Zero, who had gotten promoted to Marshal on the spot, hurriedly had a victory banquet with his subordinates and with Aha, who had slipped in among them.
He brushed off Aha with a few perfunctory words, then, together with his subordinates, threw himself into the hell of endless overtime.
As for any kind of inauguration speech… never even existed…
If they didn't get to work, the subordinates who had just taken the Xianzhou would probably revolt…
To his subordinates who were about to head off to other Xianzhou to serve as generals, he said, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, if they don't obey, if they dare bully you, just use the colossus and smash them!"
After all, NPCs were NPCs, not as good as a player. Any slip-ups on their part were perfectly normal.
Compared to NPCs from other Xianzhou he hadn't even met yet, his own subordinates with superior stats were much more important.
He repeatedly reminded them to pay attention to their own safety.
And in return he got a bunch of teary-eyed subordinates.
They couldn't bear to part. If not for the thin line of rationality still holding, they'd probably have been kneeling, clutching at his pants legs, bawling.
Zero couldn't bear to look.
Why were his usually decisive, ruthless female subordinates wearing such expressions?
So strange, it almost gave him the illusion that he was some kind of scumbag.
As for the male subordinates, broad-shouldered like double-door refrigerators… even stranger. Would've been better if he really was a scumbag.
After sending off his subordinates, Zero returned to the general's residence, sighing over the mountain of documents in front of him.
He really wanted to dig up the former Marshal and ask him, 'How the hell did you manage this? Why's it nothing but a mess left for me?'
He looked at the chief strategist, whose whole face screamed exhaustion, and had a bellyful of words he wanted to say.
The strategist instantly saw through his thoughts and gave a twisted smile, "Heh, heh… I'm the only normal one. You think I can hold back that pack of lunatics?"
Zero scooped up the hamster that was about to start gnawing the documents, sighed, and comforted the man, "You've worked hard. Triple pay. Once this stretch is done, you'll switch to one day on, one day off. Oh, right, wages doubled."
The strategist fell silent for a moment, then sincerely sighed, "It's only when you're facing subordinates… that you show a trace of humanity."
Zero squeezed the hamster in his palm, using it as a stress-relief toy.
He opened the system map and began noting down the problems cropping up in each Xianzhou.
The simplest, food, clothing, housing… crank the benefits up to max.
He would not allow his people to suffer.
'Oh, and education. No matter male or female, everyone goes to school! Everyone must grind! Grind me geniuses out of it!'
As for things like roads being too narrow, or the sea being too close to home, completely ignored.
Suggestions like opening up places for men to indulge themselves? Write that name down, then go play match-three and delete it.
Missing the change of seasons, different weather? Fine, once his subordinates had secured the territory, he'd give them rain, give them snow, let them experience the joy of 30 degrees in the morning, minus 10 in the afternoon.
While writing, Zero, rare for him, grew softhearted and added one extra line, have the subordinates remind residents to take care of their health, and that sickness won't be reimbursed.
If anyone dared clog hospitals just because they caught colds in the rain or snow, wasting resources and money, he'd shut down the Alchemy Division and let them fend for themselves.
After handling the residents' trivial matters, it was the turn of the nobles and upper ranks of each Xianzhou.
Pick out any one of them and you could find a rap sheet. Shake them a bit, and a pile of gold coins would spill out.
Just enough for every Xianzhou to be outfitted with a colossus.
Zero looked and was crying with envy.
His subordinates really had come at the right time. Back when he first took over Yaoqing, he didn't have it this good.
At the very start of the game, he had to deal with the automatons causing trouble, countless facilities destroyed. Yaoqing was dirt poor, couldn't even pay soldier pensions.
If not for over a dozen wealthy close friends… he probably would have been forced to restart long ago.
He didn't hesitate, and wrote down one line, handle it on-site, no need to report back.
Zero and his subordinates worked overtime, night after night, grinding for three whole months, finally raising satisfaction across the Xianzhou to 50%.
The people of the Xianzhou didn't know what had happened, only that the whole alliance had turned upside down.
The arrogant nobles and empty-talking officials had vanished, leaving only rusty-red stains on the bluestone streets that could not be washed away.
The whole alliance, at a speed unimaginable to normal people, was running smoothly.
The upper ranks answered every need, allocating resources without delay to where they were most needed.
Those not skilled in social maneuvering no longer had to awkwardly force connections, the upper ranks themselves would discover the hidden talents and put them in the right positions.
There was no need to question, only to obey.
The common people didn't really feel much about the upper-level reshuffling, but what they could truly feel was that their treatment was so much better than before.
Clothing once reserved only for nobles could now be bought for just a little money.
Street stalls displayed fruits and vegetables never seen before, equally cheap and good.
Not only food and clothing, but old houses were being repaired by specialists.
People were baffled, and asked the workers of the Department of Balance.
"The General said, it's the Marshal's order. If you want to give thanks, thank the Marshal. By the way, if we're short on staff, we're hiring. If you're interested, hurry and sign up at the Department of Balance."
People looked at each other, and asked about the pay.
"If we're still short-staffed, for now it's five days on, two off. Overtime is triple pay. Once things calm down, probably four days on, three off..."
The Xianzhou had opened up countless posts. People no longer had to fret about making a living. As long as they worked steadily, they could earn enough.
Like a utopia that had only existed in theory, now solidified before their eyes.
As though an almighty god was constantly watching over what the Xianzhou people thought and wanted.
'If this was a dream, then let us… wake a little later.'
So thought the overwhelmed people.
They trembled with gratitude, waiting for the day the dream would shatter. But what came was an easier, freer life.
The generals said, it was all thanks to the Marshal. They must hold the Marshal in reverence, and take his words as holy writ.
The people remembered it in their hearts, sincerely praying this Marshal could live longer, and longer still.
[Prestige gained +10,000,000]
[Prestige gained +10,000,000]
———
In Yaoqing, Zero, working through the night, using the Research Division's latest tech to hold an online meeting with his subordinates, "?"
He squinted at the endlessly refreshing prestige values, narrowing his eyes, scanning the phantom images of his subordinates.
"You didn't secretly stir up trouble again, did you?"
All the subordinates shook their heads in unison, "...Nope."
Just spreading the word about Marshal's brilliance and martial might, how could that count as trouble?
Zero half-believed, half-doubted, but with so much work, he didn't press further.
"Logically speaking, unemployment should be pretty high. How did you deal with it?"
The subordinates' answers were perfectly consistent.
"After handling the previous nobles and upper ranks, there weren't enough people left. Many departments were short-staffed."
The strategist immediately caught the problem, "…How many did you kill?"
The subordinates casually said, "We exterminated their nine clans."
Zero, "..."
Strategist, "..."
He had thought the General, no, now the Marshal, and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.