People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"To be honest, Sherag often feels this way."

Chapter 133 Respect for the Future

"Has Mayor Sherman ever felt this way? As an independent city-state, a small country, feeling out of place in this international community dominated by hegemonic empires?"

"Sherag has that feeling."

Looking into Hermann's eyes, Ernst sincerely stated the second purpose of his trip:

"For a country like ours, which is weak but yearns for peace, independence, and a fair and just international order, is it possible and necessary to form a united alliance through a treaty, ensuring our independence while unifying our attitudes, opinions, and demands, and making our voices heard loud enough to resonate across the land?"

alliance?

Upon hearing the word, Herman instinctively wanted to refuse outright.

Siesta never wants to form alliances with anyone.

It's not because they can't find allies. In fact, Siesta is not the only independent city-state on the land. After Siesta rose to prominence through tourism, many other independent city-states hoped to form an alliance of independent city-states by electing Siesta as their leader, in order to alleviate the increasing pressure from powerful nations they faced.

But Hermann never agreed.

He dare not.

Unlike the glamorous image many people project on the surface, as the mayor of Siesta, Herman is well aware that Colombia has played a significant role in Siesta's success.

Although Siesta is an independent city-state, it is backed by Colombia. In fact, apart from the political independence that Herman has tried his best to maintain, every aspect of Siesta is deeply influenced by Colombia.

The source of tourists, creditors of government loans, and even Herman himself, all receive a fixed annual "visit" from the Colombian government.

Ultimately, it was merely a semi-independent city-state. In Ernst's words, Siesta was a semi-colony firmly bound by Colombian neo-colonialism.

That is why Herman is well aware that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Siesta to form an alliance with any country other than Colombia that could threaten Colombia’s status.

But when Ernst finished speaking, Hermann frowned.

He didn't quite understand what Ernst meant.

What is an alliance that guarantees the independence of each party?

As we all know, an alliance means sharing the same fate when faced with choices. And most of the time, the phrase "sharing the same fate" itself implies sacrificing some of one's own national interests to protect the interests of the entire alliance. Since one's own national interests have already been sacrificed, it cannot be said that "the independence of each country has been guaranteed."

In all his years in politics, he had never heard of such an alliance.

Noticing Hermann's confusion, Ernst nodded and explained:

“Mayor Herman, the word ‘alliance’ is just a modifier to make it easier for you to understand what I mean. In fact, in my opinion, we should call this new diplomatic relationship ‘partnership’.”

Partner, that's a very interesting word.

We often use this phrase, "they are good partners," to describe a close relationship between two people. However, for a nation, this phrase is somewhat too frivolous.

why?

Because the nation should not be personified.

National leaders have personalities, but the nation does not. When making decisions, the entire nation must, without a doubt, adhere to the requirement of "being in the national interest."

This leads to a paradox: the media, the public, and their elected leaders mostly only care whether someone is good or bad. National interests often involve making deals with those the people deem bad, while remaining indifferent to good people who don't help us.

Therefore, using the word "partner," which describes a good relationship, to describe diplomacy between two countries sounds like a "child's play."

Hermann's expression showed some resistance. He didn't understand why Ernst would say those two words, but Ernst's previous behavior told him that he couldn't underestimate the boy in front of him.

So he chose to remain silent for the time being and wait for Ernst's explanation.

Ernst's explanation was quite simple. He stated very frankly:

“I think you must be thinking right now that describing country relations as partners doesn’t sound serious enough.”

"But that is precisely my purpose. Because the international relations I ultimately want to build is not a united Terra alliance, nor a world government with one heart and one mind, but a group, a community."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the table, then reached for the half-empty bottle of champagne. He looked at Hermann and asked:

“Mayor Hermann, alliances and communities are not the same thing. I can use this bottle of champagne as an example to illustrate this point.”

"Suppose this bottle of champagne is a rare treasure. Mayor Hermann, as the representative of an 'alliance' formed by nations that desire this champagne, what would you do?"

Herman squinted and pondered for a moment before replying, "Bring my allies and fight for him."

“And what if you were a community?” Ernst asked again.

Hermann frowned. He didn't understand what Ernst meant by this mysterious concept of "community," yet Ernst wanted him to answer it.

He glanced at Ernst, but Ernst didn't seem inclined to explain immediately, so he could only reply logically, "As a community that desires this bottle of champagne, I will still fight for it."

Ernst nodded. Hermann was speechless.

He shrugged: "Then it seems there's no difference between the two."

"No, the difference lies in what follows."

Ernst asked, "As an ally, what will you do after you've seized this bottle of champagne?"

Herman instinctively opened his mouth to answer, but as soon as his lips parted, he noticed something was wrong.

This time, Hermann remained silent.

He suddenly realized that he couldn't answer the question.

Because, according to the terms, the alliance was formed based on the nations' desire for this bottle of champagne. Therefore, they would cooperate to the greatest extent possible in acquiring this champagne, even at the cost of their own national interests.

But what is the point of the alliance if the champagne is acquired by them?

Just like NATO, its purpose originated from the fear of Western European countries towards Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was an offensive and defensive alliance established with the Soviet Union as the hypothetical enemy, and it was an out-and-out product of the Cold War.

But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the hypothetical enemy, what is the significance of NATO's continued existence? Who exactly is this North Atlantic Treaty intended to deter?

No one can provide the answer, because the answer no longer exists.

But in order to maintain this alliance that has lost its purpose, the United States has had to create countless objectives for it.

To defend against Russia, to defend against China, to defend against North Korea...

Anyway, I've done everything I could to defend against it.

Hermann clearly couldn't come up with the idea of ​​creating so many enemies for a bottle of champagne.

So he was surprised to find that the moment the enemy disappeared, the alliance also disappeared.

Even if one were to fabricate an enemy and maintain the alliance "to prevent the champagne from being taken away again," this reason would likely be unconvincing.

Because, once the goal is achieved, how the alliance divides up the Champagne is obviously more of a concern than how to protect it.

So, after a long pause, he could only shake his head: "The Tongmenghui has collapsed."

Ernst nodded without any surprise.

Clearly, he anticipated this outcome the moment he proposed the "Champagne Hypothesis." And he immediately stated:

“But the community will not.”

"Why?" Hermann questioned.

Ernst smiled and replied, "Because the purpose of a community is to survive."

"Alliance is offensive. No matter what kind of alliance it is, its formation is inevitably for a short-term purpose. It may be to defend the country from the enemy, or to seize a city from foreign hands. It may be two good men agreeing to fight a bully together, or several gangs joining forces to attack a police station. The word 'alliance' is inherently offensive and is inevitably short-lived. When the interests are realized, the foundation of the alliance will disappear. At this point, the alliance will either create new enemies to prolong its existence, or it will dissolve or even turn against each other."

"But communities are different. When I visited the Duchy of Wellington, I toured their museum, where I saw many artifacts preserved by the Victorians, including a leg bone that was thousands of years old. It was a broken and reassembled leg bone. I was very curious at the time why the Victorians would keep such an ancient human bone. The Duke of Wellington's envoy told me that it was because it proved human unity and the progress of civilization."

“I was deeply moved. It was the first time I realized that when humans first walked upright and faced the wilderness of Terra, we formed a community.”

"The owner of that leg bone was injured. According to the concept of alliance, after the enemy he was fighting was killed, if no one else took it, he would get his share."

"But what happens after that?"

Ernst asked, and the answer was simple. Hermann could easily deduce:

"He will die. Wounded, he loses his eligibility to form another alliance to fight the beasts. After this alliance ends, he will not be invited to join the next one. He can only sit on the wasteland and wait to die, taking his reward."

“But the bone has healed,” Ernst said.

"This means that someone brought him water and food, gathered herbs for him, and took care of his daily needs during the time he was injured, until he recovered. This person could be his wife or his friend, but we can call him a 'partner'."

"And all that the [Companions] did was to preserve one member of this tribe. The actions of countless [Companions] have perpetuated this civilization."

"This is the ultimate community I want to build. A community that is not centered on confrontation, but on survival, so that small countries like ours can also survive."

Ernst Road.

Hermann paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head:

“You have a point. The concept of a community is also very appealing. But I cannot agree to that, Your Excellency the Prime Minister.”

Was he tempted?

To be honest, as a human being, he was indeed tempted by this novel concept and this logically sound proposal.

From a purely personal perspective, he was even convinced.

But he is the mayor of Siesta; he represents not just one person, but all the people of Siesta. He must be responsible for every decision he makes, especially those that affect the interests of every Siesta resident and the overall future of Siesta.

As a politician who walks on thin ice his entire life, unsure if he will ever reach the other side, he will not be persuaded by a few simple words of reason. Unless he sees real benefits that are worth the risk, he must remain rational.

Therefore, he could not agree to Ernst's request.

He could only offer one piece of advice:

"The small nations of Terra, including independent cities like ours, are often powerless to control their own destiny. Even if we were to form a community, what good would it do? When high-speed warships come crashing down, it seems that hoping for an ally is better than hoping for a partner."

Ernst wanted to say something, but before he could speak, he stopped himself.

Because he saw deep helplessness and sadness in Hermann's eyes.

He seemed to be saying, "Your goal is too far-reaching. So far that it seems to transcend the lives of people in my small country. As for me, I can only see tomorrow."

But this emotion lasted only a fleeting moment. The next second, Hermann's face was once again filled with a smile, showing no trace of sadness.

He patted Ernst on the shoulder and solemnly promised:

"I cannot assure you of my joining at this moment, but I can make my promise to you."

He picked up the champagne from the table.

“I will keep this bottle of champagne forever. When Kjerag can show me and small countries like mine dignity, I will be your partner and open this bottle of champagne for you.”

Ernst closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.

The leg bone was fake, but Ernst could tell that Hermann's words were true.

So he picked up his glass and downed the champagne in one gulp.

"To the future!"

P.S.: I wrote a bit too much.

These two chapters primarily lay the groundwork for the upcoming trip to Laterano. The proposal for a joint United Nations call by the Holy Son of Kalan and the Pope of Laterano will come true! Moreover, this time, because of the protagonist's involvement, Victorian nobles like Wellington, Windermere, and Castle, who wouldn't normally care about the World Summit, will also participate, making it a complete Terran United Nations!

Chapter 134 This story teaches us not to speculate in stocks.

After finalizing some simple cooperation agreements with Hermann, Ernst departed from Siesta.

There's really nothing worth staying in this city during the winter, and besides, Sherag is really pressing for things. Horhaya has already sent Ernst several letters, hoping he can return as soon as possible to oversee the reconstruction of the old city of Tukarim and the construction of the dome research station.

These matters are indeed inseparable from Ernst; if he, the Son of Kalan and Prime Minister, were not present, the residents of Tukarim would not have agreed to relocate.

Unfortunately, while the Sherag people weren't exactly xenophobic, they were still somewhat resistant to the sudden arrival of a large group of strangers. Especially since the strangers were there to demolish houses. It was only thanks to Ernst and Ensiodis's prior communication and efforts to persuade them in Tukarim that this initial resistance didn't escalate into a conflict like the Holy Stone Trial.

Even so, with Ernst gone, most of the Sherag people still refused to let the Colombians disturb a single tree or blade of grass in Tukarim.

They're not against change; they're just afraid of being taken advantage of. They're afraid that without a sufficiently influential person standing up for them, these outsiders will take advantage of their fellow villagers.

Ernst understood this feeling. So, after achieving his main objective, he set off directly to leave Siesta.

However, the only slight surprise was that Jeston and Hintlaya weren't the only ones leaving with Ernst this time. Miss Ceylon and the taciturn bodyguard named "Black" were also there.

"Dad, I want to go to Shelag."

The night before Ernst was to depart, Ceylon knocked on his father's office door and entered, announcing this.

Hermann Dorkos seemed to have expected this and wasn't too surprised. Seeing his daughter's suitcase already packed and leaning against the door, he understood her resolve.

She came to state her own thoughts, not to ask for opinions.