NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1037: Clean-up (2)
There is a saying, if you walk on the edge of a river, you are bound to get wet. Serving under the emperor of the Bharatiya Empire for over two and a half decades, inarguably the most successful emperor of the present world, Sarvesh, Yogendra Singh, Ramayya Senapati, Gangadhar, Narasimha Nayak, Lachit Borphukan, and others are bound to have picked up a thing or two.
Back in the empire, they have personally experienced over three purges initiated by His Majesty the Emperor, so they already have a clear understanding of how His Majesty conducts his purges; so it was not hard for the new kings to come up with a version of their own and conduct a cleaning operation.
While Sarvesh chose the direct approach, openly infiltrating the police, rooting out corruption without hesitation, and then turning to the government, others like Ramayya Senapati and Yogendra Singh preferred a subtler path. They quietly spread their influence across society, built a small intelligence network dedicated to tracking the key officers in both the police and the government, and only acted once they had gathered sufficient information.
Neither method could be called perfect, as each carried its own drawbacks.
Sarvesh's approach had the clear advantage of establishing firm control over the kingdom in a remarkably short time. However, the forcefulness of his actions meant many corrupt elements likely went underground, hidden for years to come, especially in the face of his decisiveness.
On the other hand, building an intelligence network first is an excellent strategy for securing the throne in the long term, but it demands patience. Progress is slow, and even now, Ramayya Senapati, Yogendra Singh, and others who chose this strategy have yet to fully consolidate power in their kingdoms, still biding their time as they watch the situation unfold.
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Suryanagari
Sarvesh stood in front of a group of over 50 soldiers who stood in absolute attention as if they were statues. He walked between them with an expressionless face, with only his eyes stern and unblinking.
Finally, after he took a good look at everyone, he came out of the formation made by the 50 people and shouted, "Does everyone understand what they have to do?"
"And do you have any doubts?"
The soldiers responded the next moment without a second thought, all in unison, "None, sir!"
"Good, now go do your jobs. I need the whole kingdom to be rid of corruption within a month."
Looking at the backs of the soldiers leaving for the second round of the purge, this time targeted at lower levels of corruption, Sarvesh had a ruthless glint in his eyes. He would never allow anyone corrupt to serve in his government.
He often wondered why His Majesty the Emperor would leave certain small fish and middlemen untouched, even when he knew they were corrupt. To Sarvesh, it always seemed like a foolish thing to do. So he resolved to root out corruption entirely, leaving no one behind. But unknown to him, his attempt to reduce corruption in society to absolute zero backfired terribly.
In the future, as punishments for corruption grew harsher, police officers and civil servants devised new methods of embezzlement, methods so subtle they could not be tracked or identified by either the government or the monarch.
When the corruption spread on a large scale, it nearly broke the kingdom. Only then did Sarvesh finally understand why His Majesty had spared certain small and mid-level corrupt officers. By leaving them alone, His Majesty could trace the flow of corruption, study the techniques being used, and detect new methods as they emerged.
It was then that Sarvesh realised just how advanced His Majesty the Emperor's Rajatantra truly was.
Coming back to the present, Sarvesh successfully unleashed the Hounds of Justice, or as he would like to call them, the members of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, a department newly re-established by him which deals with corrupt police officers and anyone connected to them, basically a supervisory board like the Election, Nobility, and Examination Council of the Bharatiya Empire, albeit with limited functions and functionalities.
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While Sarvesh was on his warpath of anti-corruption, his wife, the now Queen of Suryanagari, Mahalaxmi Ranavikrama, had completely taken over the post as the queen of the nation and convened the first-ever cabinet meeting of the Kingdom of Suryanagari.
Mahalaxmi could feel the piercing gazes placed on her, gazes filled with doubt, gazes that said, Can this woman really order us around? But Mahalaxmi had long been used to these gazes, in fact, she was almost weirdly looking forward to such gazes, since she liked the feeling of conquering the minds and proving everyone wrong.
It was the same back in the empire, and it is the same now. The only difference is that she gets much more autonomy, and she gets to decide on the actual policy of the kingdom instead of simply being its mascot like back in the empire.
Mahalaxmi looked around at the faces of everyone seated in the chamber, her gaze sharp and unwavering. One by one, she measured their expressions, the nervous shifting of eyes, the clenched jaws, the silence that lingered like a storm waiting to break. Finally, her attention settled on a single man.
"Prime Minister Biswa Patel," she said, her voice calm but carrying the weight of inevitability, "you will have to dissolve the government."
Her words were like a stone cast into a still lake, sending ripples across the hall. Conversations that had been held in hushed tones died instantly. A suffocating silence fell, and every breath in the room seemed to pause.
Biswa Patel, once the governor of the frontier before His Majesty elevated him to interim Prime Minister when the frontier became a kingdom, rose with reluctance. His hands pressed against the table, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for allies. But the empty chairs told the truth. More than a quarter were vacant, their absence louder than words. Patel's lips parted to argue, to defend, but the silence crushed his voice. What else could he say? What else could he do to keep his post?
"Yes, Your Highness, I will do as the queen demands." He accepted the punishment humbly. It was his mistake not to see that there was so much corruption right under his nose.
Mahalaxmi nodded without any expression. In fact, in her heart, she was a little disappointed because if Biswa Patel resisted, she would have had the opportunity to show everyone what her power was. But since he was so obedient, she let him be. Besides, Mahalaxmi already had a post ready for Biswa, a post that was much more suitable for him than being the prime minister.
With the parliament dissolved, Mahalaxmi started to rebuild the parliament from the ground up, created the ministries, and allocated ministers one by one.
This was a privilege she could only use once. After this, the elections had to go on, so she was very careful in whom she selected. Most of the people she appointed as ministers were the confidants of her husband, or were the retinue she had managed to train back in the empire. But choosing everyone from under their previous subordinates was not an option, since knowing about the local situation was also important. So after reading the report from her husband and getting to know who was trustworthy, she promoted them to ministers and deputy ministers.
The formation of the new cabinet finally concluded with the former governor and first interim Prime Minister, Biswa Patel, being appointed Minister of Agriculture.
Biswa was momentarily taken aback, but relief soon washed over him. The reason he had been made governor in the first place was that Suryanagari, under his administration, had become one of the fastest frontiers to achieve self-sufficiency in food. Yet after taking office, he had few opportunities to focus on agriculture. Engulfed in endless administrative matters, he had left much undone, unable to manage any one task properly.
Now, as Minister of Agriculture, it felt like returning to the mother's cradle. For the first time in a long while, he felt free and at ease.
With the Cabinet ministers finally appointed, and Kesari Bharatwaj, a loyal retainer of the Ranavikrama family, appointed as the prime minister, the government of Suryanagari was finally established.
As soon as the government was established, Mahalaxmi did not dilly-dally anymore; she got right to the matter of developing the kingdom.
"We will establish several goals that have to be reached in the next five years."
"This will be like the Kingdom of Suryanagari's first five-year plan, so to speak."
"So in this first five-year plan, goal number one: railway tracks to be laid between the major economic, cultural, and educational centres of the kingdom."
"Number two: support for businesses and the establishment of special industrial zones to boost the kingdom's economy."
"Number three: I have come to understand that an invention has been made, and it is present in all entertainment venues, not only in this frontier but also in neighbouring frontiers and even on the mainland of the empire. It is even more surprising that this invention was made by a person in Suryanagari."
"I see this as a breakthrough. Entertainment, more specifically, entertainment through moving picture machines, is our unique advantage, found nowhere else. We will take full advantage of this emerging industry and uncover all the value it can offer. For the next five years, this industry will also be considered one of the core industries of the kingdom, alongside mining, agriculture, infrastructure, and fishing."
"Number four: immediately, technical colleges will be established, and talent will be brought in from the mainland to teach in these colleges. We need to build up the industrial capacity as soon as possible"
"And number five: the sector of tourism will also be put on the agenda. In the next five years, I want the market formed by tourism to expand at least ten times and occupy a certain stake in the kingdom's gross domestic product."
" With that being said, all of you must come to me with your plans. If it is feasible, I will approve it after consulting with His Highness the King."
Considering that they were informed that it would be the queen who would be handling the managerial affairs of the nation, before the meeting started, most of the people in the room were dismissive or even a little condescending. After all, in their minds, they were arrogant. What type of woman would order them around? But now, several hours later, the perspective had taken a 180-degree turn. Coming out of the office room, the thought that currently resonated the most was that their queen was not a simple character.