Lu Ping'an and Wang Xi'er have been dating for almost a year.
When we first met, I thought she was a charming princess with a high status and a famous vase. Looking back now, she was the one who supported the development zone for the past year and a half.
As the executive deputy director of the development zone management committee, she is the de facto leader, and the entire development zone is her brainchild.
She is not in charge of a series of tasks such as investment promotion, public security, taxation, refugee resettlement, welfare, etc., but at least she is responsible.
In fact, Lu Pingan saw on the Green Planet that her ability could not be said to be very strong, but at least it was above the passing line.
"What Wang Xier is good at is doing big things with the resources she has. She will try her best to use the connections, money and even favors she has to achieve her goals."
This is a person who is good at using others. As Wang Xi'er said himself, Lu Ping'an doesn't like such a "scheming girl", but as a partner with related interests, before both parties fail, he is better than an incompetent person.
Too much.
The key to her ability to prosper in the development zone, to become a supportive administrative backbone in Green Planet, and to be able to survive the development zone's "airship-to-jet-ski" project lies in her truly special identity.
She belongs to the royal family, this kind of aristocrat, and a member of the royal family, but she longs to make a career and be able to get rid of the shackles of her own destiny and not rely on both sides. Although she is very greedy and can easily get away with it, at least she has done well before.
"But now that the conflict is intensifying, if you still want to eat both sides, it means offending both sides, and you will soon be roasted on the fire. When the time comes, no matter which side you are on, you will be used as a sacrifice."
What Lu Ping'an said is reality.
Her blood identity allows her to borrow the power of the clan and the royal family, and her political position can use the resources of the ancient city and its institutional advantages. But in the final analysis, the two parties are still in the honeymoon period before, and there is no deep-seated conflict of interest. Some friction is normal.
A middleman like her is needed to mediate.
But next, both sides will definitely have to compete on various occasions.
The ancient city must divide it, digest it, and completely turn it into an economic engine, a potential military resource, and a talent market for high-quality labor. The Saphoen tribe must be divided and looked at here. What ordinary Saphos and Saphos senior leaders pursue,
In fact, it is not the same thing at all. They have created unlimited conflicts of interest.
The Saphos people who were able to survive the end of the world in the Ark were originally the elite of the tribe, including many musicians, artists, high-quality craftsmen and other middle-class people. Of course, there were also various writers, outstanding businessmen, jurists, etc.
However, their "craftsmanship" is obviously not adapted to the local conditions here.
Under the premise that a few industries can make money but are experiencing crazy involution, they may be able to adapt to the new needs of this era through technological innovation, but it will take more time to adapt.
And these "craftsmen" have been in this world for less than two years. They need to settle and polish, but they may not have the time and resources.
"I heard that your royal family plans to collect a tithe tax?"
When it comes to being a bad person, the royal family and the nobility are experts.
"Where did you hear the rumor that the tithe tax is the trinity tax!"
These words stunned Lu Ping'an.
He had tried his best to overestimate the extent to which these guys were not human beings, but he did not expect that they could actually do this.
"Trinity tax? If you earn 600 and pay 200, can you still live?"
"If we don't do this, how can those princes and nobles maintain their luxurious lives, and how can they run businesses and projects to make money?"
There was vague disdain and anger in Wang Xi'er's eyes, but more importantly, there was deep helplessness.
This Trinity tax is not a direct one-third tax, but after deducting social security, basic living expenses, and local taxes, plus a "population tax" for the nobles, the remainder is probably only three-thirds.
The second one.
Why did it dare to accept it? It's actually quite simple. The previous kingdom of the Phosphorus Spreaders was not a system where everyone was equal. Looking at the expansion, the kingdom back then was a superpower. Considering the size of the Silent Mountain World, the total population was probably several hundred million.
So, if a population of hundreds of millions supports thousands of princes and nobles, it may be hundreds of thousands to support one person in power, and now tens of thousands to support a few hundred, and a few hundred to support one, is really not an exploitative effort.
Moreover, many of the people who spread phosphorus were originally vassals of a certain noble, and heavy taxes have never stopped. Perhaps in the eyes of some people, leaving you alive and still having money to eat is already a great mercy.
"Are these people crazy? The kingdom back then had a stable social structure and customs and rules, but now"
"Part of it is real waste, and part of it is more dangerous than real waste. They are anxious. They see the flames, so they want to build some industry before igniting it and squeeze it more crazily."
"Make a decision early, Wang Xi'er, I feel like you are dead."
Wang Xier opened her mouth, but in the end, she could not deny this "reality".
When things go smoothly, everyone gets rich together, and all conflicts can be suppressed. But when times get tough, they become beasts biting each other and eating each other's flesh.
In the kingdom era, the exploitation of civilians and craftsmen by nobles was a matter of course according to their laws. But now that these civilians have experienced the baptism of local culture and customs, how can they accept this level of "master" who is always above their heads?
superior.
There must be many people who spread phosphorus and have left the development zone and this system to make a living and develop outside. In a sense, they are similar to the new capitalist aristocracy of the earth, and they have a natural and mortal enemy relationship with the old feudal aristocracy.
And the feudal lords here are actually hopeless. It's not that there are no talents among them, but the inertia of "luxury life" and "massive investment to seize industry" is what these greedy people can't stop.
If they stop, they will just wait for others to get their hands on it. No amount of property will be enough for them to share.
"The exploited lower class will definitely rebel, and the upper class will maintain their own rule and interests and suppress it, while the ancient city government outside hopes to divide this place and eventually engulf and fuse it. Wang Xi'er, this is not the difficulty of hell, this is simply the difficulty of completion, a little bit
There is no hope."
She knew that she was in a desperate situation and was gradually being dragged into the abyss.
The development zone that he controls is the head of the "local government" in name only. If his own people want to control him, the civilians below will oppose him if they want to get a better life. Even the nominal superior ancient city government will swallow him up.
Drop yourself.
In the entanglement between the three parties, no matter how good Wang Xier's ability to carry water is, she will eventually be pulled into the whirlpool and torn apart by the "behemoth". Even if she is willing to be a puppet, the other party has a more suitable and trustworthy candidate.
Her past neutral and independent stance has limited her "upper limit".
But is it really hopeless?
"It didn't exist originally, but now it does, but I refuse."
The princess's mood towards the "knight" in front of her became more and more subtle. Perhaps, this person could indeed be called the knight on the white horse, but it was definitely not her own.
A puppet with an embarrassing status? The unlucky guy standing in front of the stage at this moment who is destined to take the blame? If you have an eighth-level rule-level power, then you can use strength to defeat cleverness, but become the target of the three parties.
However, Lu Ping'an had no reason to help her, or to be precise, he was on the human side and couldn't help her.
His ecological niche has become a mutually restrictive pair with Wang Sixiang's. If you don't move, I won't move, and if you leave, I will leave. Without this check and balance, the ancient city would not dare to exert pressure.
Wang Xier was a little hesitant and uneasy.
What can she give? Herself? If she becomes someone else's vassal, she will just become someone else's puppet.
Perhaps, she should be grateful to Lu Ping'an for giving herself another possibility instead of being dragged down helplessly.
It seems that without Lu Ping'an's intervention, the best outcome for him would be to step down after "a certain mistake" and become a bargaining chip in a political marriage.
Perhaps, my biggest mistake was that I "did too well" and made this originally fringe project become the jewel of competition within the clan.
She sighed, knowing that she seemed to have no choice, at least the partner in front of her needed her.
If what Lu Ping'an said is true, maybe this is really an opportunity. With Lu as an ally there, he can really pull out a phosphorus-spreading tribe independently.
"Let me think about it"
"What are you thinking about? You are in a mud pit. Jump out of it as soon as possible."
"Let me think about it more, at least give me some time." Wang Xi'er was tired and angry at the same time. Don't I want to lose face?