Becoming an Official

Day 12.

This was on the third day after Kang De opened the granaries to distribute grain.

A minor economic crisis erupted from the Distant Harbor and quickly swept across the entire Azure Waves Province.

Its impact was so widespread that it nearly devastated all the wealthy people in the Azure Waves Province.

Ten days.

From the moment Kang De insisted on executing the nobles involved in the Distant Harbor Rebellion, a conspiracy against him gradually took shape. Because the Dragon of Cathay stood on the opposite side of the entire noble class, almost every noble who could participate in this food war aimed at challenging Kang De's authority got involved, openly or secretly.

The vast majority of them do not have such pure positions and purposes.

Besides "letting this arrogant Cathayan know who Goth's master is," what clearly motivated them to go all out and invest themselves in it was the economic benefit.

Grain prices surged sevenfold in ten days, a profit margin of 600%, enough to make them want to draw their swords against the gods. The skyrocketing, unstoppable price increases were enough to destroy all reason and caution. Coupled with the massive influx of funds from the Broken Isles, this economic war had become a carnival for the wealthy.

Meanwhile, Kang De's plans were unfolding in secret.

The power of Civilization comes from history.

Once an event we are currently experiencing is recorded in history, the side with a richer historical background will gain an overwhelming advantage—because the answer is already in the history books, the optimal solution that has been tested and analyzed by time and countless wise people.

A deal was reached with the Dragon Clan, instructing Santos to set up a shell company to lend money, thus trapping the nobles of the Azure Waves Province in the frenzy of speculating on grain prices and making them participate in the feast.

Then write down their names and keep the receipt.

They also secretly investigated the flow of funds and the manipulators in various locations across the Broken Isles.

Elite soldiers were dispatched to stand by.

On the tenth day, the granaries were opened and food was distributed. A full-scale operation was launched, the military and political affairs of the Distant Harbor were forcibly taken over, the situation was brought under control, economic orders were issued, and speculators and foreign forces were arrested...

--Put a noose around the necks of all the fallen.

The tidal bore that erupted from the Distant Harbor, with its thunderous waves, swept across the entire province.

In front of the entire Distant Harbor, Kang De poured 100,000 tons of grain down from the sky in one go. This number was huge, enough to feed all the Distant Harbor for half a year, but it was also small. Compared to the entire Azure Waves Province, 100,000 tons of grain was not an overwhelming amount.

But it's enough to shake up the frenzied and blindly driven grain market.

Because what always causes markets to collapse is... panic.

The grain trading market in Distant Harbor collapsed instantly that day.

Since Kang De had already announced that all residents of the Distant Harbor could receive five days' worth of food for free by presenting their identity documents, it meant that the food, which had previously been sold at exorbitant prices, would be completely ignored.

Selling it five days later at the market price of five copper coins per pound was an even more insidious death warrant.

On the tenth day alone, the price of grain had risen to a high of forty copper coins, or two Luke Silver Coin, per pound. However, the price plummeted like a waterfall in the bulk grain market. The increasingly depressed prices attracted even less interest. Even those who tried to take advantage of the situation to buy at rock-bottom prices were deterred by Kang De's policies.

Large-scale transactions have been suspended.

All loan operations are suspended.

Sea and land transportation were blocked, and food was prohibited from leaving the city.

These orders, coupled with the gleaming blade of the Inquisition, turned the vast amounts of grain hoarded by the wealthy into worthless junk. For the first time, wails and cries became the exclusive domain of the rich district—while before this, those sorrowful cries had always been the main theme of the slums.

On the evening of the tenth day, the financial elites hastily assembled by the Dragon Clan, having obtained permission from the Distant Harbor authorities, entered the airspace of the Azure Waves Province to prepare for economic operations.

Another rope was put on.

On the eleventh day, it was reported that someone had died.

It was suicide.

By the twelfth day, the economic crisis in the Distant Harbor had completely erupted.

The sharp drop in grain prices is not the big problem. The real problem is that the speculation failed, causing the powerful figures in Distant Harbor who control most of the livelihood businesses to be instantly burdened with debt.

Cash flow dried up, business operations were hampered, and high interest rates on loans forced them to cut their losses and exit the market. As a result, the powerful and wealthy were eager to sell their shops and close their businesses, leading to massive unemployment and the closure of many shops, which had a significant impact on the livelihoods of people in the Distant Harbor.

"It's nothing."

In the study on the third floor of the Sound of the Tide Manor, Kang De placed Han Zezheng's report on the table.

He waved his hand. "Give away free food for five days. At least for five days, no one will go hungry. Let the dragons hurry up and collect their debts. We should also take this opportunity to take over as much of their high-quality assets as possible—these parasites are so eager to die, then let them die more quickly..."

Han Zezheng bowed and said, "Yes."

Kang De thought for a moment, then looked up at his subordinate who had already begun to demonstrate loyalty and ability.

"By the way, you all deserve credit this time. Whether you chose my side or not, you must have had your doubts before, but despite your doubts, you still gritted your teeth, provided the food, and stuck with me through thick and thin. I judge by your actions, not your intentions. You did the work, so you deserve a reward."

He said calmly, "This wave has severely damaged the powerful and wealthy in the Distant Harbor. Their wealth has shrunk, and they have even been forced to sell their core industries. You can share the resulting pie with the people below you."

"Your Han Family will take one-quarter, another quarter will go to the West Goth Company as departmental bonuses, distributed monthly to the Suppressors of Rebellion, and the remaining half will be awarded to those who have abandoned darkness and embraced the light, with the allocation calculated proportionally to the grain reserves they previously contributed."

Han Zezheng, then said softly, "Your Highness, giving them a quarter is fine, the Han Family can take one-eighth, and the remaining three-eighths should rightfully be yours..."

"No, do as I say," Kang De said. "I'm not interested in money."

Han Zezheng's old body trembled.

In that instant, he was first astonished, and then his heart was filled with endless envy and admiration.

I'm not interested in money.

If this were said by an ordinary person who can't even afford a house, it would be laughable.

But if the person who said this could calmly dump tens of thousands of tons of grain on the ground, half-giving it away and half-selling it off, then that would be the ultimate expression of forgetting oneself and the world, the nonchalant attitude of regarding money as dirt, the lofty ambition of pursuing dreams, and the highest realm that ordinary people can never reach.

Han Zezheng suddenly found his direction in life.

He wanted to be able to say such pretentious things with dignity, like His Highness Kang De, before he died.

Kang De glanced at the stunned Old Han and secretly curled his lip.

He was indeed no longer interested in this little bit of soup or broth.

With his experience and broadened horizons, and with his increased strength and sense of mission, he was no longer the young man who spent all his time calculating how to make money.

Putting aside other factors, this other world still uses a gold and silver standard for its financial system, while on Earth, silver has almost become purely an industrial raw material, with a price vastly different from that of gold.

He could easily buy enough silver on Earth, then dump it all in the other world, exchange it all for gold, and then bring the gold back to Earth to sell and exchange it for even more silver—and so on, until the price of silver on Earth skyrockets, or the financial system in the other world completely collapses.

The reason I don't do that is simply because I'm too lazy to go through the trouble, and it's too ostentatious.

For Kang De at this point, there were simply too many legitimate ways to make money, so there was no need to bother with dealing in these precious metals.

For example, the well-drilling project in Gambia, which he had previously negotiated with the five permanent members of the Zhuerban City Security Council, brought him eight billion US dollars in revenue. Even if six billion of the payment was stipulated to be settled in kind, that would still amount to two billion US dollars in cash.

The tens of thousands of tons of grain dumped in Distant Harbor the day before yesterday were settled with these six billion yuan in cash. The state directly mobilized a state-owned grain depot and gave away a batch of old grain that had been tested as slightly unsuitable for storage and was about to be released for sale at a discount to Kang De. They only received thirty million yuan for it.

Even if it's old grain, the price is incredibly low. The higher-ups were being accommodating, Kang De, in return, not only transported this batch of grain to Moyani, but also helped the country transport some other goods.

--The reason for buying grain is this: to prepare some food in advance in case of famine in Comora.

In this way, Kang De obtained grain at a cheap price, and the country transported a batch of "heavy engineering equipment" to Africa in a time-saving, labor-saving, and cost-effective manner. As for who actually profited...

Then you'd have to ask those vehicles painted with the five-star Hongqi near the Moyani granary in the White Mist World.

In short, Kang De's current state of mind has indeed reached the point where he regards money as dirt.

He can buy anything on Earth with money.

But the problem is... there are many truly good things that money can't buy.

Kang De shook his head, and after distributing the cake to his subordinates, his gaze gradually turned cold.

"Besides..."

He produced another report.

"Today, Alset received a confession that Horus has investigated and verified, and personally interrogated. It states that three noble families who have pledged allegiance to me, as well as at least five wealthy merchants who have chosen to remain loyal, have been hedging their bets during the grain war. They would offer me one ton of grain on one side, while secretly buying two tons on the other."

"What a talent! He's self-taught, already understanding hedging, and he even thinks I'm Wuwukai matched with the opponent. He really has a lot of confidence in me..."

Kang De glanced at Han Zezheng, "What do you think should be done?"

Han Zezheng's expression shifted upon hearing this, his face turning pale before revealing a fierce look of deep hatred. He took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "This old man failed in his duty; please punish me, Your Highness. As for how to deal with it—it should be carried out in accordance with the law, and the entire family should be implicated. Traitors are more hateful than enemies!"

Kang De thought for a moment, "There's no need for a public execution. Killing them is meant to serve as a warning to others. Then, you can distribute the reward shares to those loyal followers and then have them carry out the execution."

The Cathayan didn't understand. "Execution?"

"Yes, carry out the execution." Kang De revealed a cold smile. "Let those powerful and loyal people who have pledged allegiance to me, after receiving their rewards for loyalty, personally punish the traitors. Find a large room, tie up those few traitors who are good at using hedging tactics, throw them in the middle, give everyone else a knife, and let them all chop the traitors into mincemeat—isn't that a good idea? I think we need to teach them a lesson."

Han Zezheng understood this time.

His face grew paler, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

Kang De said calmly, "Isn't that a bit cruel? Oh, let's look at it from a different angle. Look at these people, choosing sides and siding with me. Do they think I'm more righteous and kind? I don't think so. They're just very clever; they think I'll win, and there's something for them to gain by siding with me."

"I know their thoughts and understand their motives. It's normal for a wise bird to choose its tree. But they're siding with me for their own benefit, and I know this yet I still accept them. Shouldn't they be grateful and give me double the loyalty? Right? Of course they should. I can overlook their motives, but I will definitely care about their future actions. You've joined me for benefits, yet you're disloyal, ready to jump ship at any time, and trying to hedge your bets. Do you think I'm running a charity?"

He spoke with a kind face and a calm tone.

Han Zezheng's legs had begun to tremble.

"Therefore, your entire family will be executed, and you will be in charge of carrying it out. In addition, all direct relatives over the age of sixteen from your family and other households must attend the ceremony... Sigh, some people just don't know what death is. No matter how many times we've kindly reminded them, they still insist on courting death..."

Kang De leaned back, crossed his legs, and glanced at Old Han: "Tired of standing? Want to sit for a while?"

Han Zezheng trembled as he stepped back and carefully sat down in the chair.

He didn't even dare to say he wasn't tired.

"And then there's one last thing—you did a great job this time, you've worked hard and deserve a reward. The quarter of what I promised your family before was a reward for the Han Family's contribution of manpower, effort, and money in this matter, using every means to procure and transport grain. And you Han Zezheng in charge of the entire grain price war, withstanding the pressure and putting on a show of being beaten everywhere. It wasn't easy for you, so I want to reward you separately for your contribution in this matter."

Kang De held up one finger. "I'll give you two choices."

Han Zezheng a low voice, "Your Highness, you don't need to give me a choice. Whatever you want me to do, I will..."

"Let me finish."

"... yes."

"For a long time to come, Distant Harbor will exist as an independent city under my control, undertaking its historical mission and providing full support for the development of Paradox Element and the underworld."

Kang De said, "The political, economic, military, and cultural spheres of this city must all be under my control. The first thing to ensure is that government orders are carried out and that prohibitions are enforced. In other words, the position of mayor carries great responsibility. He must not only be loyal but also highly capable, and he must be one of my people."

A glint flashed in Han Zezheng's eyes.

The next moment, Kang De shattered his illusion. "Don't be happy, it has nothing to do with you."

The light quickly went out.

Kang De shook his head and said, "Let me put it this way, during the food war a few days ago, the envoys from various countries were secretly watching the show. Now that the show is over, they've been intimidated again. The overall situation in the Distant Harbor is settled, and the negotiations that have dragged on for more than ten days will finally come to a conclusion. I've already heard from Kavisalong and the others that the negotiations will be a rather lengthy process, and it will start with dialogues at the ministerial level."

"Because of the rules, kings talk to kings, soldiers talk to soldiers. The only ones qualified to speak with me are the Speaker of the Council, the Emperor of the Empire, and the Phoenix King. They can't come in person right away; they must send important ministers to talk first. The ministers and envoys of those countries are not qualified to speak with me personally. When they come, they can only talk to my ministers. As for you, you are not quite qualified."

He looked at Old Han and said, "It may sound harsh, but that's the truth."

Han Zezheng nodded silently.

The only person qualified to represent His Highness Kang De in negotiations with the important ministers of various countries must be the "Prime Minister" recognized by this Dragon of Cathay. Han Zezheng far from qualified, both in terms of trust and ability.

"I've already chosen the person in charge of the negotiations; he's also the first mayor of the Second Distant Harbor. If you're willing, I've reserved a position for you in the new government as the chief financial officer. You'll be responsible for coordinating and developing Distant Harbor's future economic activities and financial security. Of course, performance will be evaluated; you'll be rewarded for your achievements and punished for your mistakes. If you cause trouble or make a mistake, I will also remove you from your post."

Han Zezheng pondered for a moment, "Your Highness, what is the second option?"

"The second option, the president of West Goth Company, is currently vacant."

Kang De said, "This is my private force, and public and private matters must be kept separate. This company is mainly responsible for various businesses in the West Goth region and even beyond the West Coast, operating independently of the Distant Harbor. From its inception, its first task was to integrate the gains from this economic war, including the collateral assets obtained after the Dragon Clan collected debts, which will be gradually transferred to the West Goth Company for consolidation and integration..."

Han Zezheng replied without hesitation, "I choose this one."

Kang De narrowed his eyes.

But your expression tells me you want to choose the first one.

Old Han stood up in a flustered manner. "Your Highness..."

Kang De reached out his hand, stopping him from speaking.

"Calm down, Old Han, think this through."

He said, "I'll give you another chance to answer. I also promise you that I won't neglect or be unhappy with you for choosing the first position, nor will I treat you differently for choosing the second. Both positions are of the same nature, rewarding merit and punishing mistakes. If you do well as the finance minister in Distant Harbor, you'll have the opportunity to become mayor. If you do poorly at West Goth Company, you risk going home to retire. Think it over."

Han Zezheng stood still, his eyes shifting, undoubtedly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

He remained silent for a very long time.

"... Your Highness, I want to become an official."

He gritted his teeth and whispered, "I've been a merchant all my life, and I don't want my children and grandchildren to continue in this lowly profession. If I choose the second option, I'll have no face to meet my ancestors after I die."

"I understand, that makes sense." Kang De exhaled. "Alright, I promise you, your appointment letter will be issued after the new government of Distant Harbor is formed. Until then, stand firm at your post until the very end."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After Han Zezheng left, Kang De couldn't help but shake his head. "Old stubborn man... Damn it, we're lacking talent! West Goth Company doesn't even have a CEO, where are we going to find one...?"

As she muttered to herself, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and the Dragon Girl's pretty face appeared from the right side of her view, very close.

Kang De glanced at her sideways. "What's up?"

Lily flashed a fawning smile, "Me? Me? What do you think of me as the CEO?"

Kang De thought for a moment, "Alright, I'll give you fifty percent of the shares. Come on, take your clothes off..."

He reached out and grabbed at the Dragon Girl's chest.

Lily's face flushed red, and she suddenly jumped back, shouting sharply, "What do you think you're doing? You think you can just set up some random company and trap me? You're dreaming!"

"You don't want it, right?"

"Don't want!"

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Dragon Girl glared at Kang De, then slipped out of the study and into the bedroom. Kang De called her in, and it was Han Zezheng had returned.

Old Han must have heard the Dragon Girl's stern shout, but pretended not to, bowing and saying, "Former Governor Norman kneels outside the Sound of the Tide Manor, requesting an audience with Your Highness..."

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PS1: Update... There are a few hundred more words today, consider it compensation for the repeated section from yesterday, although I corrected it immediately yesterday...

PS2: I'm not feeling well today. I'll try to write more tomorrow. Goodnight.