A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 609 - Chapter 609 Chapter 450 Clearing the Kings Side_1

Chapter 609: Chapter 450 Clearing the King’s Side_1 Chapter 609: Chapter 450 Clearing the King’s Side_1 Upon Duanmu Huai’s arrival at the city gate, the city finally flung open its doors, hoisted a white flag, and declared surrender.

“You are…….”

“I am Krim, the deputy of Herman’s Fourth Legion.”

Standing in front of Duanmu Huai, the pale-faced blonde woman dressed in black armor retained the dignity of a soldier.

“Are you the one who ordered the surrender?”

“Yes.”

Krim lowered her head.

“We know we stand no chance against the Tribunal. Though it might not be right for me to say this given my position, I ask you to show mercy and spare the people of this city. They are innocent,” said Krim.

“Hmm…….”

Seated in his chair, staring at Krim, Duanmu Huai pondered for a while.

“Why did you choose to surrender instead of escaping? Aren’t you the adjutant of the Fourth Legion? Isn’t it better to scapegoat someone else and save yourselves?”

“Perhaps that would have been the case…….”

At Duanmu Huai’s question, a bitter smile appeared on Krim’s face.

“According to what you have said, I did not wish to see my subordinates throw away their lives for a causeless order, regardless. Besides, I am well aware that our Fourth Legion has no capacity to confront the Tribunal.”

“Very good.”

Listening to Krim’s reply, Duanmu Huai nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s obvious that you are an understanding person. Hence, I’ll cut to the chase and ask you, would you like to cooperate with us, the Tribunal?”

“Cooperate?”

Having heard Duanmu Huai’s question, Krim could hardly believe what she had just heard.

“I apologize, but I don’t understand what you mean…….”

“You must understand why we, the Tribunal, are here. The Church of AL has declared war on us alongside Herman. Since they think they can bully us, we must demonstrate the opposite. However, the Tribunal has no intention of annexing Herman, and we, therefore, wish to cooperate with you.”

“You mean……”

Upon hearing this, Krim was taken aback. She initially thought that the Tribunal was going to annex Herman since they had successfully invaded. After all, that’s how wars have always been fought. But Duanmu Huai was suggesting that the Tribunal had no intention of taking over Herman’s territory?

“The enemies of the Tribunal are Archbishop Oz of the Church of AL, and Prime Minister Stith who dares to collude with Oz and defy the Tribunal’s might… I hear that Prime Minister Stith seems to have taken control over Herman’s affairs, right?”

“That’s correct……”

Krim did not deny; in fact, all high-ranking officials in Herman knew about it. The newly crowned Emperor Hera was nothing but a puppet, with Prime Minister Stith handling all the governmental affairs. Rumors even suggested an ambiguous relationship between the Prime Minister and the Queen Mother, Emperor Hera’s mother. However, such family disgrace was not disseminated.

“I’m somewhat aware of the current situation in Herman. Since you don’t seem overly zealous, I’ll ask you this: do you want to join us in changing Herman’s status quo?

“………”

“The Tribunal’s goal is simple: to completely eradicate Archbishop Oz and Stith and their remnants who dare to resist us. Isn’t this also what Herman needs? To end the distress caused by these parasites and join the existing resistance, wouldn’t you want to join?

“Sir, you mean… collaborate with the Tribunal to exterminate Stith and his party and support the Emperor?”

“Will you support the Emperor is up to you. We from the Tribunal are here to do what we should do. As long as you do not provoke the Tribunal, how you want to change this country is entirely up to you. It’s that simple.”

Duanmu Huai stared at Krim, whose face revealed a hint of hesitation.

“But, but… we are part of the Fourth Legion, loyal to the empire. To commit treason all of a sudden…”

“Rebellion?”

At this, Duanmu Huai gave a wry laugh.

“No, Miss Krim, it’s not rebellion, it’s purification!”

“Purification??”

“Indeed, Chancellor Stisseth has confused the people and controlled the imperial government, causing chaos in the country and restraining the Emperor–all unforgivable crimes. As soldiers who are loyal to the country and the Emperor, marching to the Royal City, purifying the government, and guarding the Emperor’s power–where’s the crime in that?”

“……????”

Indisputably, Krim was utterly stunned at this. This normally emotionless and serious woman even unreservedly gaped at this sudden turn of events.

Is this how they justify rebellion?

Moreover, doesn’t his argument make perfect sense?!

“But, but if the Queen explains under such circumstances……”

“Would that be useful?”

Duanmu Huai chuckled coldly, looking at Krim.

“Isn’t it universally known that the Emperor is merely a puppet? Even if she comes forward to explain, who would believe that these are truly her intentions? That she isn’t just speaking under the Chancellor’s coercion? If you want to prove it, it’s quite simple. Have the Emperor order to behead Stith, dismiss the Congress, and ask these Congress’s dogs to retire. Does this prove it?”

“………!”

Upon hearing this, Krim’s body trembled, and the young girls by her side looked at him in astonishment.

Such a ruthless move!

Indeed, as Creme said, Chancellor Stisseth has significant power, and Emperor Hera is nothing more than a puppet in his hands. Even if I were to push forth this slogan, they simply need the Emperor to speak a few words to debunk my righteous claims.

However, it’s a different story with a condition attached!

The Emperor’s words alone will not suffice. If he wishes to prove his innocence, he must strike down Stisseth. After all, the slogan accuses Stisseth of manipulating the Emperor and causing chaos in the state. To prove this is not the case, the Emperor simply needs to kill Stisseth and dissolve the Congress… will Stisseth agree to that?

He definitely won’t!

If the Emperor had power, wouldn’t he have executed Stisseth already?

So, this leads to a deadlock unless Stisseth changes his name and escapes from Herman, the only other option is to stand his ground till the end!

Furthermore, this gives them a righteous cause!

On this continent, rebellion is not unheard of, but most rebellions aim to either establish independence from the state or usurp the throne themselves. Such rebellion, regardless of the other circumstances, lacks moral justification. But Duanmu Huai’s “Clearing the King’s side, executing the evil minister, protecting the Emperor’s power” directly raises rebellion to a new level!

This will not only reassure most of the population, but it could also have loyal forces join their ranks!

For instance, if their goal is to rebel, many armies might not agree with the actions of the ruling party, but will still begrudgingly defend their nation out of duty.

But if they focus on a few specific individuals, it’s a different story!

We are not betraying the state, rather we are rectifying the disorder, protecting the Emperor’s power, and restructuring the state!

Listen, once the word gets out, the righteousness rests with the rebel army. If you are loyal to the Emperor and love the country, you’ll look guilty if you don’t rebel!

Of course, this also depends on the nation. In a country like Seth’s, even if you were to say these things, no one would believe you – after all, King Gandhi has an iron fist, anyone daring to mess with him would be hammered to death.

Moreover, for the sake of justifying their rebellion, Duanmu Huai made several requests to Creme.

The first being, they’re loyalists, not rebels.

Additionally, to justify their actions, they must adhere to the law in every region they conquer and restrain their soldiers from looting or humiliating the citizens. If discovered doing so, no matter their rank, they must be publicly executed.

Creme had no objections to this. As a woman, she hardly welcomed the reckless behavior of soldiers in the aftermath of battles. Obviously, this would lead to a loss of recruits. However, luckily with the Tribunal at her side, there was no concern about the frontline.

Nevertheless, Creme had her own worries.

“But if this is the case, how do we finance the army …”

“That’s even simpler.”

In response to Creme’s concern, Duanmu Huai seemed quite relaxed.

“Surely there are many lackeys of Stisseth’s in control of the nation.”

“Obviously.”

“Are any of Stisseth’s lackeys and sycophants in this city?”

Creme nodded.

“It’s simple then, seize them and confiscate their property. Distribute the food to the citizens and use the rest for the army’s expenses. As for the lackeys, those with major offenses are to be publicly executed, and the rest are either imprisoned or exiled. Of course, remember to go after the big fish and let the small ones go. Just don’t try to kill them outright.”

Duanmu Huai calmly offered a solution.

“Hisss …”

Even though Duanmu Huai appeared calm, the people around him gasped at his words. This approach was utterly ruthless, draining them dry.

As Duanmu Huai suggested, Stisseth’s party stirring up trouble in Herman can’t be without a sizable group of lackeys and affiliates. They would have certainly amassed a lot of wealth and riches from Stisseth. Instead of looting the common people and inciting their wrath, it’d be easier to target these big fish. Moreover, this approach doesn’t contradict their loyalist stance – their objective after all is to strike those causing chaos in the state, and so attacking Stisseth’s lackeys is naturally the next step!

With this calculation, the army will be funded, people’s support will be won, morale will be steady, and the only loss would be Stisseth and his lackeys…

It’s quite a good deal!

“I understand.”

Creme, being a young deputy commander, was of course quick-witted. She thought about it, and after listening to Duanmu Huai, she made her decision.

“I will follow your instructions.”

“Hmm, then I’ll leave it to you, and oh, there is something else…”

While speaking, Duanmu Huai made a gesture, and quickly a Night Guard came over, in his hand grasping a man looking grim – seeing his face, the look on Creme’s face slightly changed. Still, the face was all too familiar to her.

“This man tried to escape on a horse but was caught by us. I’m leaving him to you to deal with.”

Duanmu Huai chuckled as the Night Guard tossed the man onto the ground. At this point, the man raised his head and glared at Creme, becoming furious.

“Creme, what is the meaning of this? Didn’t I order you to defend the city to the death? You dare surrender! You’re a disgrace to the military! Watch as I execute you on the spot!”

As he spoke, Nero got up from the ground and, roaring with anger, rushed towards Creme. However, facing the charging General Nero, Creme remained calm and simply stood still. As Nero approached, she clenched her fist and punched him in the face, then grabbed his extended arm and in a swift move, threw him over her shoulder, making him crash heavily to the ground!

“Bang!!”

Nero lay on the ground unconscious, his eyes rolled back. Duanmu Huai on the other hand, chuckled at him.

“What do you plan to do with him?”

“According to military laws, deserting the battlefield is considered treason, and the penalty is beheading in public.”

“Then I’ll leave him to you.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Upon hearing this, Creme bowed to Duanmu Huai once again. She then grabbed Nero, who lay like a dead dog and turned to leave.