340 – Khan – 1
Over 100 people had already gathered in the conference room. In the first place, there were only 30 members of the Imperial Diet, and the administration personnel nearby would have rushed in, so it was natural.
However, the meeting room was surprisingly quiet, even though nobles who quickly shied away from responsibility and prepared sacrifices in the event of an emergency, and were full of greed to promote themselves by showing off their abilities.
Of course, this is also natural. This incident is so huge that it cannot be compared to any commotion. If you tease your mouth for nothing and get twisted, the victim will be yourself, and if you lead public opinion and then the emperor overturns it, you will never be able to raise your head again in the political world.
That’s why everyone gathered here kept silent. Even though each of them was worthy of being called a big player, they were waiting for the emperor to appear because they did not have the confidence to lead and take responsibility for this situation.
“I have to leave now. Be careful.”
The meeting room is so quiet that there is no reaction even though the head of the inspection department and the duke entered at the same time. Ma Jong-gong quickly looked around the meeting room and whispered carefully in my ear. Please, with the hope that I won’t get hurt in this minefield.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
I returned a joking answer and immediately turned my back. I have to go to the place where the people from the Ministry of Finance are gathered, and Ma Jong-gong to the place where the Jeon Seung-gong is.
“Sorry for the delay.”
“Okay. There are more people who haven’t come yet.”
And when I apologized to the minister and the other department heads, the minister shook his head. Certainly, I was able to come right away because I was on the island, but people in the provinces, not the islands, must be in a frenzy trying to teleport. The Mage Tower must be dying from scattering wizards all over the place.
“Udesr Dorgon claimed to be Khan. This is the last information we got as the Special Forces retreated.”
“It’s that bastard after all.”
After bowing with the other directors and sitting next to the minister, the minister announced in a low voice.
As soon as I heard that, I felt sorry for the unit that was the first to receive that information. How crazy must it have been to have even secured the information that Khan had appeared in the midst of hastily withdrawing from the order to withdraw from Japan. It was too harsh a burden for a single unit to bear.
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Fortunately, he returned to the system safely, and after looking at it, he seems to have done it right.
“For now, don’t open your mouth and just listen. Neither you nor I would be in a position to engage in a war without His Majesty’s orders.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
The minister nodded as he was not wrong. Even if she was a participant in the last subjugation war, Minister Nana belongs to the Ministry of Finance. It is strange that a person from the Ministry of Finance speaks first in a situation where the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Special Affairs are holding on. It is better to assume that the emperor has no right to speak unless he visits Xiamen personally.
While participating in the silence of the conference room, the people who received the convocation order began to appear. Not only the dukes who rushed up from the territory, but also the commanders of the army and corps commanders spread throughout the empire, the nobles who tremble as lords, and the judges in charge of the court.
The sight of hundreds of nobles gathering all at once is a sight that is hard to see unless it is a New Year’s celebration. Unlike the New Year’s celebration, where all the nobles gathered, this convocation strictly included only high-ranking officials. For now, it is no exaggeration to say that this conference room is the heart and brain of the empire.
“Aristocrats who follow the Mandate of Heaven, kneel!”
As if everyone had gathered, around the time no one else came in, the Minister of the Imperial Household, who was on the podium, opened his mouth.
At the signal that the emperor who issued the convocation order would appear, the nobles knelt down in unison, and soon after, footsteps were heard.
“Raise your head.”
At the emperor’s command, the nobles raised their heads, but their expressions were not very good. The display of title and position that is never left out of the Emperor’s procession. If the emperor, who values imperial power, skips the process, then the situation is urgent.
Anyway, when I raised my head, I saw the emperor sitting on the throne prepared on the platform, and the crown prince and Ainter, who had been crowned behind him.
‘He’s been called too.’
I felt sorry for the hardened Ainter. A few hours ago, I spent my daily life at the academy and was dragged into this kind of work. It’s good that I found real power, but I think I’m carrying out my duties too hard.
Still, it will be better than the days of the abandoned royal family. Cheer up.
“Listen, Lords. The loyalty of the Lords for the imperial family and the empire is not lacking in protecting the Mandate of Heaven, but the recent disturbances have threatened the Mandate of Heaven despite the great efforts of the Lords.”
At those words, the quiet conference room grew even colder. Everyone gathered here knows that the recent uproar—the war of subjugation and the dispute over the succession to the throne—was a problem that shook the fortunes of the empire, but the emperor himself said, ‘We were almost ruined then.’ Acknowledging that is a different matter.
“Of course, thanks to the great emperor’s bowbox, which received Enen’s protection and set the Mandate of Heaven right, the legacy passed down from the ancestors and the loyalty of the Lords, the Empire punished the enemies who challenged the Mandate of Heaven, but trouble broke out again in the north.”
And again, the statement that a thousand people could be threatened. The Emperor showed his determination not to take this incident lightly.
At the same time, it also showed a will to never neglect those responsible for causing this crisis.
‘How far?’
I bit my lip slightly. The crisis the emperor spoke of was not a natural disaster. Kagan’s blood relatives who survived the great subjugation war are the talents who once again rallied the nomadic forces. It’s a disaster that has no choice but to hold someone accountable.
Then, how far does that responsibility go? The one who failed to slay Dorgon in the Great Subjugation War? The Special Forces haven’t been able to find Dorgon for the past three years? The Margrave of Sorden who couldn’t control the turmoil in the north?
‘I can’t stop this.’
He is an emperor who boasts of powerful imperial authority, but now his justification is certain.
The emperor showed a performance in which he summoned all the high-ranking officials of the empire, consuming his political power, and officially admitted that a crisis had come to the empire. If the emperor asks for responsibility in a situation like this, no matter how successful he is, he will have to prepare for the fall, and the head of the special affairs department will be replaced.
That’s why no one dared to open their mouth. How could you normally say such a thing? There should be people who should show off their loyalty to root out the weightlifters who have gone against His Majesty’s wishes, but in a situation where the emperor’s blade cannot be swung, opening one’s mouth is a sacrifice It’s like asking to be taken as one.
“Marquis of Thorden.”
And the scope was decided.
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
A middle-aged man, the Marquis of Sorden, carefully bowed his head in response to the emperor’s call.
Sorrow and relief passed across the nobles’ faces at the same time. The fact that the name was called first means that the emperor considers the Marquis of Sorden to have the greatest responsibility, and if the Marshal is the highest-ranking official, it is extremely unlikely that other people besides the Marshal will be involved.
“You have the duty to assist the imperial family above, and to keep the subjects at peace below. Also, since you have a great responsibility to protect the borders and strive for the stability of the empire, the imperial family has given your ancestors the authority commensurate with that responsibility. Awarded.”
If you simply look at the numbers, there are fewer Marquess than Dukes. The only three frontier kings in the empire. He is given unconventional authority and freedom for the reason that he has to quickly respond to the turmoil at the border, and he is given consideration that he does not have to participate in the New Year’s celebration.
In other words, there is also a huge responsibility proportional to the authority, and it also means that the Marquess must be unconditionally responsible for anything that happens in the Marshal’s jurisdiction.
“However, you failed to live up to the royal family’s trust.”
At the firm sentence, the Marquis bowed his head even more. The Marquis of Thorden is the Marquis in charge of the North. As the only Marquis of the North, his role is to control the nomads and keep the empire’s northern borders at peace.
However, as the emperor said, the Marquis of Thorden failed in that role. The nomads must regroup, and the borders must fear a second kagan. He gave authority, but he failed to fulfill his responsibility.
“The previous Margrave of Sorden couldn’t prevent the Reverse Heaven’s shock, so Jim’s disappointment is great.”
Like the previous Margrave of Sorden.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“I am a criminal who failed to repay Your Majesty’s undeserved trust and failed to fulfill the duty of a nobleman to protect the stability of the Empire and its subjects. What can I say? I will humbly follow Your Majesty’s judgment.”
As if prepared for this situation from the moment the convocation order was issued, the Margrave of Sorden opened his mouth in a calm voice.
It’s unfortunate. The previous Margrave of Sorden was executed for failing to prevent the integration of the nomads, and now his son also fell for the same crime.
“Barnio Ennirua of Sorden’s title as Margrave is revoked, and the Marshal’s authority granted to the Ennirua family is also revoked. From now on, the Marshal of Sorden is called the Countess of Sorden.”
At the measure that you can no longer trust your family, Marquis—No, Barnio remained silent.
“However, considering that the merits of the Ennirua family are greater than those of the Ennirua family, and that the contributions made by Barnio Ennirua in the last subjugation war were by no means small, there will be no more punishment than this. Passing down the title to a child is permitted. Do.”
I could see Barnio flinch at the following remarks. He risked execution, but it ended with his title stripped. Although the privilege of being a Margrave has been withdrawn, the family title is still Countess, which leads to high-ranking nobles. If it is allowed to pass it on to children, the family may stumble a little, but it will not collapse.
In an instant, he went from hell to heaven. Maybe that’s why Barnio opened his mouth with a somewhat trembling voice.
“Because you show great mercy to a sinner who has nothing to say even if you die, it’s shameful and embarrassing. The conviction has disappointed you, but the family of the conviction will forever live up to your mercy and trust.”
“I look forward to the loyalty of Count Ennirua.”
“Long live the Emperor, long live, long live the Emperor. Long live the Emperor.”
After those words, Barnio bowed and left the conference room. Because he has been stripped of his title, he is no longer subject to the summons.
“Speak about the upheaval in the north, Director of Intelligence.”
The emperor, watching Barnio’s exit, spoke softly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The head of the information department showed a look of embarrassment at the sudden call, but eventually answered naturally.
All the responsibility was shouldered by Barnio, so there’s no need to wield the sword anymore. Accountability is over.
“Udesr Dorgon, the son of Gaar Udesr Baatar, who was the chieftain of the Gaar tribe, called himself khan.”
From now on, it’s real.