I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 476 Reform
After Baghnia annexed Minicia, it expanded from a small country into a large one.

This expansion has many consequences. Internally, Chris's court needs to expand, and his Bagnian government has an even greater need for positions.

Bagnia was originally a small country, and it was not difficult for Chris to rule it. He only needed to set up a Ministry of Military Affairs and a State Council, which would basically take care of everything.

The entire country has only three major cities. Apart from the capital, the other two cities are in a semi-independent state. Apart from personnel matters, Chris doesn't need to worry too much about the city's development plans, so he has a particularly leisurely life.

The Ministry of State Affairs has three leadership positions. One position, Minister of State Affairs, is vacant and is filled by Chris. The remaining two positions are the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance. The former is held by Marquis Dirac, while the latter is held by an NPC.

In any case, as an NPC controlled by a 25th-century intelligent AI, his computing power is very high, and he is not corrupt. He is more than qualified to be the finance minister of a small country without making any mistakes.

As for the NPCs' lack of empathy and their harsh attitude towards subordinates, these are not major problems. Anyway, Chris doesn't care about the complaints of the civil servants in the finance department.

Once Bagnia formally annexed Minicia, this small government model became unworkable. Even with the help of intelligent NPCs, Chris, who was also serving as the Minister of State, was extremely busy and urgently needed others to share the work and responsibilities.

Chris knew very well that in addition to promoting more mid-level officials, he needed to change the already streamlined organizational structure.

Small government agencies are already struggling to cope with the vast new territories and surging population.

A mountain of documents poured in from all over the newly occupied Minicia, covering countless thorny issues such as law, taxation, infrastructure, people’s livelihood, and cultural integration. This was far beyond what a mere executive council and two ministers could handle.

Chris quickly realized that he could no longer serve as Minister of State.

This position must be filled by someone who is truly capable and has sufficient authority and prestige to coordinate the rapidly expanding administrative system.

His gaze first fell upon the Marquis Dirac.

This veteran nobleman is skilled in diplomacy and demonstrated considerable organizational ability during the annexation of Minicia, making him a popular candidate.

However, Chris hesitated. Dirac's power was already considerable, and if he were to hand over all domestic affairs power, his influence would be difficult to control, and a political circle headed by him could very likely form.

On the other hand, Minicia had just submitted, and its old aristocratic and bureaucratic system was in a state of panic.

If the top leadership of the new government is entirely controlled by Bagnya's former subordinates, it may be difficult to appease the people in the new territory, and it may even provoke a backlash.

Late at night, Chris was deep in thought in his study, staring at a map of the country and a list of officials, when he made several crucial decisions.

First, the State Council should be split up and specialized departments established, so that we no longer rely on a single, cumbersome State Council. This would allow us to create more opportunities for Baghnia and Miniscia.

Chris's plan includes setting up four new departments.

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for public security, household registration, infrastructure construction, and domestic affairs management. It is the most powerful and also the most complicated department.

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the formulation, interpretation, and construction and oversight of the judicial system, with a particular focus on unifying the laws of Baghnia and Minicia.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for promoting Chinese language and character education, integrating the cultures of the two regions, and cultivating a sense of national identity in the new country.

The Ministry of Commerce was responsible for managing trade, commercial guilds, standardizing weights and measures, and stimulating economic development.

The original tax department will be renamed the finance department, and will be retained along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but its responsibilities and personnel will be greatly expanded.

Including the original departments, the Council of Government of the Kingdom of Bagnia now has a total of nine departments: the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Transportation.

The Ministry of Military Affairs was upgraded to the Military Affairs Council, which now has seven departments: the Military Registration Department, the Armaments Department, the Food and Supplies Department, the Training Department, the Military Law Department, the Garrison Department, and the Military Intelligence Department. Connie was promoted to Minister of Military Intelligence, a position that is both military and civilian.

Secondly, regarding high-level personnel arrangements, Chris decided to step down as Minister of State, but would not immediately appoint Dirac.

He created a new position...Secretary of State, a position higher than that of ministers, responsible for coordinating all domestic departments and reporting directly to the King.

However, he chose to leave the position of Minister of State vacant.

This is a subtle signal, and also a temptation and a test for everyone.

The Marquis Dirac, who had previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary, continued to serve as Foreign Minister, but some of his economic and diplomatic powers were transferred to the newly established Department of Commerce.

The finance minister is still the same efficient and ruthless NPC, but his task has become more demanding: to quickly establish a tax system for the new territories.

The selection of the Home Secretary is of paramount importance, so Chris surprisingly chose to leave the position vacant, waiting for a qualified and capable person to emerge.

As for the current state of domestic affairs... let the lower-level officials handle things first. Even if things are a bit chaotic, we can't just appoint incompetent people.

As for the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Education, he chose scholarly nobles in Baghnia who were well-versed in law and had relatively open minds, in order to ensure the continuation of the dominant ruling ideology.

Finally, Chris plans to promote a large number of mid-level officials.

Whether in Bagnia or Minicia, anyone with talent can obtain a position through the ruthless yet fair new official evaluation system jointly developed by the NPC Finance Minister and the soon-to-be-established Ministry of Justice.

This should have greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of ambitious people in both places, injected fresh blood into the new government, and diluted the influence of the already small number of old nobles.

After finalizing these seemingly flawless new systems, Chris breathed a sigh of relief... Damn it, he desperately needed people to share the workload, and now that he was trying to reform the government structure, there was no one to help him.

Chris could only rely on his past experience, along with the computing power of the players' AI, to come up with this seemingly decent setup.

As for whether it will actually work, Chris doesn't know yet; he'll have to try it out first.

Since it's all just a makeshift operation anyway, Chris's plan is to promote some players who are interested in becoming officials.

……

On the afternoon of the day the edict was issued, Marquis Dirac listened in his study at the mansion of Wattradnoy as his trusted steward recited the new decree issued by the king word for word.

On the expensive sagewood table in the study, a cup of steaming black tea gradually cooled down.

After the butler finished reading, he stood at attention with his hands at his sides, not daring to make a sound.

A long silence fell over the room.

Marquis Dirac sat in a high-backed chair, his face expressionless, with even a habitual, aristocratic, reserved smile playing on his lips.

But his butler, who had served him for many years, could sense that the air in the room was becoming increasingly cold and oppressive.

Dirac's expression was complicated. After a long while, he picked up the cup of cold red tea, took a sip, and seemed completely unaware that the tea had lost its temperature.

After finishing his cup of tea, he let out a long sigh.

"Your Majesty..."

Dirac recalled the past, remembering his first meeting with His Majesty when he was still a prince at Fort Polas, and how young the latter was back then.

Of course, he was young then, but Dirac saw himself as an investor and treated the prince with a somewhat condescending attitude. The rest is history; Dirac gradually changed his view of Chris, slowly and consciously placing himself below His Majesty.

Now, Dirac dared not mention the past to His Majesty, for he had led his army to fight against the King's Guard at the time of the Bolas Fortress.
Within the Kingdom of Bagnia, His Majesty Chris's current prestige is practically godlike.

The reason is simple: when Dirac led his army to fight against the Republic and encountered Chris, he never imagined that things would turn out this way.

At the time, he thought that Prince Chris was a capable person, and perhaps the latter could restore the country... Yes, restore the country.

Dirac's greatest dream was to restore his country.

And now?

The Kingdom of Bagnia swallowed up the Kingdom of Minicia, a move that was both small and large... This was an incredibly crazy reality that Dirac could never have imagined!

His Majesty Chris's prestige within Bagnia has reached an unprecedented peak, almost mythical.

Before annexing Minicia, Chris was a wise ruler who restored and revitalized the nation, a hero who led Bagnia from the brink of extinction to independence.

Now, he is the conqueror who expanded the territory and created unprecedented achievements, and the emperor of all time.

In the countryside and towns of Bagnia, in taverns and inns, people spoke of His Majesty Chris with an almost dizzying reverence and pride.

This sentiment permeated the entire territory of Old Bagnia.

Chris was more than just a king; he became a symbol, an embodiment of the power and glory of the Bagnian people. His portraits were hung in many homes, and even small shrines began to appear in some places.

Nowadays, parents in Bagnia often tell their children, "You should be as brave and wise as His Majesty Chris."

The foundation of this reputation lies in the fact that Chris led them to accomplish an impossible task.

From the restoration of their nation to their expansion, every step was nothing short of miraculous. In particular, the conquest of a larger nation by a smaller one greatly satisfied the Bagnians' national pride.

They were no longer citizens of an insignificant little country on the mainland, but citizens of a newly emerging powerful nation.

Therefore, when Chris issued the new decree on government reform, Dirac knew that there would be virtually no resistance to it.

The common people will blindly believe in His Majesty.

"His Majesty must have his reasons."

"With so many departments established, it seems our country has truly become stronger!"

"I heard there's a civil service exam, and the passing score has been lowered... If my son passes, wouldn't he be able to become an official in the capital?"

People trusted Chris, almost blindly.

His decisions are automatically shrouded in an aura of correctness and wisdom.

This prestige formed the most solid foundation of Chris's power, giving him enough confidence and resources to implement reforms that might affect existing interests, such as leaving key positions like Home Secretary vacant, without worrying about immediately triggering widespread discontent.

Even an old nobleman like Marquis Dirac had to restrain his sharp edge and choose to be submissive and cooperative when faced with a king with such terrifying prestige.

Because he knew perfectly well that in Bagnia at that time, any act of openly challenging Chris's authority would not receive the support of the mainstream public opinion in the country. On the contrary, it would instantly make him a sinner who was "out of touch with the big picture" and "hindered the country's progress".

In Bagnia, the name Chris is synonymous with correctness and victory.

This overwhelming prestige was not only his strongest shield in implementing his new policies, but it also inadvertently placed an invisible shackle on all his ministers.

Even when only his butler was in his study, Dirac dared not utter a single unnecessary word.

……

After learning of Dirac's opinion and confirming that his reforms would not face internal opposition, Chris breathed a sigh of relief and continued dealing with the Miniscia matter.

Chris hadn't forgotten that although Charles was dead, the Church of Poseidon, which stood with him, was doing well... How could this be allowed?
Although there is no evidence, after Charles surrendered, Chris obtained private letters from Charles's study, which indirectly revealed that Charles was the mastermind behind the "Snakemen Landing Incident," and the Church of Poseidon was indeed an accomplice.

Charles is now dead.

There's no way to hold someone accountable when they're dead, and Charles was a defector who even played the family card. Chris simply couldn't bring himself to harm or punish him... Looking at it this way, Charles's death was actually quite a clever move.

Charles's lineage has passed the test, but what about the Church of Poseidon?

Chris has received the letter of allegiance from the High Priest of the Church of Poseidon, but he has no intention of replying.

In other words, he didn't want to take in this stray dog... Chris wanted to beat it up.

However, at a time when Bagnia was annexing Minicia, Chris did not want to use an executive order to target the Church of Neptune and declare it a cult.

The reason is simple: in the Miniscia region, the Church of the Sea God is the mainstream belief, and even though it has been eroded by the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture and the Earth Mother, it still maintains its enormous influence in coastal towns and many islands.

Abruptly declaring it a cult and suppressing it would undoubtedly exacerbate ethnic and religious conflicts in the new territory, causing significant disruption to the already fragile integration process.

Therefore, this matter requires a gentler approach.

First, there's the newly established Ministry of the Interior, whose Religious Affairs Bureau is a very effective tool.

Chris wouldn't make things difficult for the Church of the Sea God. Even when the Church applied for legal church status, he would instruct the Religious Affairs Bureau to approve it in order to appease the believers.

But after it's approved, the Church of the Sea God still wants to do something, such as missionary work, or the new address for the church... In short, everything that requires an application will have to be done a little "later".

Anyone who has run a business knows that what's most frustrating is often not a clear rejection, but rather the endless wait and approvals that seem to disappear into thin air.

This was exactly the effect Chris wanted. He wouldn't openly suppress the Church of Poseidon—that would be too foolish—but he could use the most powerful weapon of the bureaucratic system: delay and procedure.

Besides using subtle tactics, he would also subtly encourage the Church of the Earth Mother and the Church of the Agricultural Goddess to confidently proselytize in the Church of the Sea God and challenge them.

Religious matters have always been a matter of life and death.

Therefore, the Church of Poseidon will definitely retaliate, and Chris is waiting for it to retaliate. He will instruct various law enforcement agencies in the country to take sides against them.

This could also be a soft knife that kills without drawing blood.

The Church of the Sea God will know what suffering is in the future.

(End of this chapter)