Chapter 1134: Yan Feifan and Fu Xinghe Together Are Absolutely Ruthless!

It could only be said that Lu Ding's aura was simply too all-encompassing.

Not only could he bring himself good fortune, but he could also bring the people around him along for the ride.

After the Great-Grandmaster arranged everything.

Everyone took their seats.

To ensure nothing went wrong.

They didn't have hotpot today either, avoiding the hotpot curse that would cause trouble out of nowhere.

Yan Feifan sat next to Lu Ding.

Lu Ding said to him, "Feifan, I might have to leave for a while after this. During that time, I'll have to trouble you to take care of the new city."

Yan Feifan replied, "Brother Lu, you shouldn't use the word 'trouble' with me. You shouldn't say that to us."

Lu Ding took the wine from in front of Bai Hemen and replaced it with a Sweet Orangeade, then poured a glass of wine for Yan Feifan.

He asked, "What do you think about the three regions—East, South, and North? I'm about to leave. If you think they're ready to be taken in, I'll do it before I go."

Since he wouldn't be around for a while, he needed to ask Yan Feifan about the details and get his input.

Yan Feifan sat up straight, made sure his attitude was clear, then replied, "Brother Lu, the East, South, and North regions can't be taken in yet."

He pulled out his phone.

There was data on it.

"Brother Lu, look. Right now, thanks to your influence, our Western region is developing extremely well in the new city. But it's also because we've developed too fast that we can't stop, and we can't afford to stop either. The steps are too big and too quick. While that's a good thing, it's also a double-edged sword."

"Even though the infrastructure and economy have both been pulled up, the issue of per capita wealth disparity can't be resolved in a short time to match the city's level of development."

"So, Xinghe and I leveraged your momentum and rolled out a series of policies and plans regarding homesteads and personal land purchases and sales."

"We're using clever little tricks to even out the wealth gap."

"We're attracting the wealthy and powerful from the East, South, and North regions to settle in the West. They have money, and the poor locals in the West have land. Money in exchange for land, with restrictions in place, strict supervision, and full control. This way, the fixed wealth from the East, South, and North flows into the West, driving the grassroots economy."

"The poor locals in the West have land but no money—sitting on a treasure mountain that's useless and can't solve their immediate problems."

"The magnates in the East, South, and North have money but no land. They want to get in and establish ties with the West. They neutralize each other, and both sides benefit."

"The Westerners who get money can then go to the East, South, and North to buy better things, escape poverty, and live worry-free. Of course, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, but we have no choice right now. If they can't hold onto it, that's on them. We can only guarantee fairness and justice so they don't get treated unfairly."

"Through this exchange, the stacked wealth can flow back into the market for redistribution."

"If we take in the East, South, and North regions under your command right now, the fair market prices we've set will inevitably drop uncontrollably."

"Then we'd lose more than we gain. Not only would we fail to dig out the accumulated wealth of the rich and powerful, but we'd also slow down the recovery of the grassroots economy. The rich would get richer, and the poor would stay poor. The city would just look more polished on the surface, but the fundamentals wouldn't change."

"So we need to wait."

Lu Ding was stunned by what he heard and couldn't help taking a few more looks at Feifan. "You actually understand all this now!?"

"Did you secretly evolve?"

The Yan Feifan from the Third Circle wasn't like this.

This was visible growth.

Yan Feifan felt a bit shy from the praise but was incredibly proud of Lu Ding's amazement. "I have to grow, Brother Lu. I know my baseline is low and you've grown fast."

"If I don't learn more, how can I keep up with your pace and share your burdens? Of course, most of the credit goes to Xinghe—he's the one who's been teaching me."

Lu Ding looked at Xinghe and waved him over.

Fu Xinghe walked up.

Yan Feifan pulled a chair over for him, and he sat down next to Lu Ding.

Fu Xinghe sat and greeted him, "Brother Lu."

Lu Ding smiled at him. "I knew you were good at management, but I didn't expect you to be so ruthless."

Some things, if Lu Ding said them himself, wouldn't sound right.

So Yan Feifan helped Fu Xinghe explain: "Xinghe's ruthlessness doesn't stop there. When you were out and rumors were flying everywhere, he had two plans ready."

"Either hold the line and use the entanglements with Great Jing and other forces to make sure any special envoy who dared to touch the new city's territory would have a bad time. Pulling one hair moves the whole body—it'd directly trigger a diplomatic issue."

"Or you'd return safely and make a name for yourself, using your momentum to forcibly boost the Western economy."

"Redivide the Western land issues and roll out a series of land certifications and notarizations to ensure that every Great Han citizen with an identity in the new city's West gets effective leverage."

"Then, through collecting transfer and sales fees and taxes, reimburse the bureau's expenses. All costs are borne by the magnates from the East, South, and North."

"At the same time, the Western 749 Bureau, Western Great Han citizens, and the magnates from the East, South, and North all benefit. Ordinary citizens are singled out, while the 749 Bureau and the magnates from the East, South, and North both make contributions and bear the citizens' risks."

"Without harming the people, they stimulate the economy and set a trap to lure them in."

Lu Ding nodded along as he listened.

Fu Xinghe finally spoke up. "And we set up the new city's West in contrast to the East, South, and North regions, which originally had economies that surpassed the West. This creates a gap to ensure a steady flow of wealth into the West in the future."

"That's how I see it. Now that the Great Han's situation is clear, the new city's rise is imminent. The West's glory goes without saying, and the other three regions will also benefit."

"But because of the gap, wealth from the other three regions will inevitably flow toward the West, unless they can surpass it—which is impossible."

"Our plate is only the West. It's only this big. If we can filter things through the East, South, and North one more time, the risk the West bears will decrease."

"Then, Feifan and I will roll out other plans and policies to shrink the filter and refine the screening, ensuring the West gets the most benefit without taking on risk."

"We'll convert the one-on-one risk into a third-party one."

Lu Ding listened while playing with the thumb ring Elder Shui had given him. "Then the East, South, and North regions really can't be taken in yet."

"We can only take them in after the West gets rich first and accumulates enough foundation to radiate influence across the entire new city."

From a certain angle that wasn't convenient to talk about, this was fucking ruthless.

This could only be done in the new city—a special place, a special time. If they tried this in the Great Han, it'd be enough to get them executed many times over, with repeated sweeps and executions.

Looking at Fu Xinghe and Yan Feifan together, he couldn't help wondering if having these two teamed up was really a good thing.

They were brushing right up against economic crimes, and deadly ones at that. The only saving grace was that they were devoted to the public good, to the new city, and to the Great Han. If they strayed even a little, it'd be a massive hole.

Even though so many people and forces longed for such talent but couldn't get it, Lu Ding still had to say, "Tone it down. Don't go too far."

The two nodded in unison.

Yan Feifan smiled mischievously. "Got it, Brother Lu."

Fu Xinghe smiled slyly and viciously. "Got it, Brother Lu."

The special envoys from the other three regions were going to have a rough time. This kind of tactic would make them even more furious than if Lu Ding had defeated them outright.

...

The new city's issues felt too rushed to gloss over, and it wouldn't show off Xinghe and Feifan's brilliance—they're not just decorative vases—so I wrote it this way. Tomorrow, we head to Ji Continent, dear readers.