War Council

The meeting room fell silent.

When Kang De proposed the four departments he intended to establish, the attendees fell silent.

Even if they had any thoughts or opinions in their hearts, they would never put them out loud.

The elites from various countries and the officials from Distant Harbor, many of whom came from prominent families, found His Highness's ideas somewhat strange, even naive, and a bit too simplistic.

The names of these four departments are strange, and their responsibilities are vague. It is very strange that Truth, as the weapons and technology research and development department, can stand alone. As for the so-called Ministry of Unity, it is even more inexplicable.

The Ministry of Plenty, on the other hand, has too many functions and too much power, making it impossible to achieve any balance.

Although they disagreed in their hearts, they showed no sign of it on their faces. Moreover, it was a good thing that His Highness Kang De did not seem to be good at domestic affairs.

No one spoke for a moment, but Dong Tianming pondered for a moment, his brows furrowing, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

He looked at Kang De, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, please allow me to speak."

Kang De raised his hand and said, "Please speak."

The Imperial Tutor asked, "To which department do all these powers—apprehending thieves, protecting the borders and people, punishing the wicked, enforcing the law, and managing personnel and resources—belong to?"

Kang De grinned, revealing his gleaming teeth, and said, "The Ministry of Unity."

Dong Tianming's heart skipped a beat... Sure enough.

He then asked, "To oversee officials, gather intelligence, spy on secrets, and eliminate espionage?"

Kang De smiled and said, "Still the Ministry of Unity."

Dong Tianming glanced at the somewhat surprised crowd and slowly said, "The functions of the Ministry of Unity... that's not what you said at the beginning."

Kang De replied, "The Ministry of Unity, its task is, of course, unity. I have already devised their code of conduct—unite all that is worthy of unity, and help all that refuses to unite."

Dong Tianming remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Has the lord made a decision regarding the selection of the chief officials for each department?"

Kang De pushed off with his foot, swung his chair halfway around, and replied, "I already have a plan—I have someone in mind for the Chief of Truth. I've formally extended an invitation to her, urging her to take up her post as soon as possible."

In Kang De's plan, the mission of Truth was extremely important. It was not only to develop alchemical weaponry and magical arts from the otherworld, but also to study Paradox Element, the remains of Yilan Taier, Star Palace technology and many other corrupted technologies. And most importantly, it was to attempt to combine the technological powers of the otherworld with those of Earth.

Therefore, the head of this department should be none other than Parrot.

She was once the Elf Queen, with maxed-out leadership skills. She was also the founder of the Golden Age, the greatest alchemist and sorcerer in the history of Twilight Moon, and had a comprehensive understanding of Earth's technology. She knew many of Kang De's great secrets, and most importantly, Kang De trusted her.

It's time to let this thieving bird work for Kang De.

If she disagrees, then in front of her, he sets fire to the project proposals for Command & Conquer 5, Red Alert 4, and StarCraft 3.

"I will temporarily assume command of the Ministry of Peace," Kang De said calmly. "My two children, Horus, will command the Army, A Fu will command the Navy."

The soldiers were all stunned for a moment, especially the naval officers, who were somewhat taken aback.

Horus was the undisputed commander-in-chief of the army. After all, everyone knew that he was the ultimate war puppet created by His Highness Kang De. Everyone had already witnessed his achievements and abilities. Even the soldiers in the Distant Harbor War had fought under His Highness Horus's calm, rational, and error-free command.

But A Fu... this beautiful knight lady?

Wait a minute—her A Fu?

"That's right," Kang De said, facing the group of naval idiots. "A Fu is the psionic avatar and mental model of the battleship Astofor —she is Astolfo herself."

--What!?

The naval officers couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Even the most knowledgeable elves were stunned. They looked at A Fu again. Her pink hair, her lovely face, her petite body wrapped in a white cloak and armor, her shimmering skirt and armor, and her long battle boots made her look like a Valkyrie from mythology, flying across the sea.

And this adorable appearance blends seamlessly with the image of a steel warship cleaving through the waves and roaring amidst the raging torrents.

A Fu stood up gracefully, flashed a peace sign at the navy men, swayed her hips slightly, and winked with a smile, "I'm A Fu, nice to meet you, my dear navy brothers!"

At this point, A Fu maintained his innocent smile, "Everyone, don't lose to the army!"

--Otherwise, I'll throw you all into a cesspool with Horus and make you eat shit!

"Oh oh!"

The naval officers from Distant Harbor, the Empire, the Council, and Twilight Moon almost simultaneously stood up!

To be honest, if His Highness Kang De had parachuted in a cute, seemingly immature girl to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, the arrogant naval soldiers would definitely be unhappy. But since he sent the personification of the Astolfo to be the leader, no one would have any objections.

But if the personification of the powerful and all-conquering Astofor is a petite, adorable, and heroic little girl, then the navy will have an eternal goddess, and His Highness Kang De, A Fu's father—will be our eternal father-in-law and father!

Seeing the obsequious looks in the eyes of his "sons-in-law," Kang De felt a mixture of coldness and pity.

He looked at Hong San: "Chief of the Ministry of Plenty..."

Hong San bowed his head and said, "Your subject recommends my master—a tutor to two emperors and Cathay renowned prime minister of China. He is willing to assist Your Highness in governing the country, promoting agriculture and sericulture, managing commerce, and undertaking large-scale construction projects to benefit the people, attract talented individuals, and enrich the national treasury. Your subject is willing to serve as his assistant, and together we, master and disciple, will serve Your Highness."

Kang De remained silent, gazing at Hong San until the latter raised his head.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Kang De smiled and said, "Okay."

He smiled at Dong Tianming, then looked at everyone present. "The head of the Ministry of Unity will be appointed after my consideration. The tasks of monitoring unusual activities, managing public security, and maintaining order will be temporarily handled by the relevant departments of the Distant Harbor Municipal Hall, with assistance from the Horus- affiliated Traitor Suppression Society. Broadcast surveillance and other media communications will be managed by A Fu."

"Under the four ministries, each has its own laws and powers, and there are also vacant official positions in the subordinate departments of each ministries. The tasks of the four ministries I just mentioned will be the work goals of the Shogunate in the next stage. Talent recommendation, selection and evaluation will also be carried out in this process. I want to improve the Shogunate in the implementation of the tasks in the next stage."

He smiled and said, "In the early stages, things will inevitably have shortcomings and oversights. There is no perfect system in the world, but there is the most suitable system for the present moment—let us all strive together."

After saying this, Kang De stood up. "Go back and prepare yourselves; we have work to do."

Since the order to leave had been given, everyone had their own thoughts and took their leave. They each had their own ideas and were also preparing to reveal the contents of today's meeting to others... In Cathay, there is a saying about meritorious officials who followed the emperor, and of course, there is one on the mainland as well. His Highness Kang De is about to formally establish his court cabinet, and now is a good opportunity to change his fate.

Only Hong San and his apprentice, along with Kang De's two children, remained in the room.

Kang De looked at Dong Tianming: "Old sir, you don't think I'm acting recklessly, do you?"

Dong Tianming was once a renowned imperial tutor and prime minister, but later suffered a calamity that turned his life's work to ashes. He spent the rest of his life in hatred and forbearance. In terms of composure and mentality, he had long since reached the point of being indifferent to honor or disgrace. The only time he lost his composure in the second half of his life was last night when he witnessed Kang De's nuclear explosion.

He smiled and said, "Although it's a bit reckless... Your Highness should have your own considerations."

Kang De nodded. "Logically, we should have established three provinces and six ministries, or a large number of departments such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Propaganda. But my territory is only Valentan and Distant Harbor, and the combined population is barely 500,000. If we set up a bunch of ministerial-level departments, we won't even have enough ministers."

He spread his hands and said, "Are you suggesting we select a group of nobles from the Distant Harbor, the Broken Isles, or even Valentan to serve as ministerial or even vice-national level officials? I'd be wasting my time..."

Dong Tianming nodded and said, "A streamlined decision-making body helps improve efficiency, especially in the current situation. It is indeed a wise choice. But what if, with the expansion of the territory and the increase of the population, the four ministries become too powerful, leading to an imbalance of power and the growth of corruption? What will we do then?"

Kang De said calmly, "There is no perfect system, only the most suitable system. It can be changed when necessary. As for the growth of corruption... that's the significance of the Inquisition and the Ministry of Unity."

He looked at the old man. "You know what kind of enemy we are facing, and you know what our ultimate goal is. Star Palace will inevitably make a comeback. I don't have time to design anything like the separation of powers, democratic referendums, or checks and balances. Every bit of our strength is extremely precious and cannot be wasted on politicians' showmanship and foolish internal strife. Star Palace doesn't reason, so we shouldn't even think about it."

"At least for now, all power and strength must be concentrated in my hands. I have no interest in money, nor in ruling the world. I only want everyone who joins us to play their part like a cog in a machine. I will try my best to ensure that each of them lives comfortably, and on this basis, we will gather a powerful force to defeat our enemies."

Dong Tianming listened quietly.

After hearing Hong San's words, he realized that he still didn't know much about his new lord.

"To make everyone comfortable..." he shook his head, "And to gather immense power—forgive my doubt, but that seems impossible."

Throughout history, the rise and fall of dynasties have always brought suffering to the common people, especially during times of chaos. This is because military expenses, provisions, and salaries are all squeezed from the people. This has been the case for thousands of years of dynasties and throughout history, both in China and abroad.

"Possibly."

Kang De said calmly, "In ancient times, people Spark. How much could one acre yield? After domesticating oxen, using iron plows, and digging irrigation canals, how much could one acre yield? As long as we advance technological progress, people will create more wealth and power. But at the same time, we also need to do another job."

Dong Tianming seemed to realize something. "Please speak."

Kang De's gaze was brooding. "Let some people stop being so wasteful."

The Imperial Tutor's eyes trembled violently.

In an instant, he understood Kang De's thoughts and ideas.

So terrifying, so dangerous, so... reckless.

But then he saw Kang De look helpless. "Alas, it's not that simple. Just think of the negative examples... These kinds of problems aren't so easy to solve."

He shrugged. "But thankfully, there's still one workaround, albeit a less-than-ideal one, to deal with the Star Palace."

Hong San, who had been staring at Kang De, asked, "What?"

Kang De smiled and said, "Let me be the one who gets the most, and I'll be in charge of distributing the spoils. We'll deal with that after we finish the Star Palace battle."

Dong Tianming seemed to understand something, and he said softly, "So, the head of the Ministry of Unity must be Princess Tina, right?"

Kang De nodded and said, "Both the pen and the knife should be in my hands."

Dong Tianming nodded slightly. This made sense. The so-called four departments of Truth, peace, unity, and prosperity were merely the first step in His Highness Kang De's consolidation of power.

He didn't care how strange the departmental designs were or how unbalanced their powers were. What he wanted to do was to leave his mark forever on this Shogunate that was destined for greatness. Even if the functions of these four highest power institutions were split up in the future, they would still be forever imprinted with the seal of the first generation of institutions.

Because His Highness Kang De established these four departments not for the purpose of governing the country.

It was for... war.

The Imperial Tutor sighed, "It seems that before facing the Star Palace, we will have to fight the Empire and the Council."

Kang De paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mr. Dong is indeed extraordinary."

Dong Tianming bowed slightly. "Your Highness flatters me. If I couldn't even see this, I would have no face to serve Your Majesty— the Truth Department prepares for war, the Ministry of Peace launches war, the Ministry of Plenty creates war, and the Ministry of Unity quells war. The four Shogunate that you have established are a true War Council."

Kang De's smile faded, and he nodded, saying, "That's true."

Dong Tianming inquired, "With a formidable enemy at hand and the Star Palace facing the threat of annihilation, why does Your Highness choose to attack the Council and the Empire? Although they are not as powerful as Twilight Moon, they are still among the strongest powers in the world."

Kang De said with a sigh, "I also thought that with a formidable enemy at hand, we should put aside old grudges and unite as one. But what happened before tells me that those bastards will never join forces against the enemy unless they are on fire themselves. If a real fight breaks out, I even suspect they will stab us in the back."

"So, I've made up my mind."

"If they refuse to be united with us, then I'll help them maintain their dignity."

Kang De's expression turned cold and stern.

"You're right, the four departments of the Shogunate are the War Council."

"The Ministry of Plenty's mission is to produce for war. Not only that, but it also needs to continuously bleed the continental countries dry through trade exports and financial means, plundering their domestic wealth through trade surpluses, developing and strengthening ourselves, and letting them know what dumping is."

"The Ministry of Unity continuously exports the good life of our people and our belief in justice to our neighbors, making their citizens yearn for this place, attracting their top talents to the Distant Harbor, and igniting the Flame of resistance and sowing the seeds of unrest in their countries."

"The development and application of technology in the Truth not only supports the production of the Ministry of Plenty with civilian industrial technology, but also manufactures weapons and equips soldiers with military technology, thereby strengthening our power."

"The Ministry of Peace is always ready to protect our interests and the safety of our people—if the enemy doesn't move, the Ministry of Plenty will continuously bleed us dry, bankrupting domestic artisans, causing a massive outflow of precious metals, acquiring valuable assets, and monopolizing product supply. If the Emperor and his people can tolerate it, they will be bleed dry until they die; if they can't, then it will be time for the Ministry of Peace to act."

Kang De said slowly, "I love peace, and the mission of the Ministry of Peace is to defend peace, so we will not fire the first shot. But if they fire the first shot, the Ministry of Peace will not give them the chance to fire a second shot."

As he said this, he looked at the stunned Dong Tianming.

"I'll tell you my plans and strategy, Mr. Dong. You are Hong San's mentor, and I respect you. I know why you chose to be loyal to me, but the most important thing in interpersonal relationships is that people share the same ideals and aspirations. That's how it is between Hong San and me. I trust him far more than I trust you."

Kang De's tone was calm, but his expression revealed sincerity.

Last night, Dong Tianming offered his loyalty, but he hadn't had a proper chat with this Imperial Tutor of Cathay yet.

He said, "The head of the Ministry of Plenty originally intended to give it to Hong San, but he recommended you instead. I don't think it was out of consideration for my master's feelings; I have my reasons for doing so."

"The objective reality is that after your disciples answered your call and came to serve in Distant Harbor, the Dong Tianming faction may become the largest political clique under my command. I am not afraid of factionalism within my ranks, nor am I afraid of your expanding influence. I am only afraid that you and I have different ideologies and irreconcilable differences."

Kang De calmly replied, "I'm afraid there will be bloodshed, and everyone will be in a difficult position."

He looked at Hong San, whose face showed worry. "He must know my concerns. Even so, he still recommended you as the chief official. I think it's not because of filial piety, but because he thinks you are capable. And now I need your word—no matter what, you will stand by my side."

Dong Tianming hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "No matter what?"

Kang De replied, "In any case—my homeland is not Cathay, my thinking is different from ordinary people, and some common sense, rules and laws that may seem very normal to you are not to my liking. If I don't like them, I must break them, and I will kill anyone who tries to stop me."

Dong Tianming stood up. "For example?"

Kang De also stood up. "Knees are not for kneeling. Those who swindle money from the poor should die. No one should go hungry. I will not treat those who do not treat people as human beings. Everyone who is willing to work can earn money standing up. The rich can feast on meat and wine, but there should be no frozen bones anywhere."

He stared at the other person. "Some things exist everywhere on the mainland, and they will certainly exist in Cathay as well. That's human nature, but it's wrong. Whether it's the eastern or western continent, when I, Kang De, come here, or wherever I, Kang De, go, these things cannot exist."

He softened his tone. "It's better to clarify these things first. I can go and save Cathay, but I'm not doing it so that a bunch of men can continue to happily exploit the peasants. The rules need to change, the world needs to change. As for how to change, whether it can be changed well, and whether it can be changed for the better, Distant Harbor is the best testing ground and showcase. You can see here what is right and what is wrong. I hope you can distinguish them clearly, and after that, I hope you can follow your conscience."

At this point, Kang De extended his hand to Dong Tianming: "In short, I promised Hong San, welcome to join us. Mr. Dong, you are the Imperial Tutor of Cathay and a renowned prime minister. Please, together with your prized students, demonstrate to me your governing abilities and your unparalleled ambition to benefit the people. The affairs of the Ministry of Plenty are now in your hands."

Dong Tianming was stunned for a while before slowly taking Kang De's hand.

His smile seemed tinged with bitterness.

Times have truly changed... When Dong Tianming volunteered to serve them, they were surprisingly wary.

He said softly, "Does Your Highness intend to abolish the Cathay royal family?"

Kang De rolled his eyes and said, "It's not that exaggerated. We need to analyze specific problems in specific ways. If I led my troops to defeat your enemies and then turned around and abolished your royal family, wouldn't all the Cathayan rebel? Of course, things need to be done slowly, step by step."

For some reason, Dong Tianming showed a look of surprise upon hearing this.

His slightly dimmed expression brightened again.

"Ah..." he said, "That's good, that's good..."

Kang De shook his head, then waved to Hong San and said, "See your master off— Master Dong. Please prepare a report explaining the next phase of Ministry of Plenty's plans and programs."

Hong San helped his teacher up. "Your Highness, is there something you need?"

Kang De nodded and said, "Hmm, go to Danfeng Lucerne to see Tina and extend an invitation to her. We don't know if she'll be willing to do it... and we can't find a suitable person..."

Just then, Horus, who had been sitting in his seat waiting, suddenly said, "Father, an old friend of yours is arriving soon—I think you should go and greet him."

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PS1: Damn, the Ministry of Justice has become a sensitive word! It was fine yesterday, what's going on?