Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 399

Although he came from a wealthy and well-educated family, he deliberately acted rough and uncouth from the moment he joined the navy in order to downplay his aristocratic background. He could get along well with even the lowest-ranking marines. After wearing the mask for so long, he not only couldn't take it off, but it had even become his true self.

“Brother Lin, this chairman was elected by everyone, not appointed by me.” Ronan waved his hand.

“Brother Luo, what you’re saying is a bit disrespectful to your brothers. Right now, no one has an absolute advantage, and among the neutral committee members, your side has the most votes.” Although Lin Wenhua’s style was rough and unrefined, he was, after all, a well-informed elite from a prominent family, and he understood the situation clearly.

“It’s not that I don’t consider you a brother, but you also need to understand my difficulties. Neutrality is the foundation of our group of foreign devils,” Ronan explained. This wasn’t an excuse, but a fact. He was manipulating this election, but he couldn’t do it by scrambling votes. If he did that, who would want to play under the rules he designed in the future?

Ronan poured tea and then said, "Brother Lin, you're a smart man, you should understand. Our committee has nothing to do but be fair, fair, and damn fair."

Lin Wenhua pondered it for a while and then understood.

Indeed, Ronan had to remain neutral. In fact, he had to deliberately remain neutral during this first general election, deliberately to the point that the foreigners would split the votes, in order to gain their trust and keep the game going.

Otherwise, if they try to scramble for votes on the very first try, wouldn't that mean the committee is being controlled by foreigners? What's the point of this whole thing?

"It was my fault, brother. Putting everything else aside, I'll offer you 100,000 taels of silver to apologize to Brother Luo. Brother Luo, please don't refuse. Your wife was once an emperor, and now she's living a very hard life. I'm just doing my bit to help." Lin Wenhua apologized first, and then immediately offered the money.

Ambriel's life is far from austere. She herself has millions of taels of silver in assets, and Ronan's investments in Guangdong have already started to generate profits. Spending hundreds of taels of silver a day is nothing to her.

Don't underestimate a few hundred taels. At the best restaurants, ordering a large table full of their signature dishes would cost ten taels. And ten taels of silver is more than half a year's expenses for an average middle-class family in the city. The ladies of wealthy and powerful might spend two hundred taels on their birthdays, but Ambrina could celebrate her birthday every day.

"Brother, you're too kind. Since that's the case, I'll be frank," Ronan said. "You have no chance. If you become the chairman, wouldn't that be climbing over Admiral Pei's head?"

Isn't his only goal to climb over Pei Jinghai? Otherwise, why would he have elected himself chairman?

In his view, since they had rebelled, what did the official positions in the imperial court matter? Since it was a rebellion in Guangdong, the people of Guangdong should have the final say. Those people like Lü Delin, Pei Jinghai, and Zhao Junyong, the Prince of Nanhai, were all northerners, not his own people.

"I can only give you one piece of advice: use someone else's resources to your advantage," Ronan said.

Lin Wenhua instantly understood Ronan's meaning: "You want me to support the King of the South Sea?"

Ronan took a sip of tea. "To be honest, the King of the South Sea came to see me yesterday... I gave him a suggestion, which is to advocate intensive agriculture."

Lin Wenhua hesitated for a moment, "I'm afraid I'm not in a good position to support that."

Chapter 927 Both collective ownership and contracting are necessary; if you don't cooperate, we'll confiscate your property—a firm refusal.

In Lin Wenhua's eyes, intensive farming meant adopting the village commune system, and adopting the village commune system meant distributing land. How could his family, being large landowners, possibly support the distribution of land?

“You may have misunderstood. I’m not saying we should divide the land.” Ronan added, “Besides, what difference would it make if we did divide it or not? All land under heaven belongs to the king. Is the land in Seris your private property? I don’t think so.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Wenhua, who had already reached out to pick up the teacup, froze in mid-air.

"In short, my goal in developing this intensive production is to establish one industrial park per county, starting with southern Guangdong, and to develop multiple grain industrial parks. Within these parks, production will be centralized, similar to village communities, but different. Village communities are connected to the government, while our industrial park farms will be unified by a farmers' association."

"Soon there will be unions, and our committee will control the unions and farmers' associations, and then control the entire economic system."

"If you can convince your family to support this farmers' association, then naturally your family will be the first to participate. The farmers' association will have a share, and the trade union will also have a share."

Ronan provided an explanation.

Ultimately, it's a very simple truth: small-scale, scattered farming is not worth investing in, and investing in it is extremely unprofitable. Only by integrating and carrying out intensive production can average costs be reduced and investment returns increased.

Only by integrating human resources can we better develop land and build water conservancy projects. In addition, with the high-yield crops and seed cultivation technology introduced by Luonan, as well as relatively advanced soil fertilizers, the four elements of soil, water, fertilizer, and seeds can be developed to enable agriculture to take off.

Divide the land? Divide your land my ass.

All plains suitable for intensive agricultural production will not be divided up; collective agriculture will be resolutely implemented, and farmers will become members of farmers' associations.

In areas unsuitable for intensive production, all the landowners who occupy mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes should be expelled, and those who refuse should be killed. Then these areas should be contracted out.

Collective ownership and the contract system coexist.

As for how to ensure this, the first is, of course, the violence of the regime, and the second is the market.

Intensive production is by no means about eating from the same pot, but rather a production method that adapts to the market. It will become about eating from the same pot because…

“I’m afraid it will be difficult,” Lin Wenhua said. “Don’t be fooled by their activities of growing sugarcane, a cash crop, and engaging in maritime trade. They are still old-fashioned at heart. I can understand some of what you’re doing, Brother Luo, but they probably won’t. People always resist things they don’t understand.”

Ronan let out a long sigh. "You guys have disappointed me a bit. If I'm disappointed, then I'll just have to do things in a way that you understand and are very familiar with."

"Offering official titles and making promises?" Lin Wenhua asked.

“No, it’s confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan,” Ronan said. “Over there in the West, anyone unwilling to join me in reforms, I showed them what revolution is.”

"Mr. Luo, isn't that a bit too domineering?" Lin Wenhua had unconsciously changed his form of address.

Ronan sneered, "Am I not mild enough? I've been extremely mild. If you want to see me not mild, you can try. Don't think that just because I only have upper-class power, I can take your house and still use those people. You know I can turn ordinary people into superhumans."

"My family is nothing, but what about those who don't want the order to change?" Lin Wenhua asked, referring to the top superhumans.

“First, I can guarantee that their privileged status will remain unchanged. Second, do you think I’m really afraid of them?” Ronan asked with a smile. “If you have the connections, you can go and ask a seventh-tier warrior who participated in that battle before.”

He and Dinia combined, enough to kill any seventh-tier being within a minute.

If he were to overturn the table, no one could protect it.

"Sigh, I'll do my best." Lin Wenhua's face now showed a hint of dejection, and his previous boisterous and outgoing manner was gone.

"If it works, everyone's happy, you're all good, but if it doesn't, that Lord Lu might target your family."

Ronan said.

What maritime merchant doesn't evade taxes and engage in smuggling? Since the Wei Dynasty began to vigorously develop maritime trade, there was a surge in trade and tariffs in the first few decades. In the last few decades, although the growth rate of trade volume has slowed down, it has continued to increase, but the tariffs have remained stagnant, fluctuating around 12 million.

How could there not be a problem here?

However, since they were still providing such a large sum of tax revenue to the imperial court every year, the court felt that it was sufficient.

"How about we try a different company?" Lin Wenhua suggested. As a scion of a powerful family, betraying his teammates was as commonplace as eating and drinking.

Ronan poured the tea out of Lin Wenhua's cup, refilled it with hot tea, and said unhurriedly, "Brother, I, no, our committee isn't after money, you understand? We're not confiscating property for money; wealth and assets are just incidental. We're confiscating property to target our political enemies. You must understand this."

Lin Wenhua had fallen silent.

If Ronan insists on pushing for intensive production and farmers' associations, then they might unite to resist.

But if he confiscates someone's property first, then it won't be the same. First, the principle of making an example of someone is timeless, and second, the principle of slaughtering a sheep and dividing the meat is also timeless.

Other landlords were easily frightened and even wished for the Lin family, such a powerful and ruthless family, to die.

Damn it, how can landlords be so spineless and so greedy? This was the first time Lin Wenhua had ever looked down on his own kind so much.

"Brother Lin, someone else is here. Please excuse us and leave from the back." Ronan stood up and gestured for the guest to leave.

Lin Wenhua couldn't help but sigh again and left.

A short while later, Wang Sizheng arrived.

There's not much to say; everyone wants Ronan's support.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Brother Wang, I had to go to the bathroom and couldn't greet you," Ronan said warmly.

Before Wang Sizheng could even speak after taking his seat, Ronan spoke up first, "Brother Wang, you don't want to be the person in charge too, do you?"

"Do you think I'm qualified?" Wang Sizheng retorted.

“I can’t say there’s none at all,” Ronan replied.

Wang Sizheng naturally picked up his teacup and drank tea. "That means no. I don't want to be elected. I just hope you can persuade Lord Lü to stand up for himself. If he does stand up for himself, and with your support, it won't be difficult for him to be elected."

As the temporary top official in the province, if Lü Delin were to be assertive and make some promises, he wouldn't need to campaign for votes at all, because those who don't give him their votes would be in for trouble. And the promises Lü Delin makes are the ones most likely to be fulfilled in the short term.

Of the entire committee, the only people who could disregard him were the navy and Ronan's group of foreigners.

"I can't help you."

Ronan refused, because Lu Delin was the least likely person to help promote farmers' associations and intensive agriculture.

Who was elected wasn't that important to Ronan; what mattered was that the elected person would implement the policies he wanted.

The best candidate would be Zhao Junyong, the Prince of the South Sea. For the time being, he would only be a puppet. The next best option would be Pei Jinghai, as he currently cannot interfere in politics. As for Lü Delin, that's out of the question. Ronan wouldn't allow him to take power. He's still alive because he doesn't fight for it.

Chapter 928 Questioning, Rebuttal, and a Single Sentence Reveals the Dreamer

Pei Jinghai seemed to be afraid of running into other people, so he chose to visit during dinner time. At that time, Ronan and Ambrina were eating together.

Isabel went to check on the little girls she had bought.

Dinia went to inspect the work of Elena and Agustina.

Ronan and Ambrina shared a simple, unpretentious dinner.

The oily, smooth, and slightly bland braised foie gras goes perfectly with white rice; a bowl of pure, flavorful, and refreshing beef soup; and a plate of steamed grouper. There's also a dessert: a mille-feuille with brown sugar and sesame paste. Ronan isn't particularly interested in it, but Ambrina, a true Frenchwoman, loves it and insists on drizzling a layer of syrup on top.

"Admiral Pei, have you eaten?" Ronan asked.

"How could I not have eaten?" Pei Jinghai retorted.

Even if he didn't swallow gunpowder, he at least needs two big bowls of herbal tea to cool down his temper.

Ronan picked up some food with his chopsticks several times, finished his rice in a few bites, then poured a large gulp of soup into his rice bowl and drank it down, thus ending his dinner. "Please speak if you need anything."

Ambriina, on the other hand, acted as if Pei Jinghai didn't exist and continued eating in silence.

"You promised to support me as the chairman, and that's why I agreed to wipe the slate clean and join your committee. But you've already betrayed me by bringing in several people from the navy to oppose me. Is that all? In this election, you want to elect someone else? Mr. Luo, where is your integrity?"

Pei Jinghai questioned him repeatedly.

Ronan remained seated at the table. "First, of course I support you as chairman. Second, I don't understand what you mean by 'past events.' Third, this is our committee, not yours. Fourth, a showdown? This is quite unexpected. Fifth, electing someone else is slander. I can guarantee that we foreigners will not collude to rig the votes; the facts will prove my innocence."

Pei Jinghai reached out, and a chair flew over. He sat down and said, "Let's not beat around the bush, Mr. Luo."

“Then all I can say is that I definitely support you,” Ronan said. “However, military officers interfering in local affairs is something many people don’t want to see, and I think you understand that, Admiral.”

Pei Jinghai didn't respond, but instead said, "This is the Military Defense Committee. If I'm not the chairman, who will be? Is it Provincial Governor Lü, or that Prince of the South Sea?"

"Admiral, please don't be upset," Ronan advised. "Come on, let's talk inside." With that, Ronan stood up and invited him inside.

Ronan led Pei Jinghai into the inner hall, where servants soon served tea and snacks.

As soon as he sat down, Luo Nan began to recount everything to Pei Jinghai. He told Pei Jinghai how Zhao Jun, the Prince of the South Sea, had come to him, how he had advised the Prince, how Lin Wenhua had come to him, how he had used threats and inducements, and how he had directly refused Wang Sizheng when he came to him.

Pei Jinghai was stunned, unable to believe that Ronan was so honest.

His first reaction was that he was making up a lie. But if someone is making up a lie, they will definitely try to make it up to beautify themselves and cover up their disadvantages. But Ronan's words did not have that effect. Instead, they clearly showed the shameless faces of himself and others.

It doesn't sound like a lie at all.

“Old Pei, calm down and try to understand my difficulties. I’m a foreigner, do you think it’s easy for me to do things in this foreign land?” Ronan started complaining, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Pei Jinghai took a sip of tea. “Brother Luo, you have your difficulties, but I don’t. I’ve been at the helm for almost twenty years, and this is my first time getting on a pirate ship. But how should I put it? I have experience in steering, but others might not be able to handle it.”

I can't handle this, damn it, shameless.

"Brother, you're joking," Ronan said with a smile. "Actually, it's not difficult for you to be elected. You just need to advocate for intensive agricultural production in conjunction with the farmers' association. Although Brother Lin has been forced into this by me, he doesn't really want to do it. But if you advocate for it, he'll be more willing to accept it. Because deep down, you're also someone who rejects this kind of thing. If you do it, you might do more harm than good. Since that's the case, we might as well support you, right?"

"Brother Luo, you're joking. How could I possibly do something bad with good intentions?" Pei Jinghai said.

Ronan simply waved his hand. "I really don't care. To be honest, I have a lot of experience dealing with people who like to do good but end up doing bad things. Whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, just bring them on."

Ronan made it clear: bring on whatever tricks you want.

If he can't even handle tactics like opposing the flag while carrying it, expanding the crackdown, and intensifying the implementation, how could Ronan possibly succeed in reforming France?

It is impossible to eradicate these problems, because they are byproducts of civil service politics. Unless civil service politics is eliminated, it is obviously unrealistic.

But there is a way to deal with all of this: democracy.

This democracy is neither about voting to elect representatives nor about internal discussions among the rulers. Instead, it's about creating a platform like labor unions and farmers' associations that "leverage the people to their advantage." Such a platform inevitably has to cooperate with the rulers, but as long as it has the power to oppose, there will always be an opposition to use it to achieve a kind of "correction."

In Ronan's view, democracy is about having a feedback channel that allows for error correction.

Of course, any organization can become corrupt and go astray, perhaps becoming a mere formality, or perhaps going to the other extreme and even becoming a tool for causing suffering. But that's a matter for the future; it's enough to play a positive role now.

"In short, listen to me, brother. As long as you collude with Lin Wenhua, or rather, work together, there's a good chance of success. To put it bluntly, you've made a mistake by seeking outside help. You should start from within the navy. Your previous assumption that they could never be on your side was just a subconscious one."

Ronan said that if Pei Jinghai could unite his forces, he would definitely win. The navy had six directly invited members, more than any other faction.

"Then I'll take my leave now." With that, Pei Jinghai got up and left.

He didn't get the support he wanted on this trip, but what Ronan said did give him an idea.

It wasn't that he completely agreed with Ronan's advice, but rather that he realized something: he hadn't yet delved into the needs of the other members of the navy, and he subconsciously assumed that the others were not capable of being united.

"Think it over carefully. We're a team now." Ronan didn't see him off, but he did offer this advice.

Pei Jinghai paused for a moment, and once again had an epiphany.

Even if those people were not to be united, he should not have shown such direct rejection, which would have isolated him within the navy.

In the past, everything was under the control of the imperial court. As the commander, being isolated was a good thing, as it earned him more trust from the court. As long as everyone else obeyed military orders, that was enough. But now that they have all rebelled, they are essentially on the same pirate ship.

If all he wants is for people to obey military orders, then what's the point of electing this chairman?

Chapter 929 The distinctive peasant associations, the benefits of "feudalism," and the need to prevent reform from becoming a movement.

Pei Jinghai left, and Luo Nan resumed his work.