admiral of the Navy. At least for a considerable period of time, no one will dare or be able to marginalize either of them. If Zhao Junyong isn't elected, he'll soon be marginalized, or even kicked out.

What's the use of having the surname Zhao? There are people with the surname Zhao everywhere.

However, the result was not ideal. He could be a puppet, which many people liked, but what else did he have besides being a puppet? It seems not.

After much deliberation, Zhao Junyong decided to pay a visit to Ronan, the "culprit."

Chapter 925 How to Manipulate Elections: The Neutral Faction is Key; Land Enclosure is Not Annexation

Manipulating elections sometimes doesn't require supporting anyone, exchanging favors, or even instigating anything. It's enough to simply ensure that the candidates' bases are evenly matched, and then secure the crucial votes for yourself.

The three candidates are Lü Delin, Pei Jinghai, and Zhao Junyong.

Lü Delin himself wasn't strong enough, and even didn't want to run for office; otherwise, he would definitely have won. Even so, many people were willing to vote for him because of his background: he was a scion of a prominent family in Jiangnan and currently the highest-ranking civil official in Guangzhou. Pei Jinghai was strong enough, but precisely because he was strong, some people didn't want to vote for him. Those who didn't want to vote for him weren't gentry or maritime merchants, but rather people within the navy. This is why Ronan invited other powerful figures within the navy to the committee. Finally, there was Zhao Junyong. Many within the committee still held imperialist views, believing that since the goal was to purge corrupt officials, it was only natural to find a member of the royal family. They also didn't want a strong monarch, so he had supporters. However, it wasn't that he wasn't strong, but rather that he was too weak. His cultivation and talent were lacking, and he had no power, making people worry about his stability in his position.

In short, none of the three players have a significant advantage over the others, so they must win over the neutral faction to ensure victory.

And who are the biggest neutrals? It's Ronan and his group of foreigners, because Ronan and his group won't split their votes, while other neutrals are likely to.

now.

"Oh dear, Your Highness, we cannot accept such a grand gesture." Ronan quickly helped Zhao Jun, who was bowing and clasping his hands in greeting, to his feet.

“Mr. Luo certainly deserves it,” Zhao Jun said amiably.

Back then, he had wanted to teach Ronan, this foreigner, a small lesson together with Chen Zuolin, but now he had no choice but to respectfully beg Ronan for help.

It must be admitted that this foreigner was truly remarkable. He easily brought together civil and military officials, wealthy merchants, and gentry in the vast province of Guangdong, forcing them to play by the rules he designed.

If he had known it could be done this way, he would have... never mind, he couldn't do it.

Ronan's ability to operate in this way stems from several factors. First, he's incredibly skilled at economics, masterfully combining political and business influence. In just two years, agriculture and industry around Foshan, Guangdong, experienced phenomenal growth at an astonishing pace. Second, no one can challenge him through force; he's too powerful. Together with that white-haired woman, they are virtually invincible. Third, precisely because he's a foreigner, he can only build platforms; he can never become the world's ruler, which puts everyone at ease.

Zhao Jun sat down in his chair, not even bothering to drink his tea, and went straight to the point, "Mr. Luo, I won't waste any more words, just tell me, what do you want in return for choosing me?"

Ronan, however, sipped his tea at a leisurely pace, even thinking about the tea that someone had sent him from Fujian. He thought it was so authentic, and that no amount of money could buy such tea in the West.

After tasting the food, Ronan finally spoke, "Your Highness, do you think it's enough that all of us foreigners choose you?"

Zhao Jun was stunned for a moment. He thought about it and realized that it really wasn't enough.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that he was the weakest of the three candidates. What good was a prince? He had neither power nor money.

Ronan continued, "Your Highness, your Seres has had elections since ancient times, but whether it was co-governance in the past or the current court elections, it was mainly a matter of political maneuvering. In the West, what is elected is not just people, but also a set of ideas and tendencies. Although such things are half true and half false, and are merely formalities, that is the reality. Sometimes the facts of law are the facts, and the facts of reality are not the facts. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhao Jun's eyelids twitched. To be honest, he didn't quite understand, but he still nodded. "I understand."

"So what you need now is a proposition that can attract people to choose your proposition, instead of trying to make empty promises or sow discord. It's not useless, but it's something that others can do too," Ronan said.

Zhao Jun was shocked, because his advisor had taught him to do just that, and he had done it—making empty promises and sowing discord—but the result was not ideal.

"Then what proposition should I make?" Zhao Jun asked impatiently.

“Intensive agriculture,” Ronan said.

"What? This... isn't this cutting ourselves off from the people?" Zhao Jun was stunned, then added, "This isn't good for the people either; it's annexing land."

The "people" he refers to are not the real people, but rather those who represent the people.

The entire Southern faction opposed collective agriculture. It wasn't that collective agriculture was detrimental to production, but rather that it meant agriculture had greater bargaining power, making it difficult for them to use cheap agricultural products to support industry and commerce.

Small, scattered landlords and farmers can do whatever they want, but how do you deal with large collective villages and large estates?

“Your Highness, you’ve fallen into a misconception,” Ronan said. “Let me tell you a story, a story from a Western country called Wieland.”

Willand is a British figure in this timeline, and his affairs follow the British path. Ronan's story is about the Enclosure Movement.

Many people's understanding of the Enclosure Movement comes entirely from textbooks, leading to a huge misunderstanding that it was a massive, pre-industrial movement of sheep eating people.

Actually, that's wrong.

The enclosure movement began in the late Middle Ages and continued for several centuries as English foreign trade developed and markets expanded.

The Enclosure Movement was not about large landowners annexing land. The main force behind the Enclosure Movement consisted of wealthy farmers, small and medium-sized merchants, impoverished nobles, and even free citizens. They concentrated land and cooperated with the market to produce, which took hundreds of years and ultimately led to the commercialization of agriculture.

As for the land annexation in Seris, it was a collusion between bureaucrats and powerful families that corrupted the legal system, devoured the land of self-cultivating farmers, and persecuted tenant farmers.

What is similar to the land annexation in Seris is not the enclosure movement, but rather the things that happened after the advent of the financial era, when capitalists influenced the government, swallowed up each other, and at the same time frantically exploited and oppressed workers.

Therefore, in the uncivilized era, foreign devils didn't really rebel, but when the so-called civilized capitalists came, they rebelled.

“Intensive farming is actually more adaptable to the market, and I’m not saying we should turn this whole area into villages and communities, but rather that each of the counties in southern Guangdong should establish a grain industrial park,” Luo Nan said.

Guangdong has limited land, and its land isn't particularly fertile, but its climate is favorable, allowing for year-round farming. Growing grain is definitely not a problem. With intensive farming practices and the technology they possess, they can certainly create several high-yield grain industrial parks. This will further expand the industrial workforce.

If agricultural output doesn't increase, and you go and develop industry, there's just one problem: what will the workers eat? Oh, as long as the workers eat, the farmers can starve, hehe.

Ronan wouldn't do something like that.

In other words, it is limited by transportation and preservation conditions. Otherwise, fruits, vegetables and fisheries could also be developed. But under the current conditions, fruits, vegetables and aquatic products cannot be sold to other provinces. They would all rot and smell bad if transported there.

In short, it's all about farming!

Chapter 926 Everyone has their own methods; they call each other brothers and use each other's resources to their advantage.

In this extraordinary world, the greatest thing the Western church has done is to prevent believers from recognizing children born out of wedlock.

This resulted in the daughter, son-in-law, and even a host of relatives having inheritance rights.

Most of the time, it's the son-in-law.

Ambrina's ancestor, Oran, was a foreigner. Even though he was exceptionally talented, had many friends, and had a distinguished military record before rising to a high rank, and was also very successful in governing a region, could he become a duke based solely on these achievements? No, he also married a princess and became the king's son-in-law.

There's no other way, because even the bloodline of a summoner will decline. After five or six generations, it will almost reach rock bottom. It won't work. Rather than letting someone else benefit, it's better to let the son-in-law benefit.

This is why, although it is said that the West has always been ruled by nobles, in reality, very few noble families have been able to maintain their power for more than two hundred years.

Ambrina's biological mother was a direct descendant of the Grand Duke of Aquitaine, but in her generation, she could only marry Ambrina's father, who was the third in line to the throne.

In the West, there is no concept of a maternal relative usurping the throne, because without a maternal relative, the son-in-law naturally has the right of succession. Ronan also had the right of succession to the Kingdom of Fas.

Over the decades, many people hoped that Ronan would take over, after all, in the eyes of many, Ambrina was incompetent and cruel. It wasn't until Ambrina passed the throne to Lucien that these people finally gave up.

In Seris, the large family operates on a different system: stepsons.

If the head of the family can produce an extraordinary being, that goes without saying; but if none of the wives and concubines can produce an extraordinary being, that's fine too.

A large family with thousands of members, all sharing the same surname, always has a few extraordinary individuals in each generation. Those who perform well are adopted by the current head of the family.

That's what those so-called aristocratic families in Jiangnan are like.

Only in this way can they be in charge of a large county when they rise to power, and even when they decline, they can shrink to a village and live a peaceful life.

It's not just in Jiangnan; it exists in other places too, just not as much.

The Central Plains, with its vast population, has been reshuffled countless times and is no longer viable. Since the beginning of this dynasty, the village community system has been implemented in the best plains areas to prevent the emergence of any powerful clans in the Central Plains. Even the few large manors that can profit from the mountains and forests and pass down a particular industry are frequently replaced by new owners. In fact, the manors in the northern part of Seris in this world are more like small local conglomerates. The company itself is always there, but the shareholders and the chairman are frequently changed.

After all, new talents emerge in every generation, and new people always replace the old.

Lu Jianling owns an estate, and she sold her shares directly to other shareholders.

Returning to the topic of aristocratic families, there aren't as many aristocratic families in other places, for one simple reason: the population isn't as large.

Many counties in Jiangnan have a population of over 100,000, while in other places, not to mention Guangdong at this time, some county towns only have around 10,000 people. There is simply no fertile ground to nurture aristocratic families. Of course, this may not be the case in a few hundred years.

But it’s not like nothing.

At this time, Lin Wenhua, who was serving as the commander-in-chief of the Guangzhou Navy, came from a prominent local family. His family were large landowners, but they did not mainly rely on growing grains, but rather on growing sugarcane and making sugar.

Seris's sugar-making process is excellent, better than India's, and its production volume is enormous.

Only the technology developed by Ronan can rival it.

Moreover, his family also engaged in maritime trade on a considerable scale.

To put it bluntly, the Lin family is the richest family in Guangdong.

Therefore, even if Lin Wenhua himself had no idea, his family members hoped that he would become the person in charge.

It's not because becoming the head of the family will elevate the family to a higher level, but because not becoming the head of the family might be dangerous.

After all, Lu Ming, the "confiscation commissioner," has arrived, and this scoundrel has even colluded with Ronan, that damned foreign devil, and joined this committee. What if they become the targets of this smear campaign?

"Brother Luo, just give me one question: how much does this person in charge cost?" Lin Wenhua asked directly.