111. On the table and under the table
Over the past year, the Governor's Office in Lagug under Dick's rule has undergone four expansions. The number of civil servants has more than tripled compared to David's time, totaling to thousands of people, which is not much less than the private army of 1,500 people.
Such a large number of personnel was undoubtedly an unnecessary waste in the eyes of many traditional feudal lords.
You should know that the total population of Laguge is only more than 50,000, which is a slight increase compared to last year. Many fiefdoms with a similar population size may have only six or seven officials and twenty to thirty civil servants under their lord, which is already a sufficient administrative team.
A scale of thousands of people is the configuration that only a duke or marquis who rules over hundreds of thousands of subjects should have.
But in fact, these seemingly sufficient "small teams" are not only inefficient, but the financial expenditure required is not much less than Dick's large team.
Because the so-called small team is nothing more than the cancellation of regular grassroots civil servants and the hiring of temporary workers to do the work when people are needed. Some are simply assigned by the lord.
I heard that you are a businessman, so you must be good at accounting. Please help me collect taxes this year!
The system is chaotic, there is a lack of supervision, and the lords do whatever they want.
How the hell can we manage the territory with such a rubbish team?!
Therefore, Dick has been seeking institutionalization and formalization. Having a sufficient number of civil servants is the foundation for Dick, as a lord, to master grassroots management capabilities.
Before, Dick was only the governor who managed the fiefdom for the lord. For many administrative matters, he needed to apply to his superiors first, and could only start to implement them after obtaining the approval of the old duke.
Now that he has become a lord himself and is free from all constraints, it is natural for him to let go and do his best.
The reorganized feudal government adopted a simplified ministry system, first establishing four departments: public security, culture and education, technology, and commerce. The army was independent of the interior department and was directly commanded by Dick himself.
The Ministry of Public Security is headed by Tia, and currently has three main tasks: first, to formulate a code based on local actual conditions; second, to set up formal courts to handle general civil disputes; and third, to recruit militias from various villages and towns and train them into a semi-militarized police force to be responsible for general public security work in the territory.
As for the intelligence organization "Forget Me Not", it is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security but is not open to the public.
Natasha is the member of the Ministry of Culture and Education. Although her main job is a doctor, she has run an orphanage in Beloberg, so she has some experience in educating minors, especially in dealing with naughty children. She is very good at it!
Dick promoted literacy education in the territory last year, but it had little effect, because there is no such thing as knowledge changing destiny here. The only way for civilians to move up the social ladder is to join the army and fight for a title on the battlefield. Otherwise, they can only hope to be born into a good family in the next life.
Therefore, in order to stimulate the curiosity of the people in the territory, Dick set a hard requirement for reading and writing skills when recruiting civil servants, which made some people who wanted to work in the government willing to go to literacy classes. However, in the orphanage that Natasha was in charge of, basic education was very effective.
It is worth mentioning that because Natasha is loved by everyone, the children like to call her "Mom", while Dick is regarded as a companion by the children and is called "Governor Brother".
This way of addressing someone in a generational way made Natasha laugh and cry, especially after the breakthrough in her relationship with Dick a while ago, this address suddenly had a subtle sense of "betrayal"!
The member of the Technical Department is naturally Ruby Eye, and among the four departments, the Technical Department is also the largest one, because the Technical Department is actually the product of the integration of industry, agriculture and even infrastructure departments. Ruby Eye is a capable person who can do more work.
Finally, there is the Ministry of Commerce, whose member is Kanmusu Ding'an.
In the beginning, Dick actually planned to incorporate this department into the Technical Department, but after seeking the opinion of Ruby Eye herself, he set up a separate Trade Department dedicated to external contacts, which in fact also assumed some diplomatic functions.
The main product that Laguge is currently preparing to sell to the outside world is corn syrup. When Dick passed by the Marquis of Ulen on his way back to the imperial capital, he took the sample to discuss with the Marquis.
It can be said that humans' pursuit of sugar is engraved in their genes, but there are no sugar crops in the northern part of the empire. The price of white sugar produced in the south has often increased many times after being transported to the north through a long journey, and ordinary people simply cannot afford it.
So when Dick took out the jar of syrup and said that Lagug had the ability to produce it on a large scale, Marquis Ulen had an expression for a moment, just like the US military would have when they heard that you had oil at home.
It can be said to be very cool!
The sugar factory has been built and the raw materials will not be a problem until next year.
The yield of corn in the experimental field was witnessed by everyone in Laguge. The farmers were just conservative, not stupid. Since this new crop could adapt to the local climate and had such an amazing yield, everyone naturally no longer had the initial concerns.
Since it was a purely internal meeting, there were no outsiders present, so although everyone was talking about serious matters, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed. Only Dick had a serious expression throughout the whole meeting, and occasionally he would suddenly pause in the middle of his words, and his body would tremble from time to time.
The first person to realize what was going on was Tia, who was a spy. Her ability to read people's expressions was comparable to mind reading, but she saw through it but didn't say anything. She just smiled a playful smirk.
The second person to react was Ruby Eyes. The female devil blushed and coughed lightly, reminding Dick that as a lord, his words and deeds did not require him to serve as a role model, but at least they should not be too absurd.
Natasha mistakenly thought that Dick was not feeling well and was simply concerned about his health.
As for Ding'an, from the moment it was her turn to speak, she was constantly explaining to Dick her carefully formulated "Dessert Empire" business plan, and her whole mind was on how to make some money.
Although this child is very smart, he still hasn't figured out some things!
The meeting lasted more than 40 minutes. It not only confirmed the government structure, but also determined the overall development plan for Laguge in the next three years.
Dick then announced the adjournment of the meeting. Ruby Eye stood up first, bowed, and trotted out of the office. Ding'an was the next to leave.
Natasha was about to leave, but Tia beside her reached out and pulled her back.
"Ms. Natasha, what's next?"
"No, I took a break this afternoon."
"That's perfect."
"Ok?"
Seeing Natasha's puzzled face, Tia stretched out her hand to guide her gaze towards Dick, and then she was surprised to see the disheveled Befa crawling out from under the table, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief and swallowing, as if he had just tasted something delicious.
"You asked us to come over to discuss work, but you let Miss Befa do this for you under the table. The young master is really a pervert!"
Tia said as she sat directly on the desk, then raised her legs and turned 180 degrees, and turned lightly to Dick's side. Her long legs were almost completely exposed from the slit of the skirt, and the whiteness was dazzling, making people feel dizzy. After she turned around, she raised her legs high up, and the tip of her high heels just touched Dick's chin.
Tia was very tall and was sitting on the table, so she was able to look down at Dick who was sitting on the chair. Her sitting posture was full of queen-like aura, which made her seem very powerful and austere, especially when she lowered her voice and said the word "pervert" in a slightly reprimanding tone, even though Dick was not an M, he couldn't help but feel deeply touched.
At this time, Tia had completely entered into the role-playing mode, shaking her jade feet and performing "food display" in front of Dick at a high frequency, and her tone was completely like a bully who was threatening people after finding something to hold against him.
"Master, you don't want your ugly behavior just now to be known to everyone, right?"
112. Rest day, rest, day
In the residential area of the castle, Xiao Ai and Honoka were both Japanese living in modern cities, so after following Dick back to Laguge, they were arranged to live in Marikawa Shizuka's room as roommates.
Xiao Ai has learned from others that the summoned people in the team come from different worlds. Even if they are all Japan, they are Japans in parallel universes.
Just like Miss Shizuka Marikawa who warmly welcomed them, a terrible zombie crisis had just broken out in the other world before she traveled through it, and she had never heard of the place name "Tawara City".
After settling their few luggages, Shizuka volunteered to show the two newlyweds around the castle, introducing them to the various living facilities and other companions they would be spending time with in the future.
Xiao Ai is very envious of this older sister who looks mature but seems not very stable. She has a tall figure comparable to a supermodel. She is 27 cm taller than her, and her long legs are amazing! This is the ideal appearance of a "mature woman" in her mind.
As for Honoka, who was summoned together with her, their bodies are very similar, but she is five kilograms lighter than her and has amazing athletic ability. She is a beautiful and talented martial artist who has created her own style.
Comparing the two, Xiao Ai felt that she was short, fat, and useless, and was simply unbearable to look at.
Little did they know that Shizuka Marikawa was actually very envious of Koai and Honoka, and thought that petite girls like them with big breasts would definitely be more popular with boys than a "Tokyo Tower" like herself.
The three of them walked around the castle. Since it was working hours, they didn't meet many people in the residential area. Seeing that it was snowing outside, they went up to the terrace on the top of the castle to enjoy the snow.
Xiao Ai hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't help but ask Shizuka Marikawa beside her.
"Ms. Shizuka, isn't the internal atmosphere of our team a little... not serious?"
"Eh! Really? I think it's great, very united and friendly, isn't it?"
"Unity and friendship?"
Xiao Ai thought back to the scene she had seen before, and thought that this way of "friendly love" was too unrestrained. It had such a great impact on her that she had "weird dreams" for many days in a row.
Fortunately, Dick is not the kind of evil lord who would use violence to force others. The relationship between him and his female subordinates is completely consensual.
However, what puzzled Xiao Ai was why Miss Rita only asked her to observe but did not call Honoka, and she also said that she knew she was the same kind as herself at the first sight of her.
"By the way, are you two planning on doing anything?"
"Uh... I haven't decided yet. Di... The Lord wants us to follow Miss Rita first and make a decision after we adapt to the living environment here."
Unlike other people Dick had summoned on demand before, Ai and Honoka were beautiful high school girls that Dick got for free. Honoka at least knew how to fight, but Ai was just an ordinary person.
So Dick thought about it and handed them both over to Rita, trying to train them in the direction of clerical staff. He did not expect them to be able to work independently in the future, and just wanted them to be personal secretaries.
The three of them stood on the terrace for a while. Xiao Ai, who was afraid of the cold, couldn't help stamping her feet. Marikawa Shizuka kindly reminded them that the winter in Lagoge is colder than Hokkaido, so they must keep warm when going out.
As a result, just as she finished her words, she saw Lukeya, who was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, falling from the sky in the heavy snow. When she landed, her whole body was Duang, Duang, and she looked very elastic.
"Don't learn from her, she is not human."
"Eh!?"
Lukeya had just delivered supplies to the new port in the north, but she was scolded for no reason as soon as she came back. She looked very embarrassed. Xiao Ai looked at Lukeya with shining eyes, and she was longing for the magic she had just performed.
"That's great. I also want to be able to fly."
Honoka next to her was also full of envy. Although she was a martial arts genius and could learn many fighting styles and moves immediately after just one look, this talent obviously did not apply to magic. This supernatural power was beyond her understanding.
In fact, after learning that this was a different world of swords and magic, Ai and Honoka immediately expressed their desire to learn magic to Dick.
However, after learning the "price" of becoming a magical girl, the two little girls, who were still infancy, blushed and changed their tone, saying that they would think about it carefully again.
Xiao Ai felt that there should be more than one way to let people on Earth learn magic.
A long time later, Xiao Ai did find out another way to let the people on Earth learn magic, but that method made her feel even more difficult to accept!
Seeing that the snow outside was getting heavier, the three followed Lukoya back indoors and walked towards Dick's office, chatting about the unfinished new port in the north as they walked.
Due to the recent continuous drop in temperature, the construction of the new port has been temporarily suspended, and the remaining work will probably have to wait until the temperature warms up in the spring of next year before it can resume. Fortunately, the pirates in the waters near the fjord have been basically eliminated, and the few that have escaped have fled elsewhere.
The current person in charge of the port area is Miss Golden Deer, and she is also the main force in the anti-bandit operations at sea.
By the way, the Golden Hind currently uses an alias, calling himself "Francis Drake", so the Royal Fortune followed suit and used "Bartholomew Roberts" as its alias.
Because they had names and could use powerful "magic", many soldiers stationed in the port actually thought that they were noble ladies abducted by the Governor.
The Golden Deer asked Lukeya to pass a message to Dick. In view of her meritorious service in suppressing the bandits, Dick was asked to take the initiative to go to the port area to "serve the troops" within three days, otherwise she and the Royal Fortune would come for him.
Lukoya sighed at this, she is worthy of being a female pirate, so arrogant!
As they were chatting, they arrived at the office door and happened to see Natasha coming out.
The female doctor's fair cheeks were still flushed. Seeing someone coming over, she hurriedly tidied her slightly messy hair. But this behavior seemed to be a bit of an attempt to cover up something, and she hadn't noticed that the buttons on the front of her shirt were buttoned incorrectly, revealing her black lace underwear.
Seeing this, Shizuka Marikawa smiled as if she understood everything and stepped forward to help her colleague re-button her clothes. Natasha's pretty face immediately turned red visibly.
"Um, I..."
"Yeah, I understand. I understand."
"???"
Knowing that there was no way to explain this, Natasha could only leave first on the pretext that she had something else to do at the hospital. At the same time, she reminded everyone that Tia and Befa were still inside, so they'd better wait for a while.
Looking at Natasha's back as she fled away, Lukeya asked in confusion.
"Is the hospital busy?"
"No, she's on a day off today."
113. Helper
The snowfall lasted for two days and one night, and the temperature in Laguge dropped below minus ten degrees Celsius.
At this time of year in previous years, except for the cold iron mine in Laguge, which had to meet rigid production targets, all other production activities were basically stopped. In the next three or four months, residents will enter a wintering mode of staying at home and try to stay in warm indoors.
In a sense, it is precisely because of the severe cold winter climate that the northern region is unable to carry out large-scale production operations for about a quarter of the year, and its development level is far inferior to that of the warm south, not to mention the capital region that absorbs the essence of the entire country.
But the situation has changed this year. The arrival of winter has not pressed the pause button on the territory.
In the meeting room of the Lord's Mansion, Dick was listening carefully to Ruby Eye's interim work report. At this time last year, Dick and his team had just arrived in Laguge. His goal at the time was only to ensure the survival of the people and allow more people to survive the harsh winter.
Today, a year later, the climate in Laguge has improved and food production has increased enough to feed the people, so the goal has become how to give the residents of the territory something to do during this long winter and create some economic value.
In fact, unless they were forced to work for the lords for free, the common people themselves would not be willing to sit idle for three or four months, wasting their stored food at home without any income.
In order to fully improve productivity, they started planning in the first half of the year.
Since Laguge is vast and sparsely populated, 12,000 of the 50,000 population are concentrated in towns, and the remaining less than 40,000 are scattered in more than 300 settlements. There are only three towns with a population of over 1,000 that can barely be called towns, and the remaining villages have no more than 300 to 400 people, or as few as 20 to 30 people.
Those small settlements had weak production capacity and lacked the ability to protect themselves, so Dick exercised his power as governor and semi-forced the residents to merge villages and land. Finally, more than 300 villages were integrated into 18 "standard villages" with a population of about 2,000.
Dick did not simply ask these farmers to move in together. He also provided these standard villages with supporting public facilities and services, including clinics, schools, bathhouses, post offices, etc., effectively improving the living conditions of the residents.
Ruby Eye spent four months personally visiting these standard villages, and then tailored agricultural development plans with different focuses for the villages based on local actual conditions.
Some villages are suitable for growing crops, some are suitable for grazing, and several standard villages near towns, under the guidance of farmers' associations, grow economic crops such as flax, dye plants, and medicinal herbs.
On this side of the town, Dick designated a piece of land for the construction of a new industrial zone, and with the help of the profound knowledge of Ruby Eye, the Demon King-level scholar, he built various factories.
Simply put, Laguge is transforming from a scattered peasant economy to a centralized industrialization.
Of course! Reforms cannot be smooth sailing, and resistance does exist. Especially in the process of establishing standard villages, Dick repeatedly touched the interests of local gentry and landlords, and clearly showed that he wanted to seize control of grassroots organizations from them.
But all these obstacles have disappeared now. Firstly, it is thanks to the previous rebellion. It was the rebels who gave Dick a legitimate reason to carry out the purge. Secondly, it is thanks to his title of earl. As the lord of Laguge, he has unlimited power in his territory!
Thanks to the fact that central heating was taken into consideration when the factory buildings were built, the low temperature outdoors did not have a serious impact on the factory's production.
