High Above

The goal of building a kingdom of heaven sounds too grand just by itself.

Except for Adelbert, the other two people couldn't really understand the meaning behind this word.

No, rather, who in this world can specifically propose what the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is like? Who knows how an ideal world should be built? Who can understand why the kingdom of heaven is heaven and not another kind of hell?

No one will understand.

"Boss."

For example, Qingchao frowned slightly and asked quite seriously: "Can I understand that... you want to build a prosperous and peaceful territory where everyone can live and work in peace and contentment?"

And Scott also looked at Ian with a solemn expression.

This does not allow them to be careless, because in Terra, the lord's wishes are far more important than other things, and the lord can indeed use his own power to change the development of the entire territory.

Ian looked at Qingchao and Scott, looking at each other's slightly confused expressions, and couldn't help but sigh.

You can’t say the world of Terra is good, but you can’t say it’s bad either.

In this world, one taler can buy nearly half a ton of grain in grain-rich areas like the Central Plains. As long as there is a job and no war, and people live around the city, everyone can live a pretty good life. At most, becoming an Ascendant depends on luck. .

Most people in this world would rather keep the status quo than change.

Unless the whole world turns into a hell like the Ecumenical Kingdom, people will simply not be able to imagine the Kingdom of Heaven.

That's the saddest thing.

"This is my personal wish."

Therefore, as a compromise, Ian sighed silently and said some more practical goals: "If nothing else, although the Ryan Territory is large, it is still too small compared to my personal ambitions—— Although the empire has not stated it clearly, the disruption of the Baisen Mountains by the Flying Flame Land this time is indeed an opportunity for us. In this chaotic time, we can easily increase the actual control area of ​​the territory."

"There will definitely be no less wars in the future. In order to protect my territory, I need more resources. This is not just a simple matter of technological progress and more food and more sublimated plants. We must build a more A good system solves distribution problems and internal friction.”

"To put it simply, I want to be the local emperor of Nanling, build a kingdom that belongs to me, and I will define the order in it."

With his eyes flashing, Ian looked around at everyone present: "Can you understand this?"

——Indeed, you can understand it this way.

Qingchao and Scott both showed clear expressions - although many nobles dare not say this wish, many people do it, and of course they understand it.

As for the new order... Hey, there are so many lords on the continent of Terra, and they already have a lot of messy private laws and local laws. Just like over there in Icewind Fortress, butterflies are still protected animals. Isn't this just because of the lords themselves? Is it the Titan-level Ice Wind Butterfly?

——This world is not yet in need of reform. The people are not painful enough and hateful enough. They have not experienced the deep darkness and despair.

——So there is no desire for ‘brighter’ in my heart.

Looking at Qingchao and Scott's reactions, Ian confirmed this again.

Although it seems that there are some common problems in post-apocalyptic civilizations, Terra's current situation is actually relatively healthy. At least there will be no massacres in today's wars. All major countries are actively developing technology and paying great attention to public opinion. It is not a simple one-man politics.

They are exploring new fields and new continents, and the four major orthodox religions are also dealing with issues related to ruins and various labyrinths.

At the very least, more than a hundred years will have to pass, so that there is no room for development in the entire world, and the contradictions between the upper and lower classes will intensify, and the upper class will be completely solidified, and neither the sublimated nor the non-sublimated will have a way to rise, before fighting again. A world war that makes even the Ascendants feel miserable.

Only the entire Terra can feel the pain of the times, try to change its own shortcomings, and then slowly change.

The new generation of Terran civilization is still young, and there are many costs and opportunities for trial and error.

but……

Prison Star Prison has no time.

People cannot feel the crisis in the extremely distant place, and the tiny dust on the planet cannot understand the grandeur and order of the stars. If you tell these people about the sphere five light years away, they will just sneer and tell you that they will not even be able to live tomorrow. Why worry about things far away?

They won't have a sense of crisis.

Even if the stars in the sky are about to fall, aren't there still tall people holding them up? Will they survive until disaster strikes? After they die, there will be no floods.

However, when the real disaster in the universe strikes, these tiny people, these people who are only thinking about tomorrow, will not even have the next second - and the tall people in this world, those with the fifth energy level Are the strong men really holding up the sky?

When the disaster actually occurs, the darkness in the deep space will come decisively, overturning everything, submerging everything, leaving no trace of fire.

In this world, most people can only think about tomorrow.

But someone has to think about things hundreds and thousands of years from now.

"So, this is the sadness that Inaga II feels and the fact that time is not waiting for me... Ha, at least he is an emperor, but I am a country lord. It's just that he is less free, but I can do whatever I want in Nanling do what."

"In general, each has its own advantages and disadvantages."

Muttering to himself, Ian closed his eyes: "The biggest enemy of order is indeed not a chaotic world, but another kind of reasonable order..."

Shaking his head slightly, Ian opened his eyes and retracted his thoughts.

"Next, every night, I will give lectures to you. Covering economics, politics, sociology, etc."

Putting his hands on the conference table, Ian calmly said to Scott, Qingchao and Adbot: "Although I am not a professional teacher, you must understand what I am thinking so that you can prepare for the future. I share the worries.”

"As for now, let's make an announcement first - changing the world is too far, changing the country is too big, let's start by changing our own territory."

"Yes!" everyone responded.

After the war, the first batch of instructions came from Ryan Castle, which aroused great concern from all concerned people.

But when the soldiers posted the announcement around the square, everyone who could understand Common Tongue was stunned.

Because the content of this announcement is very simple.

[Starting today, all old tax officials in Laian Territory will be relieved of their duties]

[Those who are willing to apply for the new tax officer position can go to the city hall to register and take a written test and interview]

In addition, soldiers posted other announcements.

For example, the newly-established Territorial Defense Force hires personnel with "education experience" as military education specialists. The salary is quite high, and it is still an army establishment.

For example, the newly established ‘Agriculture Department’ in the city hall is recruiting experienced growers and relevant alchemists to participate in the ‘new agricultural development plan’ in the future territory.

For another example, starting from November 1, the entire Ryan Territory will conduct a comprehensive census.

Big news comes one after another, making people dizzy.

But it is the first instruction that is the most touching.

As expected, the ones who had the strongest reaction to this were the tax collectors in the original city of Leian.

The business of Old Yug's tavern has been very average these days. Due to the food disaster in Nanling, not to mention Ryan City, even Nauman City has been forced to ban alcohol. This is for those who are addicted to alcohol and enter the tavern just to get drunk. For the Han people, it was like killing them.

But today, there were seven or eight guests gathered together in the depressed tavern. They drank sweet soda drinks and chatted worriedly, with tense and solemn tones.

Those gathered here are all tax collectors from Laian City - they are all well-known local family members. They usually rely on their family's reputation and their own strength to collect taxes from various industries and neighborhoods.

To put it simply, Elder Puder, the leader of the white people and the red people in Harrison Port, the civil affairs adjutant, will collect taxes from the white people for Viscount Grant, and Lamar, as the financial officer, will do the same.

Generally speaking, these tax collectors are the epitome of the forces under the lord that actually build the territorial order.

Generally speaking, even lords who have the power of life and death and almost unlimited power in their own territories will let these people do things for them in order to avoid the trouble of management, and they will enrich their own pockets and secretly make some small gains for themselves. To those lords who didn't care much about this aspect, his actions were nothing more than a cat stealing some cat food.

As long as these families coax the lord well and make the lord feel comfortable, the ascendants will not mind this small amount of money.

But if you are a lord who is not afraid of trouble...

"Just retreat like this?"

A tax official said softly that he was the second son of the Ross family. His family had a good reputation and owned more than a dozen good plantations, which also made him the tax official in charge of a city area.

This is the result of more than ten years of family operation. In order to win the position of tax collector, the Ross family fought openly and secretly with the next-door Luoda family for a long time, and several people died in each... Now the new lord wants them all to abdicate in one sentence. , Recruiting new people, how can it be possible to swallow this breath?

So he complained with some reluctance: "If we all retreat, where will the lord find the manpower to collect taxes for him? There are not so many experienced people in Ryan City!"

"Retreat. Why don't you retreat?"

On the side, the old man smoking a cigarette said without raising his eyebrows: "Our new lord killed President Xilin on the first day he came to Ryan City. He was a bigger man than us - I have inquired about it. There is an entire Bai Zhimin family behind us, so how can we be short of manpower?"

He looked at the young tax collector of the Ross family and said with a smile: "What this young lord means is actually very clear - a new era has come, only his territory and his rules."

"What Baron Ryan said and promised originally doesn't count for him."

Having said this, he shook out the ashes from his pipe: "Here's the problem... As long as we are loyal to this lord, it's not like he refuses our written examination. So what if we are expelled? We can take it back again."

Looking around at everyone present, the old tax collector who had experienced three lords said indifferently: "After all, we have experience, even if the new lord is really unwilling to use us 'disloyal' old people - then I Just ask, does the city hall need a ‘teacher’?”

"If nothing else, we are all literate and numerate. Isn't the city hall hiring an education specialist? This means that the lord needs educated people like us very much."