The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

However, defining it as a "problem" is only from Kazimierz's perspective; for Qiao Yelan, it is the "wealth" he needs now.

"After Kazimierz finished speaking, he basically explained everything. As for Ursus, the natural thing is to enable you to produce goods through industrial reforms. However, due to the harsh international environment, Witt will soon find that only by joining the Lungmen Dollar Project can he plan to transport these goods out of Ursus and sell them."

Black Snake looked at Qiao Yelan, whose expression remained calm.

Just now, this man decided the fate of Kazimir and Ursus, and the nation's destiny for years, even decades, to come.

The person who made this decision had nothing to do with Kazimir.

It has nothing to do with Ursus either.

-------------------------------------------------- ----

Kosic has left.

She walked away somewhat absentmindedly, not even asking Qiao Yelan what he was going to do next.

However, Qiao Yelan was happy to remain silent.

Now, it's time to prepare the cards that Kosicé doesn't know.

He dialed the number on his communication device.

After a long wait, the call was finally connected.

"Hello, Doctor."

A deep, muffled sound rang out, giving the impression of a mountain's weight.

"Bozokastie, how's the recall of your old subordinates going?"

"Very smoothly, many people have returned and are willing to fight for their country."

“Very good. Now I will convey new instructions to you—you are free to attack farms and mines in all noble territories, liberate the serfs and slave laborers inside, and Speaker Witt will send people to open a route to bring these people away from the noble lands.”

Qiao Yelan said.

"Speaker, Your Excellency?"

Patriot nodded. The check that Qiao Yelan had handed him had Witt's name on it—clearly, the Speaker was still on His Majesty's side at this moment.

"In order to protect you and cover up the truth, we will take these serfs away under the guise of 'purchasing' and bring you funds and supplies. Of course, you will also need to recruit some people who are willing to resist the nobles and continue to strengthen the forces fighting against the nobles."

"Understood. Order, execute immediately."

"Very good—go ahead and do it."

Qiao Yelan smiled and offered encouragement.

Communication is down.

dong dong dong.

Qiao Yelan raised her head.

"Doctor, your guest has arrived."

"Please come in."

Ace opened the door and led the guests in.

The man took off his worn-out overcoat and hung it, hat and all, on the coat rack.

He turned around and looked at Qiao Yelan, his eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and gratitude.

"It's been a long time, Minister Yegor."

Qiao Yelan smiled and extended his hand, inviting Yegor to sit down.

"Please have a seat. We have a lot to discuss now—don't worry, I will answer all your questions."

Chapter 172 Efficiency Over Means

"I wonder what else Lord Qiao Yelan wants to say to me—I thought our deal was already done."

Yegor Terekin's voice carried a hint of doubt.

“It is indeed done. You helped me see His Majesty, and I took your wife and daughter away. However, perhaps because His Majesty took a liking to me at first sight, after discussing it with Speaker Witt, they both believed that I was very suitable for the position of Minister of Industry of the Empire.”

Yegor: ?

The Minister of Industry of the Empire has always been a man of Speaker Witte. The nobles have tried to take this position several times, but the Emperor and Witte have always turned the tables on them. There has never been a replacement from other factions. Even if there were replacements, they would only be within the civil service group.

Now that Qiao Yelan has taken over this position, could it be...?

Is he already on Witt's side?

"Congratulations on your promotion, Your Excellency Qiao Yelan."

The man forced a smile; what rose in his heart was no longer doubt, but surprise and unease.

However, Qiao Yelan didn't seem to care about the other person's expression and just continued talking to herself.

"The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Labor, as the two departments that have always been most closely connected, will naturally have a very important part of my work in the future. Therefore, I invited you here to talk because I urgently need your cooperation, Minister Yegor, in my upcoming work."

“I… of course I will cooperate with Minister Qiao Yelan’s work. The Ministry of Industry has always been the largest demand side of the Ministry of Labor. The vast majority of workers’ employment problems can be solved by the Ministry of Industry—I believe that we will cooperate very well in the future.”

Yegor tried his best to use an official tone to mask his inner anxiety.

He couldn't see through the person in front of him, so he had no way of figuring out what the other person really wanted—which made it even harder for him to use his own "ulterior motives".

Because the other person knew what kind of person they were beforehand.

"That would be perfect—please take a look at this proposal first."

Qiao Yelan smiled and handed over a document.

"This is......"

"This is the Imperial Industrial Innovation Plan that I will implement after taking office. Of course, I have already shown this plan to His Majesty and Speaker Witt privately, and they have both approved and agreed to it. It was because I submitted this plan that I had the opportunity to become the Minister of Industry."

Of course, Fyodor and Witt only saw what they wanted to see.

Qiao Yelan wouldn't point this out—of course, Mr. Yegor would only see the part he wanted to see.

Mr. Terekin reads very slowly, just like the two men before him.

On the last page, he closed the plan, looked at Qiao Yelan, his eyes flashing like lightning, all traces of his previous obsequious humility gone.

However, that expression only appeared on his face for a moment before disappearing.

"Very......"

He took a deep breath, as if to suppress his true thoughts.

“A brilliant plan, Your Excellency Qiao Yelan. The Imperial Ministry of Labor will do its utmost to cooperate with your work. I assure you that I and my workers will not be a hindrance to your plan.”

He handed the document back to Qiao Yelan, but Qiao Yelan did not take it and pushed it back.

"Is this all Minister Yegor could think of after reading this plan?"

Qiao Yelan sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

Yegor's pupils suddenly contracted, and his hand, which was handing over the document, froze in mid-air.

“If you are truly willing to fully cooperate with my plan, then you will choose to take this plan back and study it carefully—His Majesty Fyodor and Speaker Witt are high and mighty, so they will only need to read it once and consider the theoretical possibilities before they stop worrying about it.”

“But you’re different. You’re in charge of getting things done, and you know everything about the Department of Labor, from regulations to the workers’ situation—you’re a down-to-earth person. So if you’re really willing to support my plan, you’ll seriously discuss with me the feasibility of implementing the relevant policies and make some adaptive modifications, instead of just smiling and pushing it onto me.”

Now Yegor's hands were no longer stiff—

They began to tremble.

“You should understand your current situation, Minister Yegor Terekin. Two years ago, in order to resist that madman Anatoli’s plan, you were completely exposed—the military sees you as a thorn in their side, the civil servants were quite embarrassed by the large-scale demonstrations you instigated, and the nobles have wanted to replace you from the very beginning.”

"As the target of everyone's criticism, if His Majesty hadn't personally issued an edict declaring you innocent, you would have long ago been thrown into the Kronstadt water dungeon to feed the fish. But now, you even dare to defy His Majesty, and even outwardly comply with his orders while inwardly disobeying them—His Majesty is becoming increasingly impatient with you."

Qiao Yelan gave a cold laugh.

Yegor is now in dire straits—but why he is in dire straits is not worth pondering.

"Imperial officials sending their families away... You know what that means, right? But do you know why no one reacts to it, not even His Majesty?"

"......Why?"

Yegor asked in a hoarse voice.

"Because I reported this matter to His Majesty, and the reason I gave was—I need to capture your family and then use them to threaten you into submission."

The veins on the back of the man's hand, which was gripping the document, bulged. He stared at Qiao Yelan with bloodshot eyes, a fear he had never felt before rising in his heart.

He suddenly realized something.

Making Qiao Yelan "always protect" his family actually means that their deal will continue indefinitely.

"you--"

"Please rest assured, I am not a person without principles. I would not do something like this. Your family will be well taken care of, and I will not use them to threaten you into doing things—I just hope you can think about it for a while."

What a joke, threatening his family to force him to do things for him—what an inefficient way to exploit him!

Qiao Yelan didn't think much of it.

"Thinking about what?"

Yegor forced himself to swallow his anger, panting heavily as he glared at Qiao Yelan.