All dead?
It certainly surprised Jiang Chen.
He originally wanted to select a few elders that forsake darkness for light to let them organize the affairs of this arena for him, but they all died.
Jiang Chen looked at Chen Lin with a deeper layer of meaning in his eyes.
The ambiguous smile made Chen Lin afraid to look him in the eyes.
“Mr. Chen is decisive; nice tactic.”
With a drop of cold sweat rolling down from his forehead, Chen Lin replied while stuttering.
“No.”
“That’s enough, whatever.” Jiang Chen waved his hand to dismiss the topic.
Chen Lin finally felt relieved when he heard Jiang Chen say this. It was his petty idea to kill the elders and emperor. Only when the officials of Empire died could his importance stand out. His only worry was Jiang Chen would have an opinion with what he did, but now it looked like while the NAC General certainly saw through his wit, he didn’t mind.
Jiang Chen thought for a moment and nonchalantly asked.
“What’s the population of the capital?”
“Permanent population 43,510. Transient population roughly 3,000,” Chen Lin immediately answered.
“What’s the financial surplus of last month?”
“90,000 crystals.”
“You know the situation of Empire quite well. You didn’t just guess that did you?” Jiang Chen glanced at him feeling surprised.
Chen Lin grinned, he used a flattering voice to say, “How do I dare to trick you.”
“Perfect, looks like you’re not useless.” Jiang Chen nodded. “Then, are you interested working for me?”
Chen Lin was ecstatic when he heard this. Without regard to what other people thought, he immediately kneeled down.
“Don’t be too happy yet.” Jiang Chen didn’t make him get up and instead, with a smile, he looked at him. “I know your little wit and stuff. You should know, if you use that wit where you shouldn’t use it, what kind of consequences you will have.”
Jiang Chen immediately put his head on the ground to express his allegiance.
“If I dare to have any other thoughts, I’m willing to die by being stabbed a thousand times!”
“Remember what you said. Get up.”
“Thank you, General!”
…
While the morality of Chen Lin was still to be determined, he had talent in management. Jiang Chen sent people to verify the residents and treasury, the data was no different than what he said.
As long as he kept him on a leash, it was fine to use this kind of person.
It was not selecting a role model.
From the way of the square to the palace, Chen Lin fully developed his sucking up nature and followed behind Jiang Chen. But Jiang Chen was uninterested in his flattering words and suck up. He only briefly asked about the situation in Empire before getting this guy to shut up.
With one foot stepping into the palace, the officials of Empire already packed the palace.
Looking at the compliant officials, Jiang Chen furrowed his brows, titled his head, and asked Chen Lin, “How many people are officials in Empire?”
“General… there are five ranks of officials with five divisions in each rank for a total of 527 officials.”
[What the fu*k! That many?]
Jiang Chen estimated that around one out of one hundred people in the capital was an official, this didn’t include the officials with less important roles.
“The massive government system of Empire was something that gave the elders a headache for the longest time. But these people more or less were related to the elders. With such a small community, no one wanted to mention cutting people. Therefore, the officials of Empire increased more and more, a lot of times one thing was separated into five things for ten people to do…”
“There are too many people, lay some off,” Jiang Chen dismissed what he said and said in an annoyed tone.
Different from Chen Lin’s cautiousness, Jiang Chen didn’t control his voice at all. Because of this, when the officials in the palace heard what he said, their expressions all froze with displeasure written all over their faces.
Chen Lin had a bitter smile in his mind, but Jiang Chen didn’t care about what they thought and stepped to the seat in the front of the palace.
He sat on the dragon chair, getting a slight feeling of what it was like to be an emperor. Then he spoke to the officials.
“Is there anyone displeased with me sitting here?”
[No sh*t, who dares to say they are displeased?]
The officials were all compliant with their head lowered not saying a word. However, they had the most vicious curses in their minds.
“Great, looks like no one is displeased.” Jiang Chen leaned into the chair and examined the officials with his eyes narrowed.
The emperor of Empire did know how to enjoy.
The Dragon Chair was much more comfortable than the wooden chair in his office. Above the officials, the taste of power was indeed intoxicating.
Jiang Chen cleared his throat and said.
“Chen Lin, give me the officials list.”
Chen Lin walked out and handed him a tablet courteously.
While Empire lacked in technological development, it managed to achieve digital documentation. All the names and rankings of officials were recorded on the server in the palace responsible by people with management access. Typically, it was the emperor, but if the emperor died, it passed on to the elder.
Since the emperor already died, Chen Lin was the only elder left, the management access for the server data naturally passed into Chen Lin’s hand.
Now that Jiang Chen wanted it, Chen Lin handed to him with both hands.
Jiang Chen took over, saw that the list was already on the screen, and began to flip through them.
“Yang Liang.”
“Here.” An older looking official stepped out and bowed to Jiang Chen.
“You’re responsible for the gate tax right?”
“Yes.” Yang Liang said compliantly.
“There will be no more gate tax at Qingshan Arena, you can go home.”
With the sound of knees hitting the ground, the older Yang Liang kneeled on the ground with tears bursting out.
“Em…Emperor…”
Managing the gate tax was a lucrative duty; there were at least thousands of people that entered in and out of the gate and everyone who came in must pay. While two crystals were not a lot, it was at least two to three thousand crystals in the bag per day.
No one would notice if he pocketed one hundred crystals.
Jiang Chen’s decision killed his money making method.
“Don’t call me Emperor, call me General.” Jiang Chen said while annoyed. He was too lazy to listen to his complaint. He swiped his finger and called the next name.
“Lu Guangyuan.”
“Here.” Lu Guangyuan anxiously stepped out and gulped while waiting for Jiang Chen’s decision.
“Market Stimulation Department, what department is this?”
“Stabilizing price, promote economic development, improve—”
“Then what’s the Pricing Council? Wang Qianping, why don’t you explain it to me?”
“Eh! Here, I’m here.” Wang Qianping stepped out with cold sweat dripping down.
Jiang Chen eyed him, signaling him to talk.
“Stabilizing price, promote economic development, coordinate—”
“What’s the damn difference?” Jiang Chen was growing increasingly flustered.
“Hmm… General, if you listen carefully, the last word is different…” Wang Qiangping’s small eyes stared at the floor as he anxiously replied.
Without wasting his word, Jiang Chen swiped two times on the screen.
“The two departments are abolished. The tax rate will be determined by the new administrative department after accessing market supply and demand. You can go home now.”
With two sounds of kneecaps hitting the ground, Lu Guangyuan and Wang Qianping both dropped down with tearless grief.
If the gate tax was a juicy piece of meat, the two departments were a giant pig with countless juicy meat. Now that they were being removed, how were they willing to just let it go!”
“General, you, you can’t just do that to us—”
“No—”
Jiang Chen was getting goosebumps, the tablet in his hand almost dropped to the ground.
[You guys are disgusting, people on the outside who don’t know what’s going on probably think I did something to them.]
Holding onto the tablet, Jiang Chen gave the two people a hard stare before eyeing the kinetic skeleton soldiers beside him. “Take them out.”
With the officials anxiously watching, the three officials on the ground were forcibly dragged out by the soldiers.
Displeased?
Anyone will be displeased!
The cake being taken away was pure robbery for these people.
But with a black muzzle in front of their heads, no one dared to say no.