章節 64: The Corrupted Chalice of Power.
"Power."
"What is power?"
"Power is the ability to influence and control the actions of sentient beings."
"Whether through diplomacy, a strong economy, support of the people, the military or legislation."
"All of these things can be a form of power."
"It is just a matter of whether one believes in it or not."
"But power always comes at a price, for it can corrupt even the purest souls."
Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in dynasties online.
….
"And if it were not for the respect they have for this old bag of bones in front of you, then they would be in open rebellion!"
The Chavarian Minister of War said seriously, his eyes squinting slightly in anger as he let out a sigh in an attempt to calm himself down.
"Is it really that bad?"
The emperor asked, slightly surprised, for as far as he was concerned, the Chavarian military was loyal to him and the empire, not their respective commanders and generals.
Obviously, the troops in those armies that belonged directly to nobles and generals and not the kingdom would be loyal to their lord or commander over the emperor; however, the 100,000 troops that Lucius commanded were all part of the imperial army and had no ties at all to any other force or faction within the empire except the emperor forming the base of the imperial families military power.
The emperor gave Lucius these men as a sign of his trust in him and to guard against any potential rebellion the skilled general may try to conjure up.
"Don't underestimate the value of Lucius and Drusus in their hearts! Honestly, if most of the commanders weren't old folks like us who still remember me from 30 years ago when I was still an active commander on the field or nobles who hate House Aurellion, then we would be facing an armed rebellion at this very moment."
Minister Lunaris said, taking a piece of paper from his robes and offering it to the emperor. The old emperor took it and quickly read it, but as he read on, a bead of sweat began to run down his old, wrinkled face.
The letter was the resignation of one of Lucius Aurellion's subordinates, but its implication worried the old Chavarian emperor more than anything else.
"So I have lost their hearts then. House Aurellion truly had a lot of influence over the military."
The old emperor said, sighing while shaking his crowned head slightly. He knew that branding Lucius Aurellion as a traitor would have consequences but did not expect that it would lead to him losing the loyalty of many members of the empire's military to the point that they would resign.
"How many more do you expect?"
The emperor said, hoping that this would be an isolated case and not lead to mass resignations within the imperial army, as many of these soldiers were elites from the unification war and made up a considerable amount of the military power the emperor had direct control over.
"If we are lucky, a hundred or so officers ranging from generals to sergeants and if we're unlucky…."
The minister of war said, taking a breath before delivering the worst possible outcome.
"Then tens of thousands of soldiers from all ranks will depart, for that is the significance that Lucius Aurellion's influence was and the consequence of getting rid of such a loyal subject in such a brutal way."
"Please think about this from your subordinate's perspective."
"This case has set a precedence that no matter how loyal they are, as soon as it is politically inconvenient for the imperial family, they will have themselves and their families exterminated."
"Even if I was a loyal subject, why would I serve an empire loyally that will only kill me and my family at the first sign of trouble?"
Amulius Lunaris said with a dark expression, turning serious suddenly to show the gravity of the emperor's decisions before telling the emperor the silver lining.
"But no one will rebel, and you can thank me for that!"
The disgruntled minister said before the emperor went to the next topic.
"Archtorius is a good candidate, is he not?"
Cassius, the old emperor, said from his throne, wasting no time in finding a replacement for Lucius, knowing that finding a suitable replacement for Lucius may have an effect on how many soldiers resigned as many did not have a good opinion of nobles who got to their position through the rank and connections rather than skill at war one of the reasons for Lucius' high support from the army was because he got to his position on his merit alone.
"He is, but he will take what Flavius did to him to heart."
"It will be hard for him to trust or follow an emperor who forced him to kill his mentor by holding his family hostage."
"We also need to be careful, as I heard Flavius killed Sorrell, one of the count's most trusted and beloved men, so we must bear in mind that he may hold a grudge over this particular incident."
The minister of war said without mincing his words and giving his ruler all the information he needed to make a decision, and was a major reason why the emperor liked his minister of war so much.
"He's the best we have for now, and at least there is no going back for him. He's tied to Flavius and the imperial family now whether he likes it or not."
The emperor said ruthlessly, making the decision of Lucius' successor final before asking a question that had been vexing him for a long time.
"So, do we know yet who created such a scheme?"
"Until now, the two princes had been in a deadlock, so I want to know who gave him this strategy to become crown prince."
"We do know, Vice Count Lorenzo Martínez, a man who has recently gained his title and is sworn to Duke Marac Leomus and, as such, joined the faction of his liege in supporting Flavius. Though it would appear that the duke's son Lindorus had nothing to do with the plot to murder Victarion and frame Lucius for treason, which is surprising as I thought he and Lucius had been on bad terms since the Battle of Brunag."
The minister of war said his information gathering was as terrifying as ever. Many people wondered how this man seemed to know everything that everyone was doing at all times, making him an object of fear within the Chavarian imperial court. After all, what was unknown to many of the nobles was that almost every crime they had done or tried to cover up was discovered and documented by this genius who used them for various political purposes.
The only reason that Cassius could even make his kill list of scheming greedy nobles was that the minister of war had somehow documented all of their crimes, which the Emperor of Chavaria could use in a variety of ways to eliminate or win over these people to his side while keeping their crimes like a Sword of Damocles over their heads to make sure they toe the emperor's line.
A secret that only they and a select few politically astute courtiers knew about until many of these cunning criminals' crimes were exposed by the emperor and historians looked into it in detail was that it was the use of this information to threaten and blackmail various nobles that led to the Chavarian court being so stable over the years as neither would talk about the crimes of these noble families as long as they towed the emperor and minister of wars line.
It is also why almost everything the emperor and minister of war wanted to get through the imperial court was passed without many objections from powerful nobles, as many were caught in the minister of war's web of intrigue.
At least half of the court was under the minister of wars influence, which would alarm most rulers as having such a talented person like Amulius, who was a grandmaster at both swordsmanship and strategy who also had high respect in the military, was a massive potential threat to the ruler's power as many changes in a nations ruling dynasty come from someone who has more military power than their current ruler using it to get others on his side before usurping the throne and becoming king or emperor themselves.
A brief look into history is all one needs to do to discover this is true.
Li Yuan, the first emperor of the Tang dynasty, used his military and political power alongside a child puppet emperor to gain power before usurping the Sui Dynasty and establishing the Tang eventually killing the child he made emperor to strengthen his dynasty's claim and prevent anyone from trying to restore the child to his previously held throne.
Cao Pi used the political and military power built up by his father, Cao Cao, to usurp the Han Dynasty to establish Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. While in England during the War of the Roses, many kings were usurped over the years after power constantly shifted between the two houses of Lancaster and York until Henry VII founded the Tudor Dynasty by uniting the two by marriage and ending the decades-long struggle for power between the two competing families after defeating Richerd III at the Battle of Bosworth.
To put it simply, for most rulers, it is never a good idea to allow one person or family at court to gain too much power to the point that they can overwhelm yours, for few can stop themselves from indulging in the sweet whine of power after a few sips as it slowly corrupts their souls and that of their descendants like a slow poison decaying the morals one holds until they barely recognise themselves.
Even while knowing this, people still drink from the corrupted chalice of power. Some addicted to the sweet nectar within drink more to fill their undying thirst, becoming tyrants as they bask in their newfound power, spreading misery amongst their disheartened subjects.
While others drink sparingly to prevent the corruption from taking hold, becoming benevolent rulers, but if these people are not careful, the decay will slowly break them down as they become weary in their old age, unable to control things as well as they once did as their vassals with poor characters expand their influence.
However, even considering this, the emperor had complete trust in the minister of war, for this man owed him everything, and if the man really wanted to rebel, he could have done so and taken over the empire long ago.
"I'll meet that vice count later, and after doing so, I'll decide how to deal with him. Which reminds me."
"We have both been drinking from the same chalice of power, and it seems that in a moment of weakness, its corruption had led me astray this one time. So, I have always been curious…."
The emperor said, taking a deep breath before approaching a subject that had bothered him over the 20 years that these two men had worked together to build and maintain an empire.
"Why did you never try to rebel and take the throne for yourself?"
"You have arguably been the most powerful person in Chavaria for the last 10 years but have never made a move for our throne."
"Why?"
The emperor asked his old friend in an interested tone, for this had been something that had eluded him for years as many times he had kept track of and tested this loyal minister of his, trying to find any semblance of power lust in him and every time the minister of war had passed the test with flying colours.
"The chalice of power only corrupts when one uses power for selfish reasons not in the interest of the people as your pure intentions destroys the decay present in the drink."
"For example, your need to keep your dynasty in power led you to falsely accuse your most trusted general and his family to death, angering many people in the military who admire him."
"Also, Your Majesty, the position of king is a precarious one. Instead of being a king who will be killed if their nation is conquered, it is better to be a powerful, loyal family with respect and is likely to be recruited by the new regime to ensure stability in their realm than a king of nothing waiting to be executed and killed by assassins.
The minister for war said before returning to scolding the emperor for his poor handling of the situation.
"What is worse is that it is obvious why you did it, while some more insightful people understand that Flavius is perhaps our last option for a ruler that will not trigger a civil war as such, while your support will wane slightly, it will not disappear as the more intelligent and logical officers understand your majesties reasoning. For while the 6th Prince Tiberius is the most intelligent of your majesties' children, his disabled legs due to an accident when he was young that paralysed him below the waist will lead to many thinking he is weak if he is to become emperor. This will likely lead to many rebellions and maybe even civil war and for a fledgling empire like ours…."
"A large-scale civil war will almost certainly lead to its collapse as all they will have to do is wait for me to die and then strike! After all, I am only human and only have about 20 years left in my ageing body max, though it will likely be less."
The minister of war explained. If the emperor of Chavaria had instead managed to successfully frame someone or go after someone who did not have such a reputation for loyalty and integrity, then it would have been much easier to paint them in a bad light.
"But considering your situation, I understand your concerns and why you did what you did. It's just that it truly disheartens me."
The minister of war said, a bit depressed, as Amulius, Lucius, and Drusus had formed a very close bond over the years, becoming the three blades of the emperor who helped him forge an empire.
"There were your protégées, were they not."
The emperor said with empathy as he, of all people, knew how close the three were. To him, it was surprising that the minister of war, who still held the fallen imperial guard's sword in his hand was so calm about the death of Lucius.
"Drusus and Lucius both grew up under your command and shared your sense of loyalty and integrity. Even after all these years, you still haven't found one crime or problem committed by either of them."
"It was why I trusted Lucius to protect Victarion from assassins but didn't expect Flavius to mobilise thousands of troops belonging to various noble families to kill his brother, leading to his unfortunate death."
The emperor said, regretting that he did not keep a closer eye on his son Flavius, who left the capital for a 'hunting trip' saying he was confident of catching his prey.
How could the emperor know that Flavius' prey would be his own brother, Victarion?
"I'm sorry, Amulius, I truly am."
The emperor said as he looked at his old friend, who had never been so depressed before. Even when a court session went terribly wrong, instead of getting frustrated or annoyed, the genius joyfully devised plans to overturn the situation, so this deflated attitude is very unlike the boisterous Chavarian minister of war and worried the emperor.
"It's my fault, too. I should have paid more attention to the nobles and their troop's movements."
The minister of war said for the ageing minister was as much to blame for the empire's predicament as the king was, but it also showed the trust they had in Lucius and his capabilities, believing that no one would dare to try to fight one of the two grandmaster strategists in the empire with the other being the dark-skinned man now standing in front of the empire.
After lamenting for a few seconds, the minister of war then went on to talk about one other possible consequence of the emperor's actions as the death of the empire's most prestigious generals and the fall of his house would have a significant effect on the power structure of the empire.
"While our imperial armies will remain quiet thanks to me, we must be wary of potential rebellions in the kingdoms Nadron and Plureus."
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