Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

His gaze remained fixed on Rupertham.

"I am aware of Rupercan, Taylor, and Serafina's opinions."

Gertrude walked over to him and followed his gaze to the map: "One wants to use a sword, the other wants to use a pen."

“What’s your opinion?” Lacey asked.

"I?"

Gertrude said, "My view is, why can't we use both the sword and the pen?"

"Moreover, we must make the enemy offer their own necks to our blades."

Lacey turned around, looked at her, and smiled. "Go on."

“Sending troops directly is a poor strategy,” Gertrude analyzed.

"That would turn us from liberators into invaders, giving other electors a pretext, especially those two old fogies, Hoffman Herbert and Abraham Rossetti, and might even prompt them to join forces with the Queen."

"Our current alliance is an alliance of interests, and it has not yet reached the point where it can help us take risks."

“But using only political and economic means is too slow,” she said, changing the subject.

“Iraq Congreve is a fool, but a fool with a title.”

"As long as he remains the Elector, the legitimacy of the imperial power rests with him."

“What we need to do is completely strip him of his legitimacy and turn him from a lord into a traitor to the people.”

Lacey's eyes lit up, which coincided with his own plan.

“We’re going to start a war, but not on the battlefield,” Lacey continued.

"The battlefield is in every factory, every mine, every farmland, and in the heart of every person in Rupercan."

He walked to the table and spread out a blank sheet of parchment.

“Gertrude, I need your intelligence department to compile all of Irak Congreve’s misdeeds, corrupt accounts, and evidence of his persecution of the people since he took office, print them into leaflets, and distribute them to every corner of Rupercan.”

"The propaganda department must use all radio channels and propagandists to tell two things around the clock: First, how dire the situation is in Rupercan under the rule of Elak."

"Secondly, we must show every Ruperkan person a ray of light in their despair how happy the people of Vaser live."

“As for Taylor…” Lacey paused.

“Tell him I need him to select the most elite guards and have them break into smaller groups, disguise themselves as merchants, travelers, and returning workers, and infiltrate Rupercan.”

“Go and contact our underground organization, teach them how to strike, how to march, and how to completely paralyze Erak’s rule through nonviolent non-cooperation.”

Lacey then laughed and said, "One trick is all you need to succeed."

"This is the method we used to seize Vaser territory back then, and it wouldn't hurt to do it again."

Gertrude's breathing quickened slightly; she fully understood how terrifying the plan was.

“We must make Araq Congreve abandoned by his own people.”

"His reign ended when the entire territory came to a standstill, when his guards faced not enemy troops, but thousands of civilians."

"Of course, we cannot completely replicate what happened back then."

"At that time, we can put forward a puppet who can represent the will of the people of Rupercan and ask us for help."

"We were invited to maintain order and to help the people of Rupercan rebuild their homes."

"This……"

Gertrude couldn't find the words to describe the time, and finally only managed to utter a few words:

“A very good plan.”

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter Seventy-Three: Get Out of Rupercan!

[Under your command, a comprehensive infiltration plan targeting the Rupercan region has been launched with unprecedented efficiency.]

[Several hundred elite guards, personally selected by Taylor, removed their uniforms, donned civilian clothes, and quietly blended into the various towns of Rupercan.]

They disguised themselves as Workers' Party volunteers, made contact with an underground organization that had been lying in wait for many years, and ignited the organization's flames in every corner.

An unprecedented massive strike has begun.

From steel mills to mines, from textile workshops to farmland, all production activities came to an abrupt halt.

The machines stopped turning, the fires in the furnaces gradually died down, and the warehouses were filled with wagons carrying goods. The economic lifeline of the entire Rupercan was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

[Iraq Congreve's territory instantly descended into chaos.]

Government agencies couldn't collect taxes, laws couldn't be enforced, and guards sent to disperse striking workers found themselves exhausted and powerless, like punching cotton – completely on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Serafina's publicity machine was running at full speed.

Countless cheap copies of "Mein Kampf" and pamphlets exposing Ellak's crimes flooded into homes.

On the radio, rousing speeches alternated with images of the happy life in the Vassehr, portraying Erac as a greedy, foolish, and stubborn representative of the old order.

And you, Lacey, are the only hope that brings bread and dignity.

The will of the people is there, and the trend is irreversible.

[Elak Congreve, this pampered Elector, was like a captain trapped on a sinking ship, helplessly watching as the hull was swallowed inch by inch by the sea.]

He realized he was abandoned by his people and his rule was on its last legs; an unprecedented panic gripped his heart.

Inside the tower, you received the latest intelligence from Rupercan, containing only a brief sentence: "The fire has gone out; only new firewood is needed."

[You understand that the time is ripe; it's time to launch your spokesperson and deliver the fatal blow to this trapped beast, Alec Congreve.]

……

Heiligenburg, the capital of Rupercan.

The once bustling Central Avenue was eerily quiet at this moment.

All the shops along the street were closed, except for a few daring shop owners who peeked out through the cracks in their doors.

The streets were packed with people.

They were workers, farmers, small artisans, and all the exploited people in the city.

They stood silently, thousands upon thousands of people, gathered into a suffocating force, gazing at the Elector's Tower not far away.

At the top of the tower, Elector Alak Congreve was furious.

He smashed a priceless antique vase to the ground, sending shards flying everywhere.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

He roared at the trembling captain of the guard in front of him: "What am I keeping you around for? You can't even handle a bunch of peasants!"

"If they strike, arrest them! If they march, whip them!"

"Hang the ringleader in the square! Let's see who dares to cause trouble then!"

The captain of the guard, his face pale and trembling, replied, "Sir...we've tried."

"But... there are too many people."

“We arrested one, and immediately ten others stepped forward.”

“We whipped them, and they lay on the ground, blocking our way.”

“We…we can’t tell who’s in charge at all, they all look…they all look the same.”

"it's the same?"

Arak was trembling with rage. He rushed to the window and pointed at the dense crowd outside: "Then arrest them all! Kill them all!"

The captain of the guard was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground: "My lord, you mustn't!"

"That would trigger a mutiny! Most of our soldiers have families among those people!"

Alak slumped back into his chair, panting heavily.

He finally realized that things were out of his control.

This was no ordinary riot; he was facing betrayal from the entire territory.

“Lassie…it must have been that bastard!” he growled through gritted teeth.

That peasant who came from Rupert is now strangling him bit by bit in a way he can't understand.

……

Meanwhile, at the back of the crowd, in an inconspicuous tavern.

Several men dressed in ordinary worker's clothes were sitting around a table, talking in hushed tones.

One of them was Taylor's most capable action team leader, a burly man codenamed "Iron Hammer".

"A message from 'Crow'," Iron Hammer said in a low voice.

"That stupid pig Ailak wanted to kill, but his own captain of the guard stopped him. He's just a mad dog locked in a cage now."

“Our volunteers have taken control of all major traffic routes and communication nodes,” another person added.

"We can cut off all contact between the tower and the outside world whenever we want."

“Very good.” Hammer nodded. “Did you receive Minister Gertrude’s orders?”

“Received, ‘Bring the candidate to the forefront.’”

A smile appeared on Iron Hammer's face.

He looked out the window, and to him, the tower was already a tomb.

“It’s time,” he said.

“Go and invite Mr. Rudolf out and tell him that the people are waiting for his voice.”

……

Half an hour later, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd at the clock tower of the Heiligenburg town hall.

An elderly man with gray hair but a sprightly spirit climbed the steps in front of the clock tower, surrounded by several young people.

"It's Professor Rudolf!" someone in the crowd recognized him.

"Oh my god, it's Rudolf! Wasn't he locked up in the Black Dungeon by Ella?"

"I heard he was rescued by a group of mysterious people a few days ago!"

Rudolf, once the most respected law professor at Heiligenburg University, was imprisoned and tortured for publicly criticizing Erack's tax policies.

His appearance instantly ignited the emotions of the crowd.

Rudolf looked down at the faces below, some excited, some expectant, and some angry.

He cleared his throat, picked up a tin megaphone, and began his speech in his aged but powerful voice.

He recounted his own experiences and those of those around him, denouncing Alec Congreve's greed and tyranny.

"...They stole our bread, tore down our houses, and polluted our rivers!"

"They treated us like livestock to be slaughtered at will, turning our blood and sweat into jewels on their hats!"

"We have been silent for too long, we have endured for too long!"

"Today, we stand here not for violence, not to overthrow anyone!"

"We just want to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us—our dignity as human beings!"

“Araq Congreve! Listen!” Old Rudolf pointed to the distant tower, his voice suddenly rising.

"You are no longer worthy to rule this land! You are no longer our Elector!"

"You are nothing but a thief who stole the people's wealth! A murderer with blood on his hands!"

"Get out of Rupertham!!"

It is unclear who uttered the first shout, but then a roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami echoed throughout the entire sky above Heiligenburg.

"Get out of Rupercan!"

"Get out of Rupertham!!"

"Get out of Rupertham!!!"