Chapter 1075
After Sedorum spoke, the others also expressed their agreement.
"If that's the case, after getting the approval of Hakkar and Hasdrubal, Lucius, you can submit the proposal to the Senate to discuss and approve it."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Everyone secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
At this time, Alexis spoke up and asked, "Your Majesty, the newly divided regions are not exactly the same as the regions where the soldiers of the various legions come from. Will this affect the citizens' participation in military training and going out to war? Is there a need to adjust the source of the soldiers of the various legions? "
"I don't think there's a need." Devers said straightforwardly, "The army is the army, and the regions are the regions. Both sides do not interfere with each other, but they must cooperate with each other. Especially in times of war, the various towns and regions must fully cooperate with the legions to go out to war and deal with the aftermath. This is the law of Diónia. I think no official of any rank would dare to obstruct or violate it!"
After answering Alexis's question, no one else asked for a while, so Devers continued, "Let me talk about some adjustments to the ranks of the kingdom's officials after the division of the regions and the establishment of the regional chief officers."
Everyone pricked up their ears again.
"The rotating president will still be the highest-ranking official in the kingdom, followed by the ministers of the various departments. The regional chief officers will have the same rank, but they must be elected by the Senate. The rank of the city chief officers will be the same as the second-ranking officials of the various departments. They are considered middle-ranking officials, and will no longer be elected by the Senate, but directly decided by the kingdom's executive council …"
"Your Majesty's decision is absolutely correct!" Hormones praised loudly, "Right now, there are more than a hundred cities and towns in the kingdom. Almost every three or four days, there will be a new city chief officer. The Senate is busy every day electing a successor, where would they find the time to do other important things!"
The others also felt the same way. Lucius, Sedorum, and the other senior members of the Senate thought even more. Since the kingdom's executive council was held regularly, many internal affairs of the kingdom were resolved here. Even many laws were first discussed here, and after a resolution was formed, it was brought to the Senate for approval. Since the five rotating presidents and the ministers of the various departments were all important members of the Senate, when they had already reached an agreement, it was very easy for the proposal to pass. This way, the Senate's business had already been reduced a lot. If the election of the city chief officers was also removed, the role of the Senate would be greatly reduced!
Lucius looked at Devers, who was weighing his words carefully, and thought for a moment.
"Next would be the Demo Administrator of each town, followed by the Village Head … This would constitute the kingdom's most basic five levels of administrative officials. The other departments would be adjusted according to this standard. Oh, that's right! The city chief officers of each district should be half a level higher than the ordinary city chief officers. Also, the authority of the district chief officers is not exactly the same as the wartime viceroys we have appointed in the past. He has the administrative power to manage the entire district, but he does not have the right to use the army, nor the right to make local laws. However, although he does not appoint the city chief officers within the district, he can recommend the chief officers of the various Demos … "
Everyone thought deeply about every word that Devers said, because it was very likely to be closely related to their future. Archipedes could not help but interrupt, "Your Majesty, after the kingdom's territory is divided into various districts and the appointment of the chief officers of each district, we still have to allocate other officials, right? That's a lot of people, and their ranks are not low. This will be a huge expenditure for the national treasury. "
"This is unavoidable," Lucius said. Devers comforted him, "The larger the kingdom's territory, the more problems there will be, and the more complicated the difficulties will be. This requires us to be more precise and efficient in our governance. Of course, we can discuss which officials to allocate.
For example, the population of each town was originally small, and one or two clinics and hospitals could solve the problems of the citizens, so most towns did not have medical officials. However, now that we have established districts, regardless of whether it is to prevent and control epidemics or to supervise the treatment of illnesses in the entire district, we need medical officials to ensure the health of the people in the district.
Another example is whether there is a need for construction officials to be set up in the district, because the subordinate towns have their own construction personnel. When the entire district needs to build a large public building, the local chief officer can gather the construction personnel of the subordinate towns to carry out the planning and construction … "
The Devers and the ministers discussed the issue of the district chief officers until dusk, and finally came up with a clear and clear plan.
After everyone left, Devers stared at the large map and thought for a while before asking Henepolis to put the map back.
When Henepolis returned to the palace hall, Devers said to him, "Henny, don't be in a hurry to go home. Come with me to visit Mersis."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Under the protection of the guards, the Devers left the palace. Along the way, the passersby stopped to greet the king, and the Devers smiled in response.
Mersis's mansion was not too far from the palace. It was at the foot of the mountain to the north of the Hill of Gods. Compared to the mansions of the other important ministers and elders, its exterior was very luxurious and eye-catching.
There was once a civil official who reported him, saying that he lived a luxurious lifestyle and suspected him of corruption. This caused a huge uproar.
The Ministry of Supervision had even sent officials to investigate, and they found that not only had Mersis not embezzled money from the national treasury, but during the war in the western Mediterranean, when the national treasury was at its most strained, he had used the money he had earned from his own business to purchase a batch of military supplies and sent them to the frontlines.
After the news was announced, not only was the public in an uproar, even the officials were shocked. Their impression of the miser of the kingdom had changed greatly.
However, a year after the war ended, Mersis had fallen ill. After many aggressive treatments, his illness had recurred for more than two years. Finally, at the beginning of this year, he had completely fallen ill and was unable to manage the affairs of the finance department. Thus, Archipedes had replaced him to manage the affairs of the finance department.
When the Devers walked to the living room, Mersis had already come out to welcome them, supported by two slaves.
At this moment, his entire body was extremely fat. Although he was covered by a loose white robe, when he walked, his swollen legs and bloody ankles could still be seen. His face was dark brown, and he looked a little dispirited. When he saw the Devers, he became more spirited. He tried his best to squeeze out a smile and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, you've finally come to see me!"
"Mersis, you're so forgetful! I've only come to see you once last month! "the Devers scolded him softly.
"Visiting once a month is too long … It's best to visit once every two or three days …" Mersis said shamelessly. He urged the slave beside him, "Hurry up … Help me to His Majesty … It'll be easier to talk this way …"
The Devers quickly dissuaded him. "You're not feeling well now, so don't come out. Be careful not to catch a cold! Let's go to your bedroom. "
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty …" After walking for a while, Mersis also felt powerless and did not insist.
"Your Majesty!" Mersis' wife and three concubines came together and greeted him respectfully.
After the Devers returned the greeting, he expressed his gratitude to them. "You've all worked hard during this period!"
"What's so hard about it … Crying all the time … I'm so annoyed that I want to chase them all out …" Mersis scolded.
"I see that you've been recuperating at home, but your temper has grown!" the Devers said with a reprimanding tone.
"I'm trapped at home every day … I can't scold my colleagues … so I can only scold my family …" Mersis was very calm.
"You …" Mersis' shameless behavior made the Devers shake their heads.
When they reached the bedroom, the servant carefully helped Mercies to lie down on the bed. The hardwood bed actually creaked under his weight.
At this moment, the Devers saw that Mersis's feet had turned red and black, and they had shrunk. While they were shocked, they also felt a strong sense of sadness, reminding them of Helpes' pessimistic assessment of Mersis's condition not long ago.
After covering himself with a blanket, Mersis chased his wife and servants out, leaving only the Devers, Heniboris, and Martius in the room.
Then, Mersis asked, "Your Majesty, you've come to visit me today … Is there something important?"
The Devers gestured for Martius to close the door, then said softly, "I'll tell you a piece of good news, but you must keep it a secret!"
Mersis saw Martius's action and nodded solemnly.
"The kingdom is going to raise taxes on the people!" the Devers said, enunciating each word.
"It should have been done long ago!" Mersis became spirited. Then, he remembered that he had to keep it a secret, so he lowered his voice and emphasized again, "The kingdom should have raised taxes long ago!"
Dyvers smiled and briefly explained the reason for the tax increase. He then asked in a serious tone, "How much tax do you think we should increase to not only solve the military issue, but also ease the country's financial situation, and at the same time make it affordable for the people?"
"Of course it's 10%!" Mersis answered without hesitation.
"Be serious!" The Devers's tone became stern.
Mersis was stared at by the Devers's stern gaze and did not dare to say anything else. He thought carefully, then said reluctantly, "I think … 5% might be more suitable."
At the mention of money, Mercies was energized. Not only did he speak more fluently, but his mind had also become more agile. He explained in detail why he had chosen this tax rate. As expected of the man who had been in control of the finances since the establishment of Dionia, Mercies analyzed every aspect of the kingdom in detail as if he was familiar with his family's treasures.
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