"Good heavens, Prime Minister Fang!"
Hearing the distinct final gasp, Fang Er immediately panicked.
"Did this fellow just run out of breath and die?"
"Quick, summon the imperial physician!"
Li Jing also noticed something was amiss with Fang Xuanling and quickly shouted to the others.
The two of them worked together to lay Fang Xuanling flat on the ground. His face had already turned somewhat purple.
Li Jing extended five fingers and probed around Fang Xuanling's chest, seemingly searching for a spot.
Suddenly, he retracted his thumb and little finger, bringing his other three fingers together and pressing down on a spot on Fang Xuanling's abdomen.
"Pfft~"
With his press, Fang Xuanling's lips parted slightly, and he expelled a mouthful of stale air. Then, the purple on his face slowly receded.
After a while, he opened his eyes and stared at Fang Er, launching into a tirade.
"You scoundrel, are you trying to send this old man off for good!"
Fang Er was speechless. "Prime Minister Fang, this is not my fault. Your mental fortitude is simply not up to par~"
Old Fang inwardly cursed. How many years had it taken for the Great Tang to establish this foundation from its inception until now? This fellow, after less than a hundred days out with the Emperor, had such astonishing gains.
Was it not normal for an old man like himself, with one foot in the grave, to be scared into fainting?
His body's frailty had nothing to do with mental fortitude.
Wait a moment?
He looked at Fang Er with some confusion. "What is mental fortitude?"
Just then, the imperial physicians arrived in a hurry. After taking turns feeling his pulse and discussing his condition, one of them stated.
"This is a condition of thoracic obstruction. The chest is the Yang position, a place of purity and emptiness, where the heart and lungs reside. Stagnation of Qi, blood stasis, accumulation of phlegm and dampness, invasion by external factors of cold and heat, and blockages in the Yang channels can all lead to this condition."
"In the early stages, one may occasionally feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. If it persists, there will be a dull ache in the chest."
"Prime Minister Fang would be best advised to rest for a period. This subordinate will prescribe a medicinal formula for you to properly recuperate."
After hearing this, Fang Er was filled with a sudden sense of dread. He had just been joking with Old Fang, and if his condition had struck then, wouldn't he have become a sinner for all eternity?
He quickly said to the imperial physician, "Since you have a plan, don't just stand there. Go and decoct the medicine and bring it here immediately!"
Seeing the anxiety on his face, Fang Xuanling instead laughed. "Hahahaha, it's nothing, nothing!"
After speaking, he allowed Li Jing to help him up from the ground.
Fang Er looked at him with great concern. "Prime Minister Fang, you should really go back and rest. The matters discussed just now, with Duke Weiguo and the various ministers present, should not be much of a problem."
"Do you look down on this old man? This minor ailment is still a long way from sending me to my final resting place~"
Fang Xuanling waved his hand dismissively and then returned to his seat.
Seeing his resolute attitude, Li Jing asked one of the imperial physicians to stay behind in case his condition relapsed, while the others returned to decoct the medicine.
The sudden episode with Fang Xuanling disrupted the shock that the others had felt upon hearing Fang Er's earlier words.
Du Yiyang, the Minister of Personnel, stood up and cupped his hands. "Duke Anguo, what you just said was a bit unclear. Could you please explain in detail what happened?"
Fang Er nodded and meticulously recounted everything, from the geographical features of the Americas to the complex composition of the immigrants.
This explanation lasted for over two hours.
It was not until dusk that he finally managed to make them understand the situation.
"This matter is rather tricky!" Li Jing said to everyone with a grave expression.
"At least three hundred million people need to be appeased. The number of officials required is a major problem in itself."
"Those you temporarily selected there can only serve as a stopgap for now."
"We do not know the disposition, abilities, or knowledge of those people. In the long run, it will inevitably lead to chaos."
Fang Xuanling nodded from the side and added, "What Duke Weiguo said is true, but the problems extend far beyond that."
"The amount of supplies needed for so many people before they can achieve self-sufficiency is unimaginable!"
"Even if we only consider the minimum requirement of half a jin of grain per person per day, that's over a million piculs of grain a day. Setting aside whether we can even procure it, the transportation alone is a huge issue."
"Although you said you brought back a batch for them, it is far from enough."
After the two of them spoke, the others also began to voice the problems they had identified.
Besides the shortage of officials and the basic needs of clothing, food, housing, and transportation for the immigrants, large numbers of doctors and medicinal supplies were also required.
With so many people gathered together, any outbreak of epidemic disease would be a devastating disaster.
The region was entirely unfamiliar to the people of the Central Plains, and it was uncertain whether suitable medicinal herbs could be found.
After summarizing the issues, they began to discuss countermeasures.
Time was short and the task was heavy. After the core members of the court deliberated, a decision was quickly made.
After notifying the various supervisory prefectures of this matter via telegram, the next morning, the new Great Tang Daily appeared in the streets and alleys.
The content published on it shocked the citizens of Chang'an who saw the newspaper first.
Officials who have served for ten years or more with no negative records.
Those who have participated in scientific studies and possess academic achievements.
Those who are highly regarded by their local communities for their outstanding moral character.
These four categories of people can all report to their local county offices. Regardless of age or origin, all will be appointed as officials!
To prevent unqualified individuals from taking up positions, these people will undergo an assessment every half month after their appointment. Those found incompetent in their duties will be demoted back to their original place of origin and barred from official employment for three generations.
Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, and it can also be used to test the suitability of talent.
Helicopters from the supervisory prefectures would patrol the skies daily. Once a sufficient number of talented individuals gathered in various regions, local county magistrates would signal, and helicopters would directly transport them to Chang'an.
In just one day, several hundred people reported to the Ministry of Personnel.
Although the number was small, these were only the people from near Chang'an. The newspapers had not yet reached the more distant prefectures and counties.
As expected, the next day, helicopters from the various supervisory prefectures began to continuously send people to Chang'an.
Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and the others were the first to return.
As military commanders responsible for defending their homes and territories, the sudden increase in the Great Tang's territory was utterly mind-boggling to them!
Upon seeing Fang Er, Cheng Yaojin complained, "Brother Fang, this is not fair! You didn't bring this old Cheng along for such a major event!"
"Exactly! You brought Duke Mao and that old guy Jiu, but you didn't bring us. Brother, you're being very inconsiderate this time!" Yuchi Jingde chimed in.
Niu Jinda also expressed his displeasure. "This old Niu is about to grow moss staying in Tibet. If it weren't for your telegram yesterday, I wouldn't have known such a significant event had occurred!"
Zhang Gongjin grumbled, "They've said it all. I feel the same way anyway!"
Qin Qiong stepped forward, put his arm around Fang Er's neck, and smiled at him. "Let's not talk about the past. When are you sending people over this time? How about bringing your old brother along?"