Chapter 7: Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree (last part)

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Let's sort out the details of the battle up until this point.

First, this series of battles began when the three dukes opposed the former king's

abdication, choosing not to swear loyalty to me. Ever since I had been given the

throne, the three dukes had been secluding themselves in their duchies along with

the armies they controlled.

The three dukes had been uncooperative during the period when I was gathering

personnel and desperately trying to get this country back on its feet. Then, a number

of nobles that I was having investigated for corruption as part of my reconstruction

of the economy fled. When they took refuge in Carmine's Duchy, that was one event

that pushed us into a more definite state of opposition.

Then, when I had issued an ultimatum the other day, things had finally developed

to the point where the king and the three dukes were in open conflict.

However, one of the three dukes, Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter, swore her

loyalty to me when issued the ultimatum. This prevented the Forbidden Army and

the Navy from coming into conflict.

After that, Georg, who rejected my ultimatum, and Castor, who was prepared to

martyr himself for his friendship with Georg, raised the flag of rebellion against me.

This was what had caused this current war... Well, anyway, that was the scenario

that not only my people, but also the Principality of Amidonia believed.

—However, this scenario only appeared that way on the surface. The true state of

affairs was completely different.

First, people thought that Excel had sworn her loyalty to me when I issued the

ultimatum, but, in fact, she had done so before that. Excel had sent her

granddaughter Juna to be at my side in order to judge whether I had what it took to

be king. When she received reports back from Juna saying that I did, she swore her

loyalty to me and we used Juna as an intermediary between us.

However, in order to monitor Georg, who had been making some disquieting

moves, as well as to attempt to persuade Castor, we concealed that fact, and she

continued to work alongside the other two dukes for a time.

Next, the reason this conflict had broken out was also different.

The plan Hakuya and I had been working on was something entirely different,

and we hadn't been thinking about subjugating the three dukes at all.

When Liscia told me what sort of person Georg was, I thought he was the kind of

guy who would listen to reason. Even with Castor, I knew he had a short temper, but

if Excel and Georg both worked to persuade him, I had thought he would reluctantly

comply.

However, because Georg sheltered the corrupt nobles, my plans were all thrown

off course.

That said, neither Hakuya nor I had seen the corrupt nobles as being of any great

consequence. They had already been driven from their positions. If we sealed the

border and could just seize their assets, I didn't care where they went after that.

However, Georg kept those nobles close at hand, adding their forces to his own.

At first, when I'd seen he was acting so differently from what Liscia had told me

about him, I had been indignant.

That was when Glaive Magna, who said he had left the Army, had appeared

before me.

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Technically, he had come to me in order to apologize for Hal's rudeness in town,

but even if not for that, I'm sure he would have appeared before us. Glaive had been

entrusted with a certain secret mission by Georg.

Once he finished apologizing for Hal's impropriety, he began by saying, "Now

then, sire. I realize this is incredibly rude, but I have come to tell you something."

When I asked him what it was, he said, "Well... it is something best not heard by

many people..." and he asked me to clear the room.

I had Liscia, Aisha, Hakuya, Hal, and Kaede remain, and dismissed everyone else.

Once I did that, Glaive finally began to speak about Georg's plan.

"Duke Carmine intends to gather all of the corrupt nobles in one place, launch a

rebellion with them, then have Your Majesty put it down."

This was to catch all of the corrupt nobles in one fell swoop, because they would

be dangerous if left lurking around. Georg took a position of clear opposition to me,

drawing these destabilizing elements to himself like moths to a flame.

Then he had Glaive and his people, the ones he trusted the most in the Army,

break away due to "distrust over his having sheltered corrupt nobles." They would

join the Forbidden Army so that there would be people left who could reorganize the

Army after the war. After that, he would reject an ultimatum from me, and once the

destabilizing elements had gathered, he would take things onto the battlefield. His

plan was to have the nobles captured along with him.

The Army were powerful enemies with 40,000 troops, but if the Forbidden Army,

Air Force, and Navy all worked together, they could easily put them down.

In fact, even in this recent battle with the Army, all it took was destroying their

anti-air repeating bolt throwers with a surprise attack by the Air Force to set the

stage for a surrender. Then, at the same time as he surrendered, Georg's retainers

would detain the nobles and their personal armies, which included Zemish

mercenaries.

That was Georg's plan.

When I heard the plan from Glaive, I found myself shouting in anger without

intending to. "What the hell?! Who ever asked him to do that?!"

"Your anger is understandable, but... this was Duke Carmine's own idea." Even as

Glaive bowed his head, it seemed he had no intent of yielding.

"Why would he do that?! The corrupt nobles have already been dismissed. We've

already seized their assets, too. Just let those cockroaches go!" I shouted.

"If you ask Duke Carmine, he feels that's being naive." Glaive raised his voice in

anger, but then controlled himself. As a retainer, he couldn't get into a shouting

match with his king.

When I saw that, I cooled my head, too. "...What's naive about it?"

"Sire, when grain rots, the rot spreads to nearby grain. The problem with nobles

is their wide connections. In order to preserve their influence, they repeatedly

marry off their daughters to create new relatives. Most likely, if you only put them

on trial for something minor like corruption, other houses will intervene to prevent

it. Furthermore, even if they lose their own houses, it's possible they will all seek

protection from another house where they have relatives. As such, it is necessary to

knock them down all the way to being traitors against the state."

I fell silent.

I understood what Glaive wanted to say.

In order to bring judgment upon those corrupt nobles with all their ties, I would

have to make them commit a crime that would cause their families to be held

accountable. Then, fearing that they might be caught up in it as well, the other nobles

would cut ties with them of their own accord.

It sounded like it made sense. It sounded like it, but...

"...Do we really need to go that far?"

"Yes," he said. "There is one more reason."

"What, there's still more...?"

"You say you've seized their assets, sire, but you've only taken what was visible,"

he said. "These shady sorts have money and influence in places where people won't

notice. In fact, the nobles who've already come to the Carmine Duchy have been

using that dark money to hire Zemish mercenaries. I believe this is proof you have

yet to take everything from them."

When he pointed that out, I pressed my palm to my forehead.

Of course. I had been staring at ledgers and deluding myself into thinking that I

knew where the funds had gone from that alone. It had slipped my mind that it was

possible to accumulate wealth in ways that wouldn't show up on the books.

When I looked to Hakuya, he had a similar expression on his face.

For me, who never had anything to do with nobles before this, and for Hakuya,

who had been a recluse until just recently, we hadn't fully appreciated how

scheming nobles could be.

At times like this, I was reminded that I still lacked enough capable people.

"Does Georg intend to make the nobles use up that dark money?" I asked. "Even if

he does, the money will just go to Zem for sending the mercenaries..."

That was when I realized the way to shake down Zem and reclaim the funds that

flowed into their coffers.

"Ransom money!"

"Yes," Glaive said. "At the same time as we capture the corrupt nobles, we will

also capture all the Zemish mercenaries they hire."

Like in Japan during the Sengoku Period, there was a system in place for soldiers

who were taken prisoner to be released in exchange for a ransom. Ransoms went up

depending on a person's status, and if no one would pay the ransom, that captive

would be sold as a slave. In most cases, those of low status would be released in

large groups when their country paid a lump sum, but those of greater status would

have their ransoms paid by the members of their house. There had been many

instances where a house with limited ability to pay fell to ruin as a result.

"Georg intends to have the nobles use their dark money to hire mercenaries from

Zem, and then he'll recoup the money from Zem by making them pay ransom for

their captured mercenaries?" I asked.

"That is correct."

The mercenaries Zem sent wouldn't be anyone of high status, but the amount

they would have to pay as a lump sum would be considerable.

Honestly... it was a well thought out plan. That made this all the more irritating.

"Why do I have to waste a man who can think things through this well?" I

protested bitterly. "I'm already short-staffed as it is, so if he's that determined to

help, he should just help me normally!"

"Please understand, sire," Glaive said, looking me straight in the eye. "Duke

Carmine has entrusted you with the future."

I gulped. "...How could he believe in me so strongly? We've never even met

before."

"That, I do not know. When you meet Duke Carmine for yourself, I suggest you

ask him."

I fell silent.

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At that time, there had been no answer, but later, when issuing the ultimatum, I

had tried to subtly ask Georg what his motivations were.

"What is it that drove you to this?"

To my question, Georg had answered, "My pride as a warrior."

He'd continued, "Being more than fifty years of age, my body will only grow

weaker from here, but now I have been given the greatest of opportunities. I will

decide the fate of Elfrieden with my own talents. Once in his lifetime, it is every

warrior's wish to accomplish something that will be remembered by later

generations."

Depending how you interpreted them, those words sounded like something an

usurper setting out on the gamble of a lifetime might say. However, the fact of the

matter was, he had been declaring that he was ready to give his life for this country.

To decide the fate of Elfrieden with his own talents and to accomplish something

that would be remembered by later generations... That was why he'd had to destroy

the corrupt nobles, even if he had to sacrifice himself to do it.

I didn't know if those words were the truth. However, I could tell that his resolve

was unshakable. Liscia's steadfastness may have come from this man, her teacher.

Let's get back on topic.

The information brought to us by Glaive had been tucked away inside the hearts

of all those present. There had been six people present: myself, Liscia, Hakuya, Aisha,

Kaede, and Hal. If word of this had leaked out by some chance, the whole plan could

have come undone.

That was why we couldn't communicate this plan to Excel, who was already

cooperating with us, or even to Ludwin, the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden

Army. Because of that, Excel remained suspicious of Georg, and there was another

miscalculation made.

Castor's rebellion.

Because the plan had advanced in absolute secrecy, Castor harbored doubts

about me, and so his Air Force ended up siding with Georg. For us, and for Georg,

this event was completely outside our predictions. No matter how simple Castor

might be, it hadn't occurred to me that he would side with Georg when Georg was

acting in such a blatantly suspicious manner.

I had never once thought that he would take only one hundred of his personal

troops and throw his lot in with Georg, ready to martyr himself for their friendship.

Thanks to that, the battle at Red Dragon City had been a completely ad-libbed

etude, one not found in Georg's script. While it was fine, since we'd won, it was a

situation that could have turned the entire script into improv theater.

Perhaps Excel might have been able to foresee that Castor would act like this.

However, because we'd been keeping Georg's plan a secret from Excel, there had

been no way to consult her. Looking at the results, my failure to use the people I had

available to me had caused the situation to become confused, so I probably had a lot

to reflect on here.

Well, it was a battle with many twists and turns, but somehow I think we

managed to play Georg's script out to the end. Finally, the curtain could fall on the

stage for Georg's script.

Now, this was where it would start. Finally, we could get to the main event.

Hakuya and I would be the scriptwriters for this new stage about to start. We

took the long route to get here because of Georg, but, finally, we were now able to

raise the curtains on our stage.

"Now, let the subjugation begin."

That was what I had declared.

Subjugation is a word used to describe putting down a revolt in one's own

country, but, more broadly, it can also refer to the suppression of a hostile foreign

power.

Here, I would like you to remember one thing. Amidonia was invading from the

southwest because of their correspondence with Georg, and it had been timed to

coincide with his rising up.

However, Georg himself was only focused on domestic matters.

Of course, that meant he was never connected to Amidonia to begin with. Now

then, who, I wonder, was it that assumed Georg's name and sent those letters to

Gaius VIII?

—Now, let the true subjugation begin.

[MISTERLP]: It's time to start the chaos