Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 514 Rebuilding the Nation (The End)
Kai Morland stood frozen in place, staring blankly as the Blood Wolf approached him. It wasn't until the two were only a few steps apart that he snapped out of his daze, hurriedly taking a few steps back and awkwardly stepping aside from the judge's seat.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthias Korwin, who was not far away, clearly observed that Kai Morland's face no longer showed the confident look he had before, but instead revealed surprise and astonishment.

This left Lieutenant Colonel Matthias Korwin filled with doubt.

Meanwhile, Winters stood in the dock.

All eyes were on him, and a massive amount of collective emotion surged toward him. The people under the dome were confused, surprised, bewildered, and annoyed. Winters was already very adept at dealing with this challenge.

He surveyed the Great Council without fear, and every free person who met his gaze instinctively avoided his eyes.

"Gentlemen," Winters' clear and powerful voice echoed throughout every corner of the Great Council, "please allow me to first make two responses to the allegations made by Mr. Kai Morland."

"First, it was not me who joined Colonel Gaisa Adonis, Colonel Skul Mekren, and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias Korwin."

Winters glanced at Kai Morland: "They joined me."

"Secondly, I swear allegiance only to the Union Charter and the people. When the New Reclamation Legion betrays the Charter and the people," Winters said firmly, "the New Reclamation Legion will also betray me."

After he finished speaking, the Great Council Chamber was so quiet that one could hear the sound of sweat dripping from the Freeman's face.

Gaisa Adonis was furious, but he couldn't refute her.

Colonel Skull looked at Kai Morland, then at Winters Montagne, and asked with great interest, "Captain Montagne, do you oppose Kai Morland's proposal?"

“Yes,” Winters replied politely and respectfully, “I object to swearing allegiance to the General Assembly of Free Men!”

Upon hearing Winters' reply, Kai Morland turned pale.

"Why?" He took a step forward, clenched his fists, and forced a sharp sound through his teeth: "We had an agreement..."

Kai Morland's voice was so soft that only he and Winters could hear it, but Winters's reply was directed at everyone in the Great Council.

“I promised to reaffirm my oath to the rightful representatives of the newly reclaimed lands.” Winters scanned the faces in the Great Council, his gaze sharp as a blade: “But you, my fellow free men…”

Winters angrily demanded, "Do you really think you're qualified to represent all the people of the newly reclaimed land?!"

"...on behalf of all the people of the newly reclaimed land..."

"...the entire people..."

"……people……"

The echoes reverberated through the pillars and dome of the Great Council Hall.

Winters' question was like a cannonball fired into a powder keg, igniting the emotions of the free men.

At first, I was taken aback—what was he saying?
Then came anger—what was he saying?!

Finally, resentment flooded his mind—what was he saying…

The humiliated free men stared at the Blood of Wolves with resentment. They dared not make a sound or take any action, but they kept their eyes fixed on the Blood of Wolves.

Gaisa Adonis, Skul Mekren, Matthias Korwin, and their men were also astonished.

While it is true that the officers looked down on the opportunistic freemen of the newly established lands, publicly humiliating them at a general assembly of freemen was not only unnecessary and unjustified, but could even be seen as a form of political suicide.

Even Kai Morland, forgetting that he had just been tricked by Winters, hurriedly took small steps to move behind Winters, and tried his best to squeeze out the words through clenched teeth without moving his lips: "What are you doing, Your Excellency Montagne..."

However, Winters was far from finished speaking.

He gestured towards the main gate, and Charles, who was waiting, immediately left the Great Council Hall through the side door next to the main gate.

Just as everyone was wondering what kind of pantomime Wolf Blood and his men were performing, the main door of the Grand Council Hall, which had been closed since the previous ceremony to mourn the fallen, suddenly opened a crack.

Light streamed through the gaps onto the passageway, extending all the way to the central area of ​​the Great Council Hall.

The door opened wider and wider until it was about two feet wide, and a person walked in through the light.

The person walked very carefully and timidly, as if afraid of damaging the granite slabs paving the path.

Only after this person had fully entered the main council hall did the free people in the hall see his face clearly, and they were greatly disappointed.

It turned out that the person who walked in was just an old man, an old man you could see anywhere in the fields—thin, hunchbacked, his forehead and arms were tanned dark red, and the wrinkles on his face were so deep they looked like they had been chiseled out, with black deposits that could never be washed away.

What's most striking are his hands, hands altered by years of arduous labor. His knuckles are swollen and twisted, his palms and fingertips are covered in calluses, and his nails are almost worn down.

Compared to the generally pampered and free people, this old man was pitifully poor and pitifully ordinary.

Realizing he was being stared at by everyone in the room, the old man instinctively tried to retreat outside.

Seeing this, Winters strode to the entrance of the Great Council Hall. Upon seeing "Lord Montagne" appear, the old man no longer considered running away.

Winters bowed to greet the old man, took his arm, and led him to the center of the hall.

The old man kept his shoulders hunched and head down the whole time, avoiding the gazes from all around him.

Whether they were free agents or officers, they all frowned, wondering what Blood Wolf was up to.

Winters, however, paid no attention to what others thought, and proudly introduced the old man to everyone in the Great Council:
"Please allow me to introduce you. This is Sashka Galanza, the representative of Hongling Village in Niuti Valley, who was elected by the twenty-four households of Hongling Village. Mr. Sashka once transported military supplies and ammunition for our army during the battle at Huiliu River to block the Teldun people, and even beheaded an enemy!"

The free men from outside Iron Peak County looked at each other, confused. They had heard it, but they didn't understand what Blood Wolf was saying at all.

However, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the seating area for the officers of Iron Peak County.

A loud and powerful voice shouted: "Long live Mr. Sashka!"

“Uukhai!”

“Uukhai!!”

“Uukhai!!!”

Hearing the applause and cheers, the old man raised his head in the direction of the sound, tears welling up in his sunken eyes. Surrounded by landlords and gentry from all over the newly reclaimed land, the old man slowly straightened his back.

Immediately afterwards, a second person walked in through the main entrance of the Great Council.

The second person was a burly middle-aged man with a strong and powerful gait, bulging muscles in his arms, and bright, piercing eyes. Without needing anyone to lead him, the middle-aged man strode confidently into the venue.

"Please allow me to introduce him. This is Sossell Tann, one of the representatives of Forge Township, elected by eleven households in Forge Township..."

One by one, representatives from Iron Peak County walked in, and Winters introduced them one by one. The free people present became increasingly numb, and they even began to admire Blood Wolf's memory—it was incredible that someone could remember so many names, so many places of origin, and so many deeds.

Until the last representative—Atley from the Wolftown refugee farm—entered the Great Council, Bard stood outside the Great Council and exchanged a glance with Winters.

Bud smiled and nodded, and then the door closed again.

People of all kinds from Tiefeng County stood in the center of the venue, occupying most of the open space.

If we were to allow them to sit in the seating area, we would need at least two Iron Peak districts in size.

"The people I just introduced to you are the representatives of all the people in Tiefeng County who are not free and are not qualified to participate in this conference."

Winters proudly proclaimed to all the free men of the newly established land: “Each of them represents dozens, or even hundreds. They come from all walks of life, from miners to blacksmiths, from farmers to traveling merchants. They labor in the fields, in the mines, in the logging camps. They shed their blood in the Great Wilderness, in Iron Peak County, in the Valley Village.”

Although Blood Wolf stood at a low position, the free people on the tiered seats felt as if they were being looked down upon.

"They are the true and legitimate representatives of all the people of the newly reclaimed land. And you..."

Winters pointed at the people in their seats, ruthlessly tearing away the veneer of decency they wore:

“You respectable gentlemen who are called ‘free men’ were political pariahs under the old New Reclamation Corps system and had no freedom whatsoever.”

"You have no power either. The old New Reclamation Legion treats you as rubber stamps, only using you when they want to."

All you have is wealth.

"But even this one thing you have is completely unprotected. The old New Reclamation Legion does not respect your property rights; they have countless ways to squeeze every last drop out of you."

“Without the labor of ‘non-free people,’ your wealth is equally meaningless.”

Winters Montagne's words were like heavy hammer blows, striking all the free men of the newly reclaimed lands, making their chests feel tight, their throats feel choked, and their mouths feel bitter. They were filled with grief and helplessness, resentment and admiration.

“I am not the successor to the old New Reclamation Corps system. I respect your property rights and your right to participate in society.” Finally, Winters concluded: “You are part of the people, but you have no right to represent the entire people—make me swear allegiance to you? Dream on!”

Kai Morland witnessed the whole thing and felt a chill run down his spine.

Winters stepped onto the dock and bowed gracefully to Skul Mecklenburg.

“Your Excellency Skull, please allow me to present my proposal,” Winters said slowly. “I propose that the ‘General Assembly of All Free People’ be reorganized into a ‘National Assembly,’ so that this nominal supreme authority of the Republic can truly represent the people of the Republic.”

Winters then turned and looked in another direction. This time, he wasn't speaking to Colonel Skull, but to the officers and freemen: "And I hereby declare that unless the 'General Assembly of Freemen' is reorganized into the 'National Assembly,' Iron Peak County and Vaughan County will never bow down and swear an oath to any so-called 'legitimate representative of the Republic'!"

This time, the booming voice from the officers' seating area of ​​Iron Peak County roared at double the volume: "Long live His Excellency Montagne!"

“Uukhai!!!”

"Uukhai!!!!!!"

"Uukhai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The Iron Peak County officers responded with such fervor that it even surpassed the earlier chorus of the newly established freemen.

Colonel Skull calmly surveyed the area, then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, "Let's vote then."

He tapped the gavel: "Who agrees to Lord Winters Montagne's proposal?"

“AYE!!!!!”

“AYE!!!!!!”

“AYE!!!!!!!”

Waves of sound erupted from the seating area of ​​the Iron Peak County officers.

Skull smiled and asked again, "Who objects?"

The newly established council hall was completely silent.

……

……

Maplestone City
[The Mikesh family's mansion]
Old Mikesh poured himself a drink with trembling hands, shaking his head incessantly.
"What skill! What a skill! He openly watered down the wine and managed to subdue all the free people in the newly reclaimed land."

Old Mikesh's eldest son—a burly middle-aged man—said indignantly, "What reorganization of the National Assembly? Aren't those newly shoved representatives just puppets of the army? Now the Free People's Congress is just a decoration again."

“Even if the wine isn’t watered down, the General Assembly of Free People will be a mere formality. There are too many people; nothing can be accomplished.” Kai Morland sank into his chair, pulling at his hair as he muttered to himself, “Power naturally tends to concentrate, and real power will always be in the hands of a few. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be the so-called Supreme Council—the six counties and one city. They should leave the vote for Maplestone City to us.”

Old Mikesh's eldest son impatiently shooed away the maid who came to help him take off his boots, saying gruffly, "What good is one vote? They're clearly just going through the motions. There are seven votes in total, and they've taken six—two from Blood Wolf, two from Baldy, one from Skul, and one from Lord Matthias. As long as two of the three parties reach a consensus, it doesn't matter who we vote for!"

"This is the best we could get. We still have a vote on the Supreme Council, don't we?" Kai Morland straightened up, rallied his spirits, and reassured the old Mikesh father and son.
"Moreover, they are bound by the Separation Act, and as long as they still want to lead troops, they cannot enter the National Assembly. And why do you think Skul Mekren and Matthias Korwin are willing to accept only one vote each? Although their strength has been greatly diminished, their status is equal to the other two. I suspect there must be a hidden reason. Our vote will definitely be of great use, and I will show you."

"I hope so," old Mikesh sighed.

The old man slowly lay down on the recliner by the window and sighed deeply: "The world is in a mess... If I had a choice, I would rather go back to the time when General Adams was in charge of the new land than take this vote."

“Yes.” Kai Morland poured himself a glass of wine, gazing at the dark red liquid, and remarked:

"And what they said is right. These so-called free men, and this so-called free men's assembly, have absolutely no ability to fight for Plato, no will to fight for Plato, and not even the desire to fight for Plato."

"Whoever comes, the free men will all be their subjects. Whoever has the biggest fist, the free men will be their subjects. If the Free Men's Assembly really comes to power, it will really be a boon for the mud-brick men of the United Provinces."

"Only they are the defenders of the Republic. From infancy, they are forged until they are ultimately molded into weapons of the Union and the Republic."

"They have a stronger sense of ownership than free people; they not only have the passion to protect the republic, but also the passion to transform it..."

Mikael said discontentedly, "Lord Kai Morland, how can you boost others' morale while diminishing your own?"

“Just the truth.” Kai Morland smiled. “In fact, I resonate with them more than with free men.”

After a moment of silence, Kai Morland said quietly, "They loved Plato more than we did, and all the tragedies of the First Republic stemmed from it."

Old Mikesh fell silent upon hearing this.

Xiaomi Kesh scratched his head, looking troubled, and said, "However, you caused them a lot of trouble today. It doesn't matter to others, but that bald guy is petty. I'm afraid your days won't be easy from now on."

Kai Morland shook his head and said with a smile:
"It doesn't matter, what I want to do is not to eliminate them, but to help them;"

"What I want to do is not to deny their love for their motherland, but to make more free people love their motherland as much as they do."

"If they can truly keep their promise, then it doesn't matter whether it's us or them. Lord Gaisa Adonis, in the end, won't take my life."

Seeing that Kai Morland had already made up his mind, Mikaish didn't say anything more. But thinking about how he had almost succeeded today, he was still filled with regret: "Sigh, so close. So close, we could have gotten it done."

“No,” Kai Morland said surprisingly, “I actually think it’s best this way.”

Xiaomi Kesh was puzzled.

Kai Morland patiently explained, “It takes a week to learn how to use a musket, and a year to learn how to use a saber. Power is more dangerous than muskets and swords. To easily let free people taste power is like handing a flintlock pistol to a child. Power given as charity will only be abused. Only power earned by one’s own hands will be used properly. In any case, we have preserved the seeds of constitutionalism. The next step is to patiently water them and wait for them to sprout and grow.”

“Constitutionalism? I'd be grateful if they just stopped bothering us.” Mikashi scoffed. “What are you planning to do next?”

"Next, I plan to run for the position of 'Speaker'."

"Huh?" Xiaomi Kesh asked in surprise, "According to them, isn't that speaker just a figurehead?"

Kai Morland said confidently, "Trust me, the right person in the right position will have a remarkable effect."

Mikael smiled and poured himself another glass of wine: "My father and I will definitely give you our full support."

“I am deeply grateful.” Kai Morland clinked glasses with Mikaish, pondered for a moment, and sincerely offered a toast: “May the Fourth Republic prosper and flourish forever.”

He then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

……

……

[Officers' Housing Area]
[Colonel Gaisa Adonis's Residence]
“In my opinion, if we follow Winters Montagne’s approach,” Skul Mecklen rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, “we might actually be able to create something that, to some extent, reflects the will of the entire population of the newly reclaimed land.”

"Get things done? Get things done my ass! The more people there are, the less likely we are to get anything done!" Gaisa gritted his teeth. "Just you wait, when I get back to White Mountain County, I'll find a thousand or eight hundred people and fill that damn council to bursting! I'll make sure they don't even have a place to sit, they'll all be standing for the whole meeting!"

Skul Mekren rubbed his forehead, too lazy to say anything more.

Perhaps Gaisa is right: the more people involved in a decision-making process, the less likely it is to be effective.

However, if someone can get a consensus within a behemoth that represents all the people of the newly reclaimed land to some extent, it will mobilize unimaginable power.

……

Maplestone City
[City Square]
Banners obscured the sun, and drums and horns sounded in unison.

All the musicians and military flags in Maplestone City were brought in to put on a show.

In the presence of the entire square's citizens, soldiers from Tiefeng County, Baishan County, Leiqun County, and Bianjiang County—the troops stationed in Maplestone City—marched into the square.

They laid down their weapons at the entrance and exit of the square, then walked empty-handed to the Great Council Hall, where they took a collective oath under the traditional Platonic Cross quadrant flag. After that, they turned around and went back to the entrance and exit to retrieve their weapons.

As the messenger spread the news throughout the newly reclaimed land, similar ceremonies would be held at each post, but they would never be as grand or witnessed by as many people.

"Is this necessary? What's the point?" Mason looked at the scene before him and chuckled, "Making such a big fuss is a shameful waste!"

Winters remained noncommittal, but Bard, standing to the side, nodded seriously.

“I thought you would appreciate the virtue of thrift even more than I do,” Mason joked.

“It has no meaning for the present; but it is of great significance for the future,” Bard said softly. “Because this ceremony is not for us, but for our successors, for future generations. It is a sacred moment, and from now on, when people remember this day, they will say that the army of the new republic was born at this moment.”

Upon hearing this, Mason took a closer look at the chaotic scene as the soldiers retrieved their weapons, and couldn't see any connection between it and the word "sacred".

“Heh.” Senior Mason couldn’t help but laugh: “Then I hope that when people paint a commemorative portrait in the future, they can paint me even more handsome, and it would be even better if they could draw me an inch taller.”

Bard spurred his horse slightly and headed toward the entrance to the town square, with Winters tapping his stirrup as he followed.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Mason asked, a little flustered.

Winters explained, "This might be Bard's last day in uniform, and I'm accompanying him through the ceremony. Aren't you coming, senior?"

"Hmph." Mason crossed his arms. "I'm too lazy for this kind of formalism."

Winters turned to chase after Bard.

"Oh, right." Mason suddenly remembered something and shouted at Winters' retreating figure, "Have you decided how to name this army?"

"What else could we call it?" Winters gave a dashing salute and laughed heartily. "The army of the New Republic—of course, it's called the 'New Army'!"

[Orz]