I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 688 The Great Luo Dynasty's Three-Step Turnaround Strategy! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

The capital city of the Great Luo Dynasty, the imperial palace, was in complete disarray.

Ivan learned of the humiliation suffered by his ancestor Romanov in the capital of Tian Ce.
After being ignored for seven days, and then being ruthlessly rejected and sent back by Li Chen as if he were reprimanding a subordinate, the anger that had been building up for days finally exploded.

Precious porcelain fragments, scattered memorials, and overturned desks were scattered throughout the imperial study.

"Calm down? You all tell me to calm down!" Ivan roared, his eyes bloodshot, pointing at the silent ministers below like a trapped beast.

"That Li Chen defecated and urinated on my head, humiliating my ancestors! How can you expect me to remain calm?! Why don't you all become emperor yourselves?!"

The violent aura of a Saint Realm expert spread uncontrollably, forcing the officials to prostrate themselves on the ground, trembling all over, not daring to even breathe, for fear of becoming victims of the emperor's wrath.

Everyone could see that Ivan was truly enraged this time. His imperial dignity had been trampled on time and time again, which had crossed his bottom line.

Just as tensions were rising, an old and composed figure appeared silently at the entrance of the hall. It was none other than Patriarch Romanov, who had just returned from the south.

He glanced at the chaotic scene inside the hall, frowned slightly, and coughed softly.

As if doused with cold water, Ivan's violent aura immediately froze.

He could lash out at his ministers, but in front of the patriarch, he still retained a degree of awe.

He forcibly suppressed his anger, his voice still filled with barely suppressed resentment: "Ancestor! You saw it all? That Li Chen is going too far! He simply doesn't put my Great Luo in his eyes!"

Romanov slowly walked into the hall, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, signaling them to step back for the time being.

After everyone left as if they had been granted a pardon, he sighed, his voice tinged with weariness and helplessness: "Grandson, I understand your anger. Li Chen is indeed arrogant and irreconcilable with my Great Luo."
But circumstances are beyond our control. His Tian Ce army is currently at its peak, internally united, while our country is beset by internal rebellion by Sergei and threatened from the north by the Witch Ancestor. We are facing enemies on three sides. To completely break with Tian Ce now would be tantamount to suicide.

Ivan clenched his fists in frustration, his nails digging deep into his palms: "Then what are we supposed to do? Are we really going to follow that bastard Li Chen's orders and capture Tuoba Zhen and Andrei? That's an impossible mission!"

“Hmph,” Romanov sneered, a fierce glint in his eyes, “Even if we really succeed, do you think Li Chen will let it go? He’s just making an excuse. This man is ambitious and will never be satisfied with just two scapegoats.”

The two fell into a brief silence, the air thick with oppression and despair.

After a long silence, Romanov spoke again, his voice low but resolute: "The only course of action now is to make a tough decision, compromise first, and stabilize the most pressing threat."

“Compromise? Compromise with whom?” Ivan looked up abruptly.

“Witch Ancestor.” Romanov uttered two words, and seeing Ivan’s face turn ugly in an instant, he continued, “I know you are unwilling, but what is temporary humiliation compared to the destruction of the country?”
The ancestral sorcerer desires recognition and status. We will grant him that! According to his request, you must issue an edict of self-reproach, taking responsibility for instigating border conflicts and framing the loyal minister Andrei, then abdicate and pass the throne to a worthy successor, a prince.

"What?! Abdication?!" Ivan nearly jumped up; this was worse than death for him!
"This is the only way to temporarily appease the Witch Ancestor, and perhaps even win him over!" Romanov emphasized.

"Think of the Eternal Day Empire! Their imperial and divine powers have been separated for hundreds of years, yet they are still a powerful empire. If we continue to oppose the Witch Ancestor, even this country may cease to exist! Only by stabilizing the Witch Ancestor can we concentrate our efforts on dealing with other internal and external troubles!" Ivan's face was deathly pale, his chest heaving violently. Finally, as if all his strength had been drained, he slumped down amidst the mess. He understood that what the ancestor was saying was a cruel reality.

Faced with the threat of national subjugation and annihilation, personal honor, disgrace, and power seem so insignificant.

"Very well, I will do as the Ancestor says." These words seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

Seeing that he agreed, Romanov felt somewhat relieved and continued, "The second step is to appease Sergei. His banner of rebellion is to seek justice for his father, Andrei. After the new emperor ascends the throne, his first task will be to exonerate Grand General Andrei and restore his reputation."

In this way, Sergei would lose the justification for continuing his rebellion, at least weakening the morale of some of his followers and hindering his offensive.

In the end, Ivan was the one who had to take the blame for "framing a loyal and virtuous person."

Ivan closed his eyes and nodded resignedly.

He knew this was the necessary price to pay to quell the internal strife.

"Finally," a glint of light flashed in Romanov's eyes, "is how to deal with Tian Ce. Li Chen wants to annex our Great Luo, but we will not let him have his way! We will use the terrain and the remaining border defenses to set up defenses layer by layer, resisting step by step, making sure that Tian Ce's army pays a heavy price for every step they take, making it impossible for them to advance an inch!"
As long as Tian Ce fails to make decisive progress on the battlefield for an extended period and incurs heavy losses, anti-war sentiment will inevitably arise within the country. At that time, we might seek another opportunity to negotiate with Tian Ce, even at the cost of some border territory, to secure a ceasefire and gain a respite.

He looked at Ivan, his tone grave: "Once the external pressure eases, we will be able to unleash our full power to quell the internal rebellion first, and then consolidate our forces! Today's humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!"

Romanov's strategy of "cutting off his own flesh to feed the tiger and cutting off his tail to survive" made the most of their current disadvantages, but it also made Ivan feel extremely humiliated and uncomfortable.

How humiliating it must be for a monarch to be forced to issue an edict of self-reproach, abdicate, and bear the infamy of a worthy successor!

However, looking around, he was overwhelmed by internal and external troubles, and he sadly realized that this was indeed the only way for the Great Luo Dynasty to prolong its existence.

He was truly an unprecedentedly pathetic emperor.

It can be said that the series of strategies proposed by the patriarch Romanov are the most conceivable solutions to stabilize the situation and secure a glimmer of hope for the Great Luo Dynasty under the current desperate circumstances.

Despite the humiliation, it was the reality.

Ivan's face turned ashen. He remained silent for a long while before remembering another problem. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "What about Tuoba Zhen? This ungrateful wolf, are we just going to let him roam free and do nothing about it?"

A flicker of disgust crossed Romanov's eyes, but his tone remained calm: "Tuoba Zhen is a treacherous and treacherous man, and he certainly deserves to die. But he is ultimately a stray dog ​​from elsewhere, with no roots in the Great Luo. Now he has even left on his own to wreak havoc on those small western countries."

If we attack him now, it will only divert our already strained resources and might even push him into a desperate act, leading him to collude with Sergei or Tian Ce, creating unnecessary complications. Let him be for now; we can deal with him after we stabilize our internal situation and consolidate our forces.”

(End of this chapter)