Eternity RPC Board
05-24-2019, 12:48 AM
Imperial Kingdom of Hôinôm | Nueva, 1596
In his table at the "Tinh tê Dông" restaurant, Jernej Skrbinsek patiently listened to Lê Quang Quyên, while finishing his meal, spicy chicken with rice. It was only his second day in Ham Không, but he was glad to have some entertainment compared to their previous travels through the country when bureaucratic job consumed most of his agenda.
It was not bad to find a sympathetic opinion for once either, Skrbinsek thought. Although he tried to avoid to be directly involved in partisan disputes or political controversies, since he arrived to the country, he found nothing but opposition to reforms in the business elite and the conservative press. Although he could barely underestand much about Hoinomese politics either, he felt that it was not a coincidence that the region was one the few ones controlled by the Hoinomese government which had fallen for a while in the hands of the radical insurgency, and therefore men like Lê understood the need of reform – the example of the rival Quang Cai government, which radical rural transformation which came along with state violence and rumours of hundreds of executions was not exactly pedagogical, but maybe helped to make understand the Hoinomese elite at least the need to tolerate some important changes, he thought.
While he was kept lost in such thoughts, Lê Quang Quyên continued his conversation in broken Oslanburgan with Besnik Kelmed. Kelmed and Skrbinsek had met ten years before during an economic conference in Qënderë, Kyrzbekistan. Back then, Kelmed was Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Kyrzbekistan, while Skrbinsek was working for the Ministry of Economic Development during Zvezdana Serebryak’s presidency.
Five years later, they would meet a second time in Mordvania. Skrbinsek was then teaching in a local university, while Kelmed had an important position in a Kyrzbekistan corporation, and they were able to have a more honest conversation. Skrbinsek contacted Besnik Kelmed again when the chance of being hired by the Hoinomese government suddenly came to his door.
Minister Tran Anh Van was looking for foreign expertise for his program of land reform. Under Skrbinsek’s advice and assistance, the ministry drafter the agrarian reform plan, in which landlords who owned more than the permitted amount had to sell the excess land to the government at the fixed price. The government then sold it at the same price, giving first preference to any tenant who had been farming the land, and who were helped through a program of social credits granted by the government. Although the reform was controversial and it was soon followed by calls to depose the government, it provided reasonable compensation to the landlords who had to sell their land to the government. In the first four months, approximately 30$ of the cultivated land in the territory controlled by the government was purchased from the landlords and re-sold to the farmers who worked them.
Skrbinsek’s thought were suddenly interrupted by the sound of familiar words at the opposite side of the restaurant. It was literally the words and not the voice -a feminine but strong voice-, as it had been months since the last time that Skrbinsek had heard his native language.
The woman, maybe ten years younger than Skrbinsek, was sat down with an older Hoinomese man, who remained silent while the woman talked through her mobile phone.
“Do you know that lady?”, asked Lê Quang Quyên, who had realized what had grabbed Skrbinsek’s attention.
“No, excuse me”, Skrbinsek answered. “It is just that I didn’t expect to suddenly hear Mordvanian here.
“I understand”, Lê Quang Quyên replied. “I actually believe I know his companion”, the Hoinomese businessman continued. “He works in the local university. His brother studied with me at Nam Dinh, and worked for the governor’s office at least a few years before the violence broke up...”.
“This is a rather small town”, Lê Quang Quyên added, “...at least for educated people. I will tell the waiter to ask them if they willing to join us, if they have no inconvenience”.
In his table at the "Tinh tê Dông" restaurant, Jernej Skrbinsek patiently listened to Lê Quang Quyên, while finishing his meal, spicy chicken with rice. It was only his second day in Ham Không, but he was glad to have some entertainment compared to their previous travels through the country when bureaucratic job consumed most of his agenda.
It was not bad to find a sympathetic opinion for once either, Skrbinsek thought. Although he tried to avoid to be directly involved in partisan disputes or political controversies, since he arrived to the country, he found nothing but opposition to reforms in the business elite and the conservative press. Although he could barely underestand much about Hoinomese politics either, he felt that it was not a coincidence that the region was one the few ones controlled by the Hoinomese government which had fallen for a while in the hands of the radical insurgency, and therefore men like Lê understood the need of reform – the example of the rival Quang Cai government, which radical rural transformation which came along with state violence and rumours of hundreds of executions was not exactly pedagogical, but maybe helped to make understand the Hoinomese elite at least the need to tolerate some important changes, he thought.
While he was kept lost in such thoughts, Lê Quang Quyên continued his conversation in broken Oslanburgan with Besnik Kelmed. Kelmed and Skrbinsek had met ten years before during an economic conference in Qënderë, Kyrzbekistan. Back then, Kelmed was Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Kyrzbekistan, while Skrbinsek was working for the Ministry of Economic Development during Zvezdana Serebryak’s presidency.
Five years later, they would meet a second time in Mordvania. Skrbinsek was then teaching in a local university, while Kelmed had an important position in a Kyrzbekistan corporation, and they were able to have a more honest conversation. Skrbinsek contacted Besnik Kelmed again when the chance of being hired by the Hoinomese government suddenly came to his door.
Minister Tran Anh Van was looking for foreign expertise for his program of land reform. Under Skrbinsek’s advice and assistance, the ministry drafter the agrarian reform plan, in which landlords who owned more than the permitted amount had to sell the excess land to the government at the fixed price. The government then sold it at the same price, giving first preference to any tenant who had been farming the land, and who were helped through a program of social credits granted by the government. Although the reform was controversial and it was soon followed by calls to depose the government, it provided reasonable compensation to the landlords who had to sell their land to the government. In the first four months, approximately 30$ of the cultivated land in the territory controlled by the government was purchased from the landlords and re-sold to the farmers who worked them.
Skrbinsek’s thought were suddenly interrupted by the sound of familiar words at the opposite side of the restaurant. It was literally the words and not the voice -a feminine but strong voice-, as it had been months since the last time that Skrbinsek had heard his native language.
The woman, maybe ten years younger than Skrbinsek, was sat down with an older Hoinomese man, who remained silent while the woman talked through her mobile phone.
“Do you know that lady?”, asked Lê Quang Quyên, who had realized what had grabbed Skrbinsek’s attention.
“No, excuse me”, Skrbinsek answered. “It is just that I didn’t expect to suddenly hear Mordvanian here.
“I understand”, Lê Quang Quyên replied. “I actually believe I know his companion”, the Hoinomese businessman continued. “He works in the local university. His brother studied with me at Nam Dinh, and worked for the governor’s office at least a few years before the violence broke up...”.
“This is a rather small town”, Lê Quang Quyên added, “...at least for educated people. I will tell the waiter to ask them if they willing to join us, if they have no inconvenience”.