Chapter 567: Regulations

Chapter 567: Chapter 567: Regulations

Imagine, when you’re locked in combat with someone, sleeves rolled up, ready to fight for your life, and someone next to you grabs your arm and says, "You need to file a report before fighting," or "You shouldn’t run, you should walk to save more energy"... How would you feel?

After reviewing the latest amendments to the Military Supervisor’s regulations, Shen Hao also went to the Border Army’s Document Library to apply for access to some non-top-secret reporting documents related to the exercise of supervisory authority.

Shen Hao hasn’t been anywhere these past two days, just stayed in the study researching these materials.

On the third day after arriving at Beach Stone, Shen Hao had Li Jiang and Zhang Ye gather the remaining six Hundred Households, and tossed out a policy draft titled "Supervision Manual for Military Supervisors."

"This is the policy I drafted. Take a look, if you have any comments, speak up now." Shen Hao wasn’t one for idle talk. He always presented a draft first, then let the others add their input, and after a brief discussion, they’d have something ready for use. That was the fastest way. Besides, what the Southern Inspector needed most right now was a new set of internal regulations targeting the Military Supervisors.

Zhang Ye and Li Jiang read it first, then circulated it. Once everyone had seen it, the room fell into silence; faces showed mixed expressions—some thoughtful, some secretly pleased.

"Sir, do you think this will really work?" Li Jiang was rather cautious, worried that such a direct policy might be rejected outright.

"No rush, let’s hear your thoughts first." Shen Hao leaned back in his chair, holding not a teacup but a big bowl of sour soup noodles. These past two days he’d been holed up in the Public Office, subsisting on tea and meat pastries, so after wrapping up the policy draft, he had Xiaoma cook him a bowl of noodles to fill his stomach. Xiaoma’s skills were far inferior to Xia Nu and Li Erfu, but it was good enough.

The aroma of sour soup noodles wafted through the hall, making others subconsciously swallow their saliva. It was also their first time encountering a leader with this style of doing things.

"Sir, in my view, your policy is simply brilliant! It hits the Military Supervisors right at the throat—they’ll definitely fall in line!"

"Households Commander Zhang is absolutely right. With your policy, sir, things can be firmly established, and it’ll serve as reliable regulations for our Inspectors from now on."

"But Sir, what kind of people can actually enter this ’Inspectorate’?"

Inspectorate. Shen Hao had highlighted this sub-unit within the Inspectors in his policy draft—a new setup, and naturally it attracted attention from those who read the full proposal.

"Inspection means correcting mistakes, supervision. The reason for creating the Inspectorate is to regulate every action taken by the Military Supervisors. To make proper judgments, you’d definitely need to understand military affairs, and must have service experience in the ranks—the longer, the better.

Generally, each Inspectorate ruling requires agreement from three Inspectors in the unit. The details can be discussed further. But the main direction won’t change: investigation, correction, then feedback; we then inform the Military Supervisors whether to withdraw or amend their actions."

"Sir, won’t this be a bit too slow?"

"It might cause some delays at first, but as long as it gets underway, it’ll soon be efficient. Because things are divided into segments, and each Inspector handles affairs within his own segment independently, response times will be much better than relying on the subjective judgment and experience of just one person."

This hardly counts as innovation—it’s basically a modified version of the Four Divisions system from Fengri City.

"But doesn’t this lean too much toward the military ranks?" Some felt this approach was problematic. After all, compared to the civilian Supervisors, those from the ranks haven’t treated the Inspectors much better beforehand.

Shen Hao slurped up a mouthful of noodles and said with a smile, "So what if it’s tilted toward the military? We’re stationed in the army right now. Shouldn’t military strategy be decided by the generals? The Military Supervisor’s job isn’t to ’meddle’ but to ’set boundaries,’ so people like Xu Hong don’t get big again in the ranks.

And our job in supervising Military Supervisors is to see if their actions are ’meddling’ or ’setting boundaries.’ With the added ’exceptional permission in urgent situations,’ it’s up to us to decide.

Should we base these matters on the military ranks and military affairs themselves, or on the butts of those Supervisors?"

Honestly, the new Inspector powers were always intended to be military-leaning. And now, since the Ministry of War is directly controlled by the Emperor, things aren’t what they were before. Basically, the ranks are now, in a sense, just like the Xuanqing Guard—the Emperor’s loyal enforcers. Isn’t mutual support a good thing?

The conversation flowed quickly, and before long, Shen Hao’s overall policy direction was set. The rest of the details were rapidly refined with these people’s input. By nightfall, the draft was perfected, formally written onto copper rods by Zhang Ye, and finally signed and sealed by Shen Hao.

"Send it out, notify the Border Army Inspectors at all levels, and copy the Military Affairs Department and the Military Supervision Office." Shen Hao checked it over, then waved for Zhang Ye to distribute. That completed the most urgent task at hand.

"Understood, Sir!"

Half an hour later, the "Inspector Monitoring Authority Adjustment Regulations," drafted by Zhang Ye and personally signed by Shen Hao, left Shen Hao’s residence. Copies went to the South Military Affairs and Road Supervision Office, the Military Supervision Office, and would also be reported to the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office.

This wasn’t a secret, but meant to be widely announced. And it wasn’t just a few people watching—countless eyes were tracking developments in the South. Everyone knew that for the Xuanqing Guard to break the deadlock, the best breakthrough point was the South. And they’d sent Shen Shaxing, the most formidable force in the Guard, showing they were determined to win. Now all eyes watched Shen Shaxing’s moves.

The next day, the content of the copper rods had basically spread, and everyone who needed to know was informed. The strongest reaction came from the Military Supervisor system, feeling directly targeted.

These Supervisors didn’t go to debate with Shen Hao, but instead took up their pens to write complaint letters to the Left Minister’s Office. The most frequent word used was "collusion," insisting that the Inspectors’ new regulations after the authority adjustment were entirely about cozying up to the ranks, aiming to marginalize the Military Supervisor system and push the only force able to balance the ranks down into the mud.

They finished by writing: If things go on like this, we’ll repeat the disasters caused by traitors like Xu Hong.

"They’re getting anxious."

Within Zhuo Huo Pass, Zuo Yuliang was also reviewing the just-arrived copper rod report, with his Deputy in front of him. The Deputy had just explained how the Supervisors were furiously filing complaints to the Left Minister’s Office, which made Zuo Yuliang laugh.

"This Shen Hao really does have some skills. Just a few days after arriving, and he’s already nailed the Supervisors’ sore spot. And did you notice? Those Supervisors don’t dare act up with the Xuanqing Guard like they do with us. They don’t even have the nerve to confront Shen Hao directly, only to file complaints. Tsk tsk, truly ’fight evil with evil.’ Fascinating..."