The Empire will continue to win

Five minutes later~

The first town patrol finally arrived, panting heavily. That's how it is with infantry; they rely entirely on their own two legs for mobility, which is incredibly tiring.

What a coincidence, it's an old acquaintance again.

Battalion Commander Liu Mingchuan rode a yellow horse, his hand on the hilt of his gun, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Brother Shen, I happened to be on patrol today. I heard gunshots coming from your area, so I brought my men over. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, we just happened to run into a spy."

"What?"

"Yanjing City is practically become Dongsang people's kang (heated brick bed). They come and go as they please. Brother Liu, your First Town's camp should also be more careful."

"You don't need to worry about that. Daring to enter the military camp? I think they're asking for death—going to the latrine with a lantern." Liu Mingchuan dismounted, pulled Shen Moqing aside, and lowered his voice.

"Brother Shen, let me tell you a military secret."

"Don't tell me yet, let me guess. Has the First Town sent troops?"

How did you know?

"I was just guessing."

"Three days ago, Nie Shicheng led two battalions of infantry, one battalion of artillery, and one battalion of supply troops away by train. Judging by the time, they should have arrived in Fengtian by now."

"The imperial court has finally begun its counterattack!"

"yes."

.........

The two climbed up a nearby hillside together, stood side by side, and gazed at the dense residential area to the west for a while.

"Brother Shen, can you tell me the truth?"

"What truth?"

"Did we win or lose?"

"Didn't Commander Li tell you?"

"No. He only instructed me to increase patrols, especially around your Yanshan Heavy Industry area. So, did we win or lose?"

What do you think?

Shen Moqing's expression was neither a smile nor a frown, neither tense nor taut.

In the cold wind~

Liu Mingchuan exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, his voice barely audible: "I understand."

Liu Mingchuan wasn't the only one curious about the truth; many people in the capital sensed something was amiss and busied themselves gathering information.

Information is money.

The Forbidden City needs no further explanation.

The source of the news was Dongjiaomin Lane, located inside Chongwenmen.

Diplomats often have a few local friends, and during their interactions, they subtly reveal information to each other to strengthen their friendships.

After Liu Mingchuan left.

Shen Moqing summoned his subordinates:

"You are all my most trusted confidants. There are some things I can tell you. The Eastern Sang Army's offensive is fierce. Our army was caught off guard and suffered some losses. The flames of war have now spread to the Liaoyang area."

"What?"

"Oh My God."

My God.

Everyone was shocked, but Shen Lian remained relatively calm, his expression seemingly saying, "So that's how it is."

"Shen Lian, you knew all along?"

"I don't know. I just suddenly realized why the imperial court was in such a hurry to execute you and Lao Zhang back then."

Playboys aren't fools.

My cousin is capable.

"Gentlemen, silence." Shen Moqing raised his right hand. "This information is top secret. Do not mention it to anyone. The situation at the front is critical, and our factory must share the burden for the court. Crisis is opportunity. If we can provide the front with a continuous supply of repeating rifles, everyone will receive the greatest reward."

"Your humble servants will obey the orders of our Overseer."

"Alright, go back to work."

After such a mobilization, upon returning to the factory, the confidants were all eager to get started, feeling that the future was bright.

The Art of Managing People:

When a new leader arrives at a new unit, the first thing to do is to tell everyone that he has a very strong backer, and then make his subordinates feel trusted and relied upon, and that as long as they work hard, they will receive corresponding rewards.

We must inspire people to work willingly and without complaint! We must motivate our subordinates to actively demonstrate their initiative and enthusiasm!

Instead of making empty promises and manipulative tactics.

Browning was in charge of finalizing the design of the new weapon.

Shen Lian was in charge of logistics and supply.

Zhang Zongcang was stationed at the warehouse to oversee the inventory count.

Gu Hongming was in charge of finances, preparing for drastic layoffs.

At the factory gate.

A bright red banner was hung up: "Serve the country with utmost loyalty, all colleagues, work hard for 180 days!"

"Fuck your mother!" The passing playboys cursed one after another. They didn't dare to openly oppose the new supervisor for fear of getting shot, but they were still willing to slack off.

They conspired in secret!

A disguised strike!

We advance and retreat together!

What, do you think the Forbidden City is your private property? If you're so capable, why don't you fire everyone, Mr. Shen?

.........

Factory office, top floor.

Oversight Office.

Shen Moqing and Zhang Zongcang were quietly discussing the crucial issue of how to transform royal assets into personal assets.

Sudden.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone is knocking on the door.

"Please come in."

"Master, this is the list of those to be dismissed that I have prepared." The thin Gu Hongming entered. Since the conversation in the dungeon, he had decided to acknowledge Shen Moqing as his lord.

A smart person can guess the color of another person's underwear without even taking their own pants off, and they're pretty accurate.

"1500 people??"

"Yes."

"What's the reason?"

"After three days of trial production, these people's performance didn't even reach half of the passing grade; they're beyond redemption. I believe these people will never be of any use to you, so it's better to dismiss them."

Performance evaluation is a new work evaluation system that Shen Moqing has just established. Taking the gun bolt workshop as an example, each group consists of 3 people. If the output is 150 units and the yield rate is 7%, the performance evaluation is "good".

"Cannot be modified?"

"Cannot be modified!"

"Hongming, you've given me a really tough problem."

"Is the Master afraid the court won't approve it?"

"Although the Empress Dowager favors me greatly, she would never approve such an unreasonable request as to dismiss 1500 people in one go."

"Then, how many people would the court be willing to dismiss?"

"At most three to five hundred people."

Shen Moqing was telling the truth. By using Yu Xian's knife, the Empress Dowager's power, and the threat of war, it was possible to imprison the dozen or so people who led the passive strike, and dismiss three or four hundred accomplices. With some effort, it was still achievable.

The remaining men were intimidated and trained to become a weak force, and were made do with.

I don't own the Forbidden City.

I've done my best.

I loved.

.........

Gu Hongming took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

Why are you worshipping me?

"Hongming has spent half his life wandering, never encountering a wise leader. Now, thanks to the trust of Mr. Dong, who has taken him as a comrade to do something great together, I am truly fortunate. But no matter what you think, Hongming must say a few words from the bottom of his heart today."

"You tell me~"

"If you wish to achieve great things, you must implement your own set of rules. And if you want thousands of followers to genuinely accept your new rules, you must never compromise!"

Gu Juren's voice trembled slightly.

"Master Dong, looking at the world today, it can be summarized in eight words: right and wrong are indistinguishable, black and white are reversed."

"Whoever follows the rules suffers; whoever believes in long-term sustainability is doomed. Honest people suffer repeatedly, kind people yield repeatedly, while the cunning and treacherous thrive. If this continues, trust and rules will vanish, replaced by endless resentment, suspicion, and indifferent indifference. Isn't that right?"

Shen Moqing hadn't spoken yet.

Zhang Zongcang slammed his fist on the table in excitement: "Sir, you're right. This damned world has severely harmed honest people like me."

Gu Hongming glanced at the honest man and continued the previous topic.

"Master Dong, rules are trust, trust is the will of the people, and the will of the people is..."

"shut up!"

Seeing that the boy was going off on a tangent, Shen Moqing decisively slammed his hand on the table and stopped this lawless madman: "You're getting more and more outrageous. Let's get back to the point and give me something practical."