Meanwhile, around the same time Saint Joan was crying out in despair.
An emergency meeting was underway in the capital of the Kram Empire.
“A rebellion? At a time like this, of all times!”
“The scale is too large. Who would’ve thought so many soldiers would defy the Emperor’s command…”
“Who the hell spread the rumors?”
Soldiers had risen in revolt—first-rate troops who had been fighting on the front lines against the Kingdom of Allein and the cavalry.
They were some of the Empire’s best in terms of combat power and experience, yet entire units had turned their rifles the other way.
“Disloyal scum. To betray the oath of loyalty they pledged to His Majesty when they enlisted.”
“What can you expect from commoners? They’re nothing but ignorant rabble who never received proper education.”
“This is exactly why I opposed conscription. Even if it’s beneficial, letting just anyone into the army ruins military discipline.”
The nobles and generals attending the meeting spat curses at one another, almost as if they were competing to be the most indignant.
They ranted about impure bloodlines, how one should never expect anything from the lowborn—brimming with prejudice and discrimination.
As if foul words would solve the problem, they hurled insults at the traitors just shy of crossing the line of proper decorum.
Damn it.
We really shouldn’t have gone overboard with the suppression.
We killed them all.
Of course someone was going to snap.
If I were in their shoes, I’d have done the same.
But deep down, everyone knew the truth.
They knew exactly what caused the rebellion.
How could they not, when the rebel soldiers were openly shouting their grievances?
No matter how much we needed to set an example, we went too far.
We should’ve just punished the ringleaders and raised taxes as a penalty.
In putting down an uprising sparked by starvation, they had shed far too much blood.
Word of it spread quickly throughout the army, and soldiers who had lost family members flew into a rage and rebelled.
A painfully simple cause and effect.
And yet, none dared to speak of it—because those who had ordered the brutal suppression were sitting right here in this room.
They thought they were rooting out disloyal elements, but never anticipated such a butterfly effect.
“Tsk… What do we do now?”
“Wouldn’t it be best to crush them with overwhelming force again?”
“Yes, compromise is not an option in a case like this.”
Regardless of who caused it, now that the problem had exploded, it needed to be resolved.
And the appropriate response to a large-scale military mutiny… would obviously be force.
Their heads were already spinning trying to find a way to win the war—they couldn’t afford to take the path of negotiation.
No matter the circumstances, there was only one answer for traitors: punishment.
“Which units shall we deploy?”
“What about the 17th and 14th Divisions from the reserves? Conveniently, they’re stationed near the rebel army.”
“If we deploy both at once, we can create a pincer movement and suppress them easily.”
The rebel force numbered just under 10,000.
More than one division, but fewer than two.
Their officers and commanders had likely been driven out long ago, so proper command would be difficult.
Individually, the soldiers were elite—but in such disarray, two divisions should be enough to mop them up.
“Those bastards opened up a hole in the front line by rebelling. Once the suppression is complete, we’ll deploy the two divisions forward.”
“We can cover the manpower losses with new recruits from training camps.”
“Then what do we do with the captured traitors? We can’t execute them all.”
“Let’s hand them over to the Kingdom of Navre. It would be inappropriate to keep them here—better to gift them as a punishment unit.”
A rough plan of action was swiftly formed.
Details could be polished later—that was what subordinates were for.
“Now that the discussion is over, I’ll seek the Emperor’s approval.”
“Very well. Go ahead.”
But even as they went to present the plan to His Majesty, unease lingered on their faces.
What if this happens again?
We can’t kill them all every time.
The incident had already happened—like spilled water—and needed to be cleaned up quickly, but it couldn’t go on like this forever.
If they continued using hardline tactics, there would soon be no citizens left in the nation.
They needed a fundamental solution.
Something that would stop the commoners not just from rising up—but from even thinking about it.
***
“As expected.”
Reading today’s report, I calmly nodded to myself.
As expected, the response from those in power is nothing surprising.
Well, to be fair, it’s hard to come up with any plan other than forced suppression in a situation like this.
“How long do you think this uprising will last?”
“Hard to say. But with such a swift response, I’d guess it’ll be wrapped up in a couple of months. The government is clearly intent on crushing it decisively from the start.”
“That’s unfortunate. It would’ve been nice if it lasted at least half a year.”
“If it did, we would’ve had to revise our strategy too.”
Kalia, wearing only an apron while preparing dinner side dishes, seemed disappointed, but there was nothing to be done.
Unless a once-in-a-generation military genius suddenly emerged to lead the rebels, turning the tide would be near impossible.
The previous peasant revolt escalated when rear guard units tried to handle it, but this time they’re sending actual combat units.
It’ll end quickly, just as the high officials of the Kram Empire wish.
“Looks like neighboring countries are paying attention too.”
With how big the incident has grown, it’s naturally drawn a lot of eyes.
Two large-scale uprisings in a row—how could it not?
A territory the size of a count’s domain was devastated in one blow, so everyone is desperate to gather information.
To understand the full context, learn from it, and prevent the same from happening in their own countries.
It’s not going to be easy.
Regrettably, it’ll be quite difficult.
The root of the problem lies in excessive exploitation and poor living conditions—how can that be resolved during wartime?
Only when the war stops can forced collection of supplies cease.
Unless the ones in power are complete fools, they’ll soon realize that.
When that happens, they’ll try to change their approach.
If they can’t eliminate the causes of rebellion, then they’ll try to suppress its occurrence and spread.
“So, what do you think the future holds?”
“Everyone will start drafting riot prevention measures. For example… strengthening existing control systems.”
Since they don’t understand the root cause, they’ll begin by simply tightening the leash on the people.
Increasing checkpoints on main roads, deploying military police to patrol city streets, that sort of thing.
“Though I doubt it’ll work.”
I expect those efforts will be abandoned quickly.
Once they try it, they’ll realize it’s not very effective.
No matter how much surveillance they impose or how much fear they instill, there’s a limit to how much territory they can actually control.
This isn’t the 20th century with surveillance cameras or telegraph networks—how are they going to monitor an entire country?
No matter how much money or manpower they throw at it, it’s impossible.
More likely, it’ll only increase public dissatisfaction and backfire.
“If that fails, they might try ramping up propaganda education.”
“You mean promoting more intense worship of the monarch?”
“That won’t be the only thing, but it’ll probably be included.”
The safest fallback is expanding propaganda.
They’ll try to stir up loyalty among the people and brainwash them into enduring the current hardship without question.
They’ll deceive the people with honeyed lies—claiming rebellion is a cursed act for generations, or that enduring suffering now will bring heavenly rewards in the afterlife.
It’s about psychologically shackling people so that they wouldn’t even dare to go against the state or government.
Whether it succeeds or fails, there’s nothing for the state to lose, so it’s bound to be implemented.
“I feel a little sorry for the ones who’ll be subjected to it. Their way of thinking will be molded to suit the rulers’ tastes.”
“That’s just how war is.”
From the standpoint of someone who actively intervened and contributed to making this situation happen, I offer my shallow condolences.
Not that I feel any guilt, though.
If you want to blame someone, blame that damn goddess who dropped me into this world, you savages.
“Read just enough, and let’s talk while eating now. I tried to focus on healthy dishes today.”
“Thanks as always. What’s on the menu…?”
Kalia, carrying the meal, snatched the report from my hands and set the table.
Grilled eel, oyster dishes, tenderloin beef with plenty of garlic and asparagus, and more.
Hmm.
It feels like the focus is more on stamina than health.
It’s probably not just my imagination, right?
“My mother taught me a few good recipes. I went all out today, so don’t even think about leaving leftovers, okay?”
“…I’ll do my best.”
Anyway, since Kalia prepared it with care, I have no choice but to eat.
Looks like I’ll be suffering from back pain tomorrow morning.
“But Ishmael.”
“What?”
“Do you really think the countries will stop at propaganda education? If the goal is to prevent rebellion, that seems too weak.”
At her question—whether the rulers would really be satisfied with mass brainwashing—I shook my head.
“Of course not. They’ll need supplementary measures.”
Naturally.
There’s a limit to the effects of educating and disciplining the people.
If they really want to keep the lower classes from rising up, they need to pair it with physical deterrents.
And I intend to provide that deterrent.
A method that looks plausible on the surface but is a poisoned apple on the inside.
“I’m already writing a book that should help. It’s still in the outline stage, though.”
“I’m curious. Your books are always groundbreaking. What’s this one about?”
As she held out a grilled oyster dipped in soy sauce, I took a bite and mumbled a reply.
“When you hear ‘rule by a strong monarch’… does that give you an idea?”
It’s the second essence of hereditary dictatorship, following in the footsteps of Juche ideology.