"Damn, these guys!"
After hearing what they were discussing, Lin Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes. These guys, what kind of capable ministers are they? They're all so sleazy, just old scoundrels.
However, he didn't take it to heart. After all, they were both people of strong character, and there was nothing wrong with speaking the truth.
Management talent!
While they discussed the future battlefront, Lin Yi pondered how to address the last remaining weakness in Great Liang.
The Great Liang is now basically fully formed, with an army and generals sufficient to handle its Great Liang equipment. However, there is still a major problem: a lack of talent at the national governance level.
This is a very serious problem.
Even with Xun Yu, Chen Qun, and the reformist Zhang Juzheng, it was still not enough. The fact that Jiang Wei and Chen Dao still held concurrent positions as ministers was a clear indication of a talent shortage; the Great Liang was indeed lacking in manpower.
He couldn't help but shake his head and mutter, "This won't do. We must find a way to recruit some management talent. Jiang Wei and Chen Dao are both great warriors on the battlefield; it's a waste to keep them in the court."
But how exactly to do it is that's the question.
Imperial Examination!
The best option is naturally the Imperial Examination, but such high-ranking officials are absolutely at the top, and if their loyalty cannot be fully maintained, many variables will arise.
After all, these people who took the Imperial Examination were locals, and their loyalty wasn't locked, so using them wasn't as comfortable.
After all, people have their own thoughts, and if they cannot be completely loyal to themselves, then they are utterly worthless.
Unless this person is truly exceptionally talented, enough to propel Great Liang to the next level, even Lin Yi wouldn't risk promoting him beyond the usual ranks. To put it bluntly, his own value is disproportionate to the risks involved.
However, such talents are extremely rare, and finding one is not something that can be done overnight, so it's not something that can be relied upon in the short term.
For the time being, the Imperial Examination can only fill the positions of lower-level officials; the higher-level positions still need to be filled by a more comprehensive system.
He tapped on the dragon throne beside him, muttering to himself, "It seems I need to summon some civil officials. The problem is, how do I generate a large number of them? That's the key issue."
Win People Over with Virtue!!!
people!
Scholars!
Officials!
Thinking of this, his eyes lit up; it seemed that these were the places to start.
We should extend our kindness to the scholars so that they can feel a sense of belonging to Great Liang.
Raising officials' salaries and improving their welfare can prevent large-scale corruption and free them from worries about making a living, allowing them to focus their energy on their work.
That's right, that's what we'll do.
Anyway Great Liang isn't short of money, so it's necessary to win over some people's hearts. Maybe the rewards generated can even make up for those expenses. Besides, although this amount of money seems like a lot, it's actually just a drop in the ocean when divided among various places in Great Liang.
Using this money to patronize officials is a perfectly viable business opportunity.
Cough cough!
He coughed twice, instantly snapping these guys out of their reverie, and they all shut their mouths. The Emperor had something to say.
Lin Yi looked at Mi Zhu and the others, and said in a deep voice, "The current economic boom in Great Liang is inseparable from your assistance. Therefore, I have decided to increase salaries again to encourage integrity, and a series of benefits will also be improved."
Wow, another raise?
Everyone was stunned. The emperor had just given them a raise, and now he was giving them another one. From their initial astonishment, they instantly beamed with joy. Who would complain about a high salary now?
Waaaaah!
Just then, someone suddenly burst into tears, wailing, "I've had two pay raises in six months! Even my own parents aren't as close as the Emperor! Finally, I have some extra money in my pocket!"
Forehead!
Everyone's faces froze, and when they turned around, they saw that it was Qu Yi, and they immediately felt contempt for him.
This guy, a mere warrior, doesn't know how to manage money. He often goes with the strategist to support the young ladies, and his salary only goes out and never comes in, which often leads to him being unable to make ends meet and frequently going to Gongsun Zan Zan's place for meals.
The Emperor's recent wage increase brought him to tears of joy.
Forehead!
Lin Yi was also speechless, and said irritably, " Qu Yi, you should stay away from hanging out with Fengxiao from now on. You're so young and haven't even gotten married yet. You can't handle that kind of thing!"
This guy was supposed to be the leader of the Vanguard Dare-to-Die Warriors, so his salary should have been capped, but he squandered it all.
It's outrageous that a high-ranking general would go around freeloading meals, and even came to the palace several times, claiming he had something to report.
hey-hey!
Hearing the Emperor complain, everyone couldn't help but look at Qu Yi with schadenfreude, and also glanced at the culprit Guo Jia. The two of them were practically angels from a brothel.
"Your Majesty, I was merely traveling incognito to observe the people's conditions. How could the affairs of a scholar be considered 'playing around'?" Guo Jia, displeased by the stares of the crowd, immediately retorted.
Lin Yi glared at him and said irritably, "You went on an incognito visit, supposedly to observe the people's conditions, but what did you find out?"
You little rascal! We appointed you as the military advisor and you pull this stunt. In the entire Great Liang, besides our emperor, you're the most carefree person, yet you're still supposed to be concerned about the people's plight, as if nobody knows.
Even I, the emperor, haven't visited as many places as you have; this is simply outrageous.
It seems necessary to give the strategist more responsibilities; otherwise, he'll feel uneasy and his mind won't be clear.
"Ah?"
Guo Jia's face stiffened. Seeing the Emperor's unfriendly expression, he said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, after a thorough investigation, I have discovered that more and more people from my Great Liang are going to support Miss under Your Majesty's leadership."
From the beginnings of wealthy merchant families to the present day when many ordinary people have the means to donate to charity, it is enough to show that under the emperor's leadership, Great Liang has become much wealthier.
Moreover, I heard a lot of news during that time, but most of it was praise for the Emperor, from which I benefited greatly.
puff!
Xun Yu, standing to the side, couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tea, staring at Guo Jia in disbelief. "You just went on a secret visit?"
Cao Cao was utterly astonished. He thought, "I've already been shameless enough. Compared to Guo Jia, I'm practically a naive little boy, utterly innocent and naive!"
This shameless person went from talking about prostitution to discussing the country's GDP; it's utterly insane.
He was visiting prostitutes while simultaneously praising himself as emperor?
Lin Yi's face turned green. Thinking of that bizarre scene, he felt like hitting someone. This guy was just too unreliable.
If it weren't for his usual thorough military analysis and guidance, Lin Yi would have already given him a good beating. But now this guy is even starting to harm honest people like Qu Yi, so he has to be punished.
Taking a deep breath, he grinned maliciously, "From today onwards, officials of the Great Liang will undergo regular physical examinations. Those who are too weak will be prohibited from harassing brothels, lest they tarnish the reputation of the Great Liang official system!"