The next day, Vijay started the interviews for the new ministers. He began his search by meeting the candidates for the Ministry of Transportation.
Since the Ministry of Transportation was a newly established department in the Empire, its main duties for now will be solely focused on road construction and maintenance. As time passed and new modes of transportation emerged, the ministry's responsibilities would expand.
When Vijay entered the room, he found a group of three people. They quickly rose from their seats and knelt on the ground to greet Vijay, saying, "Long live your Highness, long live your Majesty, long live, long live."
Vijay gestured for them to get up and take their seats. He explained, "With the new government's establishment, there is now a vacant ministerial position in the transportation department. I hope to find a suitable candidate among the three of you, and I trust that you will perform well in my tests."
Pointing to various materials in the room stored in net gunny bags, he continued, "Inside these bags, you will find a large number of various materials. Your task is to go through all the bags and construct a road for me. The road should have a width of 9 meters and a length of 15 meters. You will be judged based on the speed of construction, cost efficiency, and durability. I wish you all the best of luck."
The three candidates exchanged glances, then quickly moved to inspect the materials one by one, preparing to begin their work.
Upon seeing the candidates begin their work on the road construction, Vijay left the room with orders for the guards to monitor the construction to prevent any cheating among the candidates.
He then turned his attention to the interviews for the Ministry of Communication.
Vijay faced a dilemma in selecting the minister for the Ministry of Communication, as it was an unconventional department with its primary task being the transmission of information from one place to another. Currently, the only branch of the Ministry of Communication that is doable right now is the post office, hence Vijay wants to select a candidate with a specific skill set.
As he entered the room where the candidates for the Ministry of Communication were gathered, they greeted him in a manner similar to the previous candidates. After completing the formalities, Vijay got straight to the point, saying, " Due to your jobs being sutradhars, I know that you all have rich experience in conveying news from one place to another, and I assume, given your presence here, that you can read and write. I will ask you a few questions, and depending on the feasibility of your answers, I will consider appointing you as the minister."
With these words, the candidates became alert, understanding that their responses to these questions would shape their destinies and those of their families. Vijay began with his first question, "So, my first question is: How do you propose to disseminate information from one village to another, from one town to another, and from one city to another throughout the empire in a single network?"
The candidates were taken aback by this unexpected question. While they had plenty of experience moving letters from one place to another, they had never contemplated how information could be efficiently transmitted across the entire kingdom. Their perspectives had been limited throughout their lives, but now, in response to Vijay's question, their horizons had been forced to expand as they began to ponder the possibilities.
One of the candidates hesitantly raised his hand, and Vijay encouraged him to speak. The candidate began, "Your Highness, based on my experience, I would suggest assigning a Sutradhar to every village. In each town, there could be a head Sutradhar, and in cities, we could have even larger heads who would relay the news from the Government ."
Vijay nodded in acknowledgement of the suggestion. This structure closely resembled the existing Sutradhar system, expanded to cover a wider area. While it lacked innovation, it was a tried and tested method that had proven effective. However, Vijay's aim was to create something similar to a post office for future generations, capable not only of transmitting information but also generating revenue for the government.
As he continued to listen to similar answers from the other candidates, one man's response caught his attention. This middle-aged man, lanky and thin, had travelled extensively throughout many villages in his life. He humbly suggested,
"Your Highness, I have witnessed the amazing changes taking place across the empire during my travels. Seeing the new innovations brought to the people by the empire enlightened me and inspired my ideas from the recent reforms. So my proposal is the establishment of a department within the Ministry of Communications, similar to the police and judicial departments, to facilitate the smooth transfer of information. All these departments can be connected to one another through regional head offices for the effective transfer of information".
Vijay found this idea intriguing, as it had a lot of similarities to the concept of a post office. He posed a follow-up question, asking, "Interesting. Then How would you suggest we efficiently, let's say, transfer information from a town in the south to one in the north of the empire with the fastest speed?"
The candidate who had initially suggested the idea of a new department within the Ministry of Communications was stumped. He hadn't considered the logistics of such an expansive information transfer system; he was primarily focused on the innovative concept that he had proposed. His face turned red with embarrassment as he struggled to come up with an answer to the king's question. Nervously, he began to sweat bullets, and his mind went blank without a single voice coming out of his mouth. Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward, another candidate seated beside him spoke up with a deep voice befitting his physique, "If I may, Your Highness, I have an idea to address the specific challenge you raised."
Vijay turned his attention to a bulky man who appeared to be in his early 30s and asked, "Oh, what is it? Tell me your idea."