Above the mage

Chapter 383 Political Discussion

With a whoosh, Anna slipped into Gao De's hand.

Having several days of experience "taking care of a child," Gaode easily picked up the little girl with one hand.

Anna wrapped her arms around Gao De's neck, looking overjoyed, seemingly excited because she hadn't seen Gao De in so long.

But upon closer inspection, one can discover a hint of childlike cunning in her exceptionally clear eyes.

"How are things? Are you getting used to living in Phoenix? The conditions here are different from the outside world, and," Gold paused, then chuckled, "it's also a bit colder."

Elsa thought to herself, "More than just some," and quickly replied, "I couldn't be more satisfied than having such a stable environment, where Anna and I don't have to live in constant fear."

She actually wanted to find out what the "King of the North" was all about and why Gao De was here.

But firstly, I felt that asking such a question lacked boundaries, and secondly, Sunefa was still standing on the sidelines.

This is a "Five Rings Mage," and no matter how young or beautiful she is, Elsa still feels awe towards her.

"Aren't you going to invite us in for a seat?" Gao De asked with a smile.

Elsa then came to her senses and quickly led the two of them into the house.

However, naturally, no tea or other beverages were served.

Gao De sat down at the stone table and let Anna sit on his lap.

Anna nestled obediently in his arms like a docile kitten, her eyes darting around.

"What do you think of this place?" Then, ignoring Elsa's inner turmoil, he asked directly.

"How is it here?" Gao De's question clearly took Elsa by surprise, causing her to pause for a moment before hesitantly replying, "It's completely different from the North I remember; it's very vibrant."

"Do you think there are any problems with Phoenix right now?" Gao De interrupted Elsa's pleasantries and went straight to the point: "From the perspective of a ruler."

Gao De asked directly, and Elsa stopped being insincere and polite. She thought about it seriously and said cautiously, "In my opinion, the biggest problem for Phoenix right now is that it is developing too fast and its management level is not keeping up."

"As far as I know, the Zhenbing tribe's system has always been based on a war mother system, with many elders discussing matters together. This system is actually somewhat primitive, and no one has real urban management skills or experience."

"This wasn't a big problem before, since the city was mostly inhabited by people from the Zhenbing tribe, and the overall structure was close to a tribal system. This kind of extensive management was sufficient."

"But now that Phoenix is ​​developing so rapidly, and more and more other tribes are integrating into it, it is gradually transforming from a tribe into a city, or even a small country. This has also increased the requirements for Phoenix's management level."

After Elsa finished speaking, she glanced cautiously at Sunefa, who had remained silent the whole time. Seeing that the other party did not show any dissatisfaction, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"In your opinion, what are some suitable ways to keep management up with Phoenix's growth rate?" Gao De asked again.

Elsa immediately fell into deep thought.

This is not a good question because it requires consideration of the actual situation in the North.

In reality, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.

It's like trying to find an innocent girl in a brothel; that's simply unrealistic.

The same is true in the North.

After so many years of tribal system, where can one find people with the ability to manage cities or even countries?

"At present, the best approach is to recruit the chieftains of the many tribes that have recently joined Phoenix, integrate them into Phoenix's management system, and let them select suitable people from their tribes to form a temporary but sufficient team of officials. Let's solve the immediate problems first," Elsa said after thinking for a long time.

This method naturally has many drawbacks, but it is undoubtedly the most suitable method for Phoenix at present.

At least that's how Elsa sees it.

"If the chiefs of each tribe select people from their own tribes to form the management team, will they listen to their own chiefs or to us? And in handling various affairs, won't they show favoritism towards their own tribe?" Gao De asked calmly.

"These things are unavoidable, but there's no better way to deal with them." Elsa naturally knew what God was saying.

But just as she thought, this was the best solution at the moment after weighing the pros and cons.

"If," Gao De paused, then slowly said, "I would divide the various aspects of a city's management into different departments."

Then, selections are made from the entire Phoenix population, including the Zhenbing tribe and other newly joined tribes, to bring them into the city hall and other departments to serve as so-called officials.

"Well, in Phoenix, they'll be called civil servants, what do you think?"

Elsa was stunned. After a long while, her eyes widened. "You mean, open selection, anyone can become an official or civil servant? Including ordinary citizens?"

"If they have the ability, why can't they?" Gao De countered.

"Moreover, in the North, there is at most a distinction between mages and ordinary people, but there is no distinction between nobles and commoners," he reminded them. "In the North, there has never been such a thing as a noble."

"But..." Elsa hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what "but" meant.

Her experience told her that what Gaode said was "unreasonable".

As a distinguished member of the royal family (in the past), Elsa received a systematic education in national administration and the national system.

She has a fairly thorough understanding of the national systems of the many countries on the continent of Nolan, including the two most powerful ones, the Plantagenet Dynasty and the Holy Empire.

In addition, she even had some knowledge of the state system of the Mihir Dynasty, which was located on another continent.

Therefore, she should not be surprised, and may even be able to offer some suggestions, whatever form Gao De intends to take in managing Phoenix.

This is the normal situation.

But the words that came out of Gaode's mouth were things she had never heard of before, and had never even thought of.

The management system that Gao De described as his vision for Phoenix was something entirely new and a fundamental subversion.

What is fundamental?

Just like the Plantagenet dynasty and the Holy Roman Empire, one was a monarchical dynasty and the other was a parliamentary state, seemingly two completely different national systems.

But this is just the opinion of a layman.

Essentially, the basic logic behind their operation is the same:

The monarch or parliament, that is, the highest ruling class, issues decrees, and then the ministers who receive the decrees begin to implement them.

The process of implementing this decree was carried out independently by the ministers, without any unified regulations.

Aside from private agreements or vested interests, ministers have no public connection whatsoever with each other.

This situation arises because ministers are appointed by the monarch or parliament, but their staff is assembled by the ministers themselves.

In this respect, ministers have a high degree of autonomy.

Of course, to prevent ministers from abusing this autonomy, the appointment of candidates for some important positions must be reported to the monarch for approval.

However, most positions, especially those directly serving ministers and lower-ranking positions, can be directly appointed by ministers.

Undoubtedly, these ministers will employ a large number of their confidants, family members, and even members of their vassal families, forming a huge "political" interest group centered around themselves.

The price behind this great autonomy was that the "salaries" of these staff members were all the responsibility of the nobles themselves, rather than being paid by the state.

Of course, compared to the enormous benefits that political parties can obtain, these "salaries" are really nothing.

Power and wealth are inseparable. With power, wealth will naturally swarm around you like bees attracted by nectar.

However, this also meant that to become a minister and wield power, one had to be of noble birth or already a high-ranking mage with the wealth and prestige to attract a group of followers.

One inevitable consequence of this system is that the longer the state lasts, the more fixed the social classes become.

Those important positions in the country, the so-called "ministerial" positions, were firmly held by nobles, and ordinary people had virtually no hope of breaking free from the shackles of this system.

This underlying political system logic has continued since the establishment of the first human dynasty, the Golden Flower Dynasty.

No matter how times change, no matter how many problems the country suffers from the chronic diseases caused by this system, nothing has changed.

—It cannot be changed, and no one has even thought about changing it.

This seems to have become the default truth.

However, what Gaode wants to create now is undoubtedly a completely new political system that is unlike any other country in the world.

According to Gao De, in Phoenix, in the future, not only the "ministers" but also the "ministers' staff" will be recruited and paid by the city hall.

In this situation, they can no longer be called the ministers' team; they all belong to the team of God and Sunaifa, only with different levels of power.

In other words, if a minister does not perform well, Gao De can directly appoint or dismiss a new minister, or directly promote someone from below.

This was something that was unimaginable before.

Under the old system, removing a minister was not simply a matter of moving that minister; it required a complete reshuffling and rebuilding of the entire "team".

Moreover, the replacement of ministers often leads to drastic changes in policy direction, and the change of personnel is a core aspect of the power transition.

This undoubtedly broke the restriction that only nobles and high-ranking mages could serve as ministers and wield power.

Without a doubt, such a system would not be able to be successfully implemented in any country.

Because nobles and high-ranking mages are the "foundation" of a country, and this system is the foundation of the nobles.

If you touch their foundation, they might just gang up on you and bring you down first.

But after thinking it over, Elsa realized that what Gaudy thought was not far-fetched, and that it was precisely in the North that it could take root and sprout.

Because there are no nobles in the North, and there is an almost personal worship-like reverence for the Warmother and Goddard.

In this situation, whatever systems and policies Sunafa and Gaode want to implement, they will not face opposition.

Another point is that all officials and civil servants are recruited by the city hall, and the additional salary costs are a heavy burden for the rulers.

But for Phoenix, at least for the time being, this is not a problem—the North doesn't even have a monetary system yet, let alone pay wages.

However, there are also some problems.

"Given the conditions in the North, there simply aren't enough suitable people to serve as civil servants." Elsa, who had already entered "deliberation" mode, temporarily forgot about the difference in their status and earnestly discussed the matter with God.

"Therefore, Phoenix currently has a total of three departments: the Department of Agriculture, which is related to food; the Department of Public Safety; and the Department of Education."

"Ministry of Education?"

"I will take charge of education and implement universal education in Phoenix. I don't expect everyone to become a talent, but at least literacy and arithmetic should become basic skills for people in the North. Those who are more outstanding can pursue further education."

"As long as everyone can read and write, no matter how many civil servants I want to recruit, I can always find a large number of suitable people. At that time, it will not be the city hall that lacks talent, but the talent that lacks positions."

"And this system will in turn promote the popularization of education for all citizens."

"Because currently, most people in the North do not properly recognize the importance of education; they are only willing to send their children to school out of respect and trust for me and Sunefa."

"It's actually quite difficult for them to understand and accept reasoning with you. But as long as you let them know that by receiving an education and studying hard, they will have the opportunity to become civil servants in the city hall in the future, which will bring them a higher status, and even after the monetary system is established in the future, they will receive generous compensation."

"Then they will take education seriously, value it, and even proactively tell their children about the importance of receiving an education," Elsa added.

What a terrifying "conspiracy." Anna, who wasn't particularly fond of studying, sat on Gaode's lap, listening to her sister's conversation with "Brother Gaode," her eyes blinking rapidly, feeling "goosebumps."

"Do you think it's feasible?" Gao De asked Elsa with a keen look in his eyes.

"It's feasible!" Elsa nodded emphatically.

This system may sound shocking at first, but upon careful consideration, one can imagine its advantages if it were actually implemented.

Both the quality and speed of policy implementation can be improved dramatically.

When everyone has the opportunity to become a "civil servant," the entire "country" will present a positive and energetic image.

With the ability to appoint and dismiss any official at any time, corruption, oppression of civilians, and illegal and disorderly conduct will be greatly reduced.

The monarch's ruling power will also reach its peak.

In short, just by thinking about it, Elsa can list a whole host of good qualities.

"As you said, Phoenix is ​​currently severely lacking in management talent, and you, as far as I know, as the princess of the Duchy of Westden, had extensive experience in governance before the Duchy of Westden was destroyed by the Duchy of Ovoga, and were highly regarded by the people of the Duchy of Westden." Gao De finally revealed the purpose of his trip:

"This is precisely the kind of talent Phoenix desperately needs right now. Therefore, I'd like to hire you as the head of the newly established department in City Hall: the Office, that is, the Chief of Staff, and concurrently the Deputy Secretary of Education. Would you be willing?"

(End of this chapter)