Chapter 1530: Chapter 1447: Mr. Mayor

When Ying Ke walked into his office, he saw a large group of officials waiting for him, all of whom were old acquaintances, once high officials of the Great Qin Empire’s court.

However, their identities now were somewhat nuanced; some belonged to the Wuyang city government of the Great Tang Empire, while others had been reassigned to various subordinate departments.

“My lord…” Many old officials greeted Ying Ke with clasped hands when he entered.

“Prime Minister…” Someone even called out Ying Ke’s old official title directly.

Ying Ke waved his hand, correcting them: “I am no longer the Prime Minister; I am now the Mayor of Wuyang, Mayor.”

As he spoke, he walked back to his position and then reassured everyone: “There are no outsiders here, you can speak freely, we do not have much time to waste.”

“My lord, we are worried that the Tang People will cross the river and dismantle the bridge, using us merely to appease public sentiment. After things settle, they might reconsider, wouldn’t we be…” An old official expressed his concern to Ying Ke.

Ying Ke waved his hand and said bluntly: “That won’t happen. We’ve somewhat seen through the public sentiment now; they actually don’t need us to worry about such things. Using us is probably because they simply have no better candidates. As long as we don’t make any mistakes ourselves, we are likely… to continue holding these positions.”

Some people breathed a sigh of relief, considering Ying Ke was a member of the Qin royal family. What he said probably meant he had heard some rumors.

“As long as everyone doesn’t bring past practices into the new officialdom, it is unlikely anyone will target us,” Ying Ke reassured them, then continued to ask: “Is there anything else?”

“My lord, I am here to say farewell. I have been transferred to the disciplinary department, so in the future, we likely won’t have much interaction…” A middle-aged official bowed to Ying Ke in farewell. He was previously a Remonstrance Official of Qin Country, responsible for overseeing the conduct and discipline of all officials.

Now he has been directly incorporated into the disciplinary department of the Great Tang Empire, specializing in investigating corruption cases, which is why he said there would be no interaction anymore, as if he were to come looking, it might mean Ying Ke is in trouble…

“Indeed, you have found a good place,” Ying Ke knew this official was genuinely incorruptible, with commendable character, so he smiled and said: “We still serve in the same court in the future, everyone must adapt to the new environment.”

For the past two months, Ying Ke had been busy with various administrative tasks in Wuyang, which made him deeply feel the uniqueness of the Great Tang Empire.

Honestly, when he was the Prime Minister in Qin Country, he was never this busy: the affairs, big and small, increased by several times. It was not until now that he realized managing a city could be this complex.

The first feeling was spending money, endlessly spending money. As Mayor, he handled more funds than the Treasury Department in the past, almost daily approving various spending tasks.

As a significant city in the west, Wuyang was to expand its airport and train station, build a subway and new water supply and drainage system, and even construct new government buildings, erect more than a dozen so-called landmark structures…

If these money-spending projects were not proposed by officials transferred from the Great Tang Empire, Ying Ke, as the Mayor, wouldn’t dare approve them under any circumstances. In Ying Ke’s view, it seemed like a complete waste of national funds.

If in the era of Great Qin Empire, someone proposed building new squares and palaces in court, they would surely be reproached collectively by the Ministers to the point of doubting their life.

But within the Great Tang Empire, officials in various departments applied for funds as casually as eating and drinking, as if applying for such money-draining projects wasn’t a matter of any significance.

Indeed, it was true; initially, Ying Ke even rejected some proposals, but later these department officials directly impeached him as Mayor, and a Regent Official was sent from above, giving Ying Ke several lessons, making him understand what it meant to stimulate domestic demand and revitalize the economy…

Afterwards, Ying Ke became accustomed to routinely approving almost all funding requests, even if there was no money, he went to the superior departments twice. He then found out that asking others for money was as easy as others asking him for money.

In the Great Tang Empire, it seemed that money wasn’t money; the government distributed tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins daily, often without making any noise.

However, two months later, Ying Ke discovered that things were not quite as he initially thought: he believed this method of distributing money would only reduce the nation’s funds, mainly serving as alms for the occupied territories.

But later, he was surprised to find that after spending the money, the local populace began praising the entire Wuyang government.

Small merchants had larger markets to sell goods, leveled streets led citizens to commend the municipal leadership for their capability, various projects provided employment for local workers, directly increasing job opportunities and driving local economic development.

As a result, tax revenue instead increased, unexpectedly recovering a portion of the money spent. Although it was still much less than initially spent, relatively speaking, the cost-effectiveness of the money spent had significantly improved.

The city became more beautiful, factories became more numerous, power generation increased, and various constructions unfolded… It can be anticipated that in the coming years, Wuyang city will undoubtedly become better.

Under these circumstances, spending money naturally did not cause heartache anymore. Ying Ke finally understood at this moment where exactly the Great Tang Empire was stronger than the Great Qin Empire.

Their concepts were entirely different, their operational mechanisms distinct, so the gap between the two countries was like two dimensions, impossible to compare.

If the Great Tang Empire was in the sky, then Qin Country was just a trench; the difference was too great. The Great Qin Empire never had any chance from the start.

Comparing just the governance, there was a significant distinction. Ying Ke found that officers from the Great Tang Empire resembled clerks of Qin Country, adept at practical work. They rarely engaged in networking or building interpersonal relationships, and when they did, it was purely personal.

Everyone only tackled tasks in their work, everyone had their own work stance, and easily wouldn’t compromise with each other. This state was entirely different from Qin Country’s officialdom, with efficiency noticeably higher on the Great Tang Empire’s side.

This state of nearly no internal friction bewildered Ying Ke as to how long the Great Tang Empire could maintain it, but the essential difference between the modern bureaucratic system and the ancient old bureaucratic system opened Ying Ke’s eyes wide.

In Tang Country, meetings only discussed matters, only talked about issues, even if there were some rules or tacit procedures, yet the efficiency compared to the past Qin Country was much higher.

Many tasks were clearly assigned, who should do them took responsibility, who should cooperate fully did so, and when problems arose, there was no way to shirk responsibility; this state, in Ying Ke’s view, was really great.