Roland held the third plenary meeting in the castle's reception hall the day after he officially ascended the throne.
The main topic of the meeting was the distribution of power that the officials were most concerned about.
As supporters of the right side, this was undoubtedly the moment they had been looking forward to for a long time. Working for a local lord and working for a king were two completely different concepts, especially since most of them had worked in City Hall and had a basic understanding of the new king's centralization of power by "weakening the local and strengthening the central". This promotion was even more important. This meant that they would become central officials of the Graycastle Kingdom, no longer managing the Western Region, and their influence could be said to be stronger than that of the great nobles in the past.
Naturally, Roland would not allow this kind of "instant success" sentiment to continue to swell in his team of officials. Therefore, at the beginning of the meeting, he put the general principles at the forefront. "First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you. Those who are invited to this meeting will become part of the elite of Graycastle. In the next few decades, you will govern this kingdom together with me. "
"You flatter me, Your Majesty." Barov took the lead to stand up, put his hand on his chest, and bowed. "It's our honor to serve you! If there's anything you need, please tell me. I'll do it without hesitation! "
Although he spoke humbly, the old director's face was already wrinkled from the smile. Obviously, he was full of expectations for the future.
Roland nodded with a smile and gestured for everyone to sit down. Then he said slowly, "But there's one thing I have to say first. Taking back the feudal power of the nobles is to replace them with capable people. The prosperity of a kingdom depends on how many outstanding people are fighting for it. So, I don't want to see you become another kind of nobles."
"Of course..." Barov hurriedly said. "No one can guarantee that the descendants will have the same talents. All positions should be given to the best."
His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
Not knowing if it was an illusion, Roland felt that these City Hall officials had changed a lot from before. Even their flattery was much smoother, and there was an inexplicable awe in their eyes. This difference gave him a vague sense of pleasure.
This was probably the function of the ritual.
It was no wonder that Timothy and Garcia would not hesitate to drag more than half of the kingdom into the flames of war in order to obtain this position.
However, Roland did not allow himself to be immersed in this emotion for too long. Even if he was the supreme king, he only governed a corner of the vast continent. If he was satisfied with this, then what difference was there between him and some unknown chieftain of an isolated island?
The world was so big that he wanted to see it.
"What you said is just the most basic point." Roland looked around the hall. "In fact, no one can guarantee that a capable person will always be qualified for his position! The temptations of the outside world, the solidification of one's thoughts, and the swelling of one's desires could all destroy one's future! You — are no exception. "
As he raised his voice, the officials all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Therefore, entering the Center is just the beginning. Your abilities and achievements will be comprehensively evaluated every year. After that, whether you will be promoted or stagnate will be determined by the evaluation." Roland paused for a moment. "Of course, there will be worse results. For example, those who know that they can't do it, but still cause losses to the kingdom, will be stripped of their positions and sent to the court of justice!"
"Your Majesty..." Barov asked cautiously, "May I know who will write this evaluation?"
"I'll be responsible for it." Roland looked at him. "Any other questions?"
Although the real investigator was Nightingale from the Security Bureau, it was more appropriate to carry out the investigation in his name.
"No, I... have no more questions."
"I know what you're thinking," Roland continued. "It's not easy to get to this point. It should be the time to reap the rewards. If you have to walk on thin ice and keep working hard in the future, then what's the point of becoming a Central Hall official? What I want to say is, the rewards don't conflict with the above. Instead, it's a symbiotic relationship. As long as you can complete the tasks I give you, I don't mind you making profits for yourself. It's like dividing bread. The bigger the bread, no matter how little you get, you can still fill your stomach. The smaller the bread, even if you eat it alone, you will only get a little. As for the reason that those who stand at the front will get the bread more easily, I think you all know that. "
The resources that a high-ranking official could obtain were far more than just the salary on the surface. His connections and power were all more efficient capital. If he couldn't even see this point, he didn't need such a person to continue to stay in the City Hall.
The driving effect of the stick and carrot combination had been verified by the river of history. Although he was still very unfamiliar with it, Roland had begun to familiarize himself with it.
"Before I announce new appointments and removals, you can still choose to give up. Those who quit will get a large amount of Golden Dragon as compensation, enough for you to squander for the rest of your life. But once you decide to stay, you have to shoulder the responsibilities and obligations of an official. Now, make your decision! "
No one stood up. Even Kyle Sichi, the Minister of Chemical Industry, who complained incessantly at the beginning and wanted to resign as soon as possible, remained silent. Apparently, his two years of experience in politics had taught him that the position of minister was especially important if he wanted to extract funds from Barov.
"Very well." Roland smiled. "Now, let's announce your appointments and removals!"
Compared with the previous City hall, the biggest change in the new regime was that it included the towns in the other territories.
He directly adopted the modern division method and set the big cities as provinces, governing the towns, villages, and other residential areas in the surrounding areas. The governor, who had the same rank as the minister, was in charge of the provinces. Each province needed to set up a provincial City hall, and its department was responsible for the City hall of Neverwinter.
This system was based on the previous second-level City hall, so it wasn't difficult to implement. The only difference was that the workload of the minister would be greatly increased. Correspondingly, the minister's power would also increase by one level.
Barov Hermon was promoted to the head of the Hand of the King as he wished. He was in charge of the Ministry of Finance and was also responsible for coordinating the work of the various departments. As the first batch of managers of Border Town and the old director who had trained the most talents for the City hall, this position could not be more suitable. Four years ago, Roland had casually mentioned it, but now it had become a reality.
In addition to the City hall of King's City, the army, the Security Bureau, and the Witch Union, Roland had also established a brand-new department: the General Staff.
Different from the staff organization that specialized in military operations, the General Staff was also responsible for formulating foreign policies. Anything related to "strategic plans" would be formulated by the General Staff. With the continuous expansion of Graycastle's power and the threat of the Battle of Divine Will, the relationship between Graycastle and the Kingdom of Dawn, the Kingdom of Wolfheart, the Kingdom of Everwinter, and the Fjords would inevitably become closer. Roland needed an organization with a broad vision to assist him in controlling the overall situation.
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