However…
It was unclear when it started, but the Sa Er Emperor underwent a gradual change.
In the early years, although he would make use of Terminators, he never relied solely on them. That was how he groomed exceptional generals like Chi Tong. The Kingdom of Sa Er of that era had a fearsome reputation, not because of the number of Terminators they had, but because of their powerful army.
Fast-forwarding to the present, everything had changed.
Not only were Terminators the Kingdom of Sa Er's primary combat force now, they controlled all the troops in the military. In addition, the Grand Tutor used to be Sa Er's spiritual leader and only oversaw Terminators, rarely meddling in the military affairs, now… the Grand Tutor's authority in Sa Er was equivalent to that of the Emperor.
In fact, many national matters were now being decided by the Grand Tutor alone.