On the throne, the young Emperor's face was cold and his eyes were distant. Below the steps, the Consul bowed and advised, neither servile nor overbearing.
After a long time, Xu Sili's mouth twitched.
He looked at Wen Jishan, who was respectful on the surface but probably had no idea what was going on in his mind. He said in a low voice, "You said that the Mercenary Town is not an important place …"
"Consul, do you really think so?"
Wen Jishan frowned. He could easily sense the change in the young Emperor. In the past, he would never speak to him like this.
Of course, he had never taken the young Emperor seriously.
In Wen Jishan's opinion, even the First Prince and the Second Princess were not worthy of the throne. In the entire Empire, the only person that he truly respected was Si Sheng.
Unfortunately, Si Sheng was stubborn.
He did not know if he was truly loyal to the Emperor or if he had other difficulties. With his strength, it would be easy for him to overthrow the Empire.
Furthermore, Wen Jishan could not see how much Si Sheng respected the House of Roland.
However, he had never done anything rebellious.
He had even tried his best to turn the tides many times. It could be said that three years ago, if not for Si Sheng, the Roland Empire would have been destroyed by the Beast Tide.
Si Sheng was so powerful and so mysterious. Most of the time, even Wen Jishan could not see through his thoughts.
At this moment, seeing the change in the young Emperor, Wen Jishan was slightly surprised, but he was not too shocked.
The young man was still too inexperienced.
He had worked with Si Sheng for so long. In terms of aura and cold face, who could compare to the most powerful person in the Empire?
Thinking of this, Wen Jishan continued to bow and said warmly, "Your Majesty, it is indeed so."
The Mercenary Town was indeed not an important place!
"Bullshit!"
Xu Sili cursed and looked at him calmly. It was only now that he noticed the favorability tag above Wen Jishan's head.
[Indifferent]
His favorability was even lower than Si Sheng's!
Xu Sili felt that if his support rate was lower than 50%, this guy would definitely be the first to jump out and rebel.
This was absolutely intolerable!
A talent that could be used by him was a talent. If they couldn't be used by him, they were no better than trash.
At the very least, the trash didn't have the ability to cause trouble!
At this moment, the way Xu Sili looked at Wen Jishan had changed. Just now, he was sincerely happy, but now, no matter how he looked at him, he didn't like him.
As expected, Li Zheyu was the best. At least he was loyal!
Captain Li, who was reflecting on himself, suddenly felt a subtle change in the atmosphere.
？？？
Did something happen again? He clearly didn't do anything!
Wen Jishan's expression also changed slightly. He restrained himself and maintained his courtesy. "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
This little emperor was actually scolding him!
Just a moment ago, he thought that the young man had become a king, but now it seemed that he was blind.
Xu Sili stared at him, not showing any signs of weakness.
"Mercenary Town is the only way to go from the inner city to the outer city defense line. It is the node that connects the inner and outer city. Whether going to the front line or returning from the front line, you have to go through Mercenary Town."
"You actually said that such an important place is not an important place?"
Xu Sili slightly narrowed his eyes.
"Let's not talk about the geographical location. Let's talk about the population of Mercenary Town. I want to ask you, Governor, what kind of people are the mercenaries?"
He didn't give Wen Jishan a chance to speak and continued, "They are ordinary people. None of them are Elementalists!"
"But they still fight at the front line, licking the blood from their blades, killing the Galactic Beasts, using their experience, skills, and lives to fight!"
"Of course, they are doing it for the high reward, but you can't deny that they are also protecting the Empire. They are an indispensable force for the Empire to fight against the Galactic Beasts!"
"Governor, you dare to say that they are not important?"
Wen Jishan looked at the little Emperor and his expression became solemn. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the army is also made up of ordinary people!"
Although most of the Elementalists were recruited by the army, it was not enough. There were only a few thousand Elementalists in the frontline army of a million.
And this was the accumulation of hundreds of years.
This was because the Elementalist College could only send a hundred one-star Elementalists to the frontline every year. During the Galactic Beast Tide three years ago, many Elementalists died in battle. Now, there were only a few left.
Xu Sili sneered.
"Then you mean to let these mercenaries join the army again?"
"Not to mention that most of them originally retired from the frontline. Let's talk about recalling these people back to the army. Can the Empire afford to raise them?"
A million soldiers sounded like a lot, but they were scattered in five main cities. Each main city had about two hundred thousand soldiers.
The Roland Empire had a population of more than ninety million people. Just the Imperial City alone had more than thirty million people. If they really wanted to recruit soldiers, they actually didn't lack manpower.
But … they couldn't afford to raise them!
The army was the country's machine, but it was also a money-shredding machine. The army took up 50% of Roland's annual budget!
If they recruited more soldiers, the Empire's economy would collapse.
Fortunately, the frontline war was not in a critical situation.
After the Galactic Beast Tide three years ago, the roads between the five main cities were occupied by all kinds of Galactic Beasts. These Galactic Beasts were basically one to four stars.
In fact, they rarely took the initiative to attack human cities. This was because the remaining five main cities were all protected by large-scale magic arrays.
Unless there was another Galactic Beast Tide, it would be impossible to break through the magic arrays.
Therefore, the current war at the frontline was mainly to clear out the Galactic Beasts and open up the roads to the main cities as soon as possible.
Although there was still danger if they encountered three or four star Galactic Beasts, they could just retreat behind the magic arrays and fight guerilla warfare with the Galactic Beasts.
Because of this, the two hundred thousand soldiers at the frontline were already enough to protect the Imperial City. Any more would be a burden!
As the Consul, Wen Jishan naturally understood this principle.
Therefore, these retired soldiers would never be recalled to the frontline.
It was their personal choice to become mercenaries and continue to fight. The Empire did not need to pay any extra for them.
Previously, he wanted to say that if the mercenaries were ordinary people and they were still fighting, so they had to increase their benefits, then what about the soldiers at the frontline?
Wouldn't they be in more danger? Would they need more benefits?
However, the little Emperor's words stopped him.
This was because he also knew that some mercenaries were not old enough to retire, but the Empire could not afford to support them and could only force some of them to retire.
And these people would often become the main force of the mercenary group.
Otherwise, how would they dare to fight against the Galactic Beasts that were born with at least half a star Galactic Beasts with the body of an ordinary person?
However, it would be meaningless to say it out loud like this.
At the same time, he was secretly shocked.
How did this little Emperor suddenly know so much? Wasn't he an incapable ruler who didn't know how to differentiate between the five grains and four bodies?
Could it be that he was pretending before?
Wen Jishan thought for a while and said, "I know that Your Majesty is kind and empathizes with these retired soldiers, but I think that the limited resources should be used where they are needed more."
"Oh, where they are needed more?"
Xu Sili sneered again, "Are you talking about the inner city?"
"That's right, in these two years, the governor has indeed managed the inner city well. Although I can't see the other four main cities, with your long-distance management, I think they are not too bad."
Although Wen Jishan looked humble on the surface, he was actually a proud person and could not help but feel a little proud when he heard this.
Yes, he had only been in office for two years, but his achievements were real.
He was indeed an ordinary person and could not go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, but his contributions to Roland were not less than anyone else's!
"However, this is not enough."
The young man's faint voice made Wen Jishan slightly stunned, then he frowned.
"Not enough?"
There was a touch of doubt in his eyes behind the glasses.
What was not enough? Could it be that there was someone who could do more and better than him?
"Yes, not enough."
Xu Sili looked at him and said firmly, "In the Imperial City alone, there are a total of 35 million people, but the inner city only accounts for a mere 3 million people!"
"These 3 million people are indeed rich, but what about the other 32 million people? How many of them are still struggling to eat and wear? "
Wen Jishan's face was a little pale, he felt that the little emperor was deliberately making things difficult for him!
He had only been in office for two years, it was already good enough that he could make the inner city like this. According to the little emperor, did he want to make everyone rich?
Was this possible? First of all, the nobles would not cooperate!
What's more, what he said just now was not what the little emperor meant.
He felt that if he wanted to improve the welfare of the mercenaries, it would be better to give them more equipment.
How useful could it be to renovate and rebuild the town?
Most of the people living in the town were the families of the mercenaries, they did not need to live in good houses, it was better to give them some living allowances.
But he never thought that the little emperor would despise him! And in front of Si Sheng and Li Zheyu!
No matter how good Wen Jishan was at pretending, he was a little annoyed at this moment.
"Your Majesty, I have little talent and knowledge, I really can't take care of everyone in just two short years!"
He gritted his teeth, especially the words "just two short years", he especially emphasized these four words.
"Since you know that you are not capable enough, then be a little more humble!"
Xu Sili looked at him and said earnestly.
"Chief Wen, if you are too proud and do not think to improve yourself, you will not go far. The Empire still needs you, I hope that you will not make this kind of mistake in the future."
Wen Jishan's face turned green.
The little emperor actually took advantage of the situation and directly stepped on him!
He narrowed his eyes and subconsciously looked at Si Sheng.
However, Si Sheng was not looking at him, he was looking at the little emperor, there seemed to be a light in his grey-blue eyes.
Did Si Sheng also think that the little emperor was too much?
If the little emperor could step on Wen Jishan like this, one day, he would also step on him like this!
When that time came, would he still be able to tolerate it?
Would he still support the House of Roland like he always did?
Wen Jishan gritted his teeth and looked at the little emperor again. He endured silently, he did not fly into a rage, but he also did not admit it.
What a joke!
How could his achievements be offset by a few words from the little emperor?
"It seems that Chief Wen is still not convinced."
Xu Sili's mouth twitched, "Did I say anything wrong?"
"You think that it is unwise to allocate funds to renovate and rebuild the town, but who told you that? That I need to allocate funds? "
Wen Jishan was stunned.
If they did not allocate funds, how could they rebuild the town?
Should they let the local residents do it? Wouldn't that be nonsense? Without money and people, how could they rebuild the town?
"The Elementalist College will be fully responsible for the rebuilding of the town," Xu Sili said faintly, "Dean Justin will be in charge of this."
"He took the initiative to issue a military order to me."
"After half a month, if the rebuilding plan is not completed, he will request to reduce the financial subsidies for the Elementalists by 50%."
Wen Jishan sucked in a cold breath.
What a guy, what a guy!
This little emperor, when did he hook up with the dean of the Elementalist College? No, this does not seem like it!
50% of the financial subsidies, is Justin crazy to propose this?
Li Zheyu, who was guarding beside Xu Sili, could not help but widen his eyes when he heard this.
Did he say this yesterday?
Did Dean Justin take the initiative to issue a military order? Weren't you the one who forced him to do so?
After experiencing the scene in the dean's office yesterday, as an Elementalist, Li Zheyu could not help but mourn deeply for Dean Justin.
As for the possibility of his monthly subsidy of 30,000 being reduced?
Anyway, even if it was reduced by 50%, it would still be 15,000. As the Guard Captain, his salary was not low, so he did not feel much.
He just felt that …
His Majesty is too evil! The old dean is so pitiful.
Wen Jishan, on the other hand, asked in surprise, "Is what Your Majesty said true?"
The consul's eyes, which were full of complaints just now, were now full of excitement.
"If Dean Justin does not complete the rebuilding plan after half a month, he will request to reduce the financial subsidies for the Elementalists by 50%?"
Xu Sili looked at his shining eyes and could not help but feel a little strange.
He thought for a while and reminded him in a low voice.
"Rebuilding the Mercenary Town is a very important first step in my next plan."
"Chief Wen, I don't want anyone to interfere!"
Wen Jishan smacked his lips and nodded to show that he understood, but his expression was regretful no matter how one looked at it.
Of course, it was regretful!
He had been eyeing the Thermal Elementalists for a long time. This group of people who only took money but did not do anything, if not for the fact that he was not strong enough, he would have cut their financial subsidies by 70%!
Now that there was such a good opportunity, that old guy Justin was willing to take the blame. If he did not do something, wouldn't it be a waste of the dean's good intentions?
Wen Jishan's eyes flashed, as if he had not given up on the idea of causing trouble.
Xu Sili saw this and felt an inexplicable headache. Li Zheyu, on the other hand, felt a chill run down his spine.
F * ck, this is too evil!
He was only concerned about whether the dean could complete the task on time. He never thought that Wen Jishan would want to sabotage it.
No, he had to go back and remind the dean to be careful and not be tricked by Wen Jishan!
Xu Sili opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but after hesitating for a while, he did not say anything in the end.
If it was really sabotaged, then it was because Dean Justin was not capable enough.
He was the dean of the Elementalist College and a two-star Spirit Elementalist. If he was afraid of a normal person like Wen Jishan, then what else could he say?
Thinking of this, Xu Sili continued to talk about the mercenary town. He still had some ideas about this experimental base.
"Like I said just now, the Elementalist College will be responsible for the reconstruction of the Mercenary Town."
Wen Jishan restrained his expression and looked at him in confusion. He did not understand why he had to emphasize it again. Was he really that worried that he would pull some tricks?
Then, he heard the young emperor say:
"When I said they would be responsible, I did not mean that they would pay for the reconstruction. What I meant was that the Elementalists would be responsible for the reconstruction."
Wen Jishan was stunned. His words were a bit of a mouthful, but he quickly understood.
He did not mean that the Elementalist College would pay for the reconstruction. Instead, he meant that the Elementalists would be responsible for the reconstruction of the town?
How was this possible?!
"Your Majesty …"
Wen Jishan's mouth was dry. "Isn't it a bit of a waste to ask the Elementalists to build the town?"
"What is a waste? What is a waste? "
Xu Sili chuckled. At this moment, the young man seemed to be strategizing. "Chief Wen, do you know anything about the Elementalists?"
Wen Jishan pursed his lips.
He was an ordinary person. He did not have elemental affinity. Although he knew some things about the Elementalists because of his position, it was only superficial knowledge.
However, if he remembered correctly, His Majesty was also an ordinary person, right?
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Chief Wen."
Xu Sili tidied his robe and said softly.
"I went to the Elementalist College yesterday to test my talent. I did not expect that I would have the talent of a Spirit Elementalist, and the rare Sound Elementalist."
Wen Jishan's expression was confused for a moment.
No, wasn't His Majesty 18 years old? How could he test his talent?
"Your Majesty, you mean …"
"The Elementalist College made a serious mistake. Not only in terms of education, but also in terms of the testing method."
Xu Sili did not hide it. There was nothing to hide.
"This caused some of the children who tested their talent to be assigned to the wrong element. Yesterday, there was a Warrior student who took the test with me. In the end, he was also a Spirit Elementalist."
"In other words, we may have a new batch of Spirit Elementalists in the future."
Wen Jishan was also a smart person. When Xu Sili pointed it out, he understood why Justin made such a military order.
If it was true, then this mistake was too big!
However, at this moment, he thought of something else.
"Does that mean … that some of the ordinary people who were judged to have no elemental affinity may also have talent? That they were just misjudged? "
Just like His Majesty!
Many years later, he could still be tested!
Xu Sili looked at Wen Jishan. He wanted to tell him —
Don't think about it. You really do not have elemental affinity. You are just an ordinary person.
However …
Looking at the burning expectation in the young man's eyes, he hesitated and decided to forget it.
Today's shock should be enough. He could take it slow. There was no need to destroy his mentality all of a sudden.
Xu Sili nodded.
"Yes, but this group of people, if they do not practice the basic techniques for a long time and do not improve, they may not be tested."
After saying that, he did not continue this topic.
"This is a matter for the future. It is not the main point now." He said, "The main point now should be — in the future, we will have a new batch of Mental Elementalists who practice the Warrior Path."
"It is still okay for the young ones. Those students between the ages of 15 and 18 are basically useless."
Wen Jishan could not help but frown. His expression was a little dignified.
Yes, only one-star Elementalists could go to the frontline. These Mental Elementalists who practiced the wrong path obviously could not reach the one-star level in such a short time.
When the time came, they would be assigned to the local guards. However, wouldn't that be a waste of their talent?
Would they have to postpone their graduation?
But would they be able to become one-star Elementalists if it was postponed? This was an unknown.
In fact, it was not impossible for them to go to the local guards. However, they were all potential Mental Elementalists! How powerful were the Mental Elementalists? They were often the ones who could affect the outcome of a battle!
More importantly, he felt that this was not a small number. It was likely to be more than a hundred.
A hundred Mental Elementalists …
Wen Jishan could not help but swallow his saliva. At the same time, he hated Elementalist College even more.
Sure enough, they were a bunch of useless people!
After so many years, how many children had they delayed? How many fighter jets had they delayed?
Reducing their financial subsidies by 50% was not enough at all!
Xu Sili looked at Wen Jishan's slightly crazy eyes and could not help but sympathize with Dean Justin.
He coughed again to get the Archon's attention.
"So, I plan to let these children participate in the construction. Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. These five main elements are actually very suitable for basic construction."
"Martial Arts focus on one's own body. However, Mental Elementalists can directly control the elements."
"Metal can make weapons and build fortresses."
"There's no need to talk about wood and water. They're very useful in planting and healing."
"Fire can be used with alloys to forge more powerful weapons and equipment. Earth is definitely good at building bridges, paving roads, and houses."
"They are Elementalists. They can do these things much faster than ordinary people."
Xu Sili raised his eyebrows and said lazily.
"Do you think Dean Justin is stupid? If he is not confident, why would he agree to the deadline of half a month? "
"He is a two-star Earth Elementalist. It might be a little difficult to rebuild the town in half a month. However, he is not the only Elementalist in the academy."
Not to mention the teachers, but also the students.
The current spirit major students in the academy were all truly gifted geniuses. He didn't believe that there weren't any talents in the field of civil engineering.
So, half a month was actually possible for the Elementalist College!
"Rebuilding a town in half a month does not require much manpower, financial, and material resources. It might just use some magic recovery treasures."
"Chief Wen, do you think this is a good deal?"
When the people in the hall heard Xu Sili's words, they couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Wen Jishan listened to his description. His expression became more and more serious, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.
Now that he was called, he quickly nodded his head.
It was a good deal, okay?!
Did he not want to do construction? Did he not want to make use of those resources? Did he not know the gap between the rich and the poor in the inner city?
But he had no manpower, no money, and no power. What could he do?
But now it was different. There was free labor! And it was very, very high-level labor!
Let those arrogant Elementalists, especially Mental Elementalists, do construction. Just thinking about it made him feel good, okay?
He had been envious of this group of guys who could control water, earth, and wood for a long time!
He had thought about it before, but he did not dare to plan too deeply because he was just an ordinary person.
And Elementalists had a very high status in the Roland Empire! Even if he was the Chief Magistrate, he could not command them.
It was a waste to let the noble and powerful Elementalists do these things that ordinary people could do. It would definitely cause a huge backlash.
And now …
On the throne, the young emperor that he looked down on smiled and continued, "I don't expect these useless Mental Elementalists to go to the front line."
"Instead of letting them waste resources, it is better to make use of them and build the empire!"
"Yes, Your Majesty is right!"
Wen Jishan nodded, feeling very excited.
All the dissatisfaction he had with the little emperor was now forgotten, because the feasibility of this plan was too high!
But he did not expect that the little emperor had thought further than him, and was more ruthless than him.
The young man continued to speak in the hall.
"After the Mercenary Town is rebuilt, I plan to gather all the local Elementalists and let them form an Elementalist Mercenary Group or join an existing mercenary group."
"All Elementalists below one star must become mercenaries!"
Mercenaries also had their own Mercenary Association.
Every year, they must complete a certain number of missions to maintain their status as a mercenary, to be able to level up, and to be able to receive resources and missions from the Mercenary Association!
"All Elementalist mercenaries must complete a certain number of missions every year. If they can't complete it, then the Elementalist's allowance will be canceled!"
"Of course, those who exceed the quota will also be rewarded."
"Since they are Elementalists, it means that they are stronger than ordinary mercenaries. If ordinary mercenaries can do it, then they must be able to do it too!"
The young man's words were loud and clear.
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
After a long time, Wen Jishan adjusted his glasses that were falling down.
He looked up, his green eyes deeply staring at the young emperor on the throne, and said firmly and enthusiastically, "Yes, Your Majesty is right! We must do it! "
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