Chapter 67 : Poisoned Apple (3)

Northwest of the Alcyone Federation.

In a grand mansion.

“The king is dead.”

“…..”

“The king is dead. That political monster who was so slippery and cunning.”

A man with a thick white beard muttered while holding a wine glass.

Around him stood many men.

In a very respectful posture, they focused on every word and action of his.

“Foolish man. He should have been more careful with security. If he had changed the route or used a decoy, he wouldn’t have been massacred like that.”

The tone was filled with mockery.

The attitude towards the ruler was unbelievably disrespectful.

But it wasn’t wrong.

The assassination of King Drake IV was largely due to the king’s own mistakes.

For decades, he had been passing the same route at the same time, wasn’t it an ideal condition for an assassination?

It was as if he was begging to be killed.

“His entourage was so large that the government nearly collapsed.”

Moreover, he had too many people with him, including officials and royalty, all for the purpose of showing off his power.

It made sense, but it caused too much collateral damage.

With key heirs to the throne and influential ministers dying at once, the government was almost on the verge of collapse.

The higher-ranking officials, who held decision-making power, were all gone, leaving them unable to act.

“Still, it’s a good thing for me. Thanks to that, I’m able to host such a splendid banquet now. Isn’t that right?”

The man’s question was met with unanimous agreement from the attendees.

“Indeed, Marquis!”

“Now that all those idiots in the capital are gone, who will stop you, Marquis?!”

“Right! From now on, it’s the Marquis’s world!”

Such disrespectful words, but it was the truth.

The man, Marquis Aire, had long been constrained by King Drake IV.

He had been managing vast territories and had cultivated a strong private army based on that.

With numerous vassals, allies, and connections, he wielded power almost like a king of a small nation.

‘That’s why I’ve been trapped in this borderland.’

It was the pinnacle of success for a nobleman.

However, from the ruler’s perspective, he was a dangerous force.

He never made it to the central political scene, and instead, he had been relegated to the provinces, hunting with his followers.

But now, everything had changed.

King Drake IV was dead, and there was no one left to inherit the king’s political direction.

Now was the perfect time to run wild.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I never expected you to gracefully exit the stage for us.”

Marquis Aire silently thanked the deceased king and slowly surveyed his surroundings.

His loyal subordinates and trusted aides were all around him.

“Yes, now it’s my world. And it’s your world too.”

With these people, he could expand beyond his territory and seize even more land.

He could go beyond ruling a few islands and take control of all of Alcyone.

The chances of victory were clear.

The army was ready, and the morale of his vassals was at its peak.

In the current Alcyone Federation, he was confident that there was no stronger force than them.

“And now, it’s time to expand our world.”

“Wait, are you saying… war?”

“Oh, Henry. Don’t use such extreme words. How could we go to war with fellow countrymen? Rather… let’s call it a national resolution.”

With the central government in chaos and regions breaking away from control, there was no other person who could restore the fallen system and establish the foundation of the nation.

With such a justification, they would take over the entire federation and then find a puppet king.

Perhaps someone like Count Louis, or some minor heir who had managed to survive.

A weak ruler under whose authority he could hold the real power.

He could take that position.

‘In the East, there is a beautiful custom called “Xianyang.” I should try to introduce it to our country.’

Of course, this wouldn’t be a permanently lasting political structure.

It was, after all, a temporary system to solidify the foundation.

By suppressing the rebellious forces and gaining loyalty, and once securing solid support… then he could take the throne.

No one would be able to stop his coronation when the time came.

‘I can do it. I can.’

It won’t take long.

At most, 10 years?

Since I’m in my late 40s now… I’ll claim the crown before I turn 60.

“As soon as the granaries are filled, we’ll march out. Everyone, keep that in mind.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

A dramatic turnaround in life was just around the corner.

Soon, his dynasty, named after him, would be established.

Marquis Aire thought this and drank his wine joyfully.

But at that moment.

Clang!

“Die, Marquis!!”

An assassin appeared and killed him.

*****

“This is a real mess.”

It’s astonishing.

I’ve never seen a country where the power dynamics change so rapidly in real time.

“Even during Japan’s Warring States period, it wasn’t this drastic.”

When the central government loses its authority and regional powers rise, it is natural for espionage and assassination plots to run rampant.

Everyone becomes a competitor to everyone else, and if something feels dangerous, all kinds of methods are used to remove the threat.

Assassinations, terrorism, bribery, or even full-scale wars.

But the Alcyone Federation was even worse.

It was a country that had never been unified either religiously or culturally, so its division was truly complete.

“So far, the identified forces are Marquis Aire, Baron Laito, the Luminous Brotherhood… how many are there?”

“As of the time the report was written, 74 groups were confirmed. Probably 20% of them have already disappeared by now.”

“Then there must be more new factions that have emerged.”

As far as we know, the population of Alcyone is less than 20 million, but it’s looking like independent armed warlords are popping up in the hundreds.

It’s not yet, but at this pace, it won’t be long before it becomes that way.

“Does this mean that for the next few years, it will be complete chaos?”

“Probably.”

I agreed with Kalia’s prediction, as she fed me a stick cookie through a mouth-to-mouth gesture.

This mess will never be easily resolved.

They had mixed Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights in an attempt to cleanly create a civil war structure, but for it to have an effect, time would be needed.

For the time being, it will probably go as Kalia said.

When the weak forces are filtered out, the civil war structure will likely settle into four or five major factions.

Then, we can handle other matters during that time.

There’s also something that needs to be done.

“Kalia, contact the printing house. I’ll be sending a dangerous manuscript soon.”

“That should please the people in the organization.”

*****

Although slightly delayed, the writing work finally began.

I started the first page by defining the basic principles of the military-first policy.

[The military is the pride of the nation and the shield that protects the people from foreign powers. To secure our future and glorious days, we must prioritize the military above all else.]

[According to the principles of military precedence, the military leads in solving all issues of national defense and governance, and the military, as the pillar of the nation, takes on the overall development and maintenance of society, which is called military-first politics.]

Honestly, it’s not a difficult ideology to grasp.

It’s simply the argument that the military should be prioritized, which is easy to understand.

A child could probably grasp it quickly if explained to them.

However, even if the concept is understood, putting it into practice is a different matter.

Since the argument is too extreme, it’s hard to gauge what level is appropriate.

Thus, the main point of what I’m writing is to explain the appropriate level and the specific extent.

So that the high-ranking individuals in each country can easily understand.

[Education, welfare, and people’s livelihoods are important. However, none of these can take precedence over military power. If the military is weak and national defense falters, education and welfare will all collapse.]

[As the military strengthens and military logic and thinking are applied to society, national security is strengthened, and the interference of external enemies is prevented.]

[As the military strengthens and military logic and thinking are applied to society, the country moves more efficiently. Both the upper and lower echelons act in the same way, creating synergy through synchronized movements.]

[Having the military engage in civil affairs is beneficial for managing public sentiment. For instance, having the military and civilians work together on tasks like repairing dikes or reservoirs.]

[The people, who come to realize the role and efforts of the military, will naturally conform to the system and will develop loyalty to the military and its leaders.]

Well, the term “appropriate level” is a bit misleading.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that there is no line.

Bogrius literally ran a military regime where the military replaced the entire national system.

So, if the military is mobilized anywhere and given tasks, that’s military-first politics.

Still, I couldn’t define it too bluntly, so I framed it and added a few extra advantages to make it more appealing to those in power.

[For those who serve the nation, such as soldiers and rulers, and for exceptional talents, special treatment is needed.

Providing an environment where they can live a comfortable and prosperous life is beneficial in the long run.]

[If possible, make the capital or areas central to power into special privilege zones. This not only ensures safety from threats like assassination but also helps in strengthening the unity of the military and boosting morale.]

Finally, I explained the reward system for managing and taming the military.

To gain the loyalty of the military, some material reward is necessary, after all.

Just like how the North Korean regime gathers the privileged in Pyongyang.

Areas where power and wealth converge and where residency is a form of reward are essential to military-first politics.

“This should be enough.”

With this, the writing is finished.

Now, all that’s left is to create a few dozen copies under Ishmael’s name and distribute them to the high-ranking individuals.

Of course, someone else will do this, not me.

*****

But, as always,the creativity of these bastards was beyond imagination.