People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Enshiodis is having a great time lately.

He made great progress in his diplomatic strategy in Victoria, and the Duke of Cactus, who had always been indifferent to him and mostly sent Viscount Walton to negotiate with him, had finally softened his attitude recently.

Just a few days ago, she personally invited Enciodes to the Duke of Caster’s mansion for a noble dinner.

As is well known, in Victorian political norms, social gatherings of this caliber, such as banquets, are generally only attended by distinguished guests of a certain status. Although Enciodis had participated in many similar banquets, he rarely attended one of this scale, let alone as a specially invited guest.

The Victorian nobles who applauded themselves during the Duke of Custer's introduction were at least earls. Even confidants like Viscount Walton were not qualified to dine inside and could only linger at the ball in the outer area.

Enciodes was not one to fawn over the powerful; he knew very well that the Duke of Castells' sudden change in attitude must have a reason.

Thinking back on the major events that have recently occurred on Terra, the only one that can be associated with Sherag is Ernst's humanitarian speech.

Most ordinary people focused on the content of Ernst's speech, namely his appeal for humanitarianism. However, Victorian nobles were perhaps more concerned with where Ernst was standing while delivering his speech.

“Your brother’s speech was very good. But it’s a little unfortunate that he shouldn’t have given it on the Duke of Wellington’s lands.”

Enchiodes also remembered the Duke of Caesar's subtle warning and reminder to him during the tea party after the dinner.

"Let me say a few words behind closed doors. Our Duke Wellington, the 'Death Knell of the Empire'—I don't want to describe him that way, but he is an outright warmonger. His actions are purely for profit, devoid of any honor or faith. He was the first duke to sign the order for the king's execution by hanging."

"What a terrible thing this is. Enciodes, you studied in Victoria, you should know this. The Duke of Wellington is different from us. Our status, identity, honor, and the corresponding noble titles come from the management and inheritance of our families for generations, from ancient covenants. This is unchangeable and beyond question."

She asked coldly,

"But what about the Duke of Wellington?"

She ended with a question, but Ensiodis already had the Duke of Wellington's rise to power flashing through his mind.

Born in the Tara region of Victoria, he concealed his identity and joined the Victorian army. During the era of Gallo-Pacification, he fought alongside the Victorian army in numerous campaigns, accumulating military merits and receiving investiture from King Aslan, becoming a military nobleman like the Earl of the White Wolf and the Duke of Cumberland.

His true rise to power as Grand Duke of Tara came during the War of the Four Emperors. Emperor Frederick III of Victoria, ignoring the advice of the Council of Nobles, insisted on leading Victoria into the Gallo-Laetanian War. The escalating war resulted in widespread devastation in Tara, a region already heavily burdened by Victoria's conscription, taxation, and exploitation. It was at this time that the Duke of Wellington rose to prominence, declaring unconditional support for Frederick III's war as a Tara nobleman, and even personally leading his troops into battle.

The outcome of the war is now recorded in every book on Terran history. The Gallo-Gallic Empire fell, and the world capital of Lingons was reduced to ruins. One of the keels of that mobile city was extracted and used to build the high-speed warship HMS Gastrill, now the flagship of the Duke of Wellington.

It was after this war that the Duke of Wellington was granted the title of Duke of Wellington by Frederick III and took control of the Tara region as a military nobleman.

Therefore, the Duke of Caesar was right.

Compared to these hereditary nobles, the Duke of Wellington, as a military noble, was undoubtedly an anomaly. And what he did afterward was truly outrageous.

Unlike the Earl of the White Wolf, who remained silent and withdrew from the Londinium Incident, or the Duke of Cumberland, who stood by King Aslan to the death and fought to the last moment as a military noble of the Aslan faction against the rebellious noble forces, he did not.

He chose to defect to the enemy.

Enciodes didn't know whether it was true or false that the Duke of Wellington was the first to sign, as Curst had said. But he knew that, regardless of the order, the Duke of Wellington had certainly agreed.

Otherwise, a military nobleman from the Aslan faction, who held considerable military power, had a record of conquering nations, enjoyed immense prestige in the army, and possessed the most powerful high-speed warships of his time and even today, would be enough for the rebellious dukes to send messengers every day to inquire about the Duke of Wellington's intentions, and they would never dare to act rashly.

"Such a nobleman, devoid of any honor, loyalty, or integrity, is a great irony to Victoria. That's why I've spent over a decade weaving this net, hoping to silently wear him down."

"The Duke of Kester said slowly. To Ensiodes, these words sounded rather too humorous coming from her mouth."

Putting aside everything else, the Duke of Wellington was indeed a defector and a military noble from Aslan, but you were one of the instigators of the rebellion.

You two are nothing more than a pure traitor and a pretentious mole. Who's that much better than the other? Why are you comparing yourselves?

Not to mention, the Duke of Wellington's character doesn't reflect his political acumen. The Duke of Castle was clearly adept at obfuscating this.

The fatal blow to a politician often lies in their political vulnerabilities, such as wavering ideology, making a wrong decision, or choosing the wrong side when it's time to take sides.

But when this politician falls from power, the first accusation listed is often an attack on his private life. For example, for having an affair or keeping a mistress, or for making targeted or discriminatory remarks at some point.

why?

Because politics is dirty, if you really expose all the dirt one by one, who knows what might actually come out?

As for private morality, people often have extremely high expectations for the private morality of public figures, especially those in power. Any flaw can lead to a collapse of their reputation. Furthermore, the merits or demerits of their private morality are easily understood; everyone can grasp the situation at a glance and know how to follow the gossip. A single misstep can drastically damage their public image.

A person with a bad reputation will naturally be wrong no matter what they do. Even if they are right, it will be a right done with ulterior motives.

However, even with this deep understanding, Ensioudis still had to ponder the Duke of Castells' reasoning.

After all, despite the Duke of Caesar's slander, there was a considerable amount of truth in her lies. He was dealing with his own brother, the Duke of Wellington, so he couldn't help but worry.

Never place too much faith in the moral character of a Grand Duke of Victoria. Even the seemingly most upright Duke of Windermere has done things like ruthlessly throwing infected people who fell ill during the war off his warship.

"So, you invited me here specifically to remind me to be wary of the Duke of Wellington?"

Having come this far, Enciodes stopped trying to hide anything.

Faced with SilverAsh's slightly aggressive question, Duke Castle smiled and shook his head.

"Of course more than that."

"more than?"

The Duke of Caesar nodded:

“I know that Sherag is in a very difficult situation right now. You don’t know enough about the outside world, so it’s understandable that you might make a mistake in choosing your friends. As a friend, I don’t blame your brother for his actions. On the contrary, I admire him.”

"Because of his humanitarian speech?" Ensiodis asked.

The Duke of Caesar's lips twitched, and he was about to say "no" on his own, but fortunately, her excellent ability to change her expression allowed her to control herself in time, and she changed her words to: "It's not just the speech. I am extremely surprised that he was able to move the Duke of Windermere."

"Of course, that's not the point." She abruptly skipped over the hurtful topic and continued.

"In fact, after learning about Sherag's situation and watching Ernst's speech, many Victorian nobles, including myself, were deeply moved. They may not be able to reach into Londinium to rescue students and teachers like I have. But they are happy to help those areas that are also in poverty and backwardness."

You Victorians are so tactful!

Ensiodis chuckled and specifically asked, "Like Sherag?"

Kester pursed his lips, his expression perfectly controlled: "Including Sherag."

Is the help given free of charge?

"Of course, since it's help, it's free of charge. It's just a little bit of concern based on humanitarianism."

Castel Road,

"Of course, as their representative, it's reasonable for me to meet with Prime Minister Ernst in person and personally deliver this assistance to him, isn't it?"

Ensiodis pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his hand, then suddenly sighed:

“Duke of Caesar, you may not know this, but my brother has been elusive lately, and even I have difficulty finding him. In addition, the Kalan trade has been performing poorly recently, and I have to stay in Victoria. If things don't improve, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to return to Sherag in the near future. So, although I would very much like to help with your request, I am really a bit powerless to do so.”

The Duke of Caesars remained expressionless, smiling as he raised a finger.

Ensiodis sighed again and took a sip of wine with a sorrowful expression.

The Duke of Caesar's smile froze for a moment, and he raised another finger.

Enciodes, looking concerned about the fate of his country, picked up the wine bottle and poured himself a full glass.

The Duke of Caesar frowned, gritted his teeth, and suddenly stood up:

"That would be too much trouble for you, Mr. Ensiodis. I'm a bit tired too, so perhaps we can call it a day..."

Enciodes immediately nodded sensibly: "Yes, Your Grace, then I shall take my leave. As for what you said, please rest assured, once he returns, no matter how busy I am, I will consult him as soon as possible."

Back in Shelag, Tukarim, the headquarters of the Karan Trade Center.

Ernst had just returned and hadn't even had a chance to settle down when Hornpie picked him up directly from the train station to the headquarters of Karlan Trade, to SilverAsh's office.

His long-lost brother was standing in front of his floor-to-ceiling window, which covered an entire wall, leaning on a cane and gazing at the construction site in the distance, looking inscrutable.

But since the Snow Mountain Incident, Ernst wouldn't give his brother any more opportunities to show off. Ensioudis stood by the window, then walked behind the desk and brazenly sat down and lay down in Boss Yin's office chair.

"Brother, why did you call me over in such a hurry?"

Seeing that his serious demeanor had earned him absolutely no respect from Ernst, Enciodis could only sigh sadly and turn back to say:

"Brother, do you know how much you're worth now?"

"What's his price tag?" Ernst was startled and quickly looked around to make sure there was no place in the room to hide three hundred axemen before turning back. "You scared me."

“What are you thinking?” Enciodes glanced at him speechlessly. “The Duke of Castells wants to see you. For this, he’s even willing to give me, the middleman, up to two hundred thousand in referral fees.”

Ernst was taken aback and immediately retorted, "Only 20?"

I, Ernst, am a big shot now, and my net worth is only two hundred thousand? Don't you know that in my past life, some celebrities' appearance fees were in the hundreds of millions?

Never mind, you really didn't know.

You didn't just ask for 200,000 because someone held up two fingers, did you?

It's too small, your vision is too narrow, bro!

Chapter 137 There are bad people among the crowd.

"So you mean you still think it's not enough?"

Enshiodis was speechless at Ernst's antics.

You little rascal, you got cocky after just one trip out, huh? Two hundred thousand Victoria gold pounds is no small sum. Even I, your brother, used to work myself to the bone all year, and Kalan Trading would only earn around a million. Things are a bit better now, with orders from Windermere and Wellington bringing in a lot of revenue for Kalan Trading, but that doesn't mean we can just "enjoy ourselves"!

Remembering the bitter past to appreciate the sweet present!

Ernst naturally understood his brother's thoughts. In fact, what he cared about wasn't money... at least not entirely!

"Did you agree to the Duke of Kester's request?" Ernst asked.

Enciodes shook his head with an expression that seemed to say, "Of course I understand." He said, "I just told her I would tell you about it as soon as possible. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."

He paused, seemingly worried that Ernst might lose his temper, and then added a few more words of reminder:

"However, Ernst, I personally suggest that you accept her interview."

“I have witnessed your diplomatic efforts and achievements over this period. The fact that Sherag has been able to establish relations with the Dukes of Windermere and Wellington has far exceeded my expectations. But this does not mean that you must sever ties with the Duke of Castle.”

It was common knowledge that the Duke of Windermere and the Duke of Castle were at odds, and Ensioudis was well aware of this. As for the Duke of Wellington, if Ensioudis had harbored any doubts about his relationship with the Duke of Castle before the banquet, he was now certain afterward that the two were indeed at odds.

This is precisely why Ensioudis was very afraid that Ernst would fall into a misconception: if you cultivate a good relationship with the Duke of Windermere and flirt with the Duke of Wellington, then you will absolutely have to give up the Duke of Castle's prize.

"The Duke of Caesar is undoubtedly one of the most powerful dukes in all of Victoria. If you include the network of relationships she has built and the noble vassals who follow her, it is no exaggeration to say that she controls half of Victoria."

"Even if we can't win over such a Grand Duke, we should at least not completely offend him."

Ernst nodded.

He naturally understood what Ensiodes meant.

To put it simply, it boils down to this: "There are no permanent enemies, nor permanent friends, only permanent interests."

The interests of the nation.

Ernst may feel dissatisfaction or even disgust towards the Duke of Caesar, but this is a personal feeling of his as a leader. It is best not to, and cannot, influence the policy of the state.

But what bothered Ernst was not whether or not he offended the Duke of Kester.

Enciodoris's thinking was clearly too simplistic. Ernst could host the Duke of Kast openly, and Scherrag could accept the investment from the Duchy of Kast openly. But how could this be explained?

Leaving aside the Duke of Wellington, Ernst had no idea what kind of person the old man, who remained hidden behind the scenes and communicated only with Ahmoni and Lavshini, was. But considering that he had been surrounded by Kester's net for over a decade and still managed to endure a grand tour of the duchy on a warship, throwing parties, Ernst assumed that the old man must have anticipated and was fully capable of accepting the possibility of Ernst contacting the Duke of Kester.

But what about the Duke of Windermere?

The Duke of Windermere was someone who had genuinely suffered serious threats from the Duke of Castle. Because of the Duke of Castle, Amphilis was almost driven to ruin and death.

Given her personality, Ernst didn't think she would tolerate it.

This is what Ernst has always referred to as the difference between the will of the state and the will of the leader.

From a broader, national perspective, even the Duke of Windermere had no reason to sever ties with the Duke of Cassel. This would clearly place him in opposition to the vast majority of Victorian nobility, doing more harm than good.

But Amphilis Windermere dared to do it!

Just like in the original timeline, even knowing that it would bring her great risks, she still single-handedly piloted her flagship away from the fleet to pick up her daughter in Londinium.

You can say she was loyal and compassionate, or you can say she was overly concerned with personal matters. She was thinking about protecting both her own family and the greater good. You use national duty to criticize her, saying her death would cause chaos in the Duchy of Windermere. Don't those who say this consider the hardships she endured—her husband's death, her daughter's perilous situation—and how many years she stood alone on the border?

Humans cannot be rational forever, otherwise the world would be full of utopias.

Ernst couldn't gamble on whether his contact with the Duke of Caesar would offend the Duke of Windermere's sensitive nerves, or whether the Duke of Windermere would see it as a betrayal.

He was even less certain that the Duke of Custer would provide him with support and protection no less than that of the Duke of Windermere after he risked making this change to "betray" the Duke of Windermere.

Enchiodes was not a "beneficiary" of the diplomatic achievements with Windermere, so he was able to persuade Ernst to do something that was "theoretically correct, but practically difficult or even impossible."

Ernst, as a beneficiary of this diplomatic move, must maintain his gains unless he sees an absolute advantage. This takes precedence over any changes.

For small, weak countries, the most important thing is to maintain a balance. Try not to offend either side, and try to please both.

But if a choice must be made...