I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 288 The Curtain Falls

William intends to position MI5 as the Empire's highest intelligence agency.
Upon realizing William's purpose, Wolf's face instantly turned extremely gloomy.

Only then did he realize that William had deliberately mentioned the so-called Baron Ian and the true purpose of MI5.

First, given the previous accidental leak of imperial intelligence that led to the defeat in the war, the other side's proposal to reorganize the existing imperial intelligence agencies and enhance intelligence security already had the moral high ground. Even he could not refuse, but could only agree, otherwise it would confirm that the intelligence leak was related to the conservative party.

Secondly, after MI5 was designated as the highest intelligence agency in the country, it meant that MI5 would no longer be limited to serving only the emperor, but would instead serve the entire empire.

The focus shifted from the monarch's attempt to seize intelligence to the entire upper echelons of the empire. In order to avoid the reduction of the size of their own intelligence agencies and to expand the authority of their own intelligence agencies, after the establishment of the Fifth Military Intelligence Bureau, countless nobles will inevitably rush to send their subordinates to join the Fifth Military Intelligence Bureau and try to take up positions in this new agency.

This means that the conflict over intelligence rights has shifted from partisan struggles to the plunder of power.

The three most important forces among them are the Empire's navy, army, and air force.

As Ostan, who held supreme power over the Imperial Navy, it goes without saying that he would definitely support William's proposal.

Duke Mosilis, as the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, although his party affiliation was similar to that of the Conservatives, had never lost his ambition to seize the throne. If someone could be given control of one-third of the authority of MI5, it would be of unprecedented help to both the increase of the army's strength and the opponent's ambition.

In addition, Wolff and Duke Mosilis recently had a disagreement over the creation of a giant ground war machine. If William were to announce this, Wolff could predict without a doubt that the other party would agree and try to gain more benefits in the division of power within MI5.

Finally, the establishment of the new intelligence agency will also allow William to successfully win the support of a group of neutral forces. If the conservatives do not choose to participate in the power division of MI5, William will probably not only not be disappointed, but will be very happy about it.

This is because it means that the conservatives will be completely kicked out of the core of intelligence authority in the future as MI5 continues to expand and controls the core intelligence of the Empire, ultimately losing their own initiative and becoming blind to the truth.

It killed three birds with one stone, without setting any traps; on the contrary, it was a blatant and open conspiracy.

One can only say that he is indeed a disciple he taught.

Although their ideologies are contradictory, this decisiveness and ruthlessness are perhaps even greater than my own back then...

Wolfe's mind raced as he analyzed everything, his azure eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Before Ostan could raise his hand in agreement, he slowly addressed William, who was seated at the head of the table:

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that this matter needs to be discussed."

"Hmm? Does Prime Minister Wolf think that the Empire's flawed intelligence system doesn't need to be overhauled?"

William looked at Wolf with a forced smile, but an unprecedented surge of murderous intent and rage welled up inside him. He then tapped the coffee table in front of him with his finger, his voice chillingly cold:
"The Winter Wolf Legion was defeated in the North due to an intelligence leak, and Walden on the Western Front was besieged because it failed to obtain the enemy's specific troop strength in advance. Even our supply routes were seized by the enemy. If it weren't for Lieutenant General John, who was new to the battlefield, seeing through the enemy's ambush plan at that time, the Western Front would probably have ended in the same disastrous defeat as the war in the North."

"The recently concluded Gulf War in the southern Falken was no exception. If it weren't for Lieutenant General John persuading the Eye of Truth intelligence to provide assistance, our army wouldn't have even known that the Allied forces had sent two army groups to try to retake Falken, let alone that the enemy would send a total of 241 warships!"

"With the loss of intelligence advantage, our army can only passively take the beating. Even if Lieutenant General John is a genius, this battle will inevitably end in the defeat of the Empire."

"As for the eastern front..."

As if struck by a sudden thought, a mocking sneer appeared on William's face, his tone dripping with sarcasm:
"Under Marshal Lucius Caster's command, there has been no rout on the Eastern Front. However, this stability is based on the large-scale deployment of magic troops. The annual military expenditure of the Second Air Army alone already accounts for one-third of the Empire's military funds, with high-energy magic stones accounting for as much as 70% of that!"

"Most importantly, this is only the situation with the Second Air Force Group stationed here. If the First Air Force Group is also deployed to be stationed here, the military expenditure will at least double!"

"Oh!"

At this point, even William's usually calm face was filled with anger. He slammed his hand on the table, and his gaze towards Wolfe could no longer conceal the rage in his heart.
"But what will be the result of such a massive expenditure of imperial funds, my dear Prime Minister Wolf?"

"no!"

"Nothing at all!"

"Resources, land, people, mineral veins—everything was destroyed by that damned explosive magic!"

"Even so, the Second Air Force Group stationed on the eastern front still faces the risk of enemy troops infiltrating their positions and launching suicide attacks, which has brought the economy of the territory they are stationed in to a standstill!"

"In the face of this damned, weak, utterly useless intelligence network, looser than a prostitute's belt, you actually dare to tell me that these rubbish don't need to be fixed?"

"How dare you say such things to me?!"

"..."

Seeing William's fury, Wolf did not answer immediately.

He knew his disciple too well and naturally understood that the king's outburst of rage was merely a facade, intended to put him in a difficult position.

However, given the determination shown by the other side and the current development of the situation, Wolf has realized that MI5 becoming the Empire's highest intelligence agency is a foregone conclusion.

Otherwise, under the pressure of righteousness, in order to avoid their family being branded with shame, the only outcome awaiting the Caster family would be a coup, confirming their status as usurpers.

This led to the complete disintegration of the empire.

Therefore, even though he was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to comply.

Thinking this, Wolff slowly suppressed his emotions, calmly gazing at the 'furious' king before him, and uttered the words the other had anticipated:

"Your Majesty misunderstands. I wholeheartedly agree with the reform of the Imperial Intelligence Agency. After all, the leakage of intelligence has caused the Empire to lose too many opportunities in the war. Therefore, it is indeed a wise move to reform some useless and corrupt officials and entrust intelligence management to more suitable talents."

"Oh? Is that what Prime Minister Wolf meant? And what were you just now?"

"My statement that this old minister's opinion is open to discussion is because I feel that the job assignments for MI5 have been somewhat hasty!"

Meeting William's flickering gaze, Wolf didn't hide his thoughts any longer and directly presented his conditions to the monarch:

"As a soldier, Baron Ian's ability to assist the Third Navy in turning the tide of battle in Faoken Bay is indeed commendable, but intelligence management and combat are different and require more specialized personnel."

"Therefore, I personally believe that the personnel arrangements in MI5 need to be reconsidered."

"And it would be best to have the discussion in the form of a parliament, so as to demonstrate the empire's reputation for talent selection and to satisfy the imperial high command."

"Furthermore, excessive concentration of power can reduce work efficiency and make it easy for organizations that should be running smoothly and have great development potential to make mistakes due to the misjudgment of those in charge." "Therefore, I suggest that MI5 abolish its original separate intelligence systems corresponding to the army, navy, and air force, and in accordance with the Empire's overall system of separation of powers, in addition to the Executive Directorate which oversees operations, establish an Inspectorate and Compliance Directorate and a Strategic Analysis and Strategic Assessment Directorate, integrating the intelligence systems of the three armed forces into each department, with each department having its own subordinate departments, thereby demonstrating cooperation."

"This would not only improve efficiency but also ensure that power is not abused. What does Your Majesty think?"

"..."

Upon hearing Wolf's idea of ​​dividing responsibilities, William immediately understood that the other party had realized that the general trend was irreversible and had chosen to further clarify the future ownership of power among the three parties in this way.

This also means that the negotiations have been completed!
Although the result was somewhat different from what William had initially expected, he understood from Wolf's piercing gaze.

This seemingly insignificant suggestion of separation of powers was actually Wolf's bottom line; if he continued to refuse, it would mean that the negotiations had completely broken down.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, William quickly suppressed his anger and instead gave a hearty laugh, praising the woman against his will:
"As expected of my Prime Minister, Prime Minister Wolf's considerations are indeed comprehensive. I am very satisfied. Then, let's discuss the establishment of the Strategic Intelligence Bureau of the Imperial Military Intelligence Service (MI5) with the members of Parliament at the next session!"

"Your Majesty is so complimentary."

After realizing that things had been settled, the tense atmosphere between the two parties, who had implicitly reached an agreement, disappeared. In high spirits, William then chatted with Wolf for the first time in a long time, inquiring about his health and condition.

Whether it was genuine concern or a veiled criticism of the other party's old age and frailty, only William himself probably knows.

After a few brief pleasantries, William made a move to leave with Ostan, but before leaving, he casually asked Wolf:

"By the way, Prime Minister Wolf, it's been several hours since Lieutenant General John Maslow was detained, hasn't it? The prosecutor's office hasn't replied yet. This inefficiency is really worrying me."

“Your Majesty need not worry. The Prosecutor’s Office has its own procedures, and I also believe that General John, who won a great victory for the Empire, is not a traitor. There must be some hidden story or a frame-up.”

"With Justice Christa's wisdom and intelligence, I believe it won't be long before General John is cleared of his name and regains his freedom, and such a blunder will never happen again."

"Is that so? Very good. It is truly a blessing for the Empire to have such loyal ministers as you and Chief Justice Christa."

William, understanding the implied meaning, spoke meaningfully, then stopped wasting time arguing with Wolf, feigning fatigue as he rubbed his temples before standing up and saying:

"It is late at night, and it is time for me to return to the palace to rest. Also, the early autumn nights are chilly, so I hope Prime Minister Wolf will take care of himself. I do not wish for you to be absent from tomorrow's court session."

"Your Majesty, I understand. I respectfully see you off!"

"Tap, tap!"

"..."

Standing at the office window, watching William and Ostan drive away in their car, Wolf's eyes flickered for a moment before finally returning to calm.

He nodded slightly to his secretary, who had been waiting beside him, and then stepped to his desk, falling silent as he looked at the portrait of the heavenly servants hanging on the wall.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After seeing John being taken away by the prosecutor's office, Carrie, worried that something might happen to him there, went to the hotel immediately.

He then informed Serbia and others about the matter, and later had someone notify Leia, who had returned home, and the Marquis of Ravage, Elias, and invited the two over that very night, attempting to use their noble connections to get him out of the interrogation.

However, since Irias has essentially been stripped of his power by the conservative party, the conservative party members have no intention of sharing intelligence with him. Therefore, his attempts to use his connections to make inquiries yielded no practical results.

As for Leia, as a member of the reformist faction, she naturally couldn't find any clues within the prosecutor's office controlled by the conservatives.

However, after realizing that the path of aristocratic power was not viable.

Undeterred, Wendy believed the two lacked the necessary authority and suggested they head to Mirror Springs Estate that very night to seek help from Princess Ella, the First Princess who was suspected of having a connection with John and was the granddaughter of Prime Minister Wolf. She hoped to get John released through Ella's assistance.

Leia, however, believed that this pointless charade was utterly meaningless, and that by the time reinforcements arrived, John would likely have already been tortured into confessing.

It would be better to just lead a group to storm the prosecutor's office and snatch John out of there.

In any case, with the backing of their merits, even if they directly kidnapped people, the empire would not be able to impose severe punishment on them.

Furthermore, the charge of treason is impossible to substantiate. Afterwards, through the intervention of the reformists, they might actually be able to escape unscathed by avoiding a miscarriage of justice.

However, Serbia believes this move is too impulsive. If the conservatives seize on this as leverage, they might not only fail to rescue the person but also imprison themselves, making the situation even worse than it is now.

Just as everyone was arguing about how to launch a rescue, they received a message from Irias's messenger that Dormammu, who was still in Areno, rushed over to reassure them.

He also brought his firsthand intelligence, stating that His Majesty William had personally gone to the Cabinet to negotiate on the matter, so everyone need not worry.

However, as time went by, no one saw John again.

This unknown turn of events even made Dormammu himself somewhat uneasy.

He even began to waver under the urging and persuasion of the crowd, and planned to personally use his status as marshal to force the procuratorate to release the person directly.

However, just as the angry crowd was preparing to head to the prosecutor's office to launch a rescue operation...

"Tap, tap!"

With a steady sound of footsteps, a figure wearing a black raincoat appeared in front of the group.

Immediately, the other party's helpless voice reached the ears of the group who were discussing the details of the kidnapping:

"Gentlemen, it's only been a few hours since we last met. Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were going to storm the execution ground!"

"John?!"

……

(End of this chapter)