"What about the nobles from Solins City who were just brought back?"
The goblins were settled. Li De now turned his attention to the nobles of Solins City.
These high-quality individuals were exactly what he needed, Dawn City still hadn't established a proper school.
Harrison's eyes lit up with a bit of excitement.
"Patriarch, the registration was just completed before you returned.
The 2,000 humans brought back by Marquis Stanley are all literate. Among them are 45 mage apprentices, 12 formal mages, 237 blacksmiths, 145 tailors, 220 apothecaries, 78 alchemists, and 324 scholars."
What followed was a stream of numbers. Li De couldn't even keep track of how many there were.
But one thing was certain, within this first group of over 2,000 people, they were all talents Dawn City lacked.
Even blacksmiths could play a significant role with the upcoming trade with the centaurs.
But what intrigued him most in this batch were, 7 Grand Scholars.
In this world, Grand Scholars were extraordinary figures. They were revered by all. Even though Grand Scholars didn't hold noble titles, nobles still treated them as honored guests.
Because Grand Scholars held vast knowledge, and knowledge in this world was an exceptionally valuable form of wealth.
"Separate the Grand Scholars and regular scholars. The future establishment of the school will depend on them.
As for the other commoners, handle them as usual."
After speaking, Li De's expression gradually turned cold.
"This batch of people are Solins City's upper class. Some of them even held noble titles.
Having lost their status so abruptly, they will inevitably feel unbalanced, and that imbalance may drive them to take desperate actions.
They're educated, capable of independent thought, and used to comfortable lives, entirely different from the residents who came from the frontier.
Even our Propaganda Department might have a hard time changing their ingrained beliefs in the short term.
So for this group of people, you must pay special attention. They will certainly harbor disloyalty."
Li De's tone left no room for doubt. It was a direct conclusion.
He could not use the original noble system, those nobles would have their status stripped away. Here, there could only be one system: a point-based system with vampires as rulers.
He understood humans far too well. The commoners from the border welcomed Dawn City so eagerly because their lives had been terrible, and it was Dawn City that offered them wealth and stability.
But nobles were different. On their own lands, they acted with arrogance and authority. Upon arriving in Dawn City, not only would they be stripped of all their power, but they'd also be forced to live alongside the very commoners they once looked down upon.
Could those human nobles tolerate that?
If they didn't stir up trouble, Li De would never believe it.
Harrison's expression turned grave upon hearing this. "Rest assured, I'll keep a close watch on them.
Should we separate them the same way we did with the dwarves?"
A playful arc curved Li De's lips as he gave his right-hand man a deep look.
"Harrison, you still haven't grasped the essence of political struggle.
Suppress one group, win over another, unite a third.
If you can master these nine words, handling humans becomes as easy as flipping a hand.
Humans aren't dwarves. They think independently. They're deeply suspicious of their peers. Most of them only trust themselves."
Seeing Harrison's contemplative look, Li De didn't hold back and explained directly.
"This batch of nobles from Solins City is the perfect chance for you to test those nine words.
First, assign them to neighboring residential areas, close enough, but not too close.
Then simply observe. These nobles will naturally reveal themselves.
Those harboring ill intentions, those brimming with ambition, those who are obedient and eager to submit, they'll form their own circles.
All you need to do is place a few spies among them, and you'll easily identify who to suppress, who to win over, and who to unite with.
You can even take it a step further. For the ambitious groups, you can pull a few of them in and let their internal alliances collapse on their own.
For instance, grant extra rewards to one particular human, shower them with wealth and high status, while at the same time suppress another, strip them of their assets, belittle their position.
This push and pull will create imbalance. Suspicion and envy will gradually foster conflict among the humans. With just a bit more pressure, their own internal structures will crumble.
And that's just the most basic method. We hold absolute initiative here. Dealing with them is effortless."
Looking at Li De, admiration surged in Harrison's eyes.
As expected of the Patriarch, his every move always left people in awe.
Li De caught the expression on Harrison's face and smiled faintly. "These are just tricks. Use them occasionally, but don't get too addicted.
This batch of 2,000 is manageable, but over 8,000 more are on their way. As for how to resolve the hidden threat posed by the Solins City nobles, I'll leave that in your hands.
The initiative has always belonged to us. We make the rules."
"As you wish, Patriarch," Harrison nodded solemnly.
Seeing that Harrison now took the matter seriously, Li De didn't say anything further.
As the ruler of this city, he controlled the military, the finances, the people, everything. As long as he didn't allow it, no one could stir up trouble in this city.
Today's lesson to Harrison was merely a precaution. In the future, similar problems were bound to arise in Dawn City.
He didn't want to personally handle such minor issues every time. City Hall had to form a relatively mature response system, otherwise, what was the point of keeping all these people around?
With the arrangements for the goblins and Solins City's initial matters finished, Li De fell into deep thought.
The war in Solins City had left a strong impression on him. Now that he was back, he intended to begin the second phase of construction.
But there were too many possible directions for development, and he couldn't decide immediately. He still needed to consider the city's long-term planning.
After thinking for a moment, Li De suddenly realized he had overlooked an important detail. He quickly asked,
"Harrison, what's the current population of Dawn City?"
Harrison's expression lit up with excitement, and his tone was full of pride.
"Patriarch, after nearly two months of raiding, Dawn City's population has now exceeded 30,000!!
The Southern District is already two-thirds full!"
Thirty thousand? Li De's expression showed a hint of surprise.
He hadn't expected the population raids to be so effective, especially in such a short time, and it wasn't even December yet.
Perhaps this winter's harvest would far exceed expectations.
Li De's mood improved dramatically.
Population, this word carried immense weight.
Population was the foundation of everything in Dawn City. All further development would be built upon it.
Expanding the military required population support. Mage apprentices needed to be selected from large pools. Even farming required people. Street cleaning required people. You could lack anything, except people.
To judge the potential of a power, population was undoubtedly one of the most important indicators.
Just look at that country of India on Earth, how rotten it was, and still it claimed to be the world's third strongest. They were propped up purely by sheer population.
"Excellent. You've all done very well," he said. The war in Solins City hadn't affected Dawn City's development rhythm in the slightest, which brought great satisfaction to Li De.
The City Hall system he had poured so much effort into building was finally growing stronger.
"Next, we begin the second phase of construction," Li De said solemnly.
After this winter, he would make this city even more prosperous and magnificent.
[T/N: Didn't expect some casual racism at the end there. 'A San' (阿三) is a slang term in Chinese internet culture that refers to India or Indians in a somewhat mocking or humorous tone (what Chatgpt told me). I've translated it as India because I didn't want to use that term.
This is the first instance of overt racism I've encountered in this novel, and it really caught me off guard. Up until now, the story's been relatively tame in that regard, but I've looked ahead, and based on the tags and some reviews I found, I suspect there may be more problematic content to come.
I don't condone these views, and I strongly dislike when any story leans into racism or extreme nationalism. That said, I've committed to translating this work faithfully and transparently, and I owe it to you guys to see it through. I'll continue with the translation while flagging and giving context to moments like these when they appear. Thank you for your understanding, and please feel free to skip or stop reading if it ever crosses a line for you.]