World Conquest Online

"Now that we have outlined what the Pillars are, and who the department heads are. We now need to assign the rest of you to these departments." Shang Yang began, the Prime Minister now taking control of the meeting, Dom already confident he had an idea of who should be placed where. "The Department of State Affairs which is led by Xun Yu will have the young Lu Ji join it. After speaking with him, I believe he can be a great assistant to Xun Yu and has a bright future ahead of him."

"Thank you Prime Minister!" Lu Ji responded with pride, whilst the others all listened on. Dom had read about Lu Ji and agreed with Shang Yang’s assessment.

"The Secretariat Department which is led by Cicero, will be joined by both Soga no Umako and the young Neferure." Shang Yang continued, a proud look on Hatshepsut’s face that her daughter had an important role, whilst Umako seemed aware he would be linked up with Cicero again. "The Secretariat Department will oversee the laws and rites, this includes the management of the temples and other aspects within our Kingdom. Whilst Cicero is to oversee the department, with Umako in support, we have agreed that the young Neferure can oversee the management of the temples. Whilst Umako, whilst your talent in migration is key and we would hope you would continue with that, your knowledge and skills at creating a balanced society are what makes you perfect for this department."

"Cicero and myself have become close friends since our arrival." Umako replied, "I am glad to be able to assist in creating a fair and peaceful kingdom for it’s Citizens."

"The Chancellery managed by Crassus, will be joined by Lady Meritamen. Not only is she the first wife of our Lord, but she is our face in diplomacy. I have high hopes for the Chancellery with her support." Shang Yang smiled towards Meritamen that was sat near him. Crassus also smiled, having become a big fan of hers. Crassus would manage the finances and trade, whilst Meritamen would be the welcoming negotiator who was much more intelligent than outsiders would believe.

"A dream team as usual." Crassus laughed, whilst Meritamen flashed a smile towards the experienced Senator.

"The Development department under Hatshepsut is the largest, all forms of development that are not part of the other areas will fall under her. To support this, Lady Da Qiao will be placed as Hatshepsut’s deputy. The other Heroes of Sostratus, Hua Tou and Ou Yezi will also fall in to this area for now." Shang Yang continued.

A big grin was on Hatshepsut’s face as those in the room all looked towards Sostratus. Da Qiao herself was pleased with the responsibility that would now keep her between Riverside and Tranquillity where her children would be based. Hua Tou and Ou Yezi didn’t seem to mind the positions, knowing that nothing much would change in their day to day roles. Dom felt that soon other low grade Heroes may emerge from his Elite Villagers.

"Finally, the Local Department managed by Lucius will be supported by all of the Mayors, Artemisia, Elder Qiao, Lady Xu and of course Generals Tomyris and Su Fei. The key is to support Lucius with the development of your own areas and the specialities that will be assigned. For both Tomyris and Su Fei, as your areas are Military Towns I will leave this discussion to Subutai, however you have both been briefed of the importance of Renatus as our defensive line in the north and Noctus as our hidden base for raids to the north west." Shang Yang continued, "Artemisia, I have partially assigned you also in to the Chancellery with Crassus and Meritamen, due to your sea faring experience. Elder Qiao, your priority for Tranquillity is the farming, and I would grant you permission to expand to the south of the River once the small wharf’s have been built, the population has increased rapidly and this is a good time for it. Lady Xu, I have another role for you."

The Mayor’s all nodded their heads in acceptance, as everyone had now been given a role except for Sun Shangxiang and Xiao Qiao. Xiao Qiao was part of the Military and would most likely be assigned a role there, where as Sun Shangxiang would also probable be included in those discussions.

"You’ll be aware that I haven’t assigned roles to Lady Sun or Xiao Qiao. This is due to the fact I believe they are both better suited for the military management. Originally as part of the Government Structure their should be a Military Pillar, as discussed earlier this is staying separate for now, however the governance side of that will need people such as Xiao Qiao to manage it. Additionally, as the wife of Lord Lazarus, Lady Sun is in a position similar to that of Lady Meritamen, as a key decision maker so was included here." Xun Yu explained, taking over from Sun Shangxiang. "Before we continue, does anyone have anything that they want to raise or any questions about the decisions made?"

"This is all in preparation for the founding of the Kingdom, which we expect to be once the Southern Campaign is finished." Crassus began, "I think it is key that we have the name of the Kingdom, so we can push through with our trade and diplomatic relationships. We are still referring to ourselves as Riverside, however that is our Capital."

"So the question is, what will the Kingdom’s name be?" Xun Yu asked Crassus, who nodded his head in response. Xun Yu then turned to Dom and Shang Yang to see if either would respond.

"Today we have the Civil meeting, Tomorrow afternoon is the Military meeting." Shang Yang stated, "I propose that all of those of Rank 3 or above will gather in the evening for a naming meeting."

The rankings were based on their Hero Grade, so Shang Yang was proposing that all Heroes of B Grade or above would gather to agree on the name of the Kingdom. Dom felt this was a good idea and agreed with Shang Yang, adding another meeting and completing a key part of the Kingdom Founding Quest.

"We can not refer to ourselves as that Kingdom name until the official founding." Xun Yu stated after they agreed, "However, we can explain to our diplomatic allies that we are in the progress of becoming the new name. We need to find two nations that are of a similar size or larger to witness our founding. Unfortunately Lord Lazarus currently has the largest demesne of the new Lord’s, therefore we need to rely on others."

"We still have the White Invitation Letter to use." Dom replied, "That should bring us one, as it will allow us a meeting with a senior person. Meritamen said she had a plan for the second."

"I am working on a plan, we do not need the Leader’s themselves to come, but a representative with their approval." She replied. "The Cities to the north of Tongpai Lake as individuals do not compete with our size, however the Trade City State above probably does if we do not grow much more."

"Once the Southern Campaign is underway, you should travel north with me." Crassus stated to Dom, "It would be good to introduce ourselves to the Lord of that City and create a lasting friendship for now."

"That is definitely on the agenda, we need to deal with the Cove and the San first, but I can trust other parts of that campaign to our Generals." Dom replied, thinking through his plans for the next few days. He intended to spend his next two log in cycles in the south with the San people and then dealing with the Cove and the Red Wood derelict towns. He had calculated that he only had these two log ins left, as the third log in would be the World Conquest Online Battle Map. He felt that the chances of him securing the south before that battle were becoming less and less likely, especially if he wanted to be involved in any of it.

"Are there any other questions?" Xun Yu asked, wanting to move the meeting on.

"Will there be more Pillars as the Kingdom grows?" Umako asked, a question that most of those that hadn’t been given the primary role were wondering. Members such as Artemisia and Elder Qiao also had skills that could be used in Government if they could pass on their mayoral roles to someone else.

"There is definitely the possibility for that, for example the Chancellery could be split in to have multiple roles within it, such as head of finance, trade and diplomacy. For now I will leave it with Shang Yang and the Department heads to create the roles which are best fitted." Dom explained, "However, I know that you are all working together and you will all be given opportunities and rewards for your work."

Crassus nodded his head in agreement, having already outlined the wage structure for the different heads of department, with a separate structure based on Heroes Grade. This didn’t mean that someone like Lu Ji who was grade C couldn’t earn the same as Umako who was grade B.

"There has been a large influx of new Military Heroes, primarily from the same culture." Crassus began, "They all seem a talented and focused group, however will there be any impacts on our development with such a large percentage of both our Civilians and Military being from there?"

Dom looked to Sun Shangxiang to see if she reacted, however she smiled knowingly, as if she fully understood Crassus’s point and partially agreed with it. It was the same in the Civilian Branch as the Military Branch, as Sun Shangxiang, Lu Ji, Lady Xu, Elder Xiao, Xiao Qiao, Da Qiao were all part of the southern half of Ancient China and were linked to the Sun Family. Xun Yu was also from the same time frame, but from the North, whilst Shang Yang was an ancestor in time to all of them.

"Whilst we have a high percentage of those from that area within both our Civil and Military branches, they are well represented by the number of Civilians and Warriors that are here. The majority of our Warriors Halls are from different Cultures. The Forbidden Guard is from a later time, whilst the new Tribesmen Warriors are also a different Culture." Dom began in response, "With this new arrival and that of Tongpai Town, a lot of changes have happened, however our natural growth and with your and Umako’s pushing for Migration, we will be back to an even level in no time."

"I do not disagree." Crassus responded, "However, I think we should maximise what ever opportunities we now have to bring in new people, I will push with my recruiting, purchasing and freeing of slaves, however we should look to prioritise using the final Golden Token when we get chance."

"Both myself and Lord Lazarus agree." Shang Yang stated, "We will see what can be claimed from the south, before seeing what benefits we can retrieve from the Battle Map. I believe we will use the next Golden Token soon after the Kingdom has been founded, unless anything else comes up between then and now."

"Are the Military planning to do the Battle Of Mycale?" Artemisia asked, already suspecting this was the case.

"That is my plan." Dom replied to her, "We have the best chance of having an impact and claiming greater rewards. Especially with our new flagship the Bellona that you would have all seen at the docks."

"I would like to join if possible, I may have been the enemy to many of them, but I am still Greek and can build relationships." She stated, her mind seemingly in deep thought.

"We will include you in tomorrow’s meeting with the Military." Dom replied to her, before turning to the room. "Are there any other questions?"

The room was quiet, there were questions, but everyone decided to keep them to ask them outside of the meeting. The different department heads all had their own ideas they wanted to implement, especially in the case of Hatshepsut who now had a large team assigned to her.

"Then tonight we will have a feast to celebrate, but please can the following stay behind for a further conversation." Shang Yang stated, "Can the State department of Xun Yu and Lu Ji, the Secretariat of Cicero and Umako, as well as the Chancellery of Crassus and Meritamen stay behind please. I obviously invite Lady Sun to stay with us as well, and Lady Xu if she would be so kind."

Everyone else began to stand and leave the room, heading towards the Town Centre so they could have a Mayor’s Meeting and a Development Meeting, before heading back to the Palace later for a feast. Dom knew that he had a busy day ahead, but first he needed to sort out their final department.