Reborn: Imperial Officer Promotion Guide

Hull walked back to his room in the castle, lay on the bed and opened the book he had not finished reading.

"You...are really comfortable!"

Ling came in without knocking, with an expression on her face that showed not surprise but giving up.

"Hmm? What's wrong? I think this was a success. Are you dissatisfied?"

"Success?! How can you be successful? You have succeeded in causing public outrage!"

"Oh? If you think there is anything that needs improvement, you can tell me directly. I will listen to your opinions patiently."

"..."

Hull cared a lot about it. After all, he had no experience in territorial operations, and Ling had at least done trading-related work under Nandar.

You can learn from her.

"Anyway, it's really bad! 'If there's no bread, why not eat cake?' ... What's the meaning of such outrageous words!"

Of course, Hull knew that as a ruler, he must never say taboo words.

It has long been ranked first on the list of "the worst quotes from rulers in history".

"Indeed, that sentence comes from a quote from a certain beheaded queen, but I think it is necessary to dig deeper into the inner meaning of that sentence."

"…the inner meaning?"

"There's a saying that goes 'Don't sigh because you can't do it, try changing your mindset.' If you think in this way, eating cake when you can't afford bread is actually a way of changing your mindset. I insisted on asking them to pay three gold royals today, in fact, it was also to change their mindset."

"It is impossible to pay this much money in the current state. We must fight to the death."

"..."

"Of course, people with superficial ideas may not be able to imagine the deep meaning behind it. Among these people, only a very small number of people can understand it."

The girl with glasses, Xino, and the castle guard Rag may have already known about it.

To change the current situation in the Kraken area, we must first abandon the inherent thinking of the past.

What Hull wanted was not for his subjects to only be able to afford black bread, but for them to change their mindset and be able to afford cakes.

If they cannot change their mindset, it will be useless even if Hull puts the opportunity to eat cake in front of them.

What Hull cared about was not the three gold royals, which were just a drop in the bucket compared to the money he invested.

What he cared about was to use the pressure of the three golden dragons to make the people in his territory change their mindset.

"To change the current situation in the Kraken region, normal methods will not work. Without sufficient pressure and courage, we cannot overcome the ills that have accumulated over the years in this region."

"Really? Teacher, please think carefully. Is it really necessary to do this?"

"Yes, it is difficult for people to change. Only a few people can change themselves before they suffer losses. Many people have to face drastic changes before they can let go of their past selves."

"...Is that so? What a pity! The teacher is truly beyond help."

Tragedies caused by misunderstandings are not uncommon in history. Indeed, we may be acting too hastily. At least, we should give some sweet rewards first and then try to mobilize everyone's motivation.

In fact, Hull had been prepared for this, but when he saw the people in the audience, he couldn't help but chose a tougher approach.

"The teacher is too talented, so he might be stupid sometimes, right?"

"Stupid place?"

"Are you too eager to change others? You shouldn't have too many unrealistic expectations of others... How can they withstand such a drastic change when they are still struggling on the brink of life and death?"

Ling didn't know what Hull had experienced in the past. Perhaps he was once an ordinary person who made a living by farming.

It is a big mistake to think that you can change your circumstances through hard work.

Ling has lived in an orphanage since she was a child and knows very well what it feels like to be hungry.

There are many people in this world who cannot get enough food even if they work very hard.

It would be a mistake to accuse everyone of laziness.

"I understand what you mean. Pressure and frustration are not positive things. They will destroy the will of many people. I don't expect everyone to agree with my approach. At least, I see the courage to change the status quo in that girl named Xino."

"..."

"Ling, you go approach that girl later and report to me what she is going to do."

"Are you asking me to be a spy?"

"I'm not asking you to hinder that girl. I'm just asking you to be with her and contribute to it, whether the result is failure or success."

"I understand helping her succeed, but what does it mean to fail?"

“People can’t grow without failure. Only those who can survive 100 failures and setbacks without getting crushed can stand on their own.”

"Ah...what a devil." Ling sighed with a look of astonishment.

"But what should we do next? You don't really think that everything will be fine as long as we collect all the taxes, right?"

"Of course, the taxes are just to break the yoke that old man Daryl has hung around people's necks."

"Darryl? The town manager?"

Hull could see the cunning of the steward. All the people were being led by him. It could even be said that so many generations of lords before had failed to successfully seize the actual power to rule the territory from him.

Hull wanted to use the tax issue to defeat him, otherwise he would not be able to gather the centripetal force of the entire Kraken area.

"After seizing the lord's power to govern the territory, the Kraken region achieved collective unity under the leadership of the old man, and the saved taxes went into the hands of the few wealthy families in charge."

“…I think this is also the wisdom of survival.”

"It is indeed for survival, but I don't think that is a kind of wisdom, at most it is cunning. Because it means giving up. If they let this land go to waste, they are maintaining the poverty of the Kraken region, which fills the pockets of a few families, but makes the majority of the lower-class people who have no land and livelihood suffer. As long as this hat is not removed, the Kraken region will have no future."

"..." Ling fell silent after hearing this.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Teacher is such an incredible person, his ideas are really strange, but it makes them feel desperate, but you, teacher?"

"No, I didn't bring despair from the North or the Imperial City. Despair was already around them before I came. If it continues like this, it will eventually devour all of them. All I did was force them to open their tightly closed eyes and let them see the current situation."

"..."

"The land is becoming increasingly desolate, the people are poor, and the literacy rate is extremely low. Even if I exempt them from all taxes, the entire Kraken region will go bankrupt in a few years at most. All the land will be taken away by the upper nobles. Without the land they depend on for survival and the means of making a living, they will only face a tragic death."

"..."

"Even if I have to use force, they must obey my orders. To revive a piece of land, we must rely on the power of many people. You and I can't do it alone."

Hull gave a wry smile. If possible, he didn't want to play that thankless role.

Managing a territory is more difficult than conquering generals and flags on the battlefield.

If Hel could bring wealth to the Kraken region by defeating a powerful enemy, he would do so without hesitation.

But now we are fighting against an invisible enemy.

If the Kraken region cannot be revived, Hull's future will be locked by this land.

If the territory is poorly managed or even goes bankrupt, Hull will be labeled as an incompetent noble and will have no future.

The rapid rise of a nobleman of common origin has undoubtedly touched the cake of many vested interests, which is also the sinister intention of the nobles in the central government to give him this territory.

At present, we can only mobilize all means and resources to invest in the revitalization of the Kraken region.

If he wins, Hull's status as a noble will rise as the wealth of the Kraken region increases.

Once we lose, we will miss the center of the empire forever.

The next day, Ling walked out of Hanshi City and came to the town.

All the villagers who saw her had expressions of disgust.

They completely regarded Ling as an accomplice of the dictator Hull.

Of course, they didn't dare throw stones at Ling. The shock of last night seemed not to have subsided yet, but that hateful gaze still deeply hurt Ling's heart.

"Well, I heard that Miss Xino lives here. Can you tell me exactly where she is?" Ling asked a villager for directions with a smile on her face.

"Bah!" The other party just spat on the ground to express his resistance.

"..."

Ling felt very aggrieved. No matter what, what Hull did had nothing to do with her. Was it necessary to vent his anger on her?

But just from this point alone, we can see how many people Hull has angered.

Ling finally found the cabin where Xino lived.

It was a small wooden house with holes everywhere. If it was windy and rainy, it might be blown down. It could not be called a shelter at all. It was only slightly better than a tent. It felt like it could collapse at any time.

There were more than a dozen children crammed into a room of more than ten square meters. Xino was reading a difficult book while accompanying the group of seven or eight-year-old children.

"..."

The reality before her was more serious than Ling had imagined.

There is not even an orphanage in the entire Kraken area. These helpless children can only live in the homes of some kind-hearted people to keep each other warm.

As far as Ling knew, more than half of the people in the Kraken region did not have their own land, and Xino and these orphans were among them.

These people usually can only help others farm and receive a pitiful salary, or they can only risk going to nearby areas to dig wild vegetables and scorpions to eat.

Ling has also experienced poverty. It is very difficult for her to find time to learn any skills while struggling to make a living.

Studying itself is not something that can be distracted, but even in such a poor environment, this girl named Xinuo is still using her spare time to enrich herself.

Ling seemed to be staring at Xino, and in her she seemed to see the miserable self she was in the orphanage.

After a while, Xino raised his head and noticed Ling, the uninvited guest.

She adjusted her glasses.

"Ah...you are the lord's daughter...?"

"No, I'm not that guy's daughter. My name is Yang Ling. You can just call me Ling."

Ling smiled to put the other party at ease, but Xino's expression was still stiff, as if she was a little repulsed.

"Is there a problem?"

"..."

As expected, there is still hostility.

"Um...I came here to help you."

"Help? Is this some kind of conspiracy?"

"Oh, why do you think I'm a bad person? We are also supported by everyone's taxes. Isn't it normal for me to help out? Mainly because I heard from everyone that Miss Qian Nuo is very smart."

"…What's the point of being smart? Can it be exchanged for food for these children?"

Xino muttered through clenched teeth.

Ling stared at her for a long time, and soon, she suddenly smiled.

"I have someone I want to introduce to you."

"Introduce it to me?"

Ling counted on her fingers as if she was calculating something: "Looking at the time, it's almost time, right?"

Just then, a middle-aged man who looked very haggard, with a listless beard on his cheeks, walked in.

"Mr. Nandar! Why did you come just now? If you had arrived a day earlier, this wouldn't have happened!"

"…Why did you come so late?"

Upon hearing that, Nandar rubbed Ling's face tightly.

“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”

"Do you know my situation? Because you and He Er are gone, I am on the verge of death from overwork every day when I open my eyes! You came all the way here, Ling, do you know what gratitude is?"

Seeing the businessman-dressed man being violent towards Ling, Xino and the children huddled together in fear.

Ling was pinched on the cheek, but she still fought back desperately.

"We called you here to help you. Haven't you been complaining about being short-handed? How about taking these kids in as helpers?"

Nandar seemed to be interested. He looked at the children around Xino with dark circles under his eyes, and then turned his gaze to Xino.

“Can they count?”

"Do not."

"What about reading and writing?"

"I can understand a little, but I can't write yet." Xino answered timidly.

"Go away, wasting my time."

"Hey, hey! Wait a moment!"

Ling tried desperately to keep Nandar.

"Don't leave in such a hurry! Those kids just didn't have the chance to learn. They can be trained a little bit!"

"I am indeed short-staffed now, but I don't need children who can't read or count."

"I'll teach them how to read! In one month, I'll make sure they all learn it!"

It was Ling's words that stopped Nandar from moving forward.

“…Can you do that?”

"You can pay them later. You just need to take care of their meals. If you comply with this condition, I will help you with the training!"

"…The salary will be paid after they officially start working. As for the food money, they must start doing some errands first. Can you agree to this?"

Nandar bargained, stroking his beard.

"can!"

"Ah... You follow He Er around, so you have a lot to do on a daily basis, right? Do you have the time?"

"If you squeeze in some time, you'll always find it. Don't underestimate me!" Ling replied with a smile.

Xino was quite confused about the two people who were trading, but soon understood the current situation.

If we could solve these problems of children's eating, that would be what we wanted.

More importantly, it can teach children to read, which will be of great help in their future.

"…You want to teach them to read and write? Why is that?"

"Didn't I tell you? If I want to help you, I must first allow you to have some free time of your own. Also, providing the children with the minimum necessary food and education can also help them become self-reliant, which is also a good thing."

Let Xino have her own free time.

This is the same help Hull has given to Ling in the past.

After she is freed from the burden of caring for the orphans, Xino will surely be able to play a greater role.

Like Hull, Ling does not believe that children have unlimited possibilities.

Many people are born with gifts and abilities. In yesterday's rally, they both saw the courage and vision shown by Xino.

"But... taking care of these children is not an easy task. There will be many difficulties."

“…Well, I’ve experienced this a long time ago.”

Facing the smile on Ling's face, Xinuo just nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."

Nandar scratched his head and said, "Why do I feel like I am the one who should be thanked the most?"

Nandar made way so that Xino and Ling could see the scenery outside the door.

In the large square that had been destroyed by Hull the night before, there were now a dozen or so carriages parked, unloading food.

There were also several businessmen dressed similarly to Nandar directing workers to build wooden buildings.

"Hull has already paid the bill. Next, we will establish a chamber of commerce and a beer brewery in the town of Kraken. All workers who come to help with the construction will receive two meals a day and a wage of five copper coins a day."

"After the construction is completed, we will also need to hire local workers and select suitable management talents. In this way, the Kraken area will no longer be a forbidden area for merchants."

"But I heard from Hull that this is just his first step. Ling, do you know what he plans to do next?"

Ling held her chin and thought for a while before answering, "I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing."