Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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He had already said this to some people in private before, but he still said it seriously again, since some people had not accepted his visit before, and it would be good to get even one more vote at the last minute.

"If I am elected, I will definitely guarantee the establishment of this system. Once this system is established, even if the court wants to renege on its decision in the future, it may not have the ability to do so. Am I right?"

"Finally, I, Xiao Wang, have one advantage: I have no power or influence, so I have to listen to everyone."

At this point, Zhao Jun himself laughed; he was undoubtedly making fun of himself.

Who would want that kind of advantage? He also wanted to be like Pei Jinghai, outwardly calm but inwardly domineering, to say, "You should choose me."

But he didn't have that ability.

"Alright, I've finished speaking. Thank you all for listening to what I had to say." After saying this, Zhao Jun bowed slightly again before returning to his seat.

Next was Lü Delin.

Lu Delin went up and said a few casual words, clearly slacking off. But his slacking off was useless; all those who didn't want to vote for Pei Jinghai and Zhao Jun would cast their votes for him. Whether Lu Delin was a man or a ghost was unimportant; what mattered was that he was now the Guangdong Provincial Treasurer.

Finally, it was Tan Qifeng's turn to be the poet and painter who came to make a joke.

Chapter 934 The Painter's Stance: Neutral Position, Everything Under Control

Painter Tan left his seat and came to the front. He opened his folding fan and fanned himself, his long beard, which he was proud of, swaying in the wind. His painting style was unique.

"I, Tan, don't think I need to introduce myself," Tan Qifeng said.

He was indeed the most famous painter in Guangdong, because he was the first painter to incorporate the techniques of light and shadow and human figure from Western painting of that era. Before him, there were others who had studied the Western painting methods of that era, but they were not famous.

The Seris of this world is still very powerful, and it is precisely because of this power that they do not mind learning things from the "barbarians".

However, his paintings still emphasize freehand literati painting, to the point that his paintings have a distinct Impressionist style.

Coincidentally, Ambrina's paintings are in the same style, so it can only be said that they are "birds of a feather".

"Guangdong is currently rife with unhealthy practices. If elected, my first priority would be to ban gambling, allowing only a few licensed casinos to be converted into amusement parks, where prizes can be won, and then..."

Everyone was initially taken aback, but after hearing what happened next, they realized it was still gambling.

Only a small number of people understand one thing: although gambling still exists, it is illegal in a legal sense.

"At the same time, an official welfare lottery will be established, with regular draws, and the proceeds will be invested in improving people's livelihoods."

This is good; even if we don't choose him, we can still do it.

Because of the large-scale foreign trade, the ports and docks were prosperous at times, and many lower-class people in Guangdong had some wealth. However, it was not easy for urban workers to start a family, so many people liked to gamble. Rather than letting those gangs make money, they preferred to let the government do it.

"Secondly, brothels should also be declared illegal, only allowed to provide entertainment services, and prohibited from selling sex inside. Those providing entertainment services will also need to be photographed."

If we can't sell inside, we can sell outside, right?

"Furthermore, it is not allowed to take in foreign women indiscriminately. They must be assigned to a separate compound and subjected to strict inspections."

That's a good point. Guangdong does have many women from Annam and other Southeast Asian countries, and some of them, who are of mixed race with foreigners, are quite popular here.

"Finally, tobacco, which must be nationalized."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Ronan.

Because Ronan, that foreign devil, was the biggest tobacco merchant.

However, Ronan's expression remained unchanged, and everyone immediately understood that Tan Qifeng had been recommended by Ronan's wife. How could Ronan not know about his ideas?

Wow, Ronan really has an international spirit; he's willing to contribute something as profitable as tobacco.

After Tan Qifeng finished his speech, the meeting did not rush to the next stage, but instead had lunch.

Lunch is not the main point; the main point is to set aside time for the committee members to have some time to think and exchange ideas.

Lunch didn't last long, since we had dim sum earlier, so lunch was quite simple.

The election has officially begun.

Each person took turns going into the small dark room to vote, with Ronan supervising from the side.

Comrade Steel once said that those who vote can't decide anything; those who count the votes decide everything. However, Ronan wouldn't interfere with the election results, because whether Zhao Junyong or Pei Jinghai was elected made no difference to him; the farmers' association system was already set to be implemented.

Even if it falls on Lü Delin's head, it doesn't matter, he still has ways to remedy the situation.

The voting process took a while. The directly invited committee members each had their own stance, and their voting was relatively decisive. However, many of the non-directly invited committee members were not like that. Although they were all recommended by different directly invited committee members, they were not their supporters. They were collaborators of the directly invited committee members, or even people who needed to be won over.

They have the reason and the ability to choose not to stand on the same side as the person who recommended them.

Therefore, many of them hesitated.

None of the three candidates were satisfactory. Pei Jinghai was a military officer with an arrogant personality. Lü Delin was a civil official, but he was really unambitious and came from a prominent family in Jiangnan. He would likely bring in people from his hometown in the future, which was not what everyone wanted to see. Zhao Junyong was the same. He was a member of the royal family and could attract a group of royalists in the future.

But in the end, I still voted.

They can't abstain from voting, and since it's anonymous anyway.

Voting ended, and Ronan began counting the votes.

At first, all the votes were for Tan Qifeng, which surprised everyone, but then, there were no more votes for Tan Qifeng.

Everyone immediately guessed why this was happening. It was because Ronan and the other foreigners had all voted for Tan Qifeng, hoping to get him elected. Obviously not, because judging from the vote count, the committee members they recommended didn't vote for Tan Qifeng, and the others wouldn't vote for him either. With that many votes, Tan Qifeng wasn't qualified to be elected.

Ronan did this to show that he was not interfering in the election and deliberately gave his vote to someone that others would not vote for.

Looking back now, Ambriel's nomination of Tan Qifeng was not a random act, but a carefully orchestrated scheme to demonstrate the neutrality of this group of foreigners to the other committee members.

The vote counting continues.

In the end, Zhao Jun won by a narrow margin. Following closely behind was not Pei Jinghai, but Lü Delin. Although Pei Jinghai lost by a small margin, he was still ranked last.

Commander Pei's face was quite grim, but he wasn't completely unable to understand. He could only say that the inertia of politics was still too great, and everyone was still used to the old patterns. There was an emperor, and politics was handed over to civil officials, while military officials like him had to take a backseat.

Zhao Jun was overjoyed, and although he tried his best to restrain himself, he couldn't hide it on his face.

He's the chairman now, he can advance or retreat at will. If the rebellion succeeds, he'll naturally become emperor. If the rebellion fails? He didn't rebel; he's just the leader of a civilian organization.

Young people's ideas are still too idealistic.

Following this, Zhao Jun, relying on this trusted chairman, began to arrange personnel. Luo Nan was appointed as the head of the Secretariat; Pei Jinghai held two positions, serving as the head of both the Staff Office and the Naval Office; Lü Delin was appointed as the head of the War and Economic Management Office; Wang Sizheng was appointed as the head of the Military Education Office; and Xu Tianci, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, was appointed as the head of the Military Law Office. The Salt Commissioner was appointed as the head of the Transportation Office, and Yu Minghe, the Guangdong General, was appointed as the head of the Army Office.

The last military manufacturing office was given to Xu Zhongting, the head of the Foshan Iron and Steel Company. This seventh-rank official was promoted to a higher position in one step. Xu Zhongting was very familiar with Chen Zuolin in the past, and was naturally also an acquaintance of Zhao Junyong. When Zhao Junyong became Chairman, he would naturally try to place his own people in order to control the military logistics.

Of course, this also completely offended the naval faction, because apart from Pei Jinghai, none of the other important figures in the navy managed to secure a position.

But there's nothing we can do about it; those positions can't be given to anyone else.

How can you blame him?

Ronan smiled. Everything was within his plan. The composition of the committee's subordinate departments meant that most of the directors were already chosen. Who would be elected was unchangeable. The naval faction would definitely not get a position. After the war, the naval faction would be the great help in overthrowing the current committee, removing Zhao Jun from power, and reorganizing the committee.

Chapter 935 Takeoff and Return Home, Western International Situation, Tense Students

The committee's leadership team has been established.

But the personnel arrangements are not yet finished. The heads of each department will discuss with the chairman to decide on the candidates for other positions within their respective departments.

The committee members can definitely be all appointed, but even if they are all appointed, it will not be enough, so we also need to recruit people who are not committee members.

After all, the committee's goal was to take advantage of the war to carry out a transformation, to "idle" the government offices that implemented the old system and policies under the imperial court, and to make the whole of Guangdong under the leadership of the committee that implemented the new system and policies.

A governing body needs more than just top-level leadership; moreover, the current committee is merely a military defense committee, with far too few departments to oversee all aspects.

Ronan deliberately didn't get involved in the personnel arrangements; he, Dinia, Ambrina, and Isabel took off directly.

For Ronan and Dinia nowadays, flying from Guangdong to the capital of the Kingdom of Fass only takes a little over ten hours, half a day.

I packed my luggage that night, slept for a while, and got up the next morning to wash up, get ready, have breakfast, and set off.

That evening, the four arrived in their homeland, which they had not seen for three years. As night fell, the four of them went to the capital.

The four of them stayed at a hotel for the night. The next day, Ronan and Ambrina went directly to the palace, Dinia went to see her old subordinate Camille, and Isabel went straight to the Security Bureau.

The palace guards hadn't changed much, and as soon as they saw Ronan and Ambrina arrive, they immediately bowed. A few went to inform the king, while the others led Ronan and Ambrina toward the royal bedchamber.

In the back garden, Ronan and Ambrina met their son, Lucien the Younger, and the current Queen, Verma.

Ronan gave his son, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, a warm hug. Before he could speak, Ambrina looked at the back garden and said, "Nothing has changed here. It's still the same as before I left."

Lucien turned to look at the flowerbed and replied, "Yes, it has remained exactly as it was before you left, Mother."

Ambrina waved her hand. "Actually, there's no need for that. People change, why keep these things?"

“Mother, please forgive me, I…” Little Lucien had barely begun to speak when Ronan reached out and interrupted him.

“That’s not what your mother meant. With a new king on the throne, how can the officials not be replaced?” Ronan said. “Besides, we already got rid of a bunch of people before we left, and we also gave you a whole bunch of mistresses and secretaries, just to make it easier for you to change people and take power.”

When Ronan mentioned his mistress and secretary, Queen Velma's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

She was never someone Lucien truly loved, and was even less favored than Charlotte, the king's chief mistress, the daughter of Ronan's old subordinate, and her former best friend.

However, as the Queen, the mother of the legitimate heir to the throne, and the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, whether she is favored or not does not affect her power.

Furthermore, she possesses exceptional abilities. While she may not have Ronan's all-around talents, her upbringing in a family of speculative capitalists in the Netherlands, coupled with extensive training, has given her a deep understanding of economics, enabling her to effectively manage the economic system left behind by Ronan.

She was already quite talented to be able to take over what Ronan left behind.

"I'm not staying with you anymore, I'm going to find Louis," Ambrina said before leaving.

She never really liked her eldest son, who was passionate about mathematics and science and enjoyed tinkering with magical machines, and she was also indifferent to her eldest daughter, who had always liked to get involved with Isabel since childhood.

She was fond of her youngest son, Louis, who could talk to her about art, was sweet-talking, and handsome, even though Louis was a typical good-for-nothing nobleman.

Ambrina left, and Ronan became serious. "What's the situation on the Rhine side?"

"It's alright, just some minor squabbles," Lucien replied.

Ronan gave a vague answer and looked directly at Velma.

Verma understood and began to report on the situation over there.

She was a competent secretary; even without preparation, she could still deliver a wealth of information in a meaningful manner.

Using the same legal system in the Rhine region, while resolutely and ruthlessly cracking down on insurgents, Ronan encouraged locals to learn French with tangible benefits. This series of basic policies he established has been implemented very well.

"We still need to be careful. For the rebels, we should not only suppress them, but also destroy their spirit. We must make the local people understand that these rebels are the ones who are causing them trouble. We need to let the people know that the rebels hate the German traitors the most, not the French. We need to mobilize the masses to fight against these rebels. Repeated suppression is not only costly, but it will also give the locals the impression that we French are very cruel. This is not good and is not conducive to unity."

"Furthermore, the judiciary is of paramount importance. Although I didn't give instructions before I left, can't you see how I dealt with the colonies back then? We had the locals take our legal exams and then send them back to oversee the local judiciary. Law is influenced by morality, and morality is influenced by thought. As long as we can get people who accept our legal thinking to oversee the judiciary, we can gradually change the locals' mindset."

"Stop with empty rhetoric and propaganda; it's pointless."

Ronan gave some instructions.

“Yes, Father.” Velma nodded in agreement.

"What's the current situation with the wool trade with Wieland?" Ronan asked again.

"Those damned pirates stole our technology!" Lucien couldn't help but curse. As a technologist, he had never seen anyone steal technology in his life.

After Ronan invented the steam engine and a new type of loom, the Kingdom of Fas dealt a heavy blow to the market share of Weyland wool imitations in the western continent, causing many Weyland wool merchants to transform into simple raw material suppliers.

However, the countries of the Western Continent are too close and have too frequent exchanges, so things with insufficient technological content cannot avoid the diffusion of technology.

Now, Wieland has regained its position as the leading wool imitation trader in the Western Continent.

After all, their natural advantages are undeniable.

"That's fine. We have enough advantages in tea, porcelain, silk, cotton, and sugar," Ronan said. Tea is unique to a small island in the New World. The porcelain is bone china, which has an extremely high market share. For now, only Vena can compare with silk. Cotton and sugar mainly rely on "Africa," which still dominates the entire Western Continent market.

Fortunately, Villa was finished, and Vinaya was long gone. Suleiman was still fighting the Empire to the death, and the Kingdom of Fas dominated the western Mediterranean, firmly controlling "Africa".

To maintain military hegemony, trade hegemony is a prerequisite.

"How is the situation in Catalonia?" Ronan asked again.

Velma felt a chill run down her spine, like a student who had been called on by the teacher and hadn't reviewed a particular point at all.

Lucien stood by, wanting to defend her. Although he didn't particularly like Verma, he didn't dislike her either, and the two had a pretty good relationship. But for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

“Sigh.” Ronan sighed. “Do you know why I asked this?”

The two of them had the answer in their hearts, but dared not say it.

Chapter 936 How to save your grandson from the guillotine, private ownership, revitalizing the Security Bureau

Ronan understood his son well. Although he, as a father, had always been very gentle, his son was still afraid of him, even though he was now the queen's daughter-in-law.

“The best way to prevent others from causing you trouble is to cause them trouble first,” Ronan said. “Don’t underestimate Belgium just because its military and economy are not doing well. It is still a regional power. The purpose of making trouble in Catalonia is to prevent them from having the time to cause trouble in the northern part of the southern continent, so as to ensure that our country’s interests there remain unshaken.”

"On the other hand, playing the Catalan card and continuously slicing through the enemy can also increase the internal strife in Greater Belgium. Don't be afraid that he will get desperate. If he gets desperate, he will kill his own people, not us. Accelerating the decline of his homeland will naturally weaken the power of his colonies. At that time, our colonies can expand southward."

At this point, Ronan joked again, "If the colonies can expand further, maybe in a hundred or two hundred years, your descendants won't have to go to the guillotine."

"Huh?" Little Lucien and Velma were both stunned.

“Royal politics will be phased out sooner or later, and what I’m about to give you will accelerate that process.” Ronan said, then pulled out a thick notebook with a leather cover. This notebook contained a complete set of large-scale, stable talent-granting techniques. “In other words, talent-granting techniques.”