Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire.

Chapter 365: Abolition of Harsh Government
“Who first proposed this citizen honor system?”

Noah summoned his offspring to him and asked seriously.

The citizen honor system does not grant any political privileges to the high-ranking Golden Citizens and Holy Dragon Citizens. This is an honorary title, not a power level. In law, they are equal to ordinary citizens, and once they break the law, they will be punished equally.

The difference is that after obtaining the honorary title, Dragon citizens will enjoy different social welfare benefits and corresponding policy preferences according to different titles.

This is the preferential treatment they deserve. For example, if a dragon citizen is seriously injured on the battlefield, resulting in physical disability, affecting basic life and behavioral abilities, and losing the ability to fight, he will retire from the battlefield as a disabled veteran and enjoy the treatment of the golden people.

When he chooses to return to his hometown, the local administrative agency will provide support for the veteran and pay a monthly allowance, and his immediate family members will also enjoy special educational benefits.

However, this treatment is based on the disabled veteran himself and is a personal benefit. After three generations, even his direct descendants will no longer enjoy such benefits, unless some of his descendants go to the battlefield, gain military merits, accumulate social contributions, and obtain honorary titles.

However, these welfare benefits and policy preferences require corresponding financial support, and this part comes from the territory’s financial expenditure.

Similar benefits actually appeared before Noah fell asleep. However, before Noah fell asleep, the groups and targets of these benefits were vague and the boundaries were unclear. Now, there are specific groups and more detailed divisions to avoid fish in troubled waters.

In the short term, this optimizes fiscal expenditure and reduces Noah's monetary expenditure, but in the long run, more and more people will have these two honorary titles, which will pose an increasing threat to Noah's treasury.

However, these honorary titles also attract citizens who desire them, giving them powerful motivation and injecting endless vitality into his order.

"Father, this is something that Terra and I discussed together."

Hearing Noah's question, Eliade took the initiative to step forward. When the ice dragon that was holding onto the golden dragon cast his eyes at him, he added,
"My sister also added a lot."

"Why do you have such an idea?"

Noah wondered about this.

"Because there are more and more immigrants pouring in, there have been many conflicts with the original residents, so after discussing with Terra, I introduced this system..."

Eliade explained to his father the difficulties they encountered during their temporary reign.

Due to the influence of the two brothers returning from the Alvis continent, a large number of followers and immigrants followed, bringing a huge wave of overseas immigrants. The administrative district originally established with the voyager port as the core was not enough to accommodate them. More and more immigrants passed through customs and entered the mainland, which caused dissatisfaction among the local people.

As we all know, the basic treatment enjoyed by the people of the Holy Dragon Land can be said to be the best in the continent of Zealandia. It is now also regarded as the kingdom of God on earth by many people on the continent of Alvis.

Within the scope of current knowledge, there is no political body that provides a better and more tolerant living environment for the lower-class people than under the rule of the Holy Dragon.

Therefore, preventing illegal immigration has become the first and most important task of the Border Defense and Customs Department of the Holy Dragon Land for decades.

Although this border land, originally ruled by the Augustus family, was initially eager for an influx of immigrants, today, this Holy Dragon Land has become more prosperous than any other region on the continent and no longer needs outsiders.

But people outside are extremely eager to enter this holy land because it has a complete survival support system, as well as an education and medical system that serves the lower-class civilians.

Anyone who can obtain legal status in this land can hold their head high and live with dignity. Not only will they no longer have to worry about hunger and disease, but they and their next generation will also have the opportunity to change their destiny - compulsory education. This is unbelievable for many commoners in noble territories who are still struggling to fill their stomachs.

Therefore, as long as people who have heard of and understood the Holy Dragon Land have the opportunity, they will definitely pay all the current costs to go to this holy land. As long as they can take root in this land, the tragic fate of themselves and their descendants will be changed.

However, in the Holy Dragon Land today, the talent and labor demands in various urban areas and industries have basically reached saturation. The long-term influx of a small number of immigrants can be slowly accepted and accommodated.

But in a short period of time, a large number of immigrants poured in. Even though the old residents of the Holy Dragon Land generally had high moral standards due to their long-term affluent life, it was impossible for them to smile under such circumstances.

The basic quality and moral standards of the immigrants are lower than those in the Holy Dragon Land. When these people gather, they substantially affect the interests of the local residents.

A large number of immigrants will not only cause public security incidents, but also compete with local residents for jobs and share social welfare. It would be strange if local residents had no objections in the face of such situations.

Although most of the people in the Holy Dragon Land today have ancestors who are outsiders, their ancestors have contributed to the economic prosperity of the Holy Dragon Land for generations, so in this generation, they can enjoy a variety of superior welfare benefits and jobs.

But why do these outsiders have the same benefits as them as soon as they come in? What have they done? What have they paid?
The same saying applies here: "It is not the lack of food that is worrying, but the injustice." One person works, while the other does not. In the end, the two people eat the same amount of food. The person who works will definitely feel resentful and feel unfair.

Therefore, the citizen honor system came into being. There was really no other way. If no policies were introduced to quell the dissatisfaction among the local people, there was no telling how the situation would end.

As the actual rulers, Iliad and Telramus could not reject the legal immigrants from the continent of Alvis, but on the other hand, they could not ignore the feelings of the subjects under their father's rule.

Therefore, it is only on the premise of granting citizenship to everyone that the dragon people in the Holy Dragon Land, whose ancestors have worked hard and even sacrificed their lives for this land, can be given special honorary titles and more benefits.

At the same time, they also tell foreign immigrants that the laws of the Holy Dragon Land do not discriminate or mistreat them, but if they want to receive special treatment, they need to work hard and strive for it, or make corresponding contributions to this land.

There is no such thing as gain without working, and there is no such thing as gain without effort. Only hard work pays off, and the more you work, the more you get.

Originally, according to this idea, the honor system would only have three levels, not five. However, at the suggestion of the Dark Lord Teramus and the Ice Princess, this honor system was further extended, but what was extended downwards was not honor, but constraints.

The fourth-class slaves and fifth-class guards are assigned to the dark races in the Underdark, criminals who have committed serious crimes but have not been sentenced to death, and slaves redeemed from the Land of the Holy Dragon.

Noah had abolished slavery within his rule, but slavery still existed widely among countries, slave traders were still rampant, and the slave trade continued to be prevalent.

The Land of the Holy Dragon has relevant policies in this regard, including but not limited to redemption, fair trade, and armed liberation.

These slaves who were protected by the Holy Dragon Land would not be free immediately. According to the slave redemption law issued by the Augustus family that Noah recommended in his childhood, these slaves needed to create value through labor in exchange for freedom. Nothing can be obtained for free, especially in the land ruled by the dragon clan. Nothing can be obtained for free, but the value created by labor can be fairly exchanged, including freedom.

Liberating slaves did not directly grant them freedom. Instead, they were given the opportunity to gain freedom, which was called slavery. However, they could gain freedom and directly obtain citizenship through labor within one to two years.

However, slaves are not only slaves. There are also criminals who have committed crimes, been punished by law, and been deprived of certain civil rights and identities. They also need to pay for their crimes through labor, and when the sentence is over, their citizenship can also be restored.

The fifth class of guards are mainly prepared for serious criminals who have committed serious crimes but whose crimes do not deserve the death penalty. They are also aimed at some special groups.

For example, among the dark races from the Underdark, although the competition is extremely fierce and the environment is extremely harsh, making it difficult for them to produce purely good people, nothing is absolute in the world.

There are no purely good people, but there are creatures that tend to be good. They live in darkness but their hearts are towards the light. Such intelligent creatures may be extremely rare in the Underdark, but it is not to the point where none can be found.

This was also what Telramus requested. After entering the underground, this dark lord who killed a lot of people had the need to establish his power, so he controlled his temper and subdued a group of dark clans that were barely acceptable.

But afterwards, he discovered that not all of these races were hopeless. Some of them were created due to environmental oppression and could be transformed.

Therefore, the dark race who are loyal to Telramus and want to go to the ground can obtain the status of guardians. Although they do not have legal citizenship and corresponding basic rights, the Golden Dragon Code also protects the personal safety and personal property of the guardians from harm.

If the people of the Holy Dragon commit illegal acts against the defenders, their guilt will not be diminished due to the difference in honorary titles and contributions between the two.

Honor and contribution are not capital for committing crimes, nor are they the basis for invading and bullying others. War meritorious service can earn you honor and generous treatment, but there are no legal privileges.

Of course, the status of Guardian Citizen is also temporary. As long as the Underdark creatures who obtain this status abide by the Golden Dragon Code and have no criminal record within ten years, their status will be automatically upgraded to a higher level. If they persist for another five years, they will become legal citizens.

Likewise, the offspring of Underdark creatures who are legal citizens are also legal citizens, and this status is inheritable.

However, the two honorary identities, the Golden People and the Holy Dragon People, are lifelong. Their children can enjoy some benefits, but they cannot inherit them. If they want something, they have to work hard on their own.

However, for criminals who have been deprived of some of their civil rights and demoted to slaves or guards due to crimes, their children, although enjoying citizenship, are prohibited from entering administrative agencies because of their parents' involvement. However, this punishment is only limited to three direct generations and will not affect those beyond three generations.

"Although the citizen honor system was created due to the current situation, it is inappropriate to divide citizens into different classes."

Noah knew that his descendants did not have the courage to add new rules based on the order he established.

Because the base of the Holy Dragon Land is so huge, as long as Noah still exists, the third son of the Holy Dragon, as the temporary ruler, even if he nominally holds the highest administrative power, actually exercising this power is another matter.

In this land, only Noah can truly carry out his will, and countless people will carry it out for him. If it were anyone else, even his own children, it would be difficult.

The mere emergence of the immigration wave has caused many doubts and oppositions to the rule of Eliade and Teramus. If they were to carry out in-depth reforms, the final situation would definitely be very ugly.

Although this honor system takes into account the emotions and interests of all parties as much as possible, the problem is too big, so it is no wonder that Ophelia does not want to explain it.

"Father, we do not grant any privileges to the Dragon People in law, we only grant them honors..."

Hearing that his and his brother's efforts were rejected, Eliade wanted to explain.

“The existence and birth of classes are inevitable, but they should not be written into the law.

The system you have promoted will be abolished the day I wake up. All citizens, regardless of their status, cannot be divided into first, second, or third class, even if they are honored for their merits. "

Seeing the two sons who were a little agitated and trying to refute, Noah further explained and partially affirmed their system.

“However, your hard work is not without merit. The People of the Holy Dragon and the People of Gold can be retained as lifelong honorary titles, but they do not come with any lifelong benefits.

Those who are injured in the line of duty or become disabled for the country can be given a one-time reward of material and resources based on their contributions. Citizens whose living and working abilities are affected can receive a monthly living allowance, and their children can receive preferential treatment and subsidies in education and medical care.

At the same time, these honorary titles are only owned by individuals for life and are not hereditary or passed down.

Apart from this, all should be abolished. Criminals will be judged according to the law and do not need any additional titles. Freed slaves will only need one or two years to be free and do not need any additional titles.

As for the Exalted from the Underdark, since you are willing to let them go to the surface, why do you let them wear such heavy shackles?
Either don’t let them step onto the ground, or if they are allowed to come up, give them full rights and freedoms, rather than disguised discrimination and exploitation. "

Noah turned his attention to his second son, Teramus. He already knew what this son had done during his sleep. This second son turned his attention to the underground and explored the underground world.
"This problem is the same as the immigration wave from the Alvis continent. You can refer to the special economic zones I set up and set up more special economic zones for the immigrants who come here because of you.

Allow immigrants to live and work in the special economic zones for five to ten years, adapt to the Golden Dragon Code, gradually increase their labor income and treatment, and finally grant them full citizenship.

Allow them to freely choose and settle in cities around the country according to their own wishes and actual economic conditions. "

When Teramus lowered his head and avoided his gaze, Noah turned his eyes to his eldest son.

“Those legal immigrants from Alvis who have passed your review and come here should obtain legal citizenship in my territory after having put in enough work and contribution.

If a large number of immigrants commit crimes that violate the law, it only means that your review is not strict enough. You should raise the admission standards instead of blindly improving the welfare of local people. What do you think? "

(End of this chapter)