Chapter 1531: 1448 Stadium

Any official who wants to accomplish something substantial will prefer the Tang Empire’s bureaucratic system. Here, they don’t have to expend most of their energy on scheming against others.

Although, in reality, everyone in the officialdom has some sort of “competitive awareness,” the difference between keeping it beneath the surface and putting it out in the open is enormous.

At least on the surface, the selection of officials in the Tang Empire places the utmost importance on competence and loyalty. If one possesses both, minor flaws don’t have much of an impact.

Tang Mo used to be a merchant operating in gray areas; he cared more about the loyalty of his subordinates and their ability to get things done. This style deeply influences the Tang Empire.

These officials are so comfortable in their roles that many early spies placed in Brunas and other countries voluntarily disclosed their identities and chose to stay in the Tang Empire, taking on minor official roles or even becoming double agents in the intelligence department.

After seeing off his old colleagues, Ying Ke let out a sigh of relief and continued to busy himself. He truly had a lot of work on his plate, with endless tasks every day.

Sometimes he even had to use his personal time to inspect newly opened factories or check out the canals and subway tunnels being dug outside the city.

Digging subways without a tunnel-boring machine is truly labor-intensive. However, the Tang Empire has countless free orc laborers, so such grueling work still has people willing to do it.

Looking at the dirt-covered orcs taking breaks by the tunnel, Ying Ke gained a new understanding of the Tang Empire’s prosperity built on the shedding of blood.

The Tang Empire doesn’t refrain from exploitation; it just doesn’t exploit its own people. In its exploitation and oppression of outsiders, it’s even more ruthless and merciless than slave states.

When Ying Ke learned that the Tang Empire provided these orcs with hope and allowed them to enjoy twice the previous food ration while working in its territory and occasionally even have meat and soda… Ying Ke maliciously speculated that the Tang Empire had cut off any future use of orc labor for infrastructure.

In the future, when other countries want to use orc labor for similar tasks, their costs would be much higher than those of the Tang Empire… This can only be described as an open plot, a ruthless strategy that leaves others with no options.

However, Ying Ke also thought he was overthinking it. He believed the Tang Empire’s provision of better food and conditions for these orcs might just be a means of boosting their enthusiasm for work.

“Good heavens! Four million?” When Ying Ke opened the next budget application, his eyes widened in surprise: he saw a department had requested a whopping four million to build a large sports stadium in Wuyang.

This was clearly another “landmark building,” and the entire stadium was designed to accommodate 80,000 people… From this scale, the building itself could not be small.

“Shouldn’t something like this be postponed?” Rubbing his nose, Ying Ke felt that the Tang Empire’s officials had a myriad of ways to request funds.

Looking at those slogans and the stadium’s intended use… Ying Ke couldn’t help but ponder deeply. Of course, he had heard about the Tang Empire’s sports events and knew there was mention of television broadcasts; it seemed the stadium could indeed enrich citizens’ leisure activities.

Moreover, the official proposing the stadium mentioned a new term, the Tang Empire Sports Games. Hosting these games could boost Wuyang City’s reputation and stimulate further economic development…

There were obvious benefits, and Ying Ke somewhat understood the logic involved. But another four million… Isn’t this a bit excessive? Moreover, isn’t it just a place for kicking a ball? Is it truly worth spending four million?

Thinking about this, he picked up the phone and dialed Wuyang City’s Finance Bureau: “Hello? Old Xu… It’s me, Ying Ke… Alas, there’s something that I have to trouble you with again… Yes, the Sports Bureau is looking to build a stadium, and they’re asking for four million…”

After saying this, he paused, listening to what the person on the other side said before he continued in surprise: “There’s more? You all must’ve left the national treasury of the Tang Empire at my disposal, haven’t you?”

“Ha! How is that possible? Where do you get such influence… This is just the beginning, indeed there’s four million, and the Finance Department has approved the stadium’s construction; this money is a dedicated allocation from the Emperor for projects that enhance the people’s happiness index. He’s always been generous with such things.” The person referred to as Old Xu, the director of the Finance Bureau, laughed as he spoke.

As an old official of the Tang Empire, Director Xu naturally knew of the Tang Empire Football Team’s reputation. His Majesty The Emperor initially formed a team, which was once called the Tang Country Football Team… the results were truly embarrassing.

Later, perhaps His Majesty decided they were too disgraceful and dissolved that football team and reorganized it into a club called Royal Chang’an, putting the Duke of Egret in charge of a domestic league.

Unfortunately, there are two football clubs in Chang’an: one named Chang’an Bailu and the other Royal Chang’an. To this day, the Royal Chang’an Club hasn’t won against Chang’an Bailu Football Team even once. What’s worse, this Royal Chang’an Club is currently one of the weakest teams in the Great Tang Super League.

The Wuyang Stadium in question here is probably prepared for the football clubs in Qin Territory, and it seems His Majesty The Emperor is still struggling, hoping that having more teams will improve the ranking of Royal Chang’an.

Unaware of Royal Chang’an’s perpetual inability to win, Ying Ke awkwardly hung up and went back to reviewing the construction plans for Wuyang City’s stadium.

Sure enough, there were plans to form three teams, including one in Guangmian, one in Wuyang, and another in Zhennan. All three teams are set to participate in the Super League, making the Tang Empire’s Super League almost equivalent to the “Continental Cup” level competition in the Western Continent.

“Are they really going to sell tickets?” Well-aware that the people of Qin Territory are so poor they can barely afford pants, Ying Ke was utterly unconvinced of any possible profits from such a stadium.

What he couldn’t foresee was that, despite often being disoriented on the battlefield, the People of Qin possess extraordinary talent in football: In the future, Wuyang Workers Team will beat Royal Chang’an 7-0 in their first year and maintain an unbeaten record against the Royal Chang’an Club for five consecutive years…

———-

An additional chapter update