Chapter 108: The Destiny of Dictatorship

  "You need a ruthless person." Kavi's tone finally revealed a hint of decisiveness: "Since you don't mind stirring up trouble, this candidate must have a strong heart and absolute loyalty, as well as... the courage to charge forward. Coincidentally, there is one such person at present."

  "Hmm, what do you mean?"

  General Adrick, the leader of the 13th Legion. As a true member of the military faction, General Adrick's loyalty to the Empire is beyond doubt. And when we first placed him in the position of the 13th Legion, it was for nine years, during which time those guys from the Ministry of War tried countless times to win him over and corrupt him, even offering him the position of Governor-General of a military district, but General Adrick never betrayed his principles. So he is worthy of Your Majesty's trust. And as for bravery, this stubborn general will not disappoint you either.

  The Emperor of the Spear thought seriously about Cavish's suggestion: "I believe your suggestion... but, the 13th Legion is one of our most important forces in hand. Without Adrick, who should take over as the new leader of the Rodoria Cavalry?"

  A hint of playful smile appeared on Kavi's face: "Duke Minas had privately recommended a person several times, who was praised by the Duke as his most outstanding disciple and also one of the people who followed the Duke for the longest time, although half of that time was spent as the Duke's private chef..."

  The face of the Emperor of the Riding Gun suddenly looked a bit unsightly: "Kavihir, could it be... that you're referring to that General Ruru, the one known for his skill in escaping with his life? That guy?"

  Kaviel smiled, and when he did, his eyes would emit a warm feeling that made people feel very close to him: "Your Majesty, please believe me, Ruru's abilities are not limited to just running away."

  Absolute family, sect, gang

  When the large 'gate' of the palace was pushed open, several attendants dressed in gray 'colored' linen robes stood respectfully on both sides with their heads bowed, seeing off Kavishail as he slowly walked out of the gate. However, Kavishail stood still for almost a minute on the high platform that had over thirty levels of steps.

  The no longer young sage looked up at the sky, where a faint mist of dark clouds gathered, sparse and scattered, with small rain falling down. The dull color of the sky seemed to carry a hint of a gloomy and lifeless atmosphere...

  "Finally waited until today, just made up my mind..." Kaviel's face no longer had the calm and collected expression he had when facing the old emperor, his eyes seemed to hold a hint of deep meaning: "Just... won't it be too late?" Hmph!

  In the sparse rain, Kavihir walked slowly down the stairs, and at the foot of the stairs, a tall and slender figure immediately came forward, holding a large black umbrella over Kavihir's head.

  Kavi continued to move forward, his feet never stopping for a moment, while the figure following him held an umbrella to block the rain for him, silently following, letting the raindrops fall on his own body, as if he didn't feel anything at all.

  The figure supporting the umbrella walked with a limp, its gait clearly indicating a crippled leg, and on that face was an iron mask covering half of it, revealing only half of a beautiful yet cold face, one enchanting purple pupil quietly watching Kavishir's back.

  This "woman", Hao Ran is actually Via!

  He walked out of the palace gate and got into a carriage that was waiting at the entrance. The coachman came down to open the door for him. Only after he had climbed inside did he turn around, as if it wasn't until this moment that he finally saw Viya.

  The rain grew heavier, Kavihril sat in the car, while Via stood in the rain, her purple eyes and Kavihril's clear eyes locked gazes for a moment, the rain gradually wetting Via's purple hair and soaking through her shoulder clothes. Only then did Kavihril finally let out a sigh.

  "Back already?"

  Back again.

  "Is everything over?"

  "It's over. What I owed... I've paid it back."

  Kavi nodded slightly: "That guy, how is he?"

  Wei Ya stretched her mouth, her face still icy: "Still very weak."

  Kavi seems satisfied with this answer: "Tomorrow you (electric brain reading 16 kxs)"

  "Go to Odin then, I'll take care of things here, every single one must be completed."

  Having said that, Kavihr seemed to lose interest in talking, he closed the carriage door and then the wheels rolled, the carriage slowly moved away from Veya's face.

  In the carriage, Kavi finally let out a sigh, and his face finally showed a bit of the fatigue and decline that an old man of his age should have.

  He pulled out a soft and dry blanket from under the seat to cover his knees, then leaned back in his seat tiredly...

  The sage seemed to be sighing.

  "Hmm... a good dictator, why is it so hard to find one. Cantos..." "I originally thought he was the best candidate, unfortunately... unfortunately..." Kavishir shook his head and muttered quietly:

  "What a pity, he isn't!"

  "Huh? Fatso, so that's how it is. Now the military of your Byzantine Empire has actually split into two factions?" Xia Ya exclaimed loudly and dramatically while riding his horse.

  A cavalry unit was slowly advancing towards the inner abdomen of the empire on the vast highway.

  Rour looked at the toad with some helplessness, fortunately, all the people around him were his trusted imperial guards, so he wasn't afraid of these words spreading out. He angrily said: "Stop saying 'you' 'you'! Don't forget that you are also an officer of the Byzantine Empire now!"

  Xia Ya smiled: "Don't argue with you about this, you first tell me, which faction does our General Adrick belong to?"

  Xia Ya stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, "Hmmm, those aristocratic generals you mentioned are all warlords, just listening to them makes me think they're the kind of people who are like national parasites. Someone like General Adelric wouldn't associate with that kind of person, he's definitely one of the upright military faction." He glanced at Roule sideways, "As for you... I think you seem more like someone from those parasite factions."

  Lu Ru's anger was so intense that he wished he could go up and kick this turtle to death.

  He then said with a serious tone, "Don't spout nonsense! I am a genuine military man! Those corrupt officials can no longer be considered as military personnel. Many positions in the army are held by some aristocratic families, such as the governorship of some military districts, where they pass it down from father to son, and that's not even considered a real military career! As for our faction, it was established by His Majesty the Emperor thirty years ago in the Imperial Capital, with the purpose of bypassing those corrupt military cliques and cultivating new blood for the empire's army. The officers who graduated from the Imperial Military Academy are generally referred to as the "Eagle Faction" because the academy's flag is similar to the imperial eagle flag. The students who enter the Imperial Military Academy are selected from some humble middle-class aristocratic families, and occasionally, they also recruit talented individuals from commoner backgrounds. After thirty years of development, batch after batch of graduates have been assigned to various standing armies in the empire, finally forming the "Eagle Faction" that can barely counterbalance those warlords! However, some students with aristocratic backgrounds find it easier to rise through the ranks, while those from commoner backgrounds face slower promotions. Moreover, those corrupt officials often suppress the officers who graduated from the academy, and some individuals have been stuck in low-ranking positions for over twenty years. It's extremely rare for someone like me or Adrick to lead an entire army."

  He paused for a moment, and Rouru smiled triumphantly: "The first principal of the military academy was Duke Minas. The duke had a profound reputation in the empire's army, and he spent his entire life on the battlefield. Even among those who were part of the corrupt factions, there were many who had served under him as subordinates. It's only natural that we should give some face to the old man. And the duke's loyalty to the imperial family made him the ideal leader for this new faction. Hmph, among us military academy graduates, we can all be considered disciples of the old duke. I'm a special case - I served as the duke's chef for six years, and then because the duke thought I had talent, he sent me to study at the military academy. I studied there for another six years, so in total, I spent 12 years by the old duke's side! Hmph, those other guys don't have this kind of good fortune."

  Xia Ya was uninterested in Rouru's self-boasting, but was concerned about Adrick's affairs: "So according to what you said, our general is also a high-ranking figure in this faction?"

  Rour's face was a bit strange, he shook his head: "Things aren't that simple... It's also a bit disheartening to say this, but most of the guys trained by this military academy are quite rigid in their thinking. People like me who are smart and know how to adapt are really too rare. Some guys are loyal only to the imperial family, while others are only loyal to their own beliefs, thinking that soldiers should only defend the country, not be limited to a particular faction or personal power... Like your Adelric, for example, he's clearly one of our Eagle faction people, but probably because he's read too many books and become foolish, he's actually gotten close to the Senate, I heard the Senate is even considering making him a member of the Lower House."

  "What's the Senate anyway?" Xia Ya asked with some curiosity.

  "Uh... the Senate, I suppose..." Rour roughly explained, and after hearing it, Tuer stared blankly with wide eyes, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, Tuer suddenly burst out laughing, his joyful and delighted expression leaving Baozi somewhat perplexed.

  "What's so funny, kid?!"

  Xia Ya sneered, "I laugh at you Byzantines for doing things in such a 'messy' way. A good country like yours, yet you insist on 'meddling' with so many things. It's simply a waste of time and energy."

  The fat boy's eyes widened in surprise.

  "Isn't that so?" Xia Ya sneered, "Your emperor, who appears to be the most powerful and can make decisions on everything, has to back down whenever he encounters the military. As for the military, they usually give the emperor face and don't speak out, but once they do, they can always get their way. And as for that so-called Senate, 'managing' a large group of people, shouting this and that every day, saying so much yet unable to make any decisions."

  Fatso sneered: "I don't see what's so funny about this?"

  Xia Ya shook her head: "Of course it's ridiculous! Actually, the simplest way is just one: consistency from top to bottom, just one voice! One mouth utters one sound, and what this sound says is an absolute authoritative command. Once the order is passed down, no matter what, everyone must consistently obey! What's with you saying I'm saying, 'talking' so many mouths and voices... aren't you tired of it?"

  Fatso listened, and his heart was grinding (one mouth made a sound, this sound was the absolute authority of the order, once the order was passed down, no matter what, everyone had to obey uniformly...)

  His face changed color, and he said in a low voice: "What you said is absolute dictatorship. Although our Byzantine Empire is an imperial system, the spirit of its founding is also opposed to this dictatorial system."

  Xia Ya hummed a smile, but seemed to be thinking: "I think dictatorship... sounds pretty good..."