Chapter 109 Trivial Matters

"Is this the man you brought?" He Feng looked down at the trembling guy in front of him, his voice eerily calm.

"How could that be? My lord, we're not familiar with him, really not familiar with him!" Zhou Haiping, who had been following He Feng, quickly approached and waved his hand to deny it.

He stood directly in front of the foreman, creating a blind spot, and gestured behind him as he continued speaking.

"I think he's seeing stars, maybe he's just imagining things and that's why he's spouting this nonsense, right?"

Zhou Haiping stared unreservedly at his subordinate, who was as frightened as a bird startled by a bow.

The words were spoken lightly, but with a lot of emphasis.

Even if he was so frightened that he lost control of his bladder and his legs went limp, he could still understand what was going on from this simple gesture.

"Don't drag me into this, or you'll regret it."

The movements were quick, but the bulging veins on his arms were still visible.

Suppressing his fear, he choked back a mouthful of saliva.

This guy who was so smug in front of the lord was ruthless in his methods, and he, being such a despicable person, knew it all too well.

The lord is kind-hearted and might not really do anything to him; at most, he'll just be sent to a hard labor site.

But if you offend this man, then...

Zhou Haiping was not a good person. Having been his follower for so long, he had naturally become acutely aware of his character.

Extreme self-interested individuals.

Purely and completely, solely for their own position and future.

These types of people generally don't meddle in other people's business if it doesn't affect them.

But once you touch their sore spot.

If this official's career is ruined, then he truly deserves to die.

After mentally analyzing the pros and cons, he braced himself on the ground with his hands, barely managing to straighten his body while burying his head deep into the ground.

"My lord... I was blinded by greed. This person bumped into me while distributing food rations, so I wanted to save face."

He blurted out all the nonsense in his head, even making up the simplest excuse to cover it up.

"When did I hit you?" the young worker asked, scratching his head.

"You...you think you can just say no and that's it? Can't I even say I misread it?"

"No, you! I told you not to deny it! What kind of nonsense is this?!"

"I'm not lying, my lord, that's a misunderstanding."

The two of them continued to argue back and forth, gradually fading the antagonism in the scene and easing the atmosphere.

He turned his misconduct of abusing his position into a trivial matter in the marketplace.

He Feng had seen far too many of these tactics of turning big problems into small ones and small problems into nothing throughout his life.

A clumsy but most effective method.

The justice served by those who are falsely accused is turned into a mess, law enforcement officers become perpetrators, and this emboldens those who do wrong.

He Feng took a light breath, his expression complex: "Have you always liked to avoid the important issues?"

The young supervisor froze, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

He revealed that he had already painstakingly shifted the blame, and even thought that as long as he insisted on this non-existent trivial matter, he could succeed.

Perhaps those in high positions would disdain wasting even a second of their time here.

Fear, anxiety, and the tension of having one's despicable thoughts exposed were all torn apart.

"I hope you can explain what just happened properly. We can talk about that trivial matter later and also verify the authenticity of the incident."

He Feng exhaled hot breath, showing no impatience whatsoever.

"And I'm curious why you're so eager to distance yourself from this guy next to me."

He then glanced at Zhou Haiping.

"You're probably curious too, Zhou Haiping, aren't you? With so many leaders under your command, you must not be able to remember them all. Let's get to know them again today."

He Feng suddenly laughed and said, his words like a scalpel cutting into the lesion, clearly determined to draw blood.

Zhou Haiping, who was listening intently from the side, felt a chill run down his spine, as if countless ants were crawling all over his body.

He was about to say something when He Feng stopped him with his hand.

"Let him say it himself."

"He didn't violate any regulations; it was all just me making things up." His voice was extremely soft.

"Speak louder."

"I violated the rules and regulations and abused my power without authorization."

"Very good!" He Feng raised his voice high and then turned his gaze toward Zhou Haiping.

"The recommender should be punished the same as the recommendee. Commander Zhou, you should know this very well. Like subordinates, like superiors. Zhou Haiping, you've put me in a difficult position."

"Those who abuse their power and violate regulations should be demoted one level, the same punishment as their superiors. I... am aware of that."

Zhou Haiping spoke with a gloomy face and a dark expression.

Seeing this, He Feng remained calm, feeling a sense of peace in his heart.

If you want to maintain morale throughout the territory, the most important thing is to tame unruly power.

The simplest way to put power in a cage is through relentless verification and rules that impose the greatest possible restrictions.

Only in this way can a virtuous cycle of fortress development be guaranteed.

Establishing order is incredibly difficult; everyone has their own ideas, especially in a morally desperate situation like the Ice Age.

Wrongdoings must be investigated, and crimes must be punished.

This is the new rule that He Feng wants to bring to the entire Azure.

He was like a god on the Azure, and in that environment, a modern person's morals and sense of honor and shame would be considered saintly.

But once he can no longer act as the law here, then a system of rules is needed to fulfill his responsibilities.

Now is the perfect opportunity to make fun of him, and he can also reduce the power and titles of his lords. How could he let go of such a golden opportunity?

"Effective immediately, Zhou Haiping is relieved of his post as city defense officer and demoted by half a rank to the position of adjutant. The new city defense officer will be Jing Sheng, the military advisor."

Zhou Haiping knelt on one knee, clenched his fists tightly, and gritted his teeth as he said, "I, Zhou Haiping, am willing to set an example and obey the Lord's arrangements."

He Feng nodded slightly, which was taken as acquiescence.

For someone who only cares about official positions, they will surely have to suffer more.

First, we must prevent the development of greedy and greedy ideas. Second, we need to refine and polish it to prevent it from developing any inappropriate thoughts.

Demotion by half a rank is a punishment that is neither too lenient nor too severe.

His plan was to also promote the person who was truly suited for the position.

There are just too many threats to face in the face of cold waves, and this guy who only knows how to build things will definitely find it hard to handle them.

It was a choice that had to be made.

After the reading was finished, He Feng stopped acting superior and instead helped Zhou Haiping up.

"Remember, I chose you so that the Azure could develop in a more civilized way, and such signs of corruption must not be tolerated."

"He knows you value achievement, but never forget where you came from. Consider this a warning."

He Feng asked.

After hearing these words, Zhou Haiping finally raised his head after a long while, his eyes filled with melancholy, but his voice was firm and powerful.

"I will certainly not forget the Lord's teachings."