Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 405

“Benefactor, you have already taken away many lay Buddhists. Now you need more people. Our temple really doesn’t have enough manpower to go to the mines to convert those lost souls.”

The abbot rubbed his prayer beads while expressing his helplessness.

Take away the layman, who is an unconventional superhuman in the temple. Elena had previously recruited some of these people to expand her forces.

The so-called "conversion" is that the monks act as supervisors, and anyone who dares to slack off is hit with a stick, and after the beating, they chant "Buddha's compassion."

As for those who have gone astray, they are reactionaries; whoever opposes Ronan is a reactionary.

"Master, how much sincerity do you require?" Elena asked directly.

Sincerity is money.

"It's not that our Buddha is unwilling to accept sincerity, but that we are simply unable to do so." The abbot was also helpless. Who wouldn't want sincerity? The problem was that he didn't have enough people here. They also had to ensure the quality of teaching. Being able to send a few disciples with wisdom to help others was already the limit.

Elena sighed, then pointed to Astrid beside her, "How about I keep her as a teacher in the Buddhist studies class?"

"Damn it, what kind of mother are you? I was the one who helped you with the hiring, and now you're turning around and sabotaging your daughter?" Astrid was furious and started yelling.

Elena, who had somehow acquired a coconut shell bracelet, rubbed it as she said, "Lily, this is a peaceful Buddhist temple, so don't shout. Why don't you just work with me? And Xiao Yang, you come too."

"So I'm going to work for you for free anyway? I'm quitting, I'm going to find the old man." Astrid angrily resorted to the "find your dad" tactic.

“Your dad isn’t back yet, so you have to listen to me,” Elena said.

Astrid sneered, "Ha, what are you so arrogant about? Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

"Master, may I borrow the courtyard in the back hill?" Elena asked, determined to teach this unfilial daughter a lesson today.

"Please do as you please," the abbot reluctantly agreed.

He was also a top-tier expert, with a fifth-tier cultivation level, but he couldn't defeat Elena and Astrid, who were also at the fifth tier. Both of them were stronger than the average fifth-tier expert.

There's not much to say about the back mountain; let's just start fighting.

Elena's fighting style relies primarily on her superb physical skills, master-level swordsmanship, and two special abilities.

Astrid also possesses the same superpower, but it is weaker than Elena's. Her strength primarily lies in the magic of the four elements: earth, fire, water, and wind.

Both of them exercised restraint to avoid damaging the place.

Before long, Astrid was at a disadvantage. If it were a real fight, she could turn the tide, but this was a mother-daughter sparring match, and her defeat was inevitable.

"Don't be so smug. If we weren't confined to this place, you'd have a hard time even touching me," Astrid retorted defiantly. She could fly, had an extremely long range, and was much more mobile. Elena could also fly, but she relied entirely on externally released magic, which consumed far more energy.

"So, did you lose?" Elena retorted.

Astrid gritted her teeth, "Shameless." In a cramped space, where close combat was frequent, she was indeed no match for her mother, Elena.

Elena's all-around positive status buffs and ability to constantly heal herself, coupled with her superior physical attributes compared to most others of the same rank, make her a formidable opponent in close combat. Crucially, Elena is almost immune to magic, and her dual swords combined with her special abilities can break through elementalization. Without this, she wouldn't have fallen into a disadvantageous position so quickly.

Yang Nian, standing to the side, was completely stunned. She knew that Astrid, who was usually unreliable, was actually very powerful, but she did not expect her to be this powerful. Such a dazzling and intense battle had left the ground buildings, flowers, and trees completely undamaged.

"I told you to learn some swordsmanship from me, but you wouldn't. Now you know how powerful that is, right?" Elena scolded her daughter triumphantly.

Astrid scoffed, "Let's change the location and beat you senseless."

Just then, Guo Mingli and his party arrived, having been shown the way by the abbot.

"It's you?" Astrid recognized you immediately.

Guo Hanlu was also somewhat surprised, not expecting to meet him here again. Similarly, the others were also somewhat surprised.

“Oh, Lily, aren’t you going to introduce your friends?” Elena asked, though she could tell at a glance that the people weren’t her daughter’s friends; she was just saying it on purpose.

"We've only met once. Are you Mrs. Ai?" Guo Hanlu explained, then asked.

"Looking for me? Interesting. Let's find somewhere else to talk," Elena said.

The group arrived at an empty hall on the other side. This was where vegetarian feasts were held to entertain devout men and women during festivals; the monks did not usually eat here.

After sitting down, Guo Mingli introduced himself and the others, and then talked about how he unexpectedly met Astrid.

“Oh, I guess so.” Elena said. Since meeting Ronan, she had met countless merchants over the decades. She had met just as many in Seris. She could tell at a glance that the other party was not the northern merchant he claimed to be.

They must have been spies sent by the northern court.

Interestingly, the other party clearly knew they had been exposed, but remained calm and composed, which piqued Elena's interest. "Let me introduce you too. You can call me Mrs. Elena, this is my daughter, and this is Yang Nian. Just say what you need."

Elena thought, "I'll just have some fun with you guys."

Chapter 942 The Farmers' Association Bank, creating internal conflicts, was actually caused by the daughter.

"I originally wanted to go into the ironware business, but I unexpectedly learned about this farmers' association that also has a bank. I became very curious, and after some inquiries, I felt that this bank was a way to make money, so I wanted to learn a thing or two." Guo Mingli's meaning was very clear: he wanted to know about the establishment and operation of the bank.

"That's it?" Elena asked, somewhat disappointed.

Shouldn't the spies be focusing on the committee and figuring out the composition of the rebel group? What's the point of studying the peasant association here?

"I'm not trying to find out the secrets," Guo Mingli added, assuming Elena was unwilling to talk about it.

“You’ve misunderstood. The Farmers’ Association doesn’t have any secrets that can’t be told. But for such a small matter, let her handle it.” Elena said, then pointed to her daughter, “Lily, go and get a copy of the Farmers’ Association’s rules and regulations. You can talk to them about the Farmers’ Association. I’ll be going now.”

After saying that, Elena got up and left.

She had many important things to do, including checking on the progress of a dam project, visiting a fertilizer plant and a seed company, and most importantly, checking on the situation in the non-agricultural areas.

The farmers' association has so many preferential policies, and the area where the farmers' association is located is developing very well. Farmers from other places also want to join the farmers' association.

But this is impossible. Ronan does not allow plots of land unsuitable for intensive agricultural production to be included in the farmers' association. The reason is simple: it would increase costs and reduce profits.

Ronan's business is, after all, capitalism; he can forget about anything that involves losing money.

However, we can't ignore the areas outside the farmers' association. Shunde is currently piloting the program, and there aren't that many people excluded from the farmers' association yet. Guangdong is also a place with complex terrain, with many mountains in the north, so it's definitely not possible for people to join the farmers' association. When that happens, how can we not cause trouble?

We're all farmers, so why can you join the farmers' association but I can't?

As the movement expands nationwide, even more places will be unable to join the farmers' association.

According to Ronan, the team needs to learn from the experience of handling these situations.

Elena had actually suggested lowering tax rates in non-farm areas, but Ronan rejected it, arguing that it would reduce the happiness and sense of superiority of farm members.

Ronan even considered doing the opposite, further reducing the taxes payable by members of the farmers' association.

The way of man is to take from those who have less and give to those who have more; this is the way.

In fact, Ronan's idea was not without reason. The purpose of establishing farmers' associations was twofold: to improve production and to create a new social class within the entire peasant community.

The same applies to labor unions. There will be workers with certain benefits and treatment, as well as many workers who can only be used as consumables.

In this way, members of farmers' associations and trade unions, while still farmers and workers, can afford education and exceptional education.

For a period of time, they also had enough room for advancement. Those who were capable enough could easily climb to the rank of official, and those who were not capable enough could still enter the management of farmers' associations or labor unions. Even those who couldn't make it were still better off than most workers and peasants.

These two groups were relied upon to conquer the world, and these two groups were also relied upon to stabilize the world.

At that time, not only will workers and peasants be divided, but workers and peasants will also be divided among themselves. Peasants will cause trouble, and peasants will suppress them; workers will cause trouble, and workers will suppress them.

The specific methods need to be explored now, and this task falls to Elena.

Elena left, and Astrid, having completed her mission, went to retrieve the Farmers' Association's rules and regulations.

Two small booklets and one large volume.

"So many?" Guo Hanlu was astonished.

Since Astrid was a young girl, Guo Mingli felt embarrassed and had his daughter come over to listen to her talk about the farmers' association.

“There’s a work guide for the farmers’ association staff, a propaganda booklet to guide propaganda work, and this big book contains all sorts of regulations for the officials,” Astrid said, patting the large book. “It’s the old man’s 30 years of hard work.”

"Old man?" Guo Hanlu asked, puzzled.

“It’s Ronan, my dad,” Astrid explained somewhat impatiently.

"Your father is quite capable in politics," Guo Hanlu said, not entirely as a compliment. What she had seen in the past few days was the first time she had ever seen agriculture managed in such a way, and managed so well.

"If only he would focus his energy on magical research," Astrid said with some regret, as she always felt that Ronan's pursuit of these things was meaningless.

“He’s already very powerful in terms of supernatural abilities,” Guo Hanlu said. Her father had inquired about Ronan before coming; he was already at the seventh level.

“I think your cultivation level is not bad, so why are you saying such things?” Astrid was not happy to hear this. As someone with a higher cultivation level, she could sense that Guo Hanlu was also at the third level without interference at close range. Although she was far behind her, it was still quite good for her age. “A person’s level of understanding of extraordinary power is not directly related to his power level. Just like Aunt Dinia, she is very bad.”

"Uh, let's talk about the farmers' association instead," Guo Hanlu said, flipping through the brochure.

"You don't understand?" Astrid asked.

"I can understand some of it," Guo Hanlu replied.

“Oh?” Astrid asked, puzzled.

"I used to be a low-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue, doing odd jobs." Guo Hanlu revealed her past. As a superhuman of the highest rank, she was born with official titles. She could become an official by passing a not-so-strict exam. With her father's connections, it would not be difficult for her to go directly to the central government to become an official.

Astrid yawned. "Then see for yourself. Ask me if you don't understand."

Guo Hanlu couldn't help but smile.

Astrid raised an eyelid. "While I'm not particularly interested in economic matters, I do know a thing or two about the things you really want to know."

"Hmm?" Guo Hanlu asked, slightly puzzled.

"It's a bank. In the end, the core of the Farmers' Association is the Farmers' Association Bank. A bank is different from your money shops. It's not that you Seres people think it has an additional loan function. Instead, it operates 'debt claims' to break free from the constraints of metal currency on the economy..." Astrid told Guo Hanlu about banks.

Guo Hanlu didn't understand much, so she could only take notes and ask questions. In the end, she didn't even know what to ask anymore.

Economics and mathematics were the weaknesses of most Seris at this time, while Astrid was extremely good at mathematics. As for economics, she was not interested in it, but she still learned a lot about it through exposure.

"By the way, where's your sister?" Astrid suddenly asked after mentioning the bank.

"Huh?" Guo Hanlu was startled at first, then realized, "Oh, that's my daughter."

Astrid found it strange. She knew a bit about Seres customs. Normally, it was unusual for a wife to travel far away alone with her daughter and father. And the man with the surname Bai was not her husband, so she assumed the little girl was her sister.

“She’s probably not suited to learning your Seris’ cultivation methods,” Astrid said, not wanting to delve into why Guo Hanlu had abandoned her husband and taken her daughter on a long trip.

Seeing that the other party said that, Guo Hanlu casually asked, "Do you have a solution?"

“There’s no fixed formula for shapeshifters, but I do have some insights,” Astrid said. Dinya and her best friend Ina are both shapeshifters.

Chapter 943 The War Begins, Surprises Abound, Offense and Defense Reversed

Guo Mingli and his group's trip to Guangdong continued. After getting a rough understanding of the farmers' association, they turned their attention to various factories in Foshan, intending to learn about the so-called labor unions while also getting to know the different industries.

Elena did not stop them; instead, she had Astrid act as their guide, which could also be considered a form of surveillance.

Meanwhile, Ronan and his party stayed in the Kingdom of Fas for a few days, while his children and a few other old friends caught up before setting off to return to Guangdong.

On the same day, the war began.

Annam once issued a manifesto to condemn the unjust Kingdom of David.

In the West, Biria, Weyland, and the Netherlands, citing various reasons, claimed that Seris had breached the agreement, declared the previous truce invalid, and declared war again. This time, the Kingdom of Phos was added to the list, citing infringement of navigation rights.

Seris ignored all that nonsense and didn't bother with any verbal exchanges; he just wanted to fight.

On the Annam side, the old routine continues: two land routes advance simultaneously, one heading towards Yunnan and the other towards Guangxi, while the naval fleet enters the South China Sea.

The foreigners used the same old tactics: their limited number of warships were only there to provide support and help contain the two overseas military bases stuck in the Straits Economic Zone. Meanwhile, on the ground, they were using India as a base to supply logistical equipment.

If we were to actually fight the Seres, let's forget about it. They've come all the way to the East to do business.

Such battles have been fought seven or eight times in recent decades.

At the start of the battle, neither side's navy expected that the other would bring them such a big surprise.

Annam's navy was equipped with new naval guns that had a longer range and greater power. If it weren't for the limitations of its old-fashioned ships, its firepower would have been even more intense.

Moreover, there are also man-portable flying vehicles that, in addition to their ability to patrol the air and launch projectiles as described in intelligence reports, can also suddenly accelerate using jet propulsion.

The technology of foreign individual flying machines has been further upgraded, and they have even been sold to the Annamese.

However, Seris's side wasn't without its surprises.

The individual-use magic rocket spike is launched by a superhuman approaching in a small speedboat, firing a single shot that hits the enemy ship and explodes.

Such an attack is something that superhumans below the rank of True Immortal cannot protect against at all; even those at the first or second rank might not be able to defend themselves.

Thanks to this rocket, the Wei Kingdom not only failed to gain the upper hand, but also lost two medium and small gunboats, making it a bad start for the Wei Kingdom.

Damn it, when did the Seres get this kind of thing?

You'd have to ask Ronan.

Until they crack this thing, acquire the same weapon, or come up with countermeasures, Annam's navy is unable to take the initiative to attack.

It's too much of a loss. If we lose two ships, we might not even be able to sink one of the enemy's ships. How can we fight like that?

However, if it's just about defense, there are still ways to prevent these small fast boats from getting close while in a defensive posture. For a group of concentrated gunboats and superhumans, it's not difficult.