In another world, Lu Mingfei is learning card making.

"Once they actually got to the battlefield, they weren't even satisfied with the achievements their own armies could accomplish, and they even started to meddle in other armies... Sigh." The prince sighed, picked up the pot, and poured himself another cup.

"If it were just a simple power struggle, it would ultimately be nothing more than passing the buck and shirking responsibility, and there's not much to say about it; but they actually want to corrupt the environment within the military and engage in such shady things as 'military business'—"

"Sooner or later, I will uproot them, just like the leper king did."

The military is running businesses? Are these people obsessed with money?

Lu Mingfei opened his eyes in surprise, then slapped his thigh and realized that the Demon King had been killed thirteen years ago. In those thirteen years, without the demon as an external enemy, not to mention the old nobles, they would probably cause some trouble on their own if the army were simply left aside.

The prince didn't seem to notice Lu Mingfei's actions, and continued speaking to himself: "The more troublesome thing is that the army itself is starting to have problems—those generals are colluding together, obeying orders but not procuring orders, and they don't even know who supplies them with military provisions..."

"All they ever talk about is money. Pshaw! Do they really think I don't know how much money they can spend? Do they really think I'm ignorant of military matters?"

Hmm, factionalism, warlordism—Lu Mingfei had heard these two terms from his piano teacher, the old man who liked to chat about these things when he had nothing better to do—it seems the army here goes through something similar...

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to speak. Seeing this, the prince didn't mind at all, and even poured Lu Mingfei another cup of tea. "It seems you also have something to say. Then say it. Anyway, we're just chatting."

"Okay." Lu Mingfei downed his black tea in one gulp, as if drinking a shot of strong liquor to bolster his courage—he needed courage, though. He could talk about random things all day without repeating himself, but chatting with this guy meant that what he said might actually be put into practice.

"Do we need that many troops right now?"

The prince was taken aback. Lu Mingfei continued, "Now that the Demon King and the Abyss Army have been driven back, we will enjoy a period of peace until they choose a new Demon King—"

"Therefore, the most important thing now is not to maintain the size of the army, but to ensure its purity and combat effectiveness. A large army is very likely to become seriously corrupt, and may even use its size to bleed the country dry."

"In that case, why don't we take advantage of the fact that the tumor is still under control and cut it off first, and then let it reabsorb its nutrients?"

"Disarmament?" The prince didn't seem very satisfied with the idea. "Leaving aside the consequences of large-scale disarmament within the military—disarmament, disarmament, where should the disarmed troops go?"

"In the past, most retired soldiers would be employed by noble families as tutors, teaching them swordsmanship, military law, and the like. However, large-scale troop reductions could exceed their capacity to cope."

"What kind of hidden dangers will arise when a group of young, strong, and professionally trained military personnel are unemployed?"

"Aren't we short-staffed everywhere right now?" Lu Mingfei blinked. "Factory workers, fields—aren't these places so crowded that no matter how many people you fill them, it won't be enough?"

"..." This time, the prince didn't even want to speak, he just gave Lu Mingfei a look and told him to figure it out himself—

Why do these young people join the army? Isn't it to get ahead and make a name for themselves?

Now you're telling me they came back from the army, not only failing to make a name for themselves, but also having to go back to the factory?

This is even worse than simply releasing them back into society.

"Ahem." Lu Mingfei also realized what was happening, shook his head, and began to try to salvage the situation: "Even if they don't go to the factory, they must need people elsewhere, right? Let them be police officers or firefighters, isn't that also a... solution..."

Seeing the prince's suddenly frozen expression, Lu Mingfei's scalp tightened again—

No way, don't you even have police or firefighters?

"Come, come, please explain your thoughts in detail." The prince immediately showed an interested expression.

Police? Firefighters? These two names are quite novel. Judging from Lu Mingfei's performance, it seems to be a method that can absorb a large number of young and middle-aged laborers?

Even setting aside their other functions, the mere fact that they "absorb young and able-bodied labor" was enough to make the prince take them seriously.

"Then, let's start by talking about the police."

……

Lu Mingfei had always been curious about how society in this country worked.

Whether it's from a high-level perspective of taxation, military, and government, or from a lower perspective of people's livelihood, social order, and security, he really wants to know.

But he couldn't openly ask these questions at the academy—

Firstly, although he fell from the sky, his identity was not what it seemed. In fact, when inventorying the assets left behind by this identity, he even found some items that were clearly his parents' belongings.

...Although the keepsake was just a very traditional pocket watch "with a picture of the lover in it", like something passed down from a father in some old-fashioned story.

Secondly, his inquiries and interpretations could very well be seen as a kind of political "signal," much like Harry Potter's creation of "Dumbledore's Army."

Although it's not that obvious or blatant, the underlying meaning of this behavior is also very important.

Lu Mingfei didn't consider himself a political genius, and he wasn't confident that he could manipulate the thoughts of those important figures through his performance.

Therefore, the best approach is not to ask or listen until he finds an opportunity to inquire about this information.

—After all, the prince is already a big shot. Only the king can truly surpass him. A big shot of that rank... surely wouldn't lie to him.

It's fine if he's deceived; he can't see the government's financial statements, and there's no such thing as a "transparent government" in this world. But he can still see the grassroots level. He can travel around during his holidays and find out where people are doing well and where they are not.

"So, tell me this first..." Lu Mingfei clapped his hands, rubbing his upper arms to relieve tension, "—Let me give you an example. For instance, in a rural area, if someone's belongings are stolen, and that person gets into a fight with the person they suspect, who will mediate? And in a city, who will mediate?"

"In rural areas, a village usually has some elderly people, and the most respected among them will be supported by the ordinary villagers, and then he will mediate." The prince hesitated for a moment before continuing, "In cities... well, that's a rare occurrence."

"There are pickpockets and gangs in the city, so people generally don't leave large amounts of money where others can see them. If the money is really lost... there doesn't seem to be much of a good solution."