Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Am I the Minister of Production? (Please Subscribe!!!)
After receiving the instructions from the Governor, Osenia was a bit stunned.
She had only just stabilized her job recently, formed a governmental team, and took charge of managing two camps when she was suddenly reassigned with an order to lead a ten-plus-member governmental team to Revival City.
Shortly after that, she received her appointment from the Governor.
She was to serve as the acting Minister of the Production Department for the Alliance Government.
The experiences of the past few months were all too fantastical.
One moment she was a refugee struggling to stay fed and warm, then somehow, she became the production manager at the Governor’s Camp, responsible for overseeing the production work for tens of thousands in two camps, arranging various production plans, and recruitment of personnel. And now, she had suddenly become a ‘high official’ in the Alliance Government, with nearly a million people in Revival City depending on her for production planning and consumption arrangements!
Initially, just managing ten thousand people, she had no idea if she could do well, only bracing herself for the task ahead.
Fortunately, after that exchange with the Governor, her mind, for some reason, suddenly became clear. While she was still somewhat inexperienced, the various problems that arose could always be swiftly resolved by her.
As her work became more and more second nature, Osenia gradually relieved much of her anxiety and began to dedicate herself wholly to her job.
She found herself loving this work.
On one hand, she was free from worries about food and clothing; on the other hand, seeing those wanderers who had once shared similar experiences with her come to the Governor’s Camp and lead lives that weren’t extraordinarily good but at least hopeful, with her help, brought her joy.
She did not particularly understand the grand plans and lofty goals of the Governor, but in her view, those people who could work properly, eat well, and live well, were the foundation of this great enterprise.
But now, the scale of responsibility had increased from ten thousand to one hundred thousand. With the increased scale, there would undoubtedly be endless problems to solve.
She was even less sure if she could do well.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of losing the Governor’s trust by doing poorly. In this regard, Osenia’s ambition wasn’t very great. What she feared more was that her mistakes could affect the livelihood of a million people.
The hardships endured during her time of displacement, the struggle for survival outside of Revival City, made her acutely aware of just how difficult the ordinary civilian’s life could be in this wasteland. Especially for the poor outside the city with no savings at all, their ability to withstand risks was extremely low.
Yes, she was born into a well-off family, but it was precisely because she had seen the light that the suffering in the darkness was all the more deeply etched into her memory.
“It’s because you have this concern that I have entrusted you with this task,”
said Gu Hang, offering her encouragement once more.
“It’s because you care that I can entrust the livelihood of nearly a million people in Revival City to you. If even you can’t do it well, how can I trust those who have not deeply experienced suffering?”
Osenia took a deep breath and firmed her resolve, “I understand, I’ll work hard!”
…
Following that, Gu Hang spoke with Osenia for a long period of time.
Gu Hang fully expressed his expectations to Osenia.
Of course, he wouldn’t let this young lady, Osenia, start from scratch, out of nowhere. Even if Osenia were to do it, he wouldn’t be at ease.
Here, Gu Hang imparted many things.
He told Osenia that the first issue to resolve was hunger. The city’s granaries had been seized, and she needed to ensure that the poor outside the city did not riot out of starvation.
The situation had become critically precarious; those poor people really had no savings, and without distributing food, deaths from starvation were imminent.
Secondly, she needed to urgently restore the production work in Revival City. The small workshops in the outer city had already been taken over, and they could be the first to resume operations; the large factories located within the city would be confiscated from the nobles and parliamentarians later on, and would similarly require immediate implementation of the resumption plan.
This was the most pressing matter.
The rest was to transplant the work-point system into Revival City to serve as a basis for distribution; to clarify the production capacity of various industries in Revival City, formulate production plans, and consider how to upgrade industries; to expand the civil service system, improve administrative efficiency…
With this approach, various problems could be addressed separately and systematically.
…
After grasping Gu Hang’s intent, Osenia set off to work.
However, the success of her work depended on how well another person performed his duties.
That person was Lambert Hodgson, who had been tasked by Gu Hang with the ‘Great Purge.’
To distribute grain from the granary, there had to be grain available; to resume production, there had to be shifts to work.
The previous Alliance Government was a classic example of a small government that didn’t prioritize food security. They didn’t even have an official government granary for strategic reserves.
The city’s food supply was only found in the reserves of food merchants and some factory canteens, which needed to be confiscated first before it could be accessed.
Similarly, to tackle the resumption of production, it was necessary to complete the confiscation of production materials—that is, the confiscation of the major factories.
At that moment, a fire burned in Lambert’s eyes.
Bradford felt a chilling scrutiny from him and said helplessly, “Don’t look at me like that. The Governor sent me to work with you; I am here to atone.”
“Your sin cannot be redeemed,” Lambert said through gritted teeth.
“But that’s not up to you, it’s up to the Governor.”
Bradford retorted at first, but quickly realized he shouldn’t offend Lambert any further.
Even though he had already grievously offended by killing the man’s grandfather, there was no need to provoke further and have this man, who had already invested in the Governor, demand his life vehemently before the Governor—that would be too difficult to manage.
Even though the hope was slim, the best course of action for Bradford was still to try to mend their relationship as much as possible.
He said, “Your anger and your desire for revenge are understandable. I will pay the price for my actions, in fact, I am already paying it. Look, I’ve obediently provided you with lists of names; by arresting those on the list, you can avenge your father and grandfather. Mondok was the main perpetrator and the staunchest member, with deep influence in the military through his family—you can eliminate them all…”
“I am already doing so,” Lambert interrupted.
“And there’s Norris—he’s gathered at least five thousand people in his largest manufacturing factory, preparing for a siege. It looks like he wants to turn the factory into a fortified stronghold, but in reality, he wants to surrender.”
“So what?” Lambert asked.
“So, you don’t necessarily have to assault it by force, which would require you to request more troops and support from the Governor. You could, on behalf of the Governor, agree to Norris’s terms of surrender. I could even act as an envoy to help you negotiate,” Bradford suggested.
“The Governor’s order is to purge all the old nobility,” Lambert remarked.
“I know, of course, I know,” Bradford said with a bitter smile, “but once that old man agrees and he’s in your hands, then you can do whatever you want, can’t you?”