Chapter 176: Chapter 142, New Troops
Gu Hang stood up and made a pressing down gesture with both hands.
The proxies quieted down obediently.
“I understand the urgency in your hearts, and I believe that in the future, you will make outstanding contributions to the prosperity of Rubbish Town,” he said.
Hearing this speech, which set the tone, the agents felt much more at ease.
With this tone set, everything would be fine for them. It meant that the Governor still planned to use them, and they were not too worried about ending up like the elites in Revival City.
In fact, Gu Hang did not intend to do that at all. The situations in the two places were different, and the property-owning proxies in Rubbish Town had not acted against him. Instead, they had quickly chosen sides and acted swiftly to help him just now.
In such a situation, Gu Hang certainly did not need to conduct any major purge in Rubbish Town. He just needed to deal with the dissenters.
In Revival City, where he had ordered more killings—although necessary and effective in eliminating the city’s incurable vices—affecting governance, news of these actions reached the wasteland and indeed caused some places that would have easily submitted to experience some unrest.
But Gu Hang wasn’t overly concerned about these matters.
It wasn’t bad to face some resistance. If he were to take over fully, there were countless malignant tumors and vampires clinging to the survivor settlements in the wasteland, which would need to be dealt with after they were incorporated into the Alliance’s system. After all, fighting corruption did require some evidence; it was better to resolve these issues under the guise of dealing with traitors while reclaiming territory.
It was a matter of gains and losses.
Governing Rubbish Town without purging would certainly be more complicated than starting almost from scratch in Revival City. The remaining proxies had intricate yet firm control over the industries that belonged to them. Corruption, the inability to fully mobilize society’s productive forces, and resistance to policy innovation and promotion… These issues would probably be inevitable.
However, besides the fact that they had submitted quickly and it felt wrong to punish them for it, another very important point was the pressure of the situation.
The most pressing issue for Rubbish Town right now was undoubtedly not governance, but war.
The threat from the Green Skin Orcs was far from over.
Now, Gu Hang really had no time to fuss with these proxies.
Having set the tone and reassured these people, Gu Hang smoothly announced the strategy he would implement in Rubbish Town:
“Rubbish Town is undeniably in a state of war, and the previous lax and uncontrollable system cannot win a war. Now, I declare that Rubbish Town has fully entered a wartime system and is under military management. All productive and business activities, except for the production of necessities of life and military goods manufacturing, are suspended; all residents of Rubbish Town must remain at home, and the city is in full lockdown; all essential goods for the residents will be distributed by the military logistics department under the command of Colonel Tadeusz.”
The proxies who heard Gu Hang’s announcement looked at each other, bewildered.
Such strict management had never been seen in Rubbish Town before, and they appeared lost.
Some instinctively felt that this was not right.
But no one dared to speak up.
Gu Hang paused and continued, “Just now, I had someone record everything you said. Each of you is in charge of an industry and the people dependent on those industries; you need to help manage them. You will temporarily work in the military logistics department to assist Colonel Tadeusz and maintain order in the town. Your performance during this time will determine what treatment you will receive after Rubbish Town has settled down. I guarantee that if your job ranking reaches C5 or even above B, your personal income and standard of living will be better than before, and the power you hold will also be greater.”
It seemed to be another reassurance to them.
These proxies, who had previously planned to turn to the Governor, had gained some understanding of the policies implemented by the new alliance in Revival City. They knew that currently, no one in Revival City had received an A-tier treatment; those who were getting B-tier treatment were very few.
If an E-tier treatment is considered the poverty line, D-tier treatment already represented the good life many in the wasteland could only dream of. One would have to be a technical worker, a professional, or a lower-to-mid-level manager to receive this level of treatment. C-tier treatment was reserved for senior government officials with commendable achievements, top factory managers, and senior technical experts in their fields.
According to the Governor, if they worked hard, they even had the chance to reach B-tier ranking. It was said that Lady Ossina of Revival City—who was actually just a minister—currently had a ranking of B3.
Of course, they were sober enough to realize that the Governor’s words were not just reassurance but also a tantalizing promise. The promise was tempting, but achieving it wouldn’t be easy.
But at least there was something to look forward to.
Seeing that the proxies were getting excited, Gu Hang also showed a smile.
With the help of these influential figures, things would indeed be much easier.
…
Wartime system, military control, material allocation… With these three aces in hand, Gu Hang was no longer anxious about maintaining order in Rubbish Town.