People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"I really want to ask, why can't we go and save those college students?"

"Since the Duke of Wellington said he wanted to cause trouble for the Duke of Castle, wouldn't rescuing the college student himself also disrupt her plans?"

As soon as Lavshini finished speaking, she noticed that the other three people in the room were now focused on her, and she immediately shrank back nervously.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you kidding me? How are we supposed to save those university students? We have no way of evacuating them from Lentinium—"

Just as Jeston was about to refute Lavshini, Ernst suddenly interrupted him:

"They can be saved!"

"what?"

Ernst swallowed hard and explained:

“Lafsini is right. There are other options besides notifying the Sarkaz to stop the Duke of Kester. We can also rescue the university students ourselves!”

"Yes, we indeed have no way to rescue those trapped. But the Duke of Caesar does!"

"What we need to do is steal the credit!"

I know this stuff very well!

Chapter 126 Abrahana: I have no objection

"So, you're planning to rescue them?"

Ahmoni's astonished gaze swept over Ernst and Lavshini.

This is indeed a path that was never imagined.

"Why? This is too much trouble. The Sarkaz of Lontinim are not so easy to talk to. Those mercenaries are all real dangerous elements."

Ernst nodded.

Are the Sarkaz dangerous? Of course they are, but their danger is only superficial. It's like a building that's been marked as dangerous; when you pass by it, you see the warning sign and know to go around it.

Therefore, although it is dangerous, it can be avoided.

For Ernst, the real danger was the Duke of Wellington.

The duke concealed his ambitions well, claiming he had "no interest in Serrager" while offering Ernst three seemingly tempting and easy tasks. But what was the reality?

Each of these three tasks leads to a trap.

Preventing the Duke of Custer from rescuing the people would completely offend him. Moreover, rescuing the people is a universally acknowledged good deed. According to the simple logic of the general public, who would stop someone from doing a good deed?

Of course they are bad people.

This is leverage. Once Ernst does this, he will personally hand this leverage over to the Duke of Wellington.

He could use this vulnerability to blackmail Ernst into working for him at any time.

Some might ask, "Why not just make it public? But even if it's public, people have to believe it. Who would believe that the prime minister of a small country that has little to do with Victoria would interfere in something that is harmful and useless to him, something that is universally recognized as a good thing?"

But the question is, who needs to believe it?

To put it bluntly, this is the same as writing a short essay online. It's enough that someone of authority, like the Duke of Wellington, openly declares that "there is evidence that the Duke of Castells's efforts to rescue the students and faculty of Victoria National University failed because of interference from Prime Minister Ernst Scherrager."

Politics is dirty; incitement, conspiracy, shirking responsibility, corruption, and manipulating people's minds are all characteristics that can be used to summarize it.

Most people won't bother to ask "what the evidence is." They lack the means and the inclination to investigate. Since they're not the ones in trouble, they can remain aloof, watching the drama unfold and offering their opinions.

Even if someone were to press for answers, an authority like the Duke of Wellington could simply reply, "The evidence is an internal secret and cannot be disclosed to the public."

This tactic has been overused in the British sitcom "Yes, Prime Minister," which is about ruling half the world.

But such tactics are underhanded, and in most cases, politicians of standing would not resort to them—as it would lead to diplomatic difficulties for them.

Imagine you secretly shared a movie with a friend, and instead of calling you "hero," your friend uses that to blackmail you, threatening to report you to your teachers, parents, colleagues, and friends and ruin your reputation if you don't comply.

If you dare to slander someone like that, who knows if you'd dare to slander me like that? After this, who would dare to do business with you or be your friend?

This person will undoubtedly find himself in a state of diplomatic isolation.

But the Duke of Wellington was not afraid.

As a Grand Duke, he was already isolated by the Victorian circle dominated by the Duke of Caesar.

Moreover, he himself had no intention of staying in Victoria. From the very beginning, his idea was to distract the Duke of Caesar, annoy the old woman, and free himself up to prepare for the independence of the Kingdom of Tara from Victoria's territory.

Ernst had no doubt that this equally rotten old man would demand even more disgusting things from him once he had leverage over him.

However, breaking this show isn't actually that difficult.

Just be impartial in your stance and do good deeds.

This is actually a very simple principle. When the other party has an absolute advantage over you in the public opinion arena, it doesn't matter whether you choose correctly or incorrectly.

Ernst told Sarkaz that the mission was accomplished, but he had also given away leverage and thoroughly offended the Duke of Caesar. He wasn't even that familiar with the Duke of Wellington; did he really think the Duke would step in to protect him just because he did something for him?

There are plenty of people who want to be Wellington dogs; the black gloves are just for throwing around.

Since Ernst chose not to bother the Duke of Caesar, he naturally wouldn't get a share of the money.

The only correct and unassailable method is simple: do good deeds.

"I know this is troublesome and difficult. But upholding international humanitarianism and respecting the fundamental rights of every life are the most basic moral principles we should have as human beings, and they are also the common order and good customs that constitute our world. Now that Londinium is in deep chaos, it should be the consensus of every conscientious Grand Duke of Victoria to evacuate innocent civilians from it and save them from the harm of war. I believe that the Duke of Wellington thinks so too, doesn't he?"

These words are classics, and I'm sure you're all familiar with them.

This is the art of diplomacy.

It is comprehensive, thorough, and leaves no room for argument.

Londinium is currently in deep chaos. Evacuating civilians from the chaotic areas and ensuring the safety of every civilian is a perfectly normal idea, isn't it?

International humanitarianism and respect for human life are the moral principles that constitute a society. Surely the Grand Duke Victoria, as a role model for the nation, would not be unaware of this principle?

I know it’s difficult to evacuate civilians in war zones, but this is Londinium, the capital of Victoria. If your own Grand Dukes are unwilling to help, do you expect the international community to step in?

Do you really want Sherag to take the blame for you?

It's an eyesore, an eyesore!

However, Ernst thinks that places like Letania, Casimir, Ursus, or especially Columbia, would be perfectly willing to step in and help Victoria rescue its civilians.

What? Lentinium belongs to Victoria, and other countries interfering in its internal affairs?

Laughing, aren't you the ones who always shout that human rights are above sovereignty, yet arbitrarily interfere in small countries, trying to use Shelag as a black glove? What, did the boomerang hit you when it hurt?

Most people know that Victorian nobles were certainly immoral. But what distinguished them from true beasts was that they did indeed wear human skin.

This layer of human skin is the morality that they selectively ignore most of the time, but have to keep talking about every day.

Ernst knew very well that the Duke of Wellington was not afraid of being ostracized by the Victorian nobility, but that did not mean he dared to isolate himself from human society. The newly formed Kingdom of Tara might completely sever ties with Victoria, but that did not mean he would dare to sever ties with the civilized world.

The very fact that the Kingdom of Tara had fallen out with Victoria, whom Ahmoni called "the vanguard of freedom and the beacon of democracy," and was seeking independence, was already posing a serious diplomatic dilemma for the future of the kingdom. If the Duke of Wellington were to pull something like this, things would be even worse.

Duke Wellington can now lead the Kingdom of Tara to prepare for the End of the World ahead of time.

Ahmoni's lips parted slightly, her face filled with surprise.

Does this mean Ernst kicked the ball back to him?

interesting.

She asked curiously:

"So what do you plan to do? I don't think Scherrag is capable of evacuating so many civilians from Londinium. From what you're saying, you're planning to let the Duke of Caesar carry out his plan smoothly?"

"If that's the case, such a brilliant reason alone won't win the Duke of Wellington's approval."

Ernst, unperturbed, countered with:

Why did the Duke of Cassel evacuate the faculty and students of the National University? Do you think it was for humanitarian reasons, to respect every life, and to uphold moral order?

Ahmoni laughed: "Of course not. Like you said, it's just empty talk, something used as an added bonus to boost personal reputation and public favor. Who takes it seriously?"

“I think so too,” Ernst shrugged helplessly. “I did a quick search on the intercity network for information about Victoria National University. Apart from a few commoner students who got in through their own hard work, the rest of the students are all children of nobles or merchants. Duke Caesar’s rescue of people was probably just a side thing for the commoners; his real purpose was probably to win over the family power behind these nobles and merchants.”

"What I need to do is simple: make her put the cart before the horse."

Ernst Road,

"Tomorrow, I will give a public speech in the city center of Leinstershire. The theme and core message of this speech is that I hope the Dukes will demonstrate humanitarianism and save the citizens of Leinstershire from the chaos. Afterward, I will record this speech and upload it to the intercity network. I ask the Duke of Wellington to help spread this speech quickly throughout all the mobile cities of Victoria and gradually spread it to the whole land."

Ahmoni's eyes widened in sudden realization:

"In this way, the Duke of Caesar's actions will become..."

"It turned into a humanitarian relief operation by the Grand Duke."

Ernst nodded.

"And I was the one who spearheaded it. Although I didn't do much, people are forgiving and understanding of Sherag's 'willingness but powerlessness'. They are also grateful for Sherag's appeal, because before Sherag made the appeal, regardless of whether the Duke of Caesar or any other dukes intended to save people, they did not take any action."

"It was Ernst Shivaesh who tirelessly advocated for the refugees of Lontinim, which moved the Grand Dukes."

He concluded.

"The political significance of the Duke of Caesar's actions will be greatly diminished. Correspondingly, she, as the first person to accept the Ernst Initiative, will gain a reputation that is somewhat ironic for the Duke. The teachers and students will be rescued, but the first person they will thank will not be the Duke of Caesar, but me. The situation of the remaining people in Lentinium will be more likely to attract international attention, and their chances of being rescued will be greater. As for the Duke of Wellington, I have done what he asked me to do. The Duke of Caesar's goal has not been fully achieved."

"I wonder if the Duke of Wellington is satisfied with this plan?"

Ahmoni clasped her hands together, her eyelids slightly lowered, lost in thought.

After a moment, she shook her head: "The Duke of Wellington probably won't be particularly satisfied. Your plan will put considerable pressure on the public opinion and media of all the Grand Dukes who are watching from the sidelines."

“Then I must thank the Duke of Wellington for his kindness. Scherrag’s contact with the Duchy of Wellington has left a very good impression, and I must take my leave now.” Ernst finished speaking and stood up to leave.

But Ahmoni spoke again, calling out to him.

"But the Duke of Wellington does not represent everyone."

She suddenly spoke, and her meaningful smile made Ernst narrow his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that your plan, while not perfect, is feasible," she said slowly, "because His Highness approves of it."

"Your Highness?"

Ernst seemed to remember something, turned his head and looked at Lavshini.

At some point, the somewhat dull-witted girl raised her head and began to look Ernst up and down with great interest.

As their gazes met in mid-air, the girl flicked her tail, and a somewhat frightening purple flame ignited at its tip.

"Nice to meet you," she said with an exceptionally charming smile, as if she had taken a fancy to a very valuable item. "I am Abrahana."

"This time it's for real."

Chapter 127 Ernst Sivaish ignited the flame of hope

Victoria, Londinim, Victoria National University.

Ceylon Dorkos is a graduate of this year's Originium Research program.

If she can graduate smoothly.

Almost a week has passed since Londinium was captured by the Sarkaz. At first, people thought it was just an ordinary disaster. Like a fire, a downpour, or a cloud of impending doom gathering overhead.

Until it becomes relevant to everyone.

"Victoria National University is a renowned institution of higher learning in Victoria and even throughout Terra. It is located in the heart of the great city of Londinium, a temple of knowledge that countless seekers dream of visiting. Safety? Safety should never be a concern for residents of Londinium, let alone for you students of a national university!"

When the principal first delivered this speech on the radio, Ceylon felt very excited and reassured.

Since armed Sarkaz began roaming the streets, and the sound of cannons echoed from morning till night in every district of Londinium, many students at the National University have developed severe insomnia.

The principal's words were undoubtedly a shot in the arm, offering some comfort to everyone in this suffocatingly tense atmosphere.

But later, people gradually realized that this argument was weak and powerless in the face of reality.

A week has passed, and the students of the National University can only look out over the desolate streets of Lentinium from the rooftop of the academic building. They are forbidden from stepping outside the campus, and Lentinium seems far from returning to its former prosperity and order.

"Supplies are running out, please! I mean, the school's supplies are running out! Every student in this school is a pillar of Victoria's future! How can you turn a blind eye to this!"

Ceylon once overheard such angry accusations coming from the principal's office.