Bab 67: The Great Purge
"The weed that forever grows back."
"The cancerous tumour that always returns."
"The poison that continues to attack."
"And cause kingdoms to burn."
"Corruption is its dastardly name."
"A decay that continues to rot."
"Even as corruption burns in flames."
"For destroy it, one cannot."
"A constant fight against decay."
"Will forever plague my bloodline."
"For when descendants go astray."
"Our dynasty will enter decline."
Cassius Crestier 1st Emperor of Chavaria.
….
In the imperial capital, usually filled with wealth and splendour, an oppressive aura had descended as dozens of people were kneeling on a raised platform, each with an executioner standing over them. The large steel greatswords and axes in their hands shined in the morning sun, the razor-sharp edges ready to cut through flesh and bone on the prince's order.
Men, women and children of all ages knelt. Each had their hands shackled behind their backs with steel cuffs, their heads ready to be taken on the orders of the cold-faced Prince Flavius, who sat at a table holding rolled up a luxurious cloth which held an imperial decree and the emperor's will.
After Prince Flavius returned to the imperial capital, each of the nobles who accompanied him were delighted, many of them returning to their mansions in the capital as the sun set, tired from their time hunting down traitors and dreaming about the wealth and rewards they would be given but did not know that unknown to them the sword of Damocles representing the emperors will have appeared in front of their heads.
They had waited in their cold cells, watching as family after family was thrown into the imperial prison and consigned to an unknown fate. There was to be no trial, for each had already been convicted by the emperor of varying crimes from corruption to tyranny and even treason who showed off the great power he wielded and ruthlessness that had been long forgotten until now
as it had never not been used against them before.
That night, a curfew was imposed in the capital. No one, no matter their noble status, was allowed to go out without an order from the emperor as the cunning Chavarian ruler cut off all unauthorised communication from the capital for hawks and other predatory birds patrolled the outside of the imperial capital and prevented any messenger bird from escaping the emperors iron net.
A series of orders were also sent by messenger to various loyalist nobles and the imperial army, who moved quickly to take possession of these noble's territories to prevent them from rebelling. The nobles' own retinues and troops were no match to the battle-hardened imperial army as many hadn't fought in years or taken part in border skirmishes due to the high cost of military expeditions and, as a result, quickly fell to the elite armies that had forged an empire from the blood of their enemies.
This mobilisation was quickly discovered by the influential nobles of the empire who were intimidated by the emperor's ruthless actions and orders, finding out about them through the many spies they had throughout the empire and hidden within the imperial army itself, though only when the orders had already been carried out.
Despite Lucius and other loyal commanders being careful with whom they recruited into the imperial army due to its large size, it was impossible to keep it completely free of spies. But they could at least ensure that most officers were not spies. As such, many nobles only learned about the true objective of the imperial armies movement when it was too late, and everything was finished, for even the soldiers did not initially know the purpose of their swift mobilisation, leading to a delay in the information the nobles spies could gain.
This imperial army that only obeyed the emperor's will and orders could be mobilised within a few hours. Even with the resignations from outraged soldiers at Lucius' and House Aurellion's treatment, there were still plenty of officers loyal to the emperor. This was the spirit and culture that the imperial army had inherited from the minister of war, Drusus and Lucius, one of loyalty and honour that had been weaved carefully into the very fabric of the imperial army for the past 30 years.
Within a few days, everything was settled. The fast movements of the imperial forces ensured that none of the unsuspecting victims of the emperor's attack knew it was coming. Many dynasty members of these soon-to-be-purged houses opened the gates to their cities and castles to warmly welcome the imperial army, only for them to be swiftly arrested or executed by the imperial forces who did not come at friends.
The nobles kneeling on the raised platform were dressed in clothes that were many days old and gave one last plea towards the cold-faced prince who resided over the public executions. Around him, a team of imperial guards stood stoically looking out at the crowd for any danger to their prince, there to both protect the future crown prince and ensure that he executed the emperor's will.
"Your highness, my young son is only 6 years old! Please spare my family if there was any wrongdoing; it was I who did it. Please don't kill the innocent and spare them!"
One noble asked wisely, pleading for his family and not himself, knowing that his own life was forfeit no matter what.
"Your highness, we are your loyal men! How can you us treat us this way?"
Another cried out, anger laced with his words, for this particular vice count had served Flavius well for years, only for him and his family to be rewarded with death. Now, he could sympathise with the disappointment and anger that House Aurellion would feel being treated in such a manner despite distinguished loyal service.
Of course, you don't have to care about the feelings of people who are dead because they can no longer rebel or cause you any problems. This is why when people involved in politics die, especially in ancient China, they were given posthumous honours and noble titles, so the rulers could show themselves to be benevolent rulers who rewarded people who died for them while the dead people couldn't do anything or threaten their power anymore.
"Your highness, we killed traitors of the empire! How can you kill us?"
Another asked, still confused over why he was being executed, for they were just brought to this execution ground and weren't told what they were guilty of, for there was no trail. As far as this particular noble was concerned, he had loyally killed a traitor, not being the most politically astute person of them as they already understood that it was because they had helped kill Victarion that was the reason they were on this platform waiting for death and there was almost nothing that could save them now.
"Your highness, this is no way to treat loyal subjects! Is there no law in Chavaria anymore?"
Another asked, outraged at how they were treated as they were dragged here to be executed in public, beheaded like a filthy commoner.
Prince Flavius merely sat on the chair provided for him calmly, like his father would, while he listened to his former comrade's complaints before he replied to his old vassals, turning the man who had spoken last.
"Count Desmond Dyeford, 8 years ago, you, alongside Duke Edmond Eudai, embezzled supplies that were meant for Lucius' Aurellions attack on Nartook Fortress. Due to your greed, our forces were defeated, and tens of thousands died!"
"You are both found guilty of treason for helping an enemy nation in war and will be executed alongside your family according to article 66 of Chavarian law!"
The prince shouted ruthlessly, for over the last few days, the minister of war had briefed him on each noble's crimes, which made him angry. While he was aware that they only supported his cause for personal profit, he did not know just how corrupt and parasitic his own faction members were until the minister of war showed him all the evidence.
Unlike House Aurellion's charge of treason, which everyone knew was false and for political reasons, these nobles were all guilty of terrible crimes against the empire with irrefutable evidence, so there was no outrage like there was when Lucius was accused of treason. They also did not have the respect of the military and nation as much as the newly deceased general had.
For years, Flavius had wondered how things within the imperial court always seemed to go the emperor's way one way or another. How some things which large parts of the court rejected and resisted one day were mysteriously, a few days later passed with overwhelming support.
Even the current Prime Minister of Chavaria, a cunning old fox of 60 years, head of the civil servants and a Duke in his own right, was seemingly powerless against the emperor despite the large amount of connections and tremendous influence the man had over the other courtiers.
Only objections from the emperor's inner circle seemed to have any effect on his final decisions, such as from the minister of war or, in the past, Drusus and Lucius, who were known as the emperor's swords in the military faithfully carrying out their duties and the emperor's orders without hesitation. Others were ignored unless they had a logical basis, for a legal basis was useless as the emperor had the ability to change laws, so if he thought the law or legal basis was out of date, all he had to do was propose and change a specific law, and your legal basis was useless.
'So that is how he keeps an iron grip on the imperial court and the nobles.'
Prince Flavius thought to himself after finding out just how much information the emperor and minister of war had in their hands.
'He knows everyone's secrets…. Everyone's crimes, from corruption to tyranny, every single crime that a noble had ever committed, appeared to be written down in great detail, just waiting to be used as a justification to arrest them.'
'It's a good thing the powerful noble families did not know just how much information the imperial family had at their disposal. Otherwise, a large rebellion would occur due to the nobles feeling threatened.'
The prince thought for his political instincts were correct. If the nobles, especially the greedy ones, knew that the imperial family could purge any one of them at any time, then they would rebel to protect their interests.
'But will this move by the emperor allow them to catch on?'
Flavius continued his thoughts after he gave the sentences to the two men, their past actions coming back to bite them.
This was why the Chavarian emperor's purges and anger were rather unique amongst the other rulers of the world and why he was so respected throughout the empire, for he only went after those guilty of crimes and never used false justifications in the past. Over time, this led to an unconditional trust between the emperor and his subjects, which the imperial family leveraged to help maintain their power.
It was also why what he did to House Aurellion ruffled so many feathers, for it was the first time in the wise ruler's long reign that he had purged a noble for political reasons.
The Prince then went on to read out the crimes of the other noble families, ranging from corruption to tyranny. All sorts of different crimes were read aloud to the people of the imperial capital, who looked at these once powerful and admired men with thousands calling for their pinch heads to adorn spikes on the city gates.
"All of these crimes against the state that jeopardises it is treason as such, all your lands and titles are confiscated, and you will be executed alongside your families according to article 66 of Chavarian law! But for your years of service to the crown, you will be granted a quick death by beheading."
The prince shouted, pronouncing the vicious sentence that each noble had received. This was also rare, for it was typical for families, especially noble families with a long history that lost power to be exiled or demoted to commoners. The fact that each of these noble families was to be killed showed the great anger of the emperor that no one dared to provoke for nearly a decade, thinking that the old age of the emperor had mellowed him out, which could not be further from the truth.
This punishment was far worse than usual. Unfortunately for the nobles, when they were establishing laws, the wise rulers of Chavaria added one clause after the crime and its punishment was written down that few took notice of, which read.
'The king or ruler of Chavaria, in his infinite wisdom, may make punishments worse if he thinks the crime warrants it.'
This little clause at the end of laws and statutes that dictate a person's punishment allowed the king or ruler to overrule and make penalties for crimes. Rulers could use this and potentially abuse it to inflict terrible punishments on their enemies, and the current emperor thoroughly abused this clause to impose Article 66 on a mass scale on these corrupt nobles, extinguishing their bloodlines, a reminder of the ruthless world Dynasty Online could be at times and the consequences for losing.
When the law was made, no one thought it would be used this way, for usually, if you went after 70 noble families like the emperor did, a civil war or rebellion would break out. As such, those who lost would be punished severely, for they would be guilty of treason if they lost, leading to them being punished by Article 66 anyway. Instead, the emperor used it to purge these nobles who had crossed his bottom line for wealth, power and other corrupted, selfish reasons Stalin style, for they killed his son, who would have been crown prince if he survived.
"By order of the emperor, execute the traitors."
Prince Flavius decreed loudly in an authoritative voice as the executions raised their blades, bringing them down in one swift motion as the cries from the crown calling for the noble's deaths overwhelmed the pleads for mercy from the condemned nobles and their families. The executioner's blades cut through the necks of the kneeling men, women and children, silencing their pleads as each severed head was cleanly cut, their lifeless headless bodies slumping to the ground. The emperor's ruthless orders would embed fear into the hearts of each man watching and who heard of what happened. Even the air in the imperial capital became oppressive, suppressing any rebellious intentions of those inside who breathed it in.
An inaudible creak came from the wood beneath Count Pegnar as his lumps of fat overlaid his knees, making him appear as one massive blob as the wood beneath him began to crack under the large nobleman, the cracks becoming lacerations in the wood, which strained to hold up the man's weight. As the executioner's sword came down, the part of the wooden platform that the blob of fat was on broke as the steel blade of the executioner narrowly missed the top of the man's forehead. A few locks of his hair were cut off as the sharp edge of the executioner's blade breezed past his forehead, narrowly missing the count's neck and ending the colossal count's life.
The prince and the imperial guards merely sighed, shaking their heads slightly, for they had even reinforced the platform more to accommodate the weight of the noble, but who knew that even a few days not eating his usual 5-8 thousand calories did little to lower the count's weight. The people looked on, surprised seeing what just happened as God's will, but before anyone could react, a steel arrow pierced through the count's throat, cutting through the sizeable fatty muscle around the large man's neck, making him cough up red blood which flowed to the tiled as his pig-like eyes looked around to see his attacker.
He then saw him a cold-faced man in full armour, a freshly fired bow in his gauntleted hands, looking on with a cold rage the man's surcoat depicting a black raven on a navy blue field.
'Archtorius!'
Was the last thought of the fat count before he descended to the underworld alongside the other executed nobles as Archtorius looked on, finally seeing some justice done.
"Count Archtorius Shadowspire. His majesty requests your presence!"
A group of imperial guards said, coming behind him, their voices respectful as they motioned him towards the palace.
"If you please, my lord."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
LaziestDragon
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