Chapter 1 Should He Dare?

"Do you think that kid Gao Senqi would dare to go back and stir up this mess?" Dai Shijin asked.

After settling Gao Senqi for the night and the banquet had ended, Dai Shijin and Dai Shihuan continued their little get-together at a corner of the villa. Benefiting from Ye Tao's unlimited supply of fine wine, and the guarantee that they could drink Ballantine's as long as the supply wasn't exhausted, the two relatively free old men had trained up their alcohol tolerance. After laying down Gao Senqi, they were still somewhat unsatisfied.

Discussing those issues of Northern Liao governance with Gao Senqi was naturally not because they were so kind or open-minded, or had confidence in their strength to the point of seeking defeat. The problems they pointed out were indeed real, but undoubtedly beyond the ability of someone like Gao Senqi to solve. Would he raise these unsolvable problems with his father or directly with the Northern Liao ruler? That was impossible to predict, but for the old foxes of Yunzhou, there was nothing to lose anyway. If Gao Senqi dared to raise these problems with the Northern Liao high command, perhaps he would be seen as a general with political and strategic vision, but more likely it would trigger a wave of opposition from the Northern Liao high command. The current Northern Liao was no longer just a matter of lax governance, but was already too strict, so strict that problems could arise at any time. The people were like this, and the officialdom was even more so. All kinds of troubles had piled up there, and everyone's emotions had accumulated there. The biggest risk of this high-pressure system was not knowing when the taut string would break.

The reason why Dai Shijin and Dai Shihuan understood this situation so well was because Yunzhou, as a relatively weak region, had always lived like this. Yunzhou's unity of purpose, in the situation of that year, was partly due to the need to respond to external threats, and partly due to the Yunzhou high command led by the Dai family constantly exerting internal pressure and constantly striving to tap potential in Yunzhou's limited space and manpower. The Dai family's mastery of this relaxation and tension in governance could be regarded as master-class. But they didn't think that the Northern Liao side, which at least militarily was not inferior before the rise of Dongping, had this kind of experience. This could be seen from the Northern Liao's direct and drastic measures this time, which were so strict that they were frightening.

If Ye Tao were here, even if he encountered the current situation in Northern Liao, there would still be room for maneuver. Ye Tao's research and understanding of human nature and the collective character of people had long opened up a new field for everyone: propaganda. Due to the establishment of a strong plate-making and printing system, the establishment of a high-speed logistics system, and the existence of comprehensive delivery methods from air to ground, no one could stop Yunzhou's propaganda offensive. After the establishment of the balanced scorecard system, a very large number of people were able to participate in the discussion and rectification of all Yunzhou's governance measures, except for the third division of civil administration, which seemed a bit mysterious due to the need for suddenness and confidentiality. In fact, the governance system, which was a bit more complicated than before, should have seen a decline in administrative efficiency, but because of the unity of purpose in Yunzhou, the completeness of the people's hearts, and the high morale, this situation was not visible at all. And supplemented by propaganda and explanation, and a unified governance system to implement the measures in place, even if they encountered the situation in Northern Liao, even if half of Yunzhou's land was captured, and the military was stretched and lacked combat power, they could still find ways to carry out strong mobilization in a short time without harming Yunzhou's foundations. What's more, the current development of Yunzhou was getting faster and faster, and it was unlikely to encounter this kind of problem at all. To say nothing else, no country could solve the problem of air defense in a short time. The range of the Shenbi Bow (God's Arm Bow) was very sufficient, but a single Shenbi Bow couldn't form any threat at all, and in the strong and unpredictable wind in the air, no one knew where it would shoot. If there was still an effective air defense weapon in this world, it would probably be the small rocket array made by the Ye Clan Workshop, which could fire twenty-four rockets continuously at a time, enough to cover a small patch of sky.

All sorts of situations meant that they felt no pressure to "guide" Gao Senqi. At most, it was just wasting an afternoon with Gao Senqi in vain. This Gao Senqi guy was a bit interesting, and they didn't find it boring. But Gao Senqi was different. He was really shocked by these people. It was not terrible for Yunzhou to have a Ye Tao, but Gao Senqi now understood very well that Ye Tao could abandon all Yunzhou-related affairs to sculpt and tinker for ten and a half days without having to come back, but in fact, there would be nothing that would accumulate and could not be dealt with. In this small villa alone, there were Dai Shijin, Dai Shihuan, and Dai Shikui, three elders of the Dai family who could definitely handle almost everything. Dai Yun and Tan Weixin together were also a small Jinglue Fu (pacification commissioner's office). Although Gao Senqi only had a brief understanding of Tan Weishi in the living room, the princess, who had just given birth, had the kind of bearing and thinking that sounded exactly like Ye Tao and the entire Yunzhou governance system. And Tan Weishi's enthusiasm and understanding of the official system and personnel also showed that this princess, who was not famous for being familiar with political affairs or a virtuous helper, was at least working hard in this regard.

"No matter what, he's a very interesting person. I hope... I hope that when we meet on the battlefield in a few years, he won't disappoint us." This was Dai Shihuan's evaluation of Gao Senqi. They had always had a high evaluation of the combat power of the Western Route Army. Although the Western Route Army had not been able to reorganize itself for several years due to Northern Liao's own troubles, the Western Route Army was now stronger than before. Not only because of the Western Route Army's strict training and tradition of brave fighting, but also because the Western Route Army had a strong atmosphere of learning from top to bottom. Gao Senqi's frank admission in front of these Yunzhou high-level officials that the Western Route Army was not as good as the main combat troops in the Dongping army was proof of this.

Dai Shijin thought for a while and asked, "I say, Lao Huan, is it appropriate to send this guy to Gondor by airship?"

Dai Shihuan wasn't too scared. He smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. We've ridden it so many times, who can understand how the airship flies? Didn't Tao-er explain it to us so many times? ... This thing, besides the craftsmen at Ye Clan Workshop, who can figure it out? There's no point in worrying about this. ... Besides, since we're using airships, using good airships, the advantages and disadvantages of airships are all in our minds."

Dai Shijin nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it that way."

However, they still couldn't send Gao Senqi on an airship to Gondor. That same night, Chen Kai came to the villa to see Ye Tao. Since Chen Kai took over the work of the third division of civil administration, he had indeed been conscientious and meticulous. And with Tan Weixin constantly teaching various economic theories and tools, Chen Kai's business ability in economics and finance had also risen sharply. Supplemented by the kind of sensitivity in his blood, he was thriving in Yunzhou. Since he took office, although only thirteen Yunzhou officials had been investigated and dealt with, and there were no major cases, each time the evidence was conclusive and irrefutable. In addition, while investigating economic crimes, he also pioneered a new business for the third division of civil administration. For some local officials' negligence caused by a lack of economic knowledge, they tried to remedy it instead of just wielding a big stick and blindly attacking. They cracked down on one side, educated and trained on the other, and assisted in sorting out the various economic flows up and down the current Beijiang Jinglue Fu (Northern Border Pacification Commissioner's Office), with an increasingly professional meaning. And Chen Kai did not keep asking for help because of his relationship with Ye Tao. He rarely came to the villa to ask for instructions and report on his work. Instead, he submitted one solid report after another and was out and about all day long. And Chen Kai's character issues, which were previously questioned by some people, were also clarified due to his outstanding work. He ate and lived in the workplace all day long, and hardly had time to spend his monthly salary. And he himself not only implemented personal property disclosure, but even promoted joint relatives' property disclosure and personal financial flow disclosure based on voluntary principles in his own department. The third division of civil administration was a terrifyingly clean and surprisingly persistent organization.

This time, Chen Kai ventured into the villa to see him without knowing where Ye Tao was, indeed because of a very tricky matter. One case involved battalion commander-level officials from four garrison battalions and two main battle battalions, and involved more than a dozen local officials or middle- and upper-level officials from various departments. In the list drawn up by Chen Kai, there were sixteen Dai family members, six of whom were direct members of the Dai family, and the remaining ten were members of the Dai family's in-law families. Although Chen Kai was not afraid of these officials, he also understood that rashly dealing with this matter might cause bad consequences. This time, it was a veritable major case.

"Chen Kai, is there solid evidence for everything?" Dai Yun asked very directly. Facing so many high-level Dai family members, Chen Kai wasn't nervous at all. He believed that his life and the things he could do now were all given to him by Ye Tao. He only listened to Ye Tao, and Dai Yun couldn't influence his views.

"Mistress, all these people have done, and the amount of corruption, is conclusive. Otherwise, Chen Kai would never dare to disturb you late at night," Chen Kai said firmly.

Dai Yun was indeed a little sleepy. She had just put the baby to sleep, and was called up not long after falling asleep. Not only her, but also Tan Weixin, Ge Lan, and several elders of the Dai family were also called up. Now, a group of Dai family members were facing Chen Kai, but Chen Kai's performance was still so firm. Chen Kai's address to Dai Yun roughly revealed his attitude. He considered himself a retainer of the Ye family, and he would do anything without hesitation that was beneficial to the Ye family.

"Then what do you think should be done?" Dai Shijin smiled and asked gently.

"Arrest those who should be arrested, imprison those who should be imprisoned, and kill those who should be killed!" Chen Kai blurted out these words.

Dai Yun looked at Dai Shijin hesitantly. She was a little unsure. Among those people, there was surprisingly Dai Shize, this uncle. Although she didn't have a deep friendship with Dai Shize, he was an elder after all.

"Very good, it seems that the upbringing of my Dai family is not so reliable. This trend cannot be allowed to grow," Dai Shijin smiled faintly, but a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. "Director Chen, you can rest at the villa and take the airship early tomorrow morning. I will go with you to deal with this matter."

"Then..." Chen Kai was stunned, "How should I report to the Lord?"

"I will report after killing the people," Dai Shijin continued to smile.