Reborn: Imperial Officer Promotion Guide

"What did you say?" Noor Ghana couldn't help but ask back.

Could it be that I was hallucinating?

He was three levels higher in rank than Helheim.

Besides, I was trying to persuade him in a kind way. How dare Hull speak to me like that? Does he want to live?

As the saying goes, a higher-ranking official can crush people to death. Isn't he afraid that I will make things difficult for him?

"Did I hear you wrongly? Helheim, what did you say just now?"

"No, you heard me right. I said you are short-sighted."

"...Who are you talking about?" Nur Gana still couldn't believe it. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully again.

"I'm telling you, Senior Archon Deputy Noor Ghana, you think you're wise, but in fact you're just short-sighted and your political vision is too narrow."

"..."

It wasn’t an auditory hallucination!

This kid really dares to insult me ​​to my face?!

Nur Gana's face was filled with a big smile, but a flame of anger was rising in his heart.

His smile was just a disguised expression of anger.

"Are you crazy? Do you really know who you are talking to?"

"I've said this many times. Is there something wrong with your ears? Or is your brain not very smart? Or is it that you can't accept being evaluated like this by your subordinates?"

"Hehehe..."

Nur Ghana's smile became more and more intense, his eyes widened to an almost exaggerated degree, and his eyes seemed to pierce directly through Hull.

"Now I understand. It turns out that you are just a foolish young man who has no idea what is justice and what is beneficial to the empire."

Heer snorted coldly and showed a mocking smile: "Really?"

When Hull smiled, Noor Ghana's expression froze instantly: "Since you say I am narrow-minded and short-sighted, let me hear what you have to say?"

"I don't have any profound ideas. They are just some opinions that are not worthy of being mentioned on the stage. However, at least they are better than your efforts to make the people half dead."

Hull raised two fingers and said, "The best way to manage the people in your territory is to use whips and candies. What are you doing? You are squeezing the people in your territory with extremely high tax rates and ruling your people with poverty and hunger. All you are doing is waving the whip. This will not sustainably extract wealth from the people."

"They say the Sons of the Desert refuse to submit to the Empire. If we let them rest and recuperate, they might raise the banner of rebellion. The war ended more than a decade ago. Even if the warriors survived, they are now middle-aged and have lost the reason to continue fighting. The young generation born after the war can't even afford to eat, and they don't even have clean drinking water. Are they really evil by nature? Do they refuse to obey discipline? Do they want to rebel against the rule of the Empire without fear of life and death?"

"No... Whether it's the Sultan's curse or your refusal to surrender, in my opinion, it's all a backlash for your cruel use of the whip to rule the East Territory."

"..."

"Intentionally making the people lose their vitality and rushing around for two meals a day can indeed strengthen control in the short term. If it is during wartime, I agree with your approach very much. However, considering the Empire's national policy of territorial expansion and the responsibilities of our East Territory, taxes must be increased and the military expenses and materials on the Eastern Front must be continuously supported. Now, I have confirmed that the tax revenue of East Territory is declining every year and is already on the verge of deficit, right?"

Hull's rapid-fire barrage almost froze the smile on Noor Ghana's face.

"Really? You are really good at making arguments... But don't forget the special status of our East Territory. This is not the heartland of the empire, not the rear base, and not an economic province. This desert is the territory we seized from the Desert Sultanate in the past. It is used as a transit station for supplying materials to the front line. Our duty and obligation is to give priority to delivering supplies to the front line and support the eastern front. For this reason, stability in the territory is above all else. Only with stability can we continue to fulfill our duties."

"If you just fulfill your duties, everything will be fine - isn't that the confession of a short-sighted person?"

"..."

Nur Ghana was choked, but the smile on his face became more intense and his eyes seemed to be able to spit fire.

"So, what you mean is that your plan can increase the tax revenue of this East Territory? Turn this desert into a stable paradise?"

"Of course. By shortening the transportation route, the loss during transportation can be reduced to one tenth of the original amount. Transportation is not only faster but also more efficient, which can greatly reduce the expenditure within the territory."

"Ha! You don't really think your plan is feasible enough, do you? I was just being polite before. It's simply wishful thinking to really want to cross this Red Viper Desert! I even doubt whether you have ever conducted a field survey. Do you know how many people have tried to improve the existing transportation routes so far? The result? No one succeeded. You may think you are good enough, but unfortunately, your excellence is just your conceited thinking. There is a saying that goes, "Remember the past and learn from it." Arrogance also has a limit..."

"Learning from past cases and being bound by past failures are two completely different dimensions. If you compromise with the harsh reality because you are afraid of failure, you will be afraid of choking and cutting off your stomach. You should make good use of past failures and draw on the wisdom of your predecessors. This is the so-called learning from the past. You have also taken advantage of not having to go to the battlefield. If you fight the enemy with this mentality, you will not survive more than a month in war."

"..."

"The reason why our predecessors failed was because the roads along the way were not opened. It is of course a fantasy to directly set foot in the man-eating desert, so it is necessary to build the necessary infrastructure along the way to attract people to build settlements.

"'Where there are roads, there are people living' only applies to urban areas that have developed to a certain extent. In desert areas, the opposite is true - that is, 'where there are people living, there are roads'."

"..."

"Opening up new settlements in the desert's uninhabited areas will not only expand the empire's controllable territory, but also save the losses caused by cross-regional transportation and the tolls paid to the neighboring countries. This is in line with national policy, and can also improve the transportation efficiency of the entire East Territory and save costs. With convenient transportation, trade between countries and regions will also become prosperous. In fact, once the transportation route is opened, the entire East Territory will no longer be an enclave that is difficult to rule. Furthermore, a marching route directly to the front line can be established. You can't see all of this, and to improve the transportation route, there must be a population to support it. Therefore, I put forward the policy plan to rescue the people and the plan to improve the transportation route together."

"..."

"You even planned to deliberately reduce the precious population through harsh policies and poverty. Not only have you killed many innocent people, you have also wiped out the chance for the prosperity of East Territory. Is it really worth being complacent when you have only fulfilled the most basic duties and done the most basic stability maintenance work? Are you really doing this for the benefit of the empire or just for your own promotion? What you are doing can be done better by any local person with a little bit of virtue. Don't you think your existence is redundant? No - it should be said that if you are gone, it will be better for East Territory."

"..."

"I have to admit that in a sense you are very smart. The less you do, the fewer mistakes you make. Just perform basic duties. As long as no major problems arise, you won't lose points with the central government. Then, one, two, three years... you can accumulate political points in this position tirelessly. You can indeed improve your status very steadily. Perhaps, you can safely rise to your current position by using this safe method. In your opinion, perhaps this is a kind of political wisdom, but in my opinion, it is just despicable and cowardly."

"To put it bluntly - without a big picture, one can only play small tricks."

"..."

Incisive criticism and rude attitude bordering on abuse.

If the person standing in front of Nur Gana was the high consul himself, or His Majesty the Emperor, he would have knelt down and confessed his crime by now.

But what is this Helheim?

How dare a mere mid-level government official speak so arrogantly to me, a deputy senior governor? How audacious!

Finally, Nur Ghana tore off the hypocritical smile on his face, and his whole face was distorted by anger.

"You are committing a crime of insubordination and insulting a high-ranking deputy governor. I think you should be fully prepared for this, right?"

"Insults? Am I not stating the facts?" Hull looked at Noor Ghana with a frank look.

"...Hehe, this is really funny. You dare to speak nonsense in front of me, but you don't seem to understand your current situation. I hold the power of life and death over the entire East Territory. If I want, I can immediately turn you into a pile of minced meat rotting on the street!"

Nur Ghana's eyes were bloodshot and he was already very angry.

However, Hull, who was standing on the opposite side of him, didn't take it to heart at all.

"You want to punish me? Unfortunately, this is an informal meeting. Even if you want to dismiss me, I can pack my bags and leave now. Whether I go to the Central Government or the Sky Palace, I will have my reasons. If you drive away a mid-level government official appointed by the Empire just because of a few words of contradiction from a subordinate in an informal setting, what will others say if this matter spreads? Do you dare to expose your narrow-minded true face in front of other superiors?"

"Tsk..." Nur Ghana was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he couldn't refute.

"You care a lot about what others think of you. So, no matter whether you are happy or sad, you are used to hiding it with that disgusting smile, right?"

"..."

Hull showed an unusually refreshing smile. He understood Noor Ghana's character within three minutes of meeting him.

The friend-or-foe identification has also been completed.

Otherwise, Hull would not have chosen to sound the clarion call for attack here.

"...I've changed my mind. From now on, you can make as many plans as you want, but no matter what kind of plan it is, as long as it is your proposal, I will veto it all. You will never be able to make a name for yourself in your life. This Red Viper Desert is your prison. I will keep you in this desert for the rest of your life until you become a pile of bones. Be careful, because from today on, I will investigate any of your out-of-line actions to the end. If you make even the slightest mistake, I will make sure you never get ahead!"

"We still have a long time to live together. I will teach you to be docile."

This sentence really made Hull laugh.

Since he dared to reveal his cards, Hull already had a backup plan.

He held up two fingers: "Two months."

"What did you say!?"

"In two months, you will be on your knees begging for my forgiveness."

"Hahaha! Really? Then we'll wait and see. In two months, whether it's me who will kneel before you, or you who will beg for my forgiveness."

Hull sighed and said, "Forget it. You are narrow-minded and can't see that far. Since we are not on the same page, I won't waste my time here. Goodbye."

Hull did not bow, but turned around and left the office.

He was walking leisurely in the corridor, but someone followed him. It was Gilder.

At this moment, Gilder seemed to be struck by lightning and walked in front of Hull with a sour face.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I was so busy walking that I forgot about you. Thank you so much today. Thanks to your arrangement, I can speak freely."

Gilder looked as if he had eaten shit. "Why did you offend the highest commander of East Territory? Do you know what the consequences will be?!"

"Nur Ghana will definitely not let you go!"

Of course, Gilder, who brought Hull here, is also involved and will most likely be dealt with together.

Thinking of this, Gilder felt as if his stomach was churning.

There will be no good results if you make an enemy of the supreme commander who can dominate the entire East Territory.

At this moment, Gilder couldn't help but begin to imagine his miserable future life.

Hull looked calm: "Don't worry, I angered him just to make him reveal his flaws... Everything will be clear in two months."