Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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He was quite supportive of Guangdong and the farmers' association system built by Luo Nan.

Ronan held up one finger. "New members need to have something to offer. If not, they should offer their services. Ideally, they should have both. That way, they can at least gain some recognition."

Then, Ronan raised a second finger. "Some people join, and some people leave. The committee is an organization that strives for progress. It's okay for committee members to have their own stances and personal motives, but opposing the organization is absolutely intolerable."

"During this internal reorganization, new recruits won't be constantly monitored, right?"

"Besides, it's not uncommon for newcomers to take up the top seats."

After speaking, Ronan looked at Governor Ronan.

"Haha, it's more like bandits joining a mountain stronghold," Governor Luo joked again.

Ronan chuckled, "That's not wrong. In the eyes of the imperial court, aren't we rebels?"

"So, where can I be placed?" Governor Luo asked directly.

Ronan waved his hand, "Governor Luo, don't worry about your position. We are all contributing to the stability and prosperity of the country. We should consider what contributions you can make to the country and the organization. As for your specific position, that needs to be decided by the organization."

"Hahahaha." Governor Luo laughed repeatedly, "Mr. Luo, it's a waste of your talent that you're not an official."

Ronan stopped laughing and became more serious. "Then may I ask, where are your capital and your pledge of loyalty?"

"As for capital, my family still has some influence in Sichuan. As the governor, I naturally have my own team, unlike your previous governor who only had a handful of people. Speaking of which, my great-uncle and you have some connections."

Ronan's expression changed. "Oh, may I ask your name, esteemed great-uncle?"

“My great-uncle’s surname is Luo, his given name is Song, and his courtesy name is Jianyue,” Governor Luo replied.

"Oh, so it's Mr. Jian Yue." Ronan remembered him; he was one of the seventeen who participated in the final battle last year, the one who loved food.

Governor Luo looked at Luo Nan and said, "Mr. Luo is of the same generation as my great-uncle. In terms of seniority, it is only right that I call him Uncle."

“No need, no need,” Ronan waved his hands repeatedly.

Lu Jianling's eyelids twitched as he thought to himself, how could there be such a shameless person?

Ronan, however, saw clearly that this Governor Ronan was an extremely snobbish man. He wasn't genuinely trying to build a relationship; everyone knew that in the game of power, such things were meaningless. He was simply introducing himself to Ronan. Each time he lowered his stance further, it was to further ascertain that he was useful to Ronan, and that Ronan was also useful to him.

Ronan has never been averse to this kind of person.

"Then I'll wait for Mr. Luo's good news. I'll be happy to assist General Lu then," Governor Luo said with a smile.

“She’s currently the only senior general in our army, and she’s probably away from home most of the time,” Ronan said, meaning you shouldn’t even dream about it, because since Lu Jianling is rarely in the central command, her deputy is effectively the head of the army.

"What position do you think I should be in, Mr. Luo?" Governor Luo asked.

“Diplomacy,” Ronan said, uttering the word.

"Not bad, not bad." Governor Luo nodded.

The conversation ended there. After seeing Governor Luo off, Luo Nan called Lu Jianling aside and said, "Have your men spread some rumors about Governor Luo's meeting with us. The key points should be capital and a pledge of loyalty."

Instigating internal strife?

Chapter 983 The Importance of Instigating Internal Strife, the Circle of Wives, and the Issue of Strategic Direction

"What are you going to do?" Lu Jianling asked.

She wasn't completely devoid of political acumen; she had already guessed what Ronan was up to.

Ronan replied, "Of course, we need to instigate internal strife. We can't expect everyone from Guangxi to get involved, can we? We have to weed some out."

"Will it work?" Lu Jianling asked with some concern.

Others aren't stupid; they can't just throw out a few signals and start an internal conflict.

“He’s the highest-ranking official in the province, he has a team, and he’s capable. If someone like that becomes an official, he’ll inevitably suppress the others. Will those suppressed by him be content? They’ll definitely take action if given the chance.” Ronan first asked rhetorically, then explained, “If he wins, he’ll be even less likely to become the head of the Guangxi faction. He can just focus on doing his diplomatic job. If he loses, that would be great. The other high-ranking officials in Guangxi will be embarrassed to seek higher positions after doing something that undermines unity. It will also make it easier for us to recruit some people from the middle ranks in Guangxi, and find an excuse to kill off a few local powerful families. In short, we’ll prevent them from forming a clique.”

Lu Jianling nodded.

In Guangxi, only Lu Jianling herself could rival Governor Luo, but unlike the people in the Guangdong navy, she didn't have shady dealings with the entire Guangdong officialdom, especially the customs officials. Therefore, in recent years, Guangxi's political affairs have essentially been dominated by Governor Luo's absolute power, and unsurprisingly, the other officials ranked below him had strong opinions against it.

Ronan had been all smiles with this "family member" earlier, which didn't affect his current plan to deliver a ruthless blow.

This matter was going to be done anyway; it's just that Governor Luo's special visit made things even more convenient.

Governor Luo was a capable, powerful, and even discerning man, but unfortunately, these qualities made him arrogant. When Ronan said to talk about what you can do for the organization first, and then talk about what the organization can give you, he completely ignored the point and changed the subject instead.

From beginning to end, he never imagined that the more he showed off, the more determined Ronan would be to get back at him.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things from here, things won't get chaotic."

Lu Jianling said that her confidence stemmed from her own strength, not from the army. The army didn't have many experts and was actually quite powerless against the few powerful superhumans. She, on the other hand, was at least a fifth-level expert, which was considered top-tier in the officialdom.

Ronan laughed. "Of course. In war, you can't intervene according to the rules, but you can suppress individual rebels." It's ironic, but that's the reality under an order dominated by superhumans.

In name only, Guangdong was still loyal, and loyal subjects could certainly report traitors. Moreover, in this situation, it was not impossible to make special arrangements, act first and report later.

After finishing his final hospitality, Ronan bid farewell to Lu Jianling and flew back to Guangdong.

At night, in Ronan's house, named Inmuro, Ambrina was seeing off a guest.

Clearly, a gathering of ladies had just ended.

After everyone had left, Ronan entered his house.

“Ronan, it’s good that you’re back. I have something to tell you,” Ambrina said.

Ronan went behind Ambrina, hugged her tightly, and nuzzled her affectionately before asking, "What is it?"

“Some of them want to be committee members,” Ambrina said bluntly.

"Do you think it's feasible?" Ronan asked.

Ambrina smiled. "Of course I think it's not feasible. If any of them become committee members, how will my circle be maintained?" She may seem to be the "little darling" and "big grudge" of this circle of ladies, but in reality, she is the leader of this circle because she is a committee member, Ronan's only legal wife, and the former King of France.

No one underestimates France. Firstly, France's size is roughly equivalent to that of the Jiangnan region of Serres; the combined population of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces is similar to that of France, both exceeding 20 million. Secondly, France is the biggest behind-the-scenes force in Annam. The more powerful the enemy, the more attention they receive—this is a universally accepted principle.

But if someone else were to become a member, things would be different.

“That’s right, that makes sense,” Ronan replied.

Ambrina was never confused when it came to such trivial matters as power.

“However, I really can’t refuse,” Ambrina added. It would be unfair of her to refuse those people.

“I don’t believe my Anri can’t do anything,” Ronan said.

Ambrina can't even handle something this small? Don't be ridiculous.

“But I don’t want to be a bad person,” Ambrina said.

This matter is easy to resolve. All you need to do is stir up trouble internally, promote a few of their competitors, and then spread the word that some of the wives also want to be committee members. Their husbands, in order to eliminate the negative impact, will naturally persuade their wives to give up the idea.

"Alright then, I'll handle it." Ronan took over the responsibility.

Ambrina nodded. "By the way, are we just going to wait until after the New Year?" She was asking about the committee reorganization. The reorganization and expansion consultation meeting was scheduled for after the New Year, and she meant whether or not to do something before the New Year.

"Hold a summary report meeting before the end of the year, criticize those who deserve criticism, and commend those who deserve commendation," Ronan replied.

"Oh, I understand." Ambrina indicated that she understood; it was another attempt to incite internal strife.

Those who are criticized naturally feel nervous, while those who are praised want to improve; it's no wonder they compete with each other.

Only when these people start fighting will Ronan, who doesn't have much power in the committee's power structure but has a relatively detached position, be able to play a role in kicking out certain people who are intended to be eliminated.

Unfortunately, there are always people who don't understand or even cooperate with Ronan's approach.

Ronan definitely needs to eliminate this type of person.

Ronan's approach was to build peasant associations and labor unions with "feudal elements" in core agricultural areas and industrial areas of large cities, so that this "feudalism" could represent and unite a segment of the people to coexist with the centralized government.

This does not affect production, because intensive production combined with credit-based banking is sufficient to support industrial development.

At the same time, this can make the distribution relatively fairer.

Ronan did not agree with the idea of ​​redistribution or the idea that the rich should help the poor.

The wealth of society as a whole is inevitably taken by a very small number of people, while the maintenance and operation costs of society are inevitably paid by the majority. That is, those who lack will have more taken away, and those who have will give more away. This is an objective law of society, and the development of a market economy will undoubtedly exacerbate this.

To improve this situation, allocation must begin at the point of production.

Simply put, it means that farmers and workers need to be organized and have bargaining power, and those who represent farmers and workers must not be people from the government. Letting itinerant officials represent the grassroots people? Don't be ridiculous, that's impossible.

For feudal lords, the lower classes were like cattle and horses; they would use them for as many years as possible. For officials in exile, the lower classes were merely firewood; it was enough that they were useful while the lord was in office.

Of course, in the system constructed by Ronan, the fiefdoms of these feudal lords were only in a certain area of ​​the local economy.

Such feudal lords were more powerful than manor lords in a single area, but they were not as comprehensive as manor lords. They could only represent a part of the people and could not organize the local people to resist the government by controlling various aspects of the economy. They could only resist the government's policies.

Chapter 984 Human beings inherently need to work; the alienation of bureaucracy and capital remains a mystery.

At this juncture, both the government and large, influential national enterprises need to put in more effort and think more carefully to make a strategic move.

But they are definitely capable of playing a grand strategy.

The government is, after all, the user of the state apparatus, while giant corporations are ultimately the decision-makers in the market economy.

Ultimately, big government represents communitarianism, while local feudalism represents republicanism, and the two ideologies continue to coexist and clash.

Under these two doctrines, individuals have room to realize their personal value.

Ronan hoped that these two ideologies could together nurture some sparks of thought that, in the distant future, would ignite and alleviate the alienation of people caused by bureaucratic culture and capitalism.

This brings us to Ma Dahuzi.

Marx believed that one of the differences between humans and animals is that humans are inherently required to "work," that is, to "creatively change their environment." This is a need for self-actualization, which differs from Maslow's hierarchy of needs. In Marx's theory, even when so-called lower-level needs, such as physiological and safety needs, are not fully met, humans still have a need for self-actualization.

Ronan did not agree with the idea that poverty breeds cunning and wealth breeds conscience.

In short, in Ma Da Hu Zi's theory, "work" is an important part of what makes a person human.

In capitalism, work is distorted, even stripped of its humanity, and "work" begins to oppose "humanity." People generally feel that life only begins after get off work, that people need to vent and indulge to live, and that happiness comes from spending money to enjoy life.

However, this level of pleasure is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst; the more you drink, the thirstier you become, and the closer you get to death.

Ultimately, all this sorrow stems from the fact that success at work doesn't belong to you, your motivation for work isn't spontaneous, and even spiritual satisfaction doesn't belong to you. Everything is merely a tool for producing commodities, and even the entire process itself is just a commodity.

Work, which should be the highest level of need—self-actualization—has become the lowest level of need in this environment: the struggle for survival.

Bureaucratic culture is similar in nature. Originally, it was about participating in the construction and operation of society, like a child building a castle out of mud. However, it turns people into people who only know how to flatter their superiors and bully their subordinates, and their spiritual needs become a need for security.

There was once a man who wanted to overthrow bureaucratic culture and capitalism, and to make people more human. It must be said that man was a great man.

However, Ronan does not plan to do so yet, and probably never will.

All he wants is for enough people to pursue self-actualization, especially the extraordinary.

Lu Ming was right before. Superhumans may appear to be gentlemen or nobles, but once they encounter problems, they turn into thugs and robbers.

Just as capitalists, as beneficiaries of capitalism, are also alienated by capital, so too are the extraordinary individuals, as beneficiaries of the existing system, who are also alienated.

Seris is prone to natural disasters, but no high-ranking superhumans have ever been seen participating in disaster relief efforts.

In any case, some disasters do not affect the quality of life of the small number of superhumans.

This is also true in the West, and perhaps even more so.

Years ago, Ronan and Dinia met Victor, a Weylander, in the colony. He was a seventh-order superhuman who hoped that the superhumans would shift their focus from violence to improving the survival and living conditions of all humanity. However, he was an anomaly, being a seventh-order superhuman, so other superhumans spoke ill of him behind his back. As a result, some people were still willing to follow him or provide him with some support.

The real irony is that people believe that not criticizing him, but supporting him, is not because they agree with him, but because he, as a seventh-order rank, wields powerful violence.

After last year's decisive battle, Ronan met a large group of the top superhumans in Seris.

It could be said that many of them lived empty lives, living simply to survive. They possessed immense power but only sought immortality, having no intention of changing the world. To be precise, they did, and they wanted to do something, but their spirits had been alienated by this extraordinary society over the past few decades or even centuries.

As seventh-order beings, standing at the pinnacle of the world, a large portion of them are not happy in their lives.

This is truly the greatest irony of the world.

Ronan's goal is to completely reverse the existing atmosphere in the superhuman society, allowing superhumans to realize their self-worth and obtain true happiness by transforming the world, rather than constantly cultivating and improving their strength to gain ownership of more cattle and horses in this enormous "cattle and horse pen" and the right to distribute the wealth produced by cattle and horses.

"As expected, I still can't understand these things."

Ambrina helplessly said that after all these years, it's not that she doesn't understand Ronan's theoretical analysis, but she just can't truly understand why some people, who are clearly superhuman, still look unhappy.

What's there to be unhappy about? She's very happy, most of the time.

Ronan reached out and pinched Ambrina's little face. "Isn't that because you've always been my princess?"

From birth until now, Ambrina has probably only experienced some pressure during the years when she was vying for the throne with her two younger sisters.

She was not wealthy when she was young, but her living conditions were still better than most people. She was a little lonely, but fortunately, at the church school, there was an old nanny who was also the daughter of a noble family who taught her some humanities and arts.

Marrying Ronan and becoming queen was incredibly joyful. She didn't have to worry about specific political affairs at all. All she needed to do was occasionally step in to check and balance the various political forces. For a monarch without prestige, such checks and balances require considerable skill, like Ambrina's father, Lucien the Elder. But Lucien the Elder could barely control the central government his entire life. Ambrina, on the other hand, had the prestige that Ronan had given her. She ruled for decades with ease and still had plenty of time to play.

"Hehe." Ambrina laughed sweetly, "So, what if the princess wants it now?"