Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 407 I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it!
"River management downstream."

"Diverting water into irrigation ditches and reinforcing dikes."

"Prime Minister," he smiled slightly, "I entrust the arrangements for river management to you."

"This is my duty," Feng Dao said with a slight smile, and immediately nodded.

This tumbler-like figure is said to be an old minister who has seen through everything in the world and lives a carefree life.

After being saved by Lin Dao's miraculous medicine and the magical ability to conjure objects out of thin air, he not only became energetic but also started working seriously.

This guy used to only put on a show and never did any work.

"Your Majesty," Feng Dao bowed again, "the reinforced concrete provided by Your Majesty is the best for repairing canals and building embankments."

"But there's a lot needed~"

Lin Dao, back on his throne, was slightly taken aback at first, then his expression softened. "A lot? How much can we use? We have as much as you need!"

Feng Dao, who was observing carefully, recited the numbers.

But in his heart, he had other thoughts. 'The things His Majesty took out didn't seem to conjure up; they seemed more like craftsmen making them.'

Lin Dao laughed again, "Okay, I'll double the amount of steel and cement, but I'll take 90% of all the gold in the national treasury."

"If a little gold can fix it," Feng Dao said, adjusting his strange mindset. "Your Majesty, please take it."

The more I look at it, the more it seems like it was bought.

'Such a large quantity; only the Heavenly Court could produce it.'

'But don't any celestial beings in Heaven possess the magic of alchemy? Why then do they need gold?'

Without a doubt, Feng Dao was one of the most brilliant minds of his time.

Many things can be deduced from just a few clues.

However, he was ultimately confined by the information cocoon of his time and simply could not imagine how terrifying Cthulhu would be in the industrial age.

Those steel mills that can be considered high-yield if they produce a few million kilograms a year, and cement that can be magically shaped.

Forest roads can easily provide tens of millions of kilograms, or even more!
Unable to imagine Feng Dao in the industrial age, one can only attribute it to the strongest place one can imagine.

Heavenly Court
Unfortunately, in an era of low productivity, people may be very clever, but they cannot imagine things that have never been mentioned before.

"In the future, the people of the Central Plains will continue to migrate to various parts of the world to live and multiply."

"But the rivers in the Central Plains still need to be repaired."

"This is our root, we must take good care of it."

In the past, river repair was a form of corvée labor, meaning that people worked for the state for free.

The route changed when we got to the forest road.

The corvée labor was abolished and replaced with recruitment labor.

They spent money, grain, and goods to hire people to do the work.

The benefit is that it increases the motivation to work.

When forced, they will slack off or cause damage whenever possible, and will not work diligently.

Those recruited who perform well will receive wages, while those who don't will be sent home.

Their attitudes are completely different.

Another thing that Lin Dao values ​​most is preserving human resources.

Nothing can compare to people.

In any world, people are the most important thing.

Without humanity, even the existence of the universe is meaningless.

People who performed corvée labor were not treated as human beings.

It is very easy to lose one's life.

Lin Dao needs a large enough population to fill the entire world, and he cannot stand by and watch such a thing happen.

Therefore, it was only natural that corvée labor was converted into manual labor.

The government's role shifted from being in charge of everything during the period of corvée labor to being a supervisor.

Supervision of the process, and acceptance upon completion.

If it doesn't meet the requirements, then the final payment will not be made.

In this way, the only ones who would truly suffer losses are the imperial court, or rather, the many officials who make up the imperial court.

After all, the money and grain were provided by the imperial court, and in the eyes of many officials, the imperial court's money and grain were their own.

"To file a complaint with the emperor?"

Upon emerging from seclusion, Lin Dao received a message that resembled something out of a play.

The head constable of the Imperial City Guard respectfully reports.

“He Youshi, a resident of Daming Prefecture, volunteered to take on the construction work of a section of the river embankment.”

"He recruited his fellow villagers and completed the work on the river embankment."

"But the people sent by the Ministry of Works said that the quality was substandard and did not pay the final payment."

"His fellow villagers kept chasing him for his wages, and he had no choice but to sell his family property, but it was just a drop in the bucket."

"After failing to recover the money, he committed suicide."

Lin Dao, sitting in the chair, tapped his fingers lightly without saying a word.

The head of the Imperial City Guard continued to report, "His wife, He Zhao, had nowhere to turn for help, so she came to Bianjing City to file a complaint with the Emperor."

"But she was kidnapped within the city."

"Heh~" Hearing this, Lin Dao chuckled, "It seems there's more to this than meets the eye."

"Yes."

"After our investigation, we discovered that there were signs that the steel, cement, and other materials allocated by the imperial court had been stolen and sold."

The tools and materials for river repair were all provided by Lin Dao.

The people who volunteered for the jobs mainly did so to earn a meager living.

As for the Imperial City Guard, it was an organization established by Lin Dao modeled after the Embroidered Uniform Guard, specializing in gathering intelligence from various regions, especially intelligence involving the government.

Lin Dao extended his hand, and the constable hurriedly handed over the corresponding file.

After reviewing the case file, Lin Dao roughly understood what had happened.

After a moment's hesitation, he instructed the head constable to call someone.

"Feng Dao, Minister of Works and Vice Ministers on the left and right."

When these people rushed over and bowed, but received no response, their hearts sank.

An indescribable silence fell over the Imperial Study.

After a long while, Lin Dao finally spoke, "Who did it?"

"If you stand up and admit it, you can at least have your body intact."

Feng Dao felt a slight tremor in his heart, looked up as if to speak but then stopped.

The men from the Ministry of Works all kept their heads down and remained silent, none of them admitting anything. "Do you think you can't get evidence against yourself?"

Lin Dao laughed, "You guys have really gone stupid from studying too much."

"I come from a military background, not a constable!"

"Only constables would go looking for evidence."

"And me," Lin Dao said, standing up with a sharp gaze, "all I need to know is whether this matter actually happened!"

"You can deny it, but wait here."

After saying that, Lin Dao walked away.

Feng Dao and the others waited in the Imperial Study until the afternoon of the following day.

No one brought them food, so they relied entirely on tea to stave off hunger, even chewing up and swallowing the tea leaves.

Only then did Feng Dao realize what was happening.

Seeing that Lin Dao treated the civil officials fairly well before, I've become a little arrogant?

When Lin Dao reappeared, Feng Dao immediately bowed.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty."

"What crime?"

"Knowing but not reporting".

Feng Dao then recounted how he knew that someone in the Ministry of Works was stealing and selling steel and cement, but had not reported it.

He turned a blind eye out of consideration for the fact that they were both civil officials.

Moreover, Feng Dao's prestige and network of connections essentially stemmed from officials of all ranks.

There are many things he can't forcefully point out.

"I am guilty," Feng Dao said, head bowed, still repenting. "I should have..."

"Shut up!" Lin Dao roared suddenly, startling Feng Dao.

"You didn't just withhold information, you covered it up! You want the people along the river to live in danger!"

"You, damn it!"

Feng Dao was completely shocked.

He couldn't believe it. Was this still the same Lin Dao who valued him so much?
So utterly shameless?

"I thought that civil officials in chaotic times should be better off. I dare not say that everyone is Wang Meng, but at least they should have more principles."

"That's why I gave you some opportunities."

Lin Dao, his eyes filled with anger, looked at Feng Dao and said, "You guys are really something, you can't change any environment!"

"If that's the case, then we don't need you."

"Stripped of all your official titles, ranks, and honors, and granted only a nominal title~"

Lin Dao waved his hand, "Lock him up in jail!"

Imperial guards stepped forward and dragged the dazed Feng Dao away.

Feng Dao was useful in the past because he could stabilize the situation.

But when he turns a blind eye to things that Lin Dao finds most intolerable in order to maintain his prestige and network of relationships, he is destined to be abandoned by Lin Dao.

"Fu Yanqing is appointed as the Chancellor (equivalent to the Prime Minister)."

"Zhao Pu was appointed as Vice Chancellor."

Lin Dao glanced at the Ministry of Works members with disgust, then waved his hand without saying a word.

The imperial guards came again and dragged them away.

He originally intended to give civil officials a chance during this chaotic time.

They even wondered if civil officials could return to the state of being both scholarly and martial, as was the case during the Han and Tang dynasties.

But the reality is, old habits die hard!
They stole and sold steel and cement from the forest road, withheld workers' wages, and even obstructed appeals to the authorities.

These are all just appearances; even martial artists experience these kinds of things.

The truly crucial and fatal flaw is that everyone, from top to bottom, knows it, but nobody says anything!
If it weren't for the establishment of the Imperial City Guard, even a transmigrator like Lin Dao wouldn't know about it.

"We gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it!"

It's different for military people, because they are governed by military law!
Concealing or failing to report?

Behead them all!
Who would risk their life for a little money?

"The scale of night schools in each department has been expanded, and they must cover all sergeants."

"Those who excel in the examinations will be selected and assigned to various government offices, with priority given to those who have made military achievements."

Lin Dao followed the same path as other worlds and timelines, replacing civil officials with military and political officials.

Although there will be problems of one kind or another, at least they can fight!
To maintain the warriors' ambition, they continued to expand their territory and relocate people, at least to occupy all the land under the sun.

As for what happens after that, Lin Dao has no control over it.

Without a doubt, this is a huge change.

The advantage of the environment is that at this time, martial arts are valued more than academics, so the pressure and resistance encountered are not so strong.

If it were during the Song Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty...

Lin Dao's actions will inevitably provoke a collective resistance from gentry and officials throughout the land.

Then the world will be in turmoil again.

For the next period of time, Lin Dao devoted most of his energy to replacing literature with martial arts.

In addition, there were many other matters, such as repairing the river and preparing for the Northern Expedition to the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

They were extremely busy.

Fortunately, Lin Dao never forgot his most important job.

After a period of preparation, Lin Dao assembled his troops and began his northward journey.

Before setting off, Lin Dao burned a memorial text, in which he vehemently denounced Shi Jingtang.

"That Shatuo bastard Shi Jingtang."

"The son sells his grandfather's land without a second thought!"

"The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were ceded to the Khitans."

"From then on, the north and south were separated for five hundred years!"

"That's five hundred years!"

"Sun Wukong has been released after serving his sentence."

"The Han people from the North and South almost became two different races!"

"You're just lucky you died young. If I had run into you, I would have had to drive a road roller and bury you in the dirt!"

(End of this chapter)