Vientiane Throne of Civilization

Chapter 1873 Choice
Ye Jinghong's report was quickly delivered to Zhou Xu.

On the other side of the goblin kingdom, the existence of the elves also brought Zhou Xu a pleasant surprise.

The elves have an exceptionally long lifespan, which results in their long reproductive and developmental cycles.

Although he is now a mage at the Nascent Soul stage, his natural lifespan is more than enough to wait, but the efficiency is just too low.

It's important to know that elves are the main force in any department that involves incantations, such as the Population Registration Bureau or the Enchanting Department. This is because elves are born with strong spiritual power, and with a little training, they are well-suited for jobs that require the use of incantations.

Special forces like mage units go without saying.

Therefore, the increase in the Elven population can bring significant benefits to the Great Zhou.

The best way to rapidly increase the elven population in a short period of time is undoubtedly to directly annex new elven groups.

Of course, it's a bit too early to consider this issue now.

After all, according to known intelligence, this elven race is farther away from their Great Zhou than the goblin kingdom.

This matter can only be considered after they have resolved the problems of the goblin kingdom.

The problem now is that the Goblin Kingdom is also currently employing a home-field defense and ambush tactic.

The method itself was not problematic; in fact, given that the goblin kingdom was short of resources and urgently needed new ones, their choice was even more correct.

The more anxious the enemy is, the less anxious you should be; this is always true.

But this also meant that their efficiency would be hard to improve in the following operations.

During this time, Zhou Xu did consider sending a giant eagle knight to search for it, and if he found it, he would try to make contact with it.

But then he thought about it again. With the current situation still unresolved, Zhou Xu was worried that something unexpected might happen and complicate things further. So he decided to put the matter aside for now.

Let's turn our attention to the goblins.

Given that a battle has already taken place, there are only two options, except for the outcome where neither side can gain the upper hand and they eventually coexist peacefully.

Either wipe out all the goblins, or recruit them into your ranks.

From Zhou Xu's perspective, he was undoubtedly inclined to recruit them.

Annihilation is something that damages one's reputation and may even shake one's foundation in subtle ways.

After all, their Great Zhou is a multi-ethnic country. Some things they do inevitably cause certain groups to feel a sense of shared fate or sympathy. They still need to be more careful in this regard.

In addition, there is another very important reason: the goblins' technological capabilities are indeed outstanding. If these goblins can serve their Great Zhou, then the speed of their Great Zhou's technological development will definitely be greatly improved.

The problem now is that these goblins are really not very reliable.

Self-interest may be a biological instinct, but if one has no bottom line and is willing to betray their country and compatriots without hesitation, then that becomes a problem.

"Jinghong, what do you think about this?"

As one of his earliest trusted confidants, Zhou Xu had complete trust in Ye Jinghong.

Otherwise, Ye Jinghong wouldn't have been put in charge of such an important intelligence agency as the Investigation Department. Ye Jinghong had personally witnessed the speed at which the goblins rebelled, and he had also considered the problem that his emperor was struggling with.

"In my humble opinion, there is nothing wrong with incorporating goblins."

"Although the goblins are selfish and will betray us at any time when threatened, as long as we don't let them join the army, the impact on ordinary people won't be too great."

"After that, we just need to assign them some suitable tasks. If they want to enter important government agencies, we will conduct a thorough review and assign someone to keep an eye on them. That should solve the problem."

Ye Jinghong's words hit the nail on the head.

With millions of people in their Great Zhou, it's impossible for all of them to have high loyalty. As for the goblins, if we convert that to loyalty, even if they submit, their loyalty would probably be stuck at around 60 points.

They're like weather vanes, bending whichever way the wind blows. There are plenty of people like that within the Great Zhou Dynasty as well.

Thinking about it that way, recruiting goblins to work for them isn't such a bad idea.

Under that premise, those who truly have the ability to enter important government agencies are certainly not many, so it wouldn't be difficult for the Inspection Department to send someone to keep an eye on them.

At the same time, it's not to say that goblins have absolutely no chance of raising loyalty. You always have to try before you know it.
With this in mind, Zhou Xu already had an idea.

Next came the arrangements for the prisoners of war.

Given the goblins' small stature, with their thin arms and legs, they probably wouldn't be able to do much manual labor and might even be a hindrance.

Think about where the goblins' advantages lie.

Goblins with scientific research capabilities are ultimately only a minority. It's impossible for every member of an entire race to be a talent. So, aside from that, what else can those goblin prisoners of war do?
There are roughly two options. One is that the goblins are skilled at operating various machines. For example, in their Great Zhou Dynasty, the goblins could be assigned to operate steam excavators.

Operating a steam excavator is considered a skilled trade in their Great Zhou Dynasty, and given the goblins' talents, they should be able to handle it easily.

However, considering that they are prisoners of war, there may be potential risks if such large equipment falls into their hands.

So, the only option left was to go to the factory assembly line and become an assembly worker.

Although the number of goblins captured this time was not large, they could still be used as cheap labor in the corresponding assembly line factories, which would reduce expenses considerably. Every little bit helps.

The matter was immediately arranged, and the shackled goblin prisoners of war quickly received the news.

They breathed a sigh of relief at that moment.

They were willing to betray their country and compatriots, just to survive. If they struggled for so long and still failed to survive, wouldn't all their efforts have been in vain?

Now, everyone feels at ease when they hear they're going to work on an assembly line.

Good job! I'm safe now!
For these captured goblin prisoners of war, as long as they could save their lives, nothing else mattered much.

The next morning, after finishing a meal of steamed buns and pickled vegetables, and changing into conspicuous prison uniforms, the goblins were quickly transferred to a nearby factory.

Considering the goblins' status, they certainly wouldn't be assigned to work in any important factories. The factories here mainly produce daily necessities.

Given this premise, since the goblins were too short to reach the assembly line, the factory specially provided each of them with a small stool so they could stand on it and successfully begin their assembly line work...

(End of this chapter)