Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 509 Old Ma's Analysis of the Problem of Leveraging Identity in Dongxia

For a newly emerging and rapidly expanding territory like the Vast Ocean, things always seem to be endless.

From the banks of the North Foothills River in the south to the desolate Stone Gate in the north, from the Emerald Bay in the east to the Red Rock Highlands in the west, this vast complex is constantly generating endless affairs, leaving its administrators overwhelmed.

However, Ma Tianheng's handling of the matter was concise, decisive, and efficient, freeing Chen Mo from a mountain of miscellaneous tasks.

The key point is that everything is reported and every matter receives a response, which gives Chen Mo a great sense of relief.

Currently, Ma Tianheng has a very special status at Hanhai.

He does not hold any specific official position.

In Lao Ma's own words, there is only one lord in the Han Hai, and the officials of the Han Hai have formed a well-organized system that works together from top to bottom over the past period of time. At this time, it is easy for a leadership to be parachuted in and cause trouble.

"In a successful team, everyone in the team will subconsciously take credit for the success themselves."

"The rapid development of the Han Hai over such a long period of time, from a small outpost to such a large territory, has made them a significant force on the continent. Everyone would agree that they have made a huge and indelible contribution."

"If I jump in now, no matter what I do, they'll just think, 'Who do you think you are?'"

"When we were fighting the orcs, you were probably nowhere to be found. Why should we listen to you?"

"That's why many managers, when they take on a new position, have to replace a large number of their own people, or simply get rid of the senior veterans and replace them with unfamiliar newcomers. Many times, it's because they have no choice. If you haven't shared the ups and downs with these old people, they can't accept you psychologically."

"I don't have any of my own people right now, so it's best not to give me a position."

How can you do the work if you don't have a job title?

This is what Lao Ma meant by "borrowing Chen Mo's influence."

Old Ma currently holds three identities.

First, he obtained the title of "Special Envoy for Temporary Handling of the Aftermath of the War Against the Beasts" from Chen Mo, and was directly responsible to Chen Mo.

It seemed ordinary and without much power, but in Lao Ma's hands, he made a name for himself.

Does the vast arsenal left behind by Dongxia count as a consequence of the war against the beasts?

Does the reform and reorganization of the military, including how to reduce, merge, and re-equip troops, count as a post-war issue related to the war against the beasts?

Furthermore, any aspect of Hanhai's affairs, including diplomacy, politics, personnel, finance, and construction, can be dragged into the scope of this "aftermath issue" if they want to.

Old Ma used his influence with extreme restraint, never overstepping his bounds easily. However, with Chen Mo's support behind him, theoretically there was almost nothing he couldn't interfere in, and on the surface, he hadn't touched anyone's interests.

At least the officials of Hanhai could comfort themselves with this thought: the special envoy was dealt with temporarily, just bear with it, and everything will be fine once it's over!
Secondly, he obtained a representative status as a member of the Torch Vanguard Team.

The Torch Vanguard Team of Hanhai evolved from the Torch Youth Group previously organized by Chen Mo. This organization is quite special; they do not possess any actual assets or power. However, everyone who possesses assets and power tries every means to join the Torch Vanguard Team.

The core members of the Torch Vanguard Team are Chen Mo's staunch supporters.

Ma Tianheng acted even more loyal than the most loyal, so he easily integrated into the team. He even gained the unanimous approval of the Torch Team's core members because of his determination to defend the lord, even at the cost of doubting the gods.

Finally, I must say that Liu Shuang doesn't need any rational thinking; she always manages to give the right answer.

The wife she recommended to Ma Tianheng transformed him into a legitimate member of the royal family, which was incredibly useful in the Starry World.

And so, after a period of time, Lao Ma became second only to Han Hai, and his relationship with Chen Mo became increasingly harmonious.

As Chen Mo spent more time with him, he realized that Old Ma was actually a very easygoing person. Now, this guy would come to his lord's manor every day to freeload meals, and during the mealtime, he would chat casually, and that would basically be enough to report on or request instructions regarding the affairs of the territory.

During the meal, the two people, who neither liked to drink, clinked their bowls together while eating the soup made by the halfling chef.

A few rays of light pierced through the window frame, slanting across the dining table and reflecting the rising steam from the bowls.

The soup was made with top-quality mutton carefully raised by orcs from the wilderness, along with wild yams dug from the Beilu River, and seven or eight kinds of spices, and was simmered on a large stove for a full four hours.

The soup is milky white, fragrant, and topped with a thin layer of oil, so tempting that it makes your mouth water at first glance.

Chen Mo took a sip of the soup, and a warm feeling spread from his stomach, making him feel much more comfortable.

He put down his bowl and began to flatter Lao Ma, saying, "When I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it said that Pang Tong handled a hundred days' worth of backlog of official business in half a day. I found that hard to believe back then, but now, looking at your work ethic, Lao Ma, I think it's just average."

This refers to a story recorded in the classic legends of the Eastern Xia Dynasty. It is said that after Pang Tong, the Phoenix Chick, joined Liu Bei, he was assigned the post of magistrate of Leiyang County because of his ugly appearance. The original text describes him as having "thick eyebrows, a raised nose, a black face, a short beard, and a strange appearance."

The official rank is neither too high nor too low, and the main thing is that it's not in front of me, so I don't feel disgusted.

Pang Tong felt that he was being "underutilized," so after taking office he spent his days drinking and neglecting his duties, leaving the county's official business piling up for more than a hundred days without being dealt with.

When the news reached Liu Bei, he was furious and sent Zhang Fei to Leiyang to question him. Then, Pang Tong showed off his skills to him in person.

That's what they said: "This is a small county of only a hundred miles, and these are just some minor official matters. What's so difficult about making a decision? General, please sit down and let me decide."

Then they had all the backlog of official business brought up, and "criticized it in their hands, pronounced it in their mouths, and listened to the words in their ears." In half a day, all the official business was dealt with cleanly and without the slightest mistake.

Finally, he added, "I regard Cao Cao and Sun Quan as easily as reading a book in the palm of my hand!"

This display of pretentiousness is truly unparalleled.

What follows is the shock of the villagers, the shock of the yamen runners, the shock of Zhang Fei, the shock of Liu Bei, and then the shock of Liu Bei ascending the stage to be appointed generals, and the harmonious relationship between the emperor and his ministers. This story belongs to the earliest version of the shock-generating novel.

The fact that Pang Shiyuan died young, leaving no opportunity for later generations to verify whether he was capable or not, adds a touch of legend to this tale.

After hearing this, Ma Tianheng grinned, downed the soup in his bowl in one gulp, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Aside from his military uniform, which made him more obedient, other clothes on him looked like rags. It was hard to imagine that this was the same meticulous elite from Dongxia who had arrived before.

"I think the situation you described is unlikely, or at least not entirely true."

“It is impossible to handle government affairs, especially those involving a county and a large number of cases, without prior investigation and preparation, relying solely on on-site handling.”

"Without on-site investigation, data collection, eyewitness interviews, or verification of testimonies and evidence, how can they handle things on the spot just by asking a few questions? There is absolutely no credibility to it."

"And another point is that many government affairs cannot be delayed!"

Old Ma raised his voice: "Things vary in importance, size, and urgency. How can we just ignore them all? For example, if there's a murder in the county, bandits in the surrounding area, clan disputes, natural disasters, or epidemics, these are things that can't be delayed even for a day, let alone a hundred days!"

"Are they using the entire county's residents as guinea pigs?"

"Besides, Zhang Fei later served as the Commandant of the Capital Region, overseeing all officials in the central government and investigating important ministers in the capital. He was essentially the head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which is not a position for a fool."

"If you dare to play such tricks in front of him, he'll chop you up on the spot."

Chen Mo sighed.

I was just casually complimenting you, why are you starting class again?
The key point is... it makes a lot of sense.

It's not over yet. After giving the analysis, Lao Ma still wants to give the answer.

"So, there are probably three possibilities."

"The first type is pure fabrication, and it is most likely a story imagined by later scholars who had no understanding of political administration, just like the stories made up by poor scholars about emperors using golden hoes to till the land."

Chen Mo chuckled to himself.

"Secondly, it's about covering up mistakes and falsifying one's resume."

"If I remember correctly, there are records that this guy was dismissed for mishandling government affairs. Later, he used his connections with Lu Su of Eastern Wu to write a letter of recommendation to Liu Bei, and that's how he was reinstated."

"After gaining power, it's quite common in the workplace to revise one's resume."

"third!"

Old Ma frowned slightly: "If I wanted to achieve that effect, I could, but it would take a lot of effort."

"Take complete control of personnel matters in the county government, remove those who disobey, and make it your own personal fiefdom to ensure that no information leaks out."

"Make all the necessary preparations for handling government affairs in advance. Investigate what needs to be investigated and ask what needs to be asked. Make sure you know the details of every matter and have control over it." "Also, quietly remove the most urgent, troublesome, and unprocessable matters from the files without leaving a trace."

"In addition, ideally, there would be someone close to the leader above to cooperate. Besides timely tipping, it would be best if they could also take the initiative to suggest and guide the action according to the timeline I have prepared, thus creating such a 'surprise inspection' event."

"In that case, we should be able to clear out what took a hundred days in half a day. Well, to put it bluntly, it's about putting on a 'gift' performance!"

Chen Mo silently took the soup bowl that Ma Tianheng had drunk from, ladled out another bowl of soup for him, and even scooped out a lot of dried ingredients, handing it to his "brother-in-law".

I've learned a lot again!

Old Ma didn't stand on ceremony, took the cup, drank a mouthful, wiped his mouth with the other sleeve, and then got back to business.

"I've spoken with Commander Macaga about the field army. He'll submit an application for reorganization immediately and push it forward in full."

Chen Mo was a little curious: "What did you tell him?"

Ma Tianheng curled his lip. "I told him, we both have the surname Ma, I can't possibly harm you!"

Chen Mo was somewhat amused and exasperated. Was his "horse" the same as his "horse"?
“The main reason is that Macaka is truly loyal to you. I only hinted at your predicament, and he immediately understood.”

"The officers below are a little troublesome, but it's not a big problem. The centaur tribe has a long history of wandering and uncertainty. In addition, they are a small tribe in the Hanhai, so they have a strong sense of crisis and are eager to make a name for themselves."

“I told them that the earlier a unit completes its restructuring, the greater its chance of being among the first to set out to explore the New World.”

"When comparing the two options, they are still willing to sacrifice some control in order to gain an opportunity to make a contribution."

Chen Mo listened with considerable emotion, "Old Ma, is there anything in this world that you can't handle?"

Ma Tianheng laughed heartily: "There are plenty more!"

"Everything I've accomplished is essentially thanks to your influence. Without your support, no matter how eloquent I am, I can't get anything done!"

"For example, no matter how well I get along with Macaka, to the point of calling each other brothers and being sworn brothers, you only need to say one word and he can immediately destroy me."

"So I use technique, while you grasp the principle; these are not the same thing!"

"Come on, cheers! Thank you for your guidance, Lord!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In order of importance, following the military reform of Hanhai is the promotion of electronic equipment.

Old Ma pulled a crumpled document from his pocket and spread it on the table. It was a "Comprehensive Overview of the Development of the Electronics Industry in the Starry World" sent by the Dongxia Think Tank, covered with red lines and annotations.

"The advice from my family is to proceed gradually, starting with tape recorders, then televisions, then pagers, then cell phones, and then smartphones as appropriate."

"What they are considering is that the overall development level of the Starry World is seriously unbalanced, with the vast majority of consumption power concentrated in the upper class, and there are no signs of significant development in the short term. Ordinary people can't afford our equipment, so they hope to maximize their profits through this wave of cyclical harvesting."

"But after thinking about it carefully, I felt it wasn't appropriate!"

What Chen Mo admired most about Lao Ma was this: he never took the advice given by the Dongxia think tank seriously.

"Yes, I know you've thought things through thoroughly. Could you elaborate?"

"It's not that I've thought things through more thoroughly, but there's some information that you don't know as much as I do."

Old Ma casually pushed the bowls and chopsticks aside, then pulled out a crumpled piece of white paper and started writing and drawing on the table.

"Dongxia's Cihang Engineering Office has several different think tanks, all of whom are experts in their respective fields and loyal to the country, but that doesn't mean they don't have their own ulterior motives."

Old Ma looked up at Chen Mo and said, "I've been reading this development overview over and over again these past few days, and I've noticed a writing style in it that I recognize."

"That guy is an expert, but he's also a spokesperson for certain groups in China."

Several names were written on the paper, and Old Ma drew several circles around them heavily.

"All political, social, and strategic problems, in the final analysis, are economic problems!"

"Experts from the construction group usually prioritize Hanhai's transportation development and urban construction; consultants from the financial group may heavily emphasize the prospects of Wangyue Jingge and the stock exchange; if I'm not mistaken, this report, written by a team from the electronics industry system, is reasonable, but it certainly doesn't prioritize Hanhai's interests."

Chen Mo has been a lord for so long, he's not a novice, and he should be able to spot any obvious problems.

With some doubt, he asked, "The operation here at Hanhai doesn't seem to have much to do with the family's interests... does it? Even if we source goods from home, we can't transport that much. With such a small output, it's not worth going to such lengths, is it?"

"So, there are some things you're unaware of."

Ma Tianheng drew a long line with his pen, connecting the several endpoints.
"The direct benefits may seem small, just a few tens of millions of yuan worth of products. For a company like Dongxia, that's a drop in the ocean. Even a random second-generation rich kid might not be interested in it."

"However, the power of discourse is different!"

"In Dongxia, matters concerning the Vast Ocean, or rather, the Starry World, are treated as a national strategy and a top priority."

"Wherever Hanhai develops, Dongxia's policies will follow suit. Around the industries and products to be built in Fanxing, a large number of new research projects, topics, and initiatives are likely to emerge!"

"This involves an astronomical amount of funding!"

"Moreover, this family's style of 'concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks' can lead to a temporary imbalance of power, and may even affect the strategic development direction of Dongxia itself!"

This completely entered Chen Mo's blind spot, leaving the young lord utterly bewildered.

Ma Tianheng sighed.

"To give an example, due to the needs of the Starry World, the family reorganized the 'battleship' design and manufacturing team, with at least three research institutes and more than a dozen laboratories, to conduct research and development on battleships of various tonnages and related equipment. Such a large diversion of funds has delayed the development of several new weapon platforms."

"To my knowledge, at least one frigate project and one large aircraft project have been cancelled."

"Now you should understand!"

Understood!
Therefore, whether Dongxia makes money from the electronic products promoted by Hanhai is not important. However, the longer the promotion cycle lasts, the more likely it is to affect Dongxia's own industrial policies and R&D funding.

"So, what do you plan to do?"

Ma Tianheng did not answer immediately.

He slowly crumpled the sheet of paper covered in lines into a ball, then lit it and placed it in the earthenware jar next to him used for storing waste paper. The flames leaped and gradually engulfed the writing on the paper.

"Ignore their advice, let's do our own thing."

"Put all products on board, regardless of how much we earn, just to expand our influence as quickly as possible."

"For low-end products, like radios, we'd give them away for free as long as there's a suitable name for them!"

"As long as we control the radio station and the content it broadcasts, the more people listen, the greater our influence will be."

"What's the value of a radio? The value lies in the sound it transmits!"

"Besides, money? What do you need money for?"

"If you're short of money, chips, or equipment, just ask your family for some!"

"Can they really refuse to give it to them?"

This statement is made with perfect confidence and is perfectly justified.

After saying that, Old Ma picked up a chopstick, turned around, and gently stirred it into the earthenware jar. The paper scraps that had been burned to a grayish-black color were crushed into a fine powder under his gentle stirring, and could no longer be seen in their original form.

Ok!

Chen Mo held back the words that were about to come out of his throat.

Old Ma, Dongxia sending you is truly...

This is so unexpected!
(End of this chapter)