The political forces in Ryan can be roughly divided into three parts. The first is the military, mainly represented behind the scenes by Marshal Zhu Yifu. In principle, the Ryan National Army does not participate in politics or party struggles, but only serves the Duke of Ryan.
Secondly, there is the Ministry of the Interior, represented by the Marquis Félinan, the cousin of the Grand Duke of Réin. Its core strength lies in the financial power he holds and the police force, both of which are powerful departments.
Thirdly, there was the aristocratic power represented by Prince Reinhard. The old nobles all wanted to get involved in this "meritorious service of supporting the emperor," so they were most enthusiastic about recommending Prince Reinhard to ascend the throne. The Senate was the behind-the-scenes representative of this.
Of these three forces, Prince Reinhardt was the weakest, had the shallowest foundation, and the most diverse membership.
In order to strengthen his own power, Reinhardt was willing to take on almost anyone, and he was well aware that his main enemy at present was his cousin Ferlinan.
To contend for the throne, Reinhardt needed to raise a large amount of operating funds, but he could not get any benefits from the treasury controlled by his cousin Ferlinan. Although he had the support of the old nobles, it was far from enough.
So Reinhard secretly set his sights on the lucrative underground black market. The Duchy of Rhine had many underground casinos, entertainment venues, dance halls, hotels, smuggling docks, and so on... The real mastermind behind them was Reinhard.
Ferlinan was well aware of his nephew's shady dealings, and in an effort to crack down on him, he frequently abused his power, mobilizing the patrol police to conduct security sweeps every few days.
Ferlinan, the uncle, was in the right, and he was in the wrong first. Moreover, these businesses were not respectable, so even if Reinhardt was furious, he could only swallow his anger.
In order to counter the police department, at Reinhardt's request and instruction, the Senate began to secretly interfere with Reinhardt's military.
Although the army was the royal army, and Reinhard considered himself the rightful heir to the throne, he dared not openly engage in such behavior as a royal member, which was almost tantamount to usurpation, before actually ascending the throne. Therefore, the Senate always did these things on his behalf.
The first thing the Senate did was to put a lot of effort into forcing Marshal Zhu Yifu to step down to the second line; otherwise, with him in charge of the military, it would have been impossible to place anyone in the Senate.
Adelaide, the capital of the Kingdom of Laine.
On the southwestern slope of the city's outskirts, there is a place called "Helenburg".
"Hey, sir, are you also here to seek refuge with Prince Reinhard?"
Zhang Fan had only been standing at the entrance of Helenburg for a short while when a grinning young man came over to chat him up.
Zhang Fan estimated that the other person was only in his early twenties, but his appearance gave off a worldly and sophisticated vibe. He didn't seem as mature as a young man in his twenties, but rather like a seasoned veteran who had been navigating the complexities of society for many years.
Seeing Zhang Fan looking him up and down, the other person immediately introduced himself to show goodwill: "My name is Hou Wu, but you can also call me by my nickname 'Monkey'."
"I'm not a bad person. I just thought you looked like you were new here, so I wanted to be your tour guide."
Hou Wu saw that Zhang Fan was dressed smartly and had been standing at the entrance of Helenburg for a long time, as if it were his first time there, so he took the initiative to go up and strike up a conversation.
"A tour guide?" Zhang Fan frowned as he looked at Hou Wu.
“Sir, don’t let my appearance fool you.” Hou Wu touched his buzz cut and smiled sheepishly, “but I’m also a resident of Helenburg.”
“Helenburg is quite a large place, and it’s easy for first-time visitors to get lost. With me leading the way, you can save a lot of time, sir.”
"And then?" Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow at the other person.
"Well..." Hou Wu smiled ingratiatingly, "I just hope to earn some extra money for running errands. You can give me whatever you think is appropriate, sir."
"Alright, let's go." With someone leading the way, saving him from wandering around, Zhang Fan tossed a 100-yuan gold coin into Hou Wu's hand.
Hou Wu took the gold coin with his five fingers, squeezed it twice, and immediately followed along eagerly.
Hou Wu was very enthusiastic throughout the journey, telling us what this place was, what that place was, what kind of people lived there, and what interesting things had happened there. He could tell us all about it in a very vivid and detailed way.
This guy was clearly a local bigwig who had been around Helenbergh for a while. Zhang Fan put another 100-yuan gold coin into his hand, and Hou Wu became even more enthusiastic in his introduction.
Through Hou Wu, Zhang Fan also gained a preliminary understanding of the place "Helenburg".
Despite its name, "Helenburg" is more like a residential area than a fortress. Reinhard recruited talent from all over to consolidate his position, and naturally, many of them were just looking for a job and lacked real skills.
However, in order to demonstrate his magnanimity as the rightful heir to the throne and his image of "treating the virtuous with respect," Reinhardt accepted all comers, and it is said that more than 10,000 people had already come to him.
Reinhardt housed them in Helenburg, a place where food alone would be a huge expense for tens of thousands of people, and it was impossible to treat them all with the same high standards.
Reinhard then divided his retainers into three classes. The third-class retainers lived in bungalows on the outskirts of Helenburg. The better-off ones shared a standard room with two people, while the worse-off ones had bunk beds with eight people. They had to get their meals from the communal canteen. As for the taste of the food... since food and lodging were free, they shouldn't expect much in terms of quality, but at least the meals were plentiful.
Second-class guests stay in high-rise apartments in the middle of Helenbergh. The apartments are not large but fully equipped, and most importantly, they are all single rooms. They eat in a buffet restaurant on the lower floor, where they can not only eat their fill but also enjoy good food.
First-class guests lived in the villa area in the center of Helenbergh, and their meals were delivered directly to their rooms by servants, which was equivalent to VIP treatment.
Listening to this hierarchical "talent classification method," Zhang Fan already looked down on Prince Reinhardt even before meeting him.
This approach seems to make the best use of people and save money, but will truly talented individuals come to join us?
Those who come are likely to be petty thieves and opportunists; this kind of approach will only shut out truly talented people.
Even if the newcomer is truly talented, their loyalty should be questioned.
"Brother Hou, where do you live?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.
“Sir, you don’t need to be so polite. Just call me ‘Monkey.’” Hou Wu was very polite. “I live in a bungalow on the outskirts of Helenburg. It’s a double room, but I don’t usually stay there.”
"You don't live there? You have another place to stay?"
"No." Hou Wu habitually touched his buzz cut and said with a smile, "I 'rented out' my bed."
"This place can still be rented out?"
“Of course not.” Hou Wu shook his head. “To be honest, sir, I made an agreement with my roommate. He gives me 100 gold coins every month, and I won’t go back to my place. Then he can have the room all to himself.”
"Oh." Zhang Fan nodded. This Hou Wu was quite quick-witted, able to find business opportunities even in this situation. But on the other hand, he seemed to be short of money.
"So where do you usually live?"
"I live with my two younger brothers in the prefab houses outside the walls of Helenburg." Hou Wu smiled embarrassedly, because the so-called prefab houses outside the walls were actually slums. "They are still young. When they are older and graduate from school, they will be able to come and 'join' Prince Reinhard to serve him."
Zhang Fan couldn't help but stop and turn around to look at Hou Wu. He was taking care of two younger brothers who were still in school. No wonder he was trying to find ways to make money.
Such a person can't be all that bad.
"Sir, I'll leave you here." Hou Wu also stopped. "My current status doesn't allow me to go inside."
“But it will happen soon.” Hou Wu looked at the high-rise apartments inside Helenburg. “It took me a year to go from living in an eight-person dormitory to a two-person standard room. I believe that a year from now I will also have a room in there.”
"How can I contact you if I want to find you in the future?" Zhang Fan became interested in this Hou Wu. Such a person would be very helpful for him when working under Reinhardt in the future.
"I don't have a phone," Hou Wu said, scratching his head and smiling. "But sir, just go to the east gate of Helenburg and ask around. Just say you're looking for 'Monkey'!"
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