Translator: Cinder Translations
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Cecil was highly efficient when it came to matters that Paul wanted to personally oversee.
"Oh my God! Look at this! Can you believe this happened in my territory, right under my nose? Damn rogues, thieves, scoundrels!"
Paul slammed the report that Cecil had given him onto the table.
Apart from Cecil, the other officials attending the meeting exchanged glances, shocked to see their lord displaying a mix of sorrow, anger, and fear. He nearly ripped the paper apart while reading the report.
The document was quickly passed around the officials.
It turned out that a manor owner named Ferb from Taldor Village had used usury tactics to forcibly seize the compensation lands from several families of fallen soldiers.
Cecil had sent capable subordinates to thoroughly investigate the situation. Ferb was a tax collector for Taldor Village, and he had manipulated the tax system to lure these families into borrowing high-interest loans, allowing the debt to spiral out of control and ultimately forcing them to use their land as repayment.
"What the hell? Is that really all there is to it? Just this?" This was the sentiment of most people who were used to the everyday realities of this world.
However...
"This is simply outrageous, my lord."
"This Ferb is truly inhumane, unworthy of being called a gentleman."
"God will punish him."
Everyone present was filled with righteous indignation.
Seeing his officials standing on the same side as him provided Paul with a bit of relief.
"Why didn't these victimized families appeal to our officials there?"
Paul looked at the chancellor, Old Ford.
"Well... um!" Old Ford started, feeling a bit nervous.
"My lord, our manpower is still too limited. Recent years have seen our administrative focus on the cities, while rural areas often have one official managing several villages. It's likely they haven't heard of such minor issues... and crucially, those farmers in the countryside aren't in the habit of appealing to lord officials."
Paul slammed the table in frustration. "We must extend our influence to every village, to every settlement. This is the focus of our administrative efforts going forward."
"Yes, my lord."
Old Ford had long understood the lord's intentions. In recent years, the earl had heavily invested in education, recruiting administrative officials annually, which was aimed at strengthening his administrative power. The lord even had low requirements for certain non-core positions, allowing anyone who could read.
Paul said with righteous anger, "As for that Ferb, I want him captured, tried! Executed!"
The mouths of everyone present dropped open in shock.
"My lord, isn't that a bit too severe? According to past practices, confiscating half of his property would suffice."
"Past practices? Are you referring to the incident in Biden?"
Paul became even angrier and shouted, "My biggest regret now is being too lenient back then. Last time they manipulated the taxes, it resulted in a riot, and they still didn't learn their lesson. I had loyal soldiers to quell the rebellion then, but now they're reaching into the soldiers' bowls. If I allow this to slide, there will be a third, a fourth time. Will the soldiers still be loyal to me then? I can already envision waking up in the middle of the night to find someone pointing a gun at my head!"
"Uh... you... you're exaggerating."
Everyone was stunned by the horrific scenario Paul described—being killed by his own soldiers? That was unheard of.
Since military matters were involved, Chief of Staff Schroeder also attended the meeting. He stood up to thank Paul on behalf of the soldiers and reminded everyone, "Our soldiers in Alden are not ordinary soldiers. Lord Grayman has taught them to read and understand some culture, so they communicate with their families and retired comrades. Importantly, they are armed and have trained for years, giving them courage that their counterparts elsewhere lack. Therefore, Lord Grayman's concerns are not unfounded; if our military were to fall into chaos, it would be a monumental disaster."
Ross Hayden, the head of the Public Safety Department, suddenly stood up. "My lord, the police force is willing to serve you! Please let me personally lead a team to Taldor to apprehend this Ferb!"
Since expanding the police force, Hayden hadn't had a chance to handle a major case, and he was determined to make a good impression this time.
"Good, then you'll be in charge of bringing that scoundrel back to Alden Town. I want to try him in front of the soldiers."
Paul had initially considered sending the military to Taldor to vent their anger, but Hayden's eagerness to volunteer made him change his mind. This matter should indeed be handled by the police; the military should be used to defend against external enemies and not overly involved in domestic affairs.
With that settled, Paul raised another issue that was weighing on him.
"Cecil's earlier remarks reminded me that our soldiers are indeed not ordinary soldiers, so we cannot treat them casually like in other territories. We should closely monitor the soldiers' thoughts. Therefore, I have an idea."
The officials listened attentively, waiting for the earl's insightful discussion.
"I plan to establish a fourth department for the military beyond the General Staff, Equipment Department, and Logistics Department—the Department of Education."
The Department of Education? Everyone was puzzled; what was that for? It sounded like it was responsible for education, but such matters were already handled by various military leaders.
Paul explained his concept, "In the future, cultural and educational activities for the military will be managed by the Department of Education. This department will assign its own officers—let's temporarily call them instructors—at each level of the military. In addition to educating the soldiers, the instructors will also have a crucial task: they must always be aware of the soldiers' thoughts and ensure that the military units they are responsible for do not rebel. They must maintain absolute loyalty to their commander (that's me)."
Oh, that makes sense, everyone thought.
Paul then shifted his tone, "The Department of Education will implement vertical management. Each level of instructor will be at the same rank as the military leader of their unit, responsible only to the next higher-level instructor, while the head of the Department of Education will report directly to me."
Huh? Doesn't that imply surveillance?
The crowd exchanged awkward glances, looking at the equally embarrassed Chief of Staff Schroeder.
Was the earl not trusting enough of the military's loyalty?
(End of the Chapter)
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