“Regarding the allocation, Han Ya has already made a rough plan. If we want to continue developing, we can’t be without rules. As for the formulation of rules, the current environment obviously cannot follow the usual practices during peacetime. Not only the allocation methods, but also the laws of the base and the setting of work need to be redesigned. These days, Han Ya and I have been discussing these matters, and Lin Yan has also been brought in by Han Ya. Put on some clothes, and come with me to the meeting room,” Xiao Wen patted Wen Le’s shoulder.
Wen Le put down his milk, changed his T-shirt, and followed Xiao Wen out.
“Hey Wen Shao, up so early today?” When they entered the meeting room, Wen Le met Han Ya, who was half-leaning on his chair.
Wen Le smiled, ignoring his teasing words.
“Where’s Lin Yan?” Wen Le asked.
Xiao Wen also looked towards Han Ya, but Lin Yan was nowhere to be seen, despite being there before he left.
“Yi Lan went to find him, and of course he went after the beauty first~ Who asked us to be a bunch of old guys?” Han Ya shrugged.
Wen Le blinked his eyes, feeling like there was some inside story that he was missing.
Xiao Wen cleared his throat and gave Wen Le a confirming look.
Wen Le understood and quietly sat opposite Han Ya, while Xiao Wen sat next to him.
“Just now Wen Le mentioned the issue of allocation in the future…” Xiao Wen had originally wanted to directly reference Wen Le’s “welfare treatment,” but in the end he used the wording he had discussed with Han Ya these past few days.
Han Ya understood and took out several drafts of provisions that he had previously prepared from the folder on the table.
“The legal aspect of the base is mostly based on the current laws and policies of our country, but with some relaxation depending on the situation. For example, the control of firearms and weapons is directly lifted, but we still need to keep track of the number of firearms each person has to avoid armed uprisings. As for theft and robbery, we cannot build a prison to detain these criminals. Those who commit minor crimes will serve through labor, those who commit more serious crimes will be expelled from the base, and those with severe circumstances will be executed directly.”
Han Ya handed the draft he had prepared earlier to Wen Le for a quick glance.
Wen Le skimmed over the contents on the paper, not very concerned about these matters. Han Ya and Xiao Wen’s thoughts must be more comprehensive than his, and he did not need to participate in the detailed discussion here. However, he hesitated for a moment, thinking about the chaos that might occur in the apocalypse, and spoke up, “Apart from all these rules and regulations, I have an idea.”
Han Ya and Xiao Wen looked at Wen Le.
“I want to add something at the end of the formulated rules: beyond all the laws, the highest leader of the base has the final decision-making power and veto power.” Wen Le said to the two of them.
Xiao Wen and Han Ya were a bit confused.
Wen Le explained carefully, “What I mean is, if Xiao Wen says that this person is innocent, even if this person has committed heinous crimes, he will be acquitted. Similarly, if Xiao Wen says that this person is guilty, even if there is no evidence, this person will be guilty. Do you understand what I mean?”
Han Ya nodded thoughtfully.
Xiao Wen looked at Wen Le, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Wen Le ignored the look from Xiao Wen and explained that the final addition to the law was not in line with people’s current thinking, as it harked back to feudal monarchy, where the highest authority could exercise the power of life and death. This would push Xiao Wen to a dominant position.
“Why? You know that this could cause a great backlash if this were to be announced. After all, the leader’s position in the minds of others is not that high,” Han Ya asked slowly after thinking for a long time.
“Indeed, this point will have a significant impact on everyone’s mind, but in our current situation, it is relatively easy to implement. After all, the people who are following us now are not too diverse. If we establish a unified set of rules and encounter resistance, it is also easy for us to oppress them. Once this is confirmed, those who want to join later will naturally consider the existence of this point. They have to decide whether or not to join, and ultimately, their decision to join will implicitly accept the existence of this point,” said Wen Le.
Han Ya was not entirely satisfied with Wen Le’s answer.
“You make a good point. If we implement this now, the likelihood of success is high. But, I want to know the reason why you proposed this, Wen,” Han Ya asked.
Wen Le pursed his lips. “Don’t you think that once this point is accepted, the leadership of the base will be more secure in the future?”
Han Ya and Xiao Wen exchanged a glance.
Wen Le was right. Once this point was accepted, as the highest leader of the base, Xiao Wen would be removed from the masses and become an independent entity. With this, those who harbored inappropriate thoughts would be restrained by this point. After all, no evidence was needed. Once Xiao Wen felt threatened, he could unilaterally decide to erase them. In order to prevent Xiao Wen from being able to unilaterally deny them, everyone would follow Xiao Wen’s commands more closely.
This may seem dictatorial, but it is precisely because of this dictatorial rule that Xiao Wen would be more likely to firmly grasp the entire base.
“Your point is good, and if we start implementing it now, there is a high chance of success. But Wen Shao, I want to know why you brought up this point,” Han Ya said.
Wen Le pursed his lips. “Don’t you think that once this point is accepted, the leadership of the base in the future will be more stable?”
Han Ya and Xiao Wen exchanged a glance.
Wen Le was right. Once this point was accepted, Xiao Wen, as the highest leader of the base, would be removed from the public and become an independent entity. With this, anyone who wants to have some inappropriate thoughts will be constrained by this point. After all, there is no need for evidence. Once Xiao Wen feels threatened, he can unilaterally decide to eliminate them. And in order to prevent Xiao Wen from unilaterally denying others, everyone will be more focused on following Xiao Wen’s orders.
This may seem very dictatorial, but precisely because there is such a dictatorial rule, Xiao Wen can more easily grasp the entire base firmly in his hands.
“Wen Shao, you still haven’t answered my question,” Han Ya said. Although he was also intrigued by Wen Le’s proposal, he wanted to know why Wen Le had such an idea.
Wen Le paused. Actually, he had thought of this after he knew about Xiao Wen and their ambitions after his rebirth. But he couldn’t say it was because he had experienced so many unstable political regimes in the base before his rebirth, right?
“I don’t want the military-political struggle that happened in X City’s relief station to happen in our base. First of all, from a political point of view, after the base was built, our small group has already stood on the side of political power. Now, everyone in the base follows our decisions, just like all the people before the end of the world obeyed the central political leadership. And from a military perspective, our military strength is among the best here. We have supernatural powers and weapons, but what about the future? Can we rely on just a few of us forever? After expanding the base, we will definitely need to form a team of people, not to mention clearing zombies outside, but even the defense of the base will require specialized personnel to guard it. Is it easy to form an army? Not to mention the establishment of ranks, even in terms of training, none of us have any military experience. Don’t tell me you don’t want to just recruit an army to station here directly. Entrusting military power to the army is the most convenient, but what if the army that joins us is not satisfied with the status quo and has the intention of seizing power? Why not elevate Xiao Wen’s leadership position to a level that they cannot reach before they join?”
Although the way Wen Le spoke was not systematic, at least in the eyes of Han Ya and Xiao Wen, Wen Le was still too naive, and his logic in language was somewhat confusing, but it did not hinder the two from understanding the general idea of what Wen Le meant.
Wen Le’s point of view was that Xiao Wen’s highest leadership should be established at an absolute height from the beginning of the establishment of the base.
“Just based on this, if there is no certain military support, we still cannot stop the military from rebelling,” Han Ya said.
“Not necessarily.”
Suddenly, Lin Yan pushed open the door of the conference room and walked in.
Wen Le had already sensed Lin Yan’s arrival, including his silent listening to their conversation outside the door.
Han Ya raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Yan. “Why do you say that?”
Lin Yan sat down next to Han Ya and looked at Wen Le with a probing gaze.
When Lin Yan entered the room, he paused in his tracks, surprised by the unconventional proposal that Wen Le had just made. While he agreed with Wen Le’s opinion after listening to his reasoning, Lin Yan was more interested in why Wen Le, who had no ambitions, would make such a suggestion that didn’t fit his usual way of thinking.
“Lin Yan?” Han Ya asked, perplexed by Lin Yan’s intense gaze at Wen Le.
“I’m not saying there’s a way to stop the army’s rebellion,” Lin Yan replied, “but once this point is established as a rule, it will subconsciously influence everyone who joins the base. This kind of mindset is difficult to explain or provide examples for. Once the idea of supreme leadership by Xiao Wen is ingrained in people’s subconscious, it will make them consciously or unconsciously avoid going against Xiao Wen’s will. This, in turn, will significantly reduce the likelihood of anyone plotting against his leadership.”
Although Lin Yan’s argument lacked substantial proof, his focus on psychological aspects gave him a certain degree of authority on the subject. Wen Le did not want to bring up Lin Yan’s curiosity, as it would distract from the topic at hand. While discussing with Han Ya, Wen Le preferred to focus on results, while Lin Yan tended to ponder over the reasoning behind a proposal, likely due to his professional background.
Han Ya turned to Xiao Wen and asked, “What do you think, boss?”
Xiao Wen nodded, and although Wen Le’s proposal put him at the forefront of decision-making, he supported the idea for the sake of the base’s stability.
“I agree with Wen Le on this point. With four votes in favor, this rule is now established. I will work on finalizing the new regulation and call a meeting to inform everyone before any new members join,” Han Ya said as he underlined the proposal with a red pen.
Wen Le avoided Lin Yan’s gaze and picked up another paper that roughly outlined the distribution method.
Lin Yan felt the avoidance from Wen Le and stopped probing further. Besides, even if he wanted to investigate, he wouldn’t get any results without Wen Le’s cooperation.
“Point system?” Wen Le looked up at the other three after reading it.
“Yes, point system,” Xiao Wen explained to Wen Le while Han Ya’s mind was focused on the base’s laws. “Children under sixteen, elderly over sixty, and people deemed by the medical team led by Zhou Quan as unable to work can receive the minimum guarantee provided by the base for free. For others who can work, they need to exchange labor for points, and then exchange points for survival supplies.”
Xiao Wen’s explanation was actually already written clearly on the paper, but Wen Le held the paper and felt a bit uneasy.
Regarding exchanging labor for goods, Wen Le had no objections. Whether the intermediary was points or currency, it was no different from other bases he had experienced. As for providing minimum guarantee to the elderly, children, and those who couldn’t work, he had only seen it in Base B, which was the largest base in Z country and directly ruled by the national leaders. Such treatment was justifiable. However, it was not common in private bases, as food and supplies were limited, and in the harsh environment of the apocalypse, few people could maintain a compassionate and kind mindset.
Since Xiao Wen and Han Ya were determined to maintain their moral conscience, Wen Le naturally supported it. Even if it was different from other bases, he had the ability to support such protection for the weak.
“The specific details need to be developed based on different situations. This system is basically established, and the only differences are the distribution of points and the proportion of goods,” Xiao Wen said when he noticed Wen Le’s silence.
Wen Le nodded.
Thanks for the update! ^^)❤
Thanks for the chapter! Democracy is a regime made for peace, extreme war/hardship situations requires authority, sadly, which makes it easier for despots to rule. If a powerful authority is established in time, it is better for them.