A few days later, the sky was clear and bright.
In a deserted, undeveloped area behind the Direct Rule District, a wide expanse of land had been cleared. In the distance and all around this area, a large number of Morass members were hard at work on construction.
Tall iron scaffolding could be seen erected on all sides, looking as if they were building a surrounding wall.
Within the yet-to-be-completed walls, some wide buildings were also under construction simultaneously, leaving only a vast, open space as a training ground.
More than three hundred orphans stood on the training ground, their eyes fixed on the three figures before them.
Two of them were Mandigore and Bilvat, and standing in the middle was, naturally, the king of this country, Wilder.
Wilder scanned the rows of orphans, who were arranged in a reasonably neat formation, his face stern and majestic.
"You are about to undergo the strictest training. Are you afraid?!"
"No!" Every child's face was filled with determination as they shouted back in unison.
"Very good!" Wilder nodded in satisfaction. He looked at the group of children and continued, "You are the finest children in this country. The training that follows is no joke. It will be rigorous. I hope that by the end of it, you will all have been completely transformed."
"Of course, apart from the strictness, you need not worry about anything else. You will be provided with delicious and nutritious food here, and we have the best medical teams. You don't need to worry about getting injured during training. You will learn to read and write! You will become glorious warriors who guard this nation!"
After saying this, Wilder saw a slight stir in the crowd and glanced at Bilvat.
Bilvat understood and nodded, taking a step forward to continue, "As long as you graduate from here, His Majesty the King will personally bestow upon you an official or military rank, and you will directly assume important positions in the kingdom! You will no longer have to live those days of hunger!"
Wilder had thought it over all night and had finally decided to change the model of the "Cadre Factory" he had initially planned, turning it into a "Cadre School," though the nature of both was essentially the same.
Seeing the children's excited reactions, Wilder knew that the rest would fall into place. To cultivate true talent, Wilder had also pulled a few people from the science department, the mess hall, and the medical department to research the most reasonable plan.
First were the nutritional meals. The children graduating from the Cadre School had to be strong, so they had to be provided with nutritional meals that could enhance their physique.
Then, their daily schedules and routines were arranged in a reasonable and orderly manner.
Furthermore, medical personnel would check their bodies once a day after their training, and the science department would also monitor their physical condition.
Finally, he had a batch of munitions transferred from the munitions department, ready to be used in the upcoming training.
If he was going to cultivate talent, he had to cultivate well-rounded individuals.
They didn't have to be masters of everything, but they had to be proficient in everything.
Finally, regarding the teaching staff, the issue of talent development, Wilder had for now only designed an oath.
And now was the time for every child to recite the school's oath of enrollment.
They followed Mandigore's example, raising their right hands in a fist. "I swear!"
The content, of course, was to cultivate their loyalty, their do-or-die fighting spirit, and their sense of purpose. The purpose was to let them know what their future responsibilities were and what they should do. This was summarized in seven articles:
Loyalty to the King. Loyalty to the Nation. Loyalty to the Guard. Loyalty to Service. Loyalty to Order. Loyalty to the Law. Loyalty to the People.
Wilder would also use these seven articles as the basis for formulating future systems and rules.
After the oath was sworn, Wilder left. The group of orphans would not begin systematic training just yet. Wilder instructed Mandigore and Bilvat to have them participate in the construction of the Cadre School, but they had to ensure an adequate supply of nutrition. These children were at a crucial stage of growth, and Wilder didn't want them to be ruined by a lack of food.
The training would begin after the school was built. Wilder could use this time to carefully consider the school's curriculum and system.
"The prerequisite is to establish the Talent Development Department first."
In the initial development of a country, if one were to ignore the two major aspects of economy and military, one of the most important would be education.
Wilder didn't have to worry about military matters for now, which was a good thing that brought him some relief.
The economy wasn't showing much improvement at the moment, but at least it could hold on for a while longer. And after a while, it would be about time to see some returns, when the economy would begin to show its first signs of life.
So, right now was the perfect time to address the issue of education.
Wilder planned to first gather some talented individuals with educational abilities from within his own ranks, and then, with them as the core, recruit from the civilian population.
"Claire, call a meeting of all department heads," Wilder ordered immediately upon returning to his office on the top floor of Skyhold Tower.
"Yes, sir."
The department heads were, of course, not limited to Wilder's high-ranking officers but also included those scholars and workers who had no combat abilities.
For example, the heads of the construction department, the munitions department, and the science department could also be considered to be on the same level as the high-ranking officers, but in some matters, they had to obey Claire's orders.
Claire could now be said to be the highest minister in charge of state affairs. As long as it involved major state matters, she could issue orders to all departments, including the munitions department, which belonged to the military. Of course, the execution of these orders still required other high-ranking officers.
For example, if Claire issued an order to transport a batch of munitions or other war logistics, it would have to be taken over and executed by General Kuchiel of the transport department.
For non-war-related matters, the department heads did not need to obey the orders or commands of any high-ranking officer.
Wilder knew that this system was too backward, complex, and could easily breed things he didn't want to see. Therefore, it was imperative to formulate a new system.
"Military and government must be absolutely separate."
Wilder knew that in the short term, due to his authority, those cadres and some high-ranking officers might not have any ideas. But once his country developed and they had truly tasted the charm of power and money, they might not remain so loyal.
"Claire, Vice, Ashin... no need to worry about them. They can be classified as first-degree trustworthy."
"Yves, Eigg, and Bacon can be classified as second-degree trustworthy."
"General Kuchiel doesn't need too much worry either."
"Overall, there are no problems among the high-ranking officers. I just need to be wary of those cadres who have recently joined or been promoted."
Although their combat power couldn't compare, it was still easy for them to cause trouble if they wanted to.
But these were just Wilder's temporary impressions. Who could say for sure about the human heart? Perhaps the good would turn bad, and the bad would turn good.
The human heart was as wonderful a thing as time itself.
Wilder didn't want to jump to conclusions too early, nor did he want a momentary impression to affect his future judgment. This kind of self-deception was unacceptable.
However, it was still too early to think about these things. The top priority was to establish the Talent Development Department.
Before long, Claire returned. "Boss, everyone has arrived."
"Let them all in. Claire, you stay by the side and take the minutes of the meeting."
"Yes, sir."
The reason for taking minutes was to prevent himself or others from forgetting a few points of what was said once they returned. That would not do.
Another reason was to keep a record as a memento, or as a treasure, to show that a certain decision was made in these difficult times, which influenced future generations...
Subsequently, the department heads and high-ranking officers poured into the conference hall one after another. Claire, with her increasingly impressive bust, stood behind Wilder, looking graceful and elegant. The others each found a seat.
The conference table, which could accommodate over a hundred people, was soon filled.
"Claire, distribute the main points of this meeting to everyone."
Claire nodded, took a stack of documents from the desk behind her, and distributed them to everyone.
"Everyone, take a look and see if you have any good suggestions," Wilder said, lighting a cigar and looking at the crowd, seeing that everyone had a copy.
Among those present were a dozen or so high-ranking officers, as well as the heads of various departments, including the munitions department, the science department, the construction department, and the medical department.
Bacon glanced at the paper in his hand and was the first to show a look of confusion. "Talent Development Department? What's that? Boss, why do you want to establish this thing?"
Wilder glanced at him but didn't speak, turning his gaze to the others.
Bacon was a little embarrassed. He didn't know if he was the only one in the group who didn't know what this was.
What he didn't know was that many people were just as confused as he was, like Sherilmo, and a half-understanding Vice. But the difference was, they didn't choose to be stupid enough to say it out loud. Instead, they would occasionally look at the paper and nod, looking thoughtful or frowning in contemplation, pretending to understand very well.
"Does Your Majesty mean to establish a department for teaching and nurturing talent?" After a long time, the slightly aged General Kuchiel finally looked up at Wilder.
Apart from Bacon and Sherilmo, everyone knew this much. What they didn't know were the specific ideas behind it.
The others also more or less understood and put down their papers to look up.
"That's right. I plan to establish the Talent Development Department. Under this department, a separate Cadre School will be established. The Cadre School will be independent of the Talent Development Department and will not be interfered with or governed by it. However, the Talent Development Department will be fully responsible for all logistical and educational needs of the Cadre School, such as its expansion, materials, books, and formulating educational system plans for it. During this period, the Cadre School will not accept opinions from the Talent Development Department, or if there are major opinions, they can be directly submitted to the Royal Palace and approved by me personally."
Wilder met everyone's gaze and continued, "So, let's first talk about this Talent Development Department. The so-called Talent Development Department aims to cultivate talent for the country and the royal family. This involves many aspects and is quite complicated. So, the purpose of calling everyone to this meeting is not to discuss whether to establish it or not, but to ask everyone to contribute ideas, and also to address the first step of talent deployment and allocation."
Everyone nodded, but how could a group of people who were either blockheads or only knew how to fight and kill understand these things?
Wilder didn't expect too much from them in this regard, so he directly stated his ideas and the preliminary plan he had already thought out.
"Construction Department," Wilder's eyes fell on a slightly sleazy-looking old man diagonally opposite him.
"Here," the sleazy old man, who was the head of the construction department, jumped at Wilder's call. He immediately looked up, straightened his back with solemn gravity, and prepared to listen to Wilder's instructions.
Wilder pointed to a map on the conference table, at the central location of the capital, which was District 13, and said, "Establish the Talent Development Department's office here. The scale cannot be too small. The construction department will be responsible for the construction. The specific construction plan should be designed first and then submitted to Claire for review."
"Yes, sir," the sleazy old man's demeanor was not sleazy at all; instead, he had the bearing of a soldier.
Wilder took out a thick stack of papers. "Also, after this meeting, copy this form and distribute it to everyone under you. Let them fill it out voluntarily. Those who are willing, fill it out. Those who are not, don't force them. After they are filled out, submit the forms. Have them come to the Royal Palace for an interview tomorrow. Remember! It must be distributed to everyone!"
Wilder's words were not just for the sleazy old man but for everyone else as well. As for the content of the voluntary form, besides the basic personal information to be filled in, it also included questions about academic knowledge, whether they had been engaged in education, and what position they currently held. In short, it was a rough survey and screening form.
Everyone naturally nodded in agreement and took the form.
"Does anyone have anything they want to say?"
Everyone looked at each other, then shook their heads.
Wilder was also prepared for this scene. The most important reason for calling them here today was to give them a bottom line and to distribute that form. The follow-up meeting could only begin after those who filled out the form had been interviewed. That would be the time to assign tasks.
Wilder sent them all back, telling them to immediately execute the task of printing and distributing the forms.
Wilder himself stayed up all night to create a set of test papers and gave them to Claire to be copied.
After the department heads and high-ranking officers returned, they copied and distributed the forms. Soon, the reactions of those who received the forms were varied.
Some were not interested at all and simply crumpled the form into a ball and threw it in the trash. Others thought about it seriously and finally began to fill out the form. This group accounted for only a very small fraction. About one in every five or six hundred people filled it out and submitted it. The rest chose to crumple the form into a ball and toss it from their hands.
In the end, a total of only eighty people from all departments and under the command of the high-ranking officers submitted the forms.
At the same time, Wilder also began to instruct people to produce another batch of forms, with a different color from the internal ones, and with an additional item to fill in: educational aspirations.
These forms didn't explain much; they were just a questionnaire, without any information about personal benefits. After they were made, Wilder had the members of Morass get to work, distributing them to the target audience: the civilians.
After all this was done, Wilder felt completely drained.
"Claire, give me a massage."
Wilder lay face down on the soft, large bed and said with his eyes closed.
Claire, who was originally about to leave, felt her heart pound violently upon hearing this. A blush quickly spread across her face. With her back to Wilder, she said weakly, "Bo... boss... you promised... you can't be reckless."