Framework
Naturally, his thoughts turned to Edgar, the loyal and capable steward.
Thinking of Edgar, Karl couldn't help but rub his temples again, this time with obvious concern and contemplation.
This veteran, who has followed him since the Franklin Family era and is now the core of Carnford's administration, carries an extremely heavy burden on his shoulders.
Civil affairs, finance, personnel arrangements, foreign affairs, and even project supervision... almost everything has to go through his hands, or at least require his coordination.
Edgar was like a tireless machine, running at high speed all day long, handling the flood of all kinds of affairs.
In the short term, this highly centralized model may be able to be maintained by the loyalty and ability of an individual, but in the long term, it poses huge hidden dangers, especially now that the population of Carnford has soared to 30,000, and he simply cannot manage it all by himself.
Not only will efficiency gradually decrease due to the limits of personal energy, but it is also more prone to oversights due to the complexity of affairs, and problems may even arise due to excessive concentration of power. In the event of an incident involving Edgar himself, the entire administrative system may face the risk of paralysis.
"It's time," Karl thought firmly. "We must refine and institutionalize the power structure, clearly define the division of labor, and clarify responsibilities so that this fledgling but inevitably increasingly complex machine like Carnford can operate more efficiently and stably. We can't always rely on individuals' excessive dedication."
He walked back to the large oak desk and sat down, picked up a piece of local white paper that was slightly rough but thick and durable—the first batch of experimental paper for the newly built paper mill—and then picked up a well-trimmed quill pen, dipping it full of dark ink from the ink bottle.
With the pen tip hovering above the paper, Karl quickly sorted out the current needs and future prospects of his territory in his mind.
A moment later, he lowered his wrist, the pen tip touching the paper with a soft rustling sound.
"There shouldn't be too many departments," he wrote, pondering. "Carnford is still in its early stages of development, even its startup phase. The structure must be flat and efficient, avoiding redundancy. Five core departments should be able to cover the most pressing management needs for the present and for some time to come."
The first and foremost target— the War Department.
Karl underlined this point, highlighting its core functions as training troops, preparing for war, coordinating logistics, and commanding operations.
It will oversee all military units in Carnford, including the existing main force, cavalry, militia self-defense systems in various Tunbao, and the navy that will inevitably be established in the future and is currently being planned.
In addition, the construction, maintenance, and defense arrangements of all defensive fortifications—the main city wall, Tunbao numerous fortified villages, and the forward outposts; the research, development, manufacturing, storage, and distribution of weapons, armor, crossbows, and other military equipment; and the procurement, allocation, and management of all military supplies, including provisions, clothing, horses, and medicine.
Even formulating operational plans based on the situation and directing specific military operations fall within its scope of authority and responsibility.
Given that Carnford's foundation lies in military strength, its primary task, now and for a long time to come, remains survival and defense, and all resources must be prioritized for military purposes.
Therefore, the War Department will be granted enormous power and the highest priority in resource allocation.
Given its extreme importance, Karl decided to personally assume the role of minister to ensure that the lifeline of military power was firmly in his hands and could not be lost.
The day-to-day, complex affairs were handled by Brendan, the most experienced, steady, reliable, and highly respected officer in the military, who served as the chief officer.
The second is the Finance Department, which is vital to the economy.
Their core function is to raise money, manage money, and spend money.
This is the territory's "Moneybag" and "blood vessel".
All commercial taxes, including customs duties, municipal taxes, transaction taxes, land taxes, land taxes, and Land rent, are subject to tax regulations, collection management, and inspection; the official monopoly and profit control of salt, iron, and possibly other strategic materials in the future.
The Lord's Residence responsible for the overall accounting and management of income and expenditure; the budget applications and actual expenditures of the War Department, the Department of Public Welfare, and all other departments were reviewed and supervised to ensure that every penny was used effectively and to prevent waste and corruption.
Its core lies in two major tasks: to do everything possible to increase revenue and to control expenditures with an iron fist.
The selection of a minister... Karl paused, his pen poised; this was perhaps the most thorny issue.
Finance is the cornerstone of all activities; without money, even the grandest blueprint is just a castle in the air.
This position requires a "chief steward" who is not only skilled in calculation and familiar with the kingdom's and even the broader financial and tax system, but also extremely loyal and reliable, and possesses a strong character that is not afraid of authority and dares to say "no" to anyone, including the Lord himself.
Currently, the existing finance officer Hans, can only temporarily take charge. However, Karl is well aware of the limitations of Hans's abilities. He is diligent and loyal, but not a top professional. He can handle daily bookkeeping, but he is not up to the task of dealing with the complex financial operations of the future and developing new sources of revenue.
This was only a temporary solution; Karl had already listed "recruiting experienced financial experts" as one of his top talent acquisition priorities.
The third is the Organization Department, also known as the Civil Service Department or the Personnel Division.
He wielded immense power, overseeing the evaluation of all civil and military officials and clerks at all levels.
Appointment, promotion, reward, and punishment; establish and manage a complete talent file and merit-demerit record system to ensure that everything is verifiable; discover potential talents and exceptional individuals from the vast migrant population, including craftsmen, literate people, and those with management experience; and recruit and introduce various urgently needed professional talents according to the needs of each department.
By focusing on "people," we have grasped the key to all development. This department also serves as an institutional guarantee for preventing corruption, curbing factionalism, and ensuring administrative vitality.
The choice of minister is almost a foregone conclusion – Edgar.
He has long been in charge of internal affairs, has the best understanding of the abilities, character, and background of the existing staff, and is fair and impartial in his dealings, earning their deep trust. He is the best and most unique candidate for this position.
By clearly assigning him this important responsibility, he can be freed from the overwhelming daily chores of the past and focus on the core task of "human resources management," thus maximizing his strengths.
Finally, there's the Department of Public Welfare.
This department is crucial to stability and public morale. Its core function is to ensure the basic survival and development of the people under its jurisdiction, and to be responsible for the allocation of land to newly arrived migrants and the organization of reclamation and land reclamation.
Plan and organize the construction of infrastructure such as water conservancy irrigation systems, roads, and bridges; compile and manage the national household registration system, down to the household level, and keep track of population changes; organize disaster relief and assistance for the elderly and widowed; and manage basic public affairs such as medical care and sanitation.
The support of the people is fundamental to governance. People's livelihood matters may seem trivial and insignificant, but they are of paramount importance. Only when people's livelihood is stable can the army have sufficient manpower and society be free from chaos.
For the position of minister, Karl preferred the meticulous and patient clerk, Morr, who was already in charge of the relevant affairs.
Morr is an expert in engineering planning and construction, and the Tunbao plan and road construction that he is pushing forward are highly compatible with the functions of this department.
With his leadership, infrastructure construction can be organically combined with the improvement of people's livelihoods.
Finally, and most importantly, the Lord's Residence.
Karl solemnly wrote these three words at the top of the page and drew two thick horizontal lines below them for emphasis.
In his vision, the Lord's Residence would be the highest power center and decision-making brain of the entire Carnford Territory.
It does not directly handle specific administrative affairs such as war and finance, but rather sits above the five major departments, responsible for macro-strategic planning, core policy formulation, major decision-making, and final adjudication.
All major proposals, comprehensive reports, cross-departmental challenges, and matters requiring top-level approval from subordinate departments will ultimately be submitted to the Lord's Residence.
Similarly, all major directives, laws and regulations, and personnel appointments and removals by senior officials that affect the fate of the territory must be assessed, weighed, and approved by the Lord's Residence before they can be issued.
This will be the final gathering point for information, as well as the ultimate source and arbitrator of power.
However, upon seeing the words "Lord's Residence," Karl also soberly recognized the reality.
Currently, this "brain" is almost entirely equivalent to him.
He lacked a mature cabinet advisory team and a core circle of advisors to share the pressure of strategic decision-making.
Most of the work, from analyzing and judging the overall situation in the Northern Territory and even the Kingdom, to weighing the pros and cons and making decisions on specific policies, fell on his shoulders alone.
While Edgar, Brendan, and others were extremely capable and loyal implementers, they were more like policy implementers or experts in a particular field than "partners" who could regularly participate in top-level strategic planning and provide diverse decision-making options.
"Cabinet... Privy Council..." Karl murmured these words to himself.
A truly efficient and stable Lord's Residence will inevitably need a core decision-making circle composed of a small number of the most trusted, capable, and core members.
This group will meet regularly to help him analyze the complex situation, formulate long-term strategies, weigh the pros and cons of various policies, and jointly shoulder the enormous responsibility of governing the territory.
This will be a crucial step for him to transform from a Lord "does everything personally" and "handles everything himself" into a mature ruler who "grasps the key points" and "governs with ease."
"But not yet," Karl shook his head slightly, pulling his slightly ahead-of-the-time thoughts back to the cold reality. "There is a lack of talent, deep trust requires shared experience and time to cultivate, and given the current size and complexity of Carnford's affairs, it is indeed not yet at the point where a complete cabinet is needed to operate."
Currently, he must continue to play this "lone commander" role effectively, while also more keenly observing, testing, and cultivating those who may enter this core decision-making circle in the future.
Tommy may be a promising talent worth watching, but he still needs more experience and further evaluation.
After writing the last word of the annotation, Karl put down his pen, leaned back in his high-backed chair, and carefully examined the paper spread out on the table.
Each department performs its own duties, yet they are interconnected and support each other through the Lord's Residence as a central hub, together forming the initial framework of Carnford's future governance system.
Although there is currently a shortage of talent, and many positions can only be filled by existing staff or are temporarily vacant, this clear and well-defined structure itself is an important milestone for him as Lord in moving towards rational and systematic governance.
"The framework is in place," Karl thought to himself, a mix of exhaustion and anticipation welling up inside him. "Next, we need to follow the plan, find and train the right people, fill these key positions, inject vitality, and get the whole system running smoothly."
He carefully picked up the paper, now dry in ink, blew on it gently until it was completely dry, then folded it and placed it in a locked drawer of his desk.
He planned to have an in-depth, one-on-one conversation with Edgar later, to hear the opinion of this senior advisor who knew the situation best, and then gradually turn the idea into reality.