147: Chapter 62 A Abundance of Talented Individuals

After solving the major problem of the imperial court's structure, Li Ling did not rush to rest. Instead, taking advantage of the mental clarity that came right after the morning court session, he convened a small, closed-door imperial meeting in the Imperial Study.

There were few attendees, all of whom were his trusted confidants: Grand Secretary Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai, Junior Grand Secretary Zhang Zhidong, Army Marshal Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan, Admiral Lin Yongsheng, and Special Forces Commander Zhao Tieshan.

The charcoal in the brazier burned bright red, occasionally popping with a spark that vanished in the dim light. Outside the window, the wind howled, causing the paper on the lattice windows to tremble slightly.

"The framework has been built; now we must fill it with people," Li Ling stated directly, pushing a stack of lists to the center of the table. "These are the candidates I have preliminarily drafted for the Ministers and key officials of each department. Take a look and see if there are any unsuitable choices."

Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai was the first to pick up the list, examining it carefully by the lamplight. His fingers moved line by line along the names; his fingertips were somewhat rough, calluses left from decades of holding a brush. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he put down the list and sighed sincerely: "Your Majesty's approach to appointing personnel is unconventional, and this old subject admires it. For the Minister of Revenue, you have actually appointed Minister Lin from the former Jiangnan merchant guild?"

"What is it, Minister Shen? Do you find it inappropriate?" Li Ling asked.

Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai shook his head. "It is not inappropriate; rather... it is too appropriate. I have heard of Minister Lin. Although he comes from a merchant background, he has an extremely sharp eye for financial management and is quite tactful. Letting him manage the national treasury is far better than using a Hanlin scholar who only knows how to read the classics. Your Majesty is putting the person best at accounting in charge of the purse strings; this old subject can only admire your decision."

Zhang Zhidong, who was nearby, leaned in to look as well. After finishing, he couldn't help but laugh: "Your Majesty's list has truly grasped the thoughts of us old fellows. Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan continues to hold the rank of Army Marshal, Lin Yongsheng manages the Navy, and Commander Zhao Tieshan reports directly to Your Majesty—the military power is clearly divided, and no one can overstep their bounds."

Li Ling picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was already a bit cold, but he didn't care. "The war is over; now we must use our brains to govern the country. The purse strings must be held by those who understand economics, and the guns must be held by those who understand how to fight. As for the smooth execution of government orders, that will depend on you experienced and steady civil officials."

He set down the teacup and turned to look at Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai. "Minister Shen, please tell me in more detail about those talents you mentioned during the court session just now."

Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai perked up, put down the list, and said solemnly: "The first person is the former Qing Ministry of Works Vice Minister and Railway Superintendent, Vice Minister Zhan Tianyou. He is an old friend of mine, well-versed in Western affairs, and has overseen the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. He has unique research into bridge, tunnel, and roadbed engineering. Your Majesty mentioned a 'National Railway Trunk Network' in that 'Five-Year Plan' outline. Without someone who understands both technology and management to oversee it, I fear it would be difficult to implement."

Li Ling nodded slightly. The name Vice Minister Zhan Tianyou was thunderous in his memories from his past life—the Father of Chinese Railways. In that era of poverty and weakness, he had single-handedly overseen the construction of the first Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, which was completely designed and built by the Chinese people. If he were willing to come out of retirement, the speed of the railway network construction would be at least twice as fast.

"The second person," Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai continued, "is the former Superintendent of the Hubei Province Weaving Bureau, Zhang Jian. He was the top scholar in the 20th year of the Guangxu reign, but he abandoned his official career to go into business, founding the Dasheng Cotton Mill in Tongzhou and accumulating rich experience in industrial management. More importantly, he has extremely high prestige among the scholars in the southeast, and his students and old acquaintances are spread throughout the Jiangnan business world. If you invite him with the position of Minister of Industry and Commerce, he can not only personally handle industrial construction but also recruit a large number of talents familiar with modern business for Your Majesty."

Zhang Jian. Li Ling was also deeply impressed by this name—the top scholar of the late Qing Dynasty and a representative figure of saving the nation through industry. This man's influence in the business world was no less than Zhang Zhidong's status among scholars. Employing him was equivalent to simultaneously leveraging half of the Jiangnan business world.

"The third person," Minister of Rites Shen Zhibai's voice suddenly lowered a bit, "is a figure recommended by Her Royal Highness the Princess—a former aide to the Qing Grand Councilor and Prince Qing Yikuang, Vice Minister Chen Baochen. This man has profound knowledge, is well-versed in Western diplomacy, and has represented the Qing court many times in dealings with envoys from various countries. He is intimately familiar with the diplomatic styles of the UK, France, Germany, and Japan. If he were to serve as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently as the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the imperial court's external negotiations would be secure."

Vice Minister Chen Baochen! Li Ling's heart stirred slightly. He was no stranger to this name; he was an imperial tutor in the late Qing Dynasty and also a famous diplomatic talent. In that humiliating history, although Vice Minister Chen Baochen had often been frustrated by foreigners, that was more due to national strength rather than a lack of personal ability. Now that the Tang Country had just been established and national strength was on the rise, if he could have an experienced diplomat familiar with Western tactics in charge, he could at least suffer fewer losses at the negotiating table.

"Very well, I have decided on these three gentlemen," Li Ling tapped his fingers gently on the table, his voice firm. "Minister Shen, Minister Zhang, tomorrow you two shall issue letters of appointment to these three gentlemen in my name. Attach a complete copy of the 'Five-Year Plan' outline to the letters so they can see what I want to do and how I intend to do it, and let them know that I do not want them to be mere figureheads."

"Additionally," he looked at Commander Zhao Tieshan, "after you finish handling the matters on your end, take some time to return to Jiangning and meet these three future 'Prime Ministers' of mine. Let them know that the Tang Country not only has civil officials but also military generals who can fight. Combining soft and hard tactics is the only way to make them loyal."

Commander Zhao Tieshan nodded expressionlessly: "Understood."

After giving instructions regarding the personnel, Li Ling turned back to Zhang Zhidong: "Minister Zhang, I heard that the people from the Lin family have already arrived in Jinling?"

Zhang Zhidong stroked his beard and gave Li Ling a meaningful look: "Your Majesty is truly well-informed. The head of the Lin family, Patriarch Lin Xiaolian, along with his only daughter, Imperial Concubine Hui, arrived in Jinling yesterday and are staying at the Lin family villa in the east of the city. I heard that they brought a very 'generous' gift list for this trip to the capital."

Li Ling leaned back in his chair, a playful smile appearing on his face: "The God of Wealth has come to my door; of course, I must host them well. Convey my decree: hold a banquet in the Imperial Garden tomorrow. I will personally meet Patriarch Lin Xiaolian and his daughter. Also—" He glanced at Empress Su Wanqing, who was bowing her head to drink tea and seemed not to notice them, then lowered his voice, "have the Empress attend as well."

After the meeting, Li Ling was the only one left in the Imperial Study. He leaned back in his chair, looking at the dim palace lamp above, and let out a long sigh.

[Host, you seem to attach great importance to the arrival of the Lin family.] The system's voice rang in his mind.

"How can I not?" Li Ling closed his eyes. "The Five-Year Plan needs money, a large amount of supplies, and a supply chain network. The Lin family is the largest 'supply chain' in the south; the banks, merchant ships, and factories they control can save me at least three years of trial and error. If I were to neglect such a God of Wealth who has come to my door, that would be truly foolish."

[Host's analysis is correct. However, the system reminds you that Patriarch Lin Xiaolian is likely not just here to 'deliver money' this time. He even brought his only daughter; there may be deeper considerations behind it.]

"That is natural." Li Ling opened his eyes, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "He wants to marry his daughter to me and cling to this big tree of the new dynasty. As for me, I also need his money and connections to support the Five-Year Plan. Each gets what they need; it's a fair trade."

He stood up and walked to the window. The night wind seeped in through the window cracks, blowing the pages on the desk and making a slight rustling sound. In the distance, the lights of Jinling City were twinkling, like a starry sky on the ground.

"The next moves in this game cannot be wrong by even a single step," he murmured.

Meanwhile, on the distant northwestern border, on the Gobi Desert in the night, the cold wind whipped sand and gravel against his face, stinging painfully. Commander Zhao Tieshan, wearing desert camouflage, lay prone behind a huge weathered rock, his night-vision binoculars firmly locked on an outpost five hundred meters ahead. Dim light shone from the wooden house of the outpost, and two Cossacks soldiers wrapped in thick coats were smoking at the door, the glow of their cigarette butts flickering in the darkness.

"Team Two in position. Team Three in position." A low report came through the bone-conduction headset.

Commander Zhao Tieshan glanced at the luminous tactical watch on his wrist; the hands pointed to 2:17 AM. This was when people were sleepiest, and also when the prey's vigilance was at its lowest.

"Move out." His voice was as cold as stone.

The three teams of Special Forces launched a silent assault simultaneously from three directions like ghosts. A Cossacks sentry had just yawned when a pair of hands reached out from the darkness, covering his mouth. Simultaneously, a cold sensation spread across his throat; he didn't even have time to see the attacker's face before his consciousness faded away. Another sentry sensed something wrong and just as he was about to turn, a flying needle precisely pierced the side of his neck—it was coated with a powerful nerve paralyzing agent, and he fell to the ground without making a sound.

The communication equipment inside the outpost was completely destroyed within one minute. Three simple maps marking the enemy's troop deployment were photographed and archived. Five captives were injected with sedatives and loaded into transport bags, then silently taken away by a vertical take-off and landing "Iron Wing" transport aircraft.

The entire operation took four minutes and thirty-seven seconds, and no alarms were triggered.

Commander Zhao Tieshan crouched on the roof of the outpost, using low-light night-vision goggles to scan the contours of the rolling hills in the darkness in the distance. He whispered an encrypted voice message back to Jinling: "Falcon has pulled out the third fang. The prey has not yet noticed. You may close the net."

A thousand miles away, Li Ling was asleep in Jinling City. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he were dreaming of something good—perhaps the day the new railway opened to traffic, or perhaps riding a horse slowly through a golden wheat field.

And on his desk, a stack of brand-new appointment letters was gradually warming up in the morning light.