Urban Sims

The consultative meeting lasted for more than half a month, and all charters were basically agreed upon. A model was drawn up for the legal framework, political structure, and electoral mechanism.

It also adopted a "three-step plan" to establish a country within three to five years.

What are the three steps?

The first step is to build momentum!

Through newspapers, magazines, high-class banquets, gossip and other channels, carry out large-scale and high-intensity publicity campaigns to promote the benefits and advantages of establishing a country, attract people's attention, arouse people's interest, attract people with lofty ideals, and continue to join "Jianyuan Party".

The second step is partial statehood.

In the Hundred Cities Alliance, first win over some of the most proactive city-states (you don’t need many, just 3 or 40 city-states are enough), establish the prototype of a country, and try to run some national functions. It is best to achieve immediate results. After bringing significant benefits, more city-states will be attracted to join.

The third step is to build a comprehensive nation.

Seeing the results and the real benefits in front of me, although I will lose something after joining the country, compared with the benefits gained, the losses are really nothing. A wise person will not refuse this opportunity.

Of course, there is one final step to eliminate stubbornness that is not written on it, but everyone knows it.

Zhou Ming personally predicts that there will be about 10%-20% of city-states who are unwilling to join the national system no matter how big the benefits are, and no matter how much persuasion work they do, it will be useless.

These die-hards will be dealt with as they deserve.

Therefore, in the next five years, things developed basically in accordance with the "Three Steps" plan, gradually realizing Zhou Ming's vision.

The first step of building momentum lasted for nearly a year.

Due to the vigorous development of education and the improvement of people's literacy rate, the newspaper industry, novel magazine publishing industry in the Hundred Cities Alliance is extremely prosperous, and most of these industries are controlled by the Zhenlin City Chamber of Commerce. With the propaganda tool in hand, the results are immediate. .

The most excited and active group of people are, first of all, businessmen. They are in favor of the Hundred Cities Alliance's imminent integration into a country.

They even went out to tell each other and jointly lobbied.

"The country has been so good to us! From now on, when we pass through a city, we have to pay the road tax once. In the future, we only need to pay the tax once, and we can do business everywhere without having to pay the tax multiple times."

"The abolition of multiple road taxes is only the second step. The national unified road network, rail network, and air transportation network will also be adjusted and transformed to make it more convenient, faster, and tolls will be more reasonable."

"I also heard that after the founding of the country, the army will launch joint operations to wipe out all bandits and bandits in the country. When we go to do business abroad, the army will also send people to escort us to protect the safety of our merchants' property."

"What? How is it possible that there are such benefits?"

"It's true. The development of the Hundred Cities Merchant Alliance has stagnated in recent years. Firstly, thieves are everywhere inside the country and they rob merchants wantonly. Secondly, the external environment is harsh. All forces regard us as fat sheep and kill them with a knife! If so! If a country stands behind us, the situation will definitely get much better."

"Support, support, I am willing to give 100,000 spirit coins to support! If such a country really appears, my business, Mr. Lu, can do a lot more business."

"I also spent 100,000 spiritual coins and hope that the country will be established soon!"

The businessmen were collectively enthusiastic, and the city lords or controlling families of each city also had heated discussions about this so-called "country" in private. However, they had different views, complex attitudes, and even serious disagreements and arguments.

…

A certain city.

The heads of several families held various newspapers in their hands, studying and discussing them.

"I think this country's idea is very good. It can pool human, financial and material resources to accomplish some major things that benefit everyone. For example, the newspaper said that a large building can be built at Jingping Lake in Jinshui City. The reservoir can not only regulate storage and prevent floods, but also cultivate tens of millions of acres of spiritual crystal rice fields in the middle and lower reaches that are often flooded by floods. The prospects are very good... But such a large project is impossible for a single city. Capacity building.”

"There is also a large-scale rail network. Most of the current rails are cheap rails built in plain areas. The length rarely exceeds a thousand miles. Once they reach areas with high mountains and abundant water, they cannot afford to build them, or they cut corners and change them to gold rails. The quality of the wooden rails and bridges is also poor. Heavy-duty locomotives cannot pass at all. Only horse-drawn trucks and ox-drawn trucks can run. The transportation capacity is greatly reduced... If the country has the financial resources to build an efficient and unified rail network, the economic vitality will be greatly improved. .”

"Yes, this newspaper said that there is a city called Gaolingcheng. There is a very rich spiritual stone mine in the territory, which is worth more than 10 billion spiritual coins. However, because of the high mountains, remoteness and poverty, there is no money to repair the track. , have been guarding Baoshan begging for food these years, eagerly hoping that someone would fund a road out of the mountain for them, so that they can mine the spiritual stone mine and make a fortune."

"The country can use this money to help them build a road to wealth."

These family heads all said good things about the country's system.

"No! You can't join the country. It will be very harmful to us if you join!" A certain family head said with a gloomy look.

"What serious harm?" Several people were puzzled.

"Road tax, road tax alone, will cost us more than millions of spiritual coins every year!"

"We cannot bear this loss. Before joining the Hundred Cities Business Alliance, we had agreed that the road tax should not exceed 5%. This time we will obey them and the road tax will be completely cancelled. We have made concessions again and again, and suffered losses again and again. , our rights will be taken over by them in the future!"

Someone immediately explained: "You can't say that. The newspaper also explained that although the road tax has been reduced, it will be made up for it from the commercial tax when the economic vitality increases in the future, and we can make more. We can't just count the losses." , regardless of profit.”

He also emphasized: "With the abolition of road tax, the sales volume and net profit of our city's products in other cities will increase a lot in the future, which will be enough to offset the loss of road tax!"

But the man turned away and said: "I know, but it is our right to set the road tax amount or the amount! If they ask for it, they will cancel it. Where is our face?"

face?

Turns out that's the crux of the matter.

Many family heads present also drank tea and meditated, thinking about this question:

Is the partial power in your hand important?

Or is the amount of financial benefits obtained more important?

Some people choose rights, thinking that rights are more important and cannot be lost, even if they earn less spiritual coins.

But most people still choose economic interests, thinking that they can give up some unimportant rights in exchange for exciting benefits.

As for face, when others are multi-millionaires and billionaires and you are just a millionaire, compared with them, do you, a millionaire, have face?

For things like face, it doesn’t depend on what you insist on, but what others like to compare with?

If you continue to hold on to the little power you have while everyone is pursuing spiritual coins and competing for the amount of their wealth, then I'm afraid someone will really call him a fool.

At this time, the man was even more embarrassed.

However, there are indeed many cities in the Hundred Cities Alliance that regard the rights in their hands as more important than actual interests.

I would rather not make that money than join the so-called "country".

A common feature of these uncooperative cities is that there is only one family that rules that city.

In other words, the entire city is the "private property" of a certain family, not shared by multiple families.

Zhou Ming calls this type of city a "city of one family".

Among the 110 cities in the Hundred Cities Business Alliance, 43 cities belong to the "city of one family", accounting for a large proportion.

In the face of the lively public opinion and discussions about the establishment of the country, most of these "family cities" responded indifferently, lukewarmly, and only a few responded positively.

Some cities even had sensitive attitudes and fierce reactions, strictly prohibiting people from discussing the founding of the country, and even arrested and imprisoned those businessmen who signed a letter requesting to join the country!

His overreaction was like a naughty child who glares at others for fear that the lollipop in his hand will be snatched away.

Zhou Ming certainly has plans to deal with these stubborn cities, but he does not intend to solve them immediately.

Because after the campaign ended, the second step went very smoothly. So far, 55 cities have agreed to join the "country" he defined, structured, and created.