Chapter 660
Chapter 660 - 640: Open Confrontation and Secret Struggle
1,854 words
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10 min read
When you have more, you may not want to lose any. When your friends, colleagues, and peers around you gain benefits, you unconsciously become part of it.
Lu Ping’an went to the Changping State Government Office once to attend a training for young officials. He made an effort to make time for it because, just two days after the "training" was scheduled to end, there would be another training for young officials in the Ancient City....It was hard to believe that it wasn’t meant to be a challenge.
At first, Lu Ping’an thought there would be speeches from top officials, some internal secrets being conveyed, and possibly even loyalty tests during the training. However, the result was...
"Free food and drink for three whole days..."
A group of "young officials" who had no qualms about killing in the exotic realm were enjoying a three-day holiday in the best hotel in Changping City, just like a year-end company vacation.
People were not used to such hospitality. After some exchanges, it turned out that only a part of the attendees were actual "young officials" of the Changping State Government Office, while the majority were young people who had performed well during Exotic Realm exploration in the Silent Mountain Range and other areas. Some of them were inclined towards the Official, and some were the Official themselves... At least, Lu Ping’an did not see any young people leaning towards other Churches.
Instead of being ordered around, the receptionists who were of high-ranking welcomed all warmly. The only somewhat official news he got was a two-page summary of the training... Writing about it, Lu Ping’an didn’t even think about it, just piled on flattering words until all 500 words were filled up.
"It’s just welfare and a goodwill gesture."
"If the Changping State Government really proposed any demands at this time, let alone comply with them, we would probably resent it."
"This is quite clever, I have to say. Right now, I feel a little uneasy after enjoying free meals and drinks, as if I owe something."
Young people are strong-willed and often respond better to gentle treatment rather than coercion. It’s clear that the old hands in the state government knew how to get along with others.
They didn’t propose any demands or ideologies; instead, they simply expressed their friendliness... and respect.
Young people are the future. This is not just an empty phrase, but many elderly people regard it as such because most young people never make a difference... However, those attending this gathering were the future of Changping State.
For young people who rise early, they need not just money and benefits, but also "respect" and "sincerity"... Normal people don’t usually appreciate face-slapping grandstanding in their daily lives, so why refuse when given respect and prioritization by their superiors from the start?
After this experience, not just other young officials leaning towards the Official, even Lu Ping’an himself gained a little more goodwill.
At the same time, it provided a platform for young officials within Changping State to meet, recognize, and communicate with one another.
They were bound to encounter and collaborate with each other in various situations in the future. Nobody could guarantee they would never need to ask for help from others, so it was a good opportunity to build rapport.
Those who reached this point at least had their basic EQ in check; after some probing, they realized that there were no weaklings among them.
Among the people Lu Ping’an perceived as a threat, there were over ten of them. Among the Decree-level ones under the age of 30, there were twenty-one people, with no pure 2-tier individuals.
Lu Ping’an received a handbook with all their simple profiles and dozens of name cards... His new name card was made in a print shop during the training, where he met a colleague who also came to print new cards, creating quite an awkward situation.
The three-day "training" passed in a blink of an eye. As soon as Lu Ping’an returned to the Ancient City, he received a notice about the local young officials’ training.
Originally, he thought it would be another short vacation, but the result was...
"Is this the difference in magnitude...?"
Looking at the information booklets before him and listening to the city leaders talking non-stop, Lu Ping’an felt a subtle feeling.
Not just a wave of formal speeches, the Ancient City officials used their favorite three-test strategy for a two-day closed training, making people feel irritable.
It was not just a formality but a solid event full of content.
It started with a series of loyalty speeches, discussing patriotic and city-loving sentiments, the long history of the Ancient City, then the development opportunities of this era, followed by the development strategy of the Development Zone, and so on.
There were some valuable insights. The development strategies even touched upon everyone’s interests, and hinted at the city government’s policies and ideas about many important issues, including but not limited to "We and the Changping State Government do not share the same path. Even if they get rich, they won’t share with us" and "We should treat the outsiders of the Development Zone kindly, as they are our opportunities for growth" and so on.
But most importantly, they conveyed the forthcoming "emphasis on developing the Green Planet" external development strategy. This was specifically mentioned by a newly appointed Director of a newly founded "Exploration Bureau".
Although important, all the talking and information overload nearly put Lu Ping’an to sleep... He actually did fall asleep, but his "secretary" listened for him and her summary report turned out to be more effective than listening directly.
Honestly, having meetings from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., being called out several times for private discussions, left Lu Ping’an with a headache and yearning for the previous three days of hotel relaxation... The methods and attitudes of both sides were clearly different.
However, more importantly, it made Lu Ping’an feel the Ancient City’s determination.
"Is this their way of ensuring success at all costs...?"
In the information Lu Ping’an received about the green planet, there was quite a bit, including the four cities including the ancient city, which had sent out troops to establish frontline bases there.
Note that it’s four cities including the ancient city, not the Eastern Country, and certainly not Changping State Government.
These cities obviously chose to "go it alone".
"From history or reality, from ideals or the future, we must strive for our own future independently... "
Although the wording was somewhat euphemistic at the training session, the officials made it very clear about the reality of "us going solo".
"Why must we go solo?"
"Because if we don’t go solo, most of the benefits... even up to ninety percent of the profits, will be taken away by the superiors."
"Even if they are taken away, but if something goes wrong on our side, such as the opening of the gates of the Evil Gods or the collapse of our battle lines, they will not be able to rescue us... even if they wanted to, they would probably be too late, and this has been proven by history."
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and trust isn’t something that can be formed in a month.
Past experience has not made the managers of the ancient city impulsive because of the overall situation of "struggling together for the whole country"... they calmly analyzed the current situation and found that some things have indeed changed, but some things are impossible to change.
For example, with the implementation of the Explorer system and the infinite drawing closer of alliances, the relationship between the central government and various states is changing.
The central government, which controls the "door to the Foreign Domain," will become the target of competition among the states, and the nominal ruler of the Eastern Country will approach reality infinitely.
But this does not mean that the relatively independent relationship between the prefecture and the cities under it will change... on the contrary, internal struggles may become more intense.
Because the prefectures don’t have powerful cards like "Proper God quota" and "Exotic Realm development rights", all of these things are held in the hands of the central government.
In the past, the prefecture was just the largest city in a state, drawing endless resources from its surroundings to grow itself.
Taking Lu Ping’an’s previous experience as an example, when the ancient city was in danger, the prefecture could not help... whether they were able to help was one thing, and if they really took on the unlimited responsibility for the entire state, countless towns and villages below would consume their combat power and financial resources endlessly.
Now, such a situation still cannot be changed in the short term.
The central government is making money with each prefecture, so each state is willing to be close to the central government, this authoritative effect also further increases its prestige and real power.
Would a prefecture bring the cities under it to hunt in Exotic Realms? He would take most of the profits, and then control the distribution of profits in the process, using his unique advantages of status to gradually complete the "taming dog" plan.
Eventually, all the opportunities would become opportunities for the prefecture, with the prefecture becoming the "capital" of Changping State, and everyone else continuing their roles as parentless small towns in the countryside.
Perhaps what the teacher above talked about was a bit extreme, but the listeners below all nodded in agreement.
It was their past experience and the result of being taken advantage of time and again... Trust takes time to build up, and reform requires making concessions.
But from the current trend, the prefecture is not likely to make concessions before it is full.
Only when the prefecture becomes wealthy enough to ensure the security of the entire state will the cities really treat it as the leader.
Now, it is really impossible.
In this regard, even the central government has no say, it is not strong enough to interfere in the internal affairs of the states, let alone letting the lower-level cities give up their own development.
Perhaps one day in the future, Changping State will truly integrate, cooperate in an orderly way, and help each other, but it is definitely not something that can be accomplished in the short term.
Now the situation is that the "dissenting" cities at the prefecture-level bypass the prefecture and embrace collective development, riding the tide of development, and gambling...
"... Perhaps by then, our ancient city will be more suited to be the prefecture, and ’Ancient City Prefecture’ sounds quite pleasing too... "
When these things were openly lectured by the teacher, and the audience below had no objections, it seemed that these things were destined to become reality.
Lu Ping’an below was greatly enlightened, he never expected some things to be so openly addressed.
— End of Chapter 660 —