The Unchangeable Nature

"His Your Majesty ..."

The Imperial Defense Minister stood up, and all eyes immediately turned to him.

The Ruler's Hall in Gefra was not as imposing as people imagined. The emperor sat on a high platform, while his ministers trembled below the steps.

Indeed, some painters and writers have depicted the image of a tyrant through similar descriptions, but it must be said that their descriptions are biased.

Because here, the emperor does indeed sit on a high platform, but below the steps are not ministers standing on either side, but ministers sitting.

The ministers have their own seats, independent high-backed chairs. Sometimes they deal with these matters until noon or even the afternoon. If everyone had to stand, probably 99% of the people here would not be able to stand.

Moreover, the emperor wasn't really a tyrant; it was just a creation based on certain purposes. He could have a bad temper at times, but overall he was a decent ruler, so it was even less likely that he would mistreat these ministers.

The Defense Minister stood up and offered his opinion. "Your Majesty, after this period of reflection, I believe we cannot resolve these issues in a short time."

As he spoke, he looked around at the other ministers. Some of them showed expressions of surprise, while others watched him silently.

"I am very pessimistic that we are neither capable nor able to completely solve this problem, because we are the aggressors, and we have been avoiding this issue!"

The Imperial Emperor frowned, but he didn't stop the Defense Minister from continuing. He wanted to hear what the man had to say. "Don't worry about my mood. Just say what you want to say."

"Your Majesty is wise Your Majesty!"

Appropriately, the Defense Minister blatantly flattered His Majesty, which effectively eased His Your Majesty the Emperor's irritability.

"Your Majesty, my colleagues, no matter how we try to conceal it, we cannot change our identity as invaders."

"In our view, it is His Your Majesty's tolerance and glory that we help the people of Amelia Region develop their economy, but to them, it is nothing more than the trick of the invaders."

"As long as we can't erase this identity, they will never truly be at peace, because we are inherently adversaries!"

The Defense Minister's words sparked discussion among the people in the entire Ruler's Hall. In fact, everyone understood this principle, but they were simply unwilling to say it before.

His Your Majesty the Emperor always felt that vigorously developing the Amelia Region would not only benefit the Empire—a point that needs no further discussion—but also allow the people of Amelia Region to enjoy more benefits and deepen their sense of identity with the Empire.

With new development opportunities emerging and this region becoming the empire's most important overseas territory, imperial resources will be continuously poured into this region, leading some people within the country to believe that the people living in the Amelia Region are getting a great deal.

But he always overlooked the crucial point raised by the Defense Minister: these Gefra were invaders who took over the region through war, killing their loved ones and forcing their rulers to submit.

Then the so-called glory and honor will become a shame, a disgrace, and will always humiliate each and every one of them.

Imagine living under the rule of invaders, accepting their rule, children eating food provided by the invaders, singing songs from the invaders... would people accept that?

No, not really. The people there will tell their children to remember this painful history, that it is not a source of glory, but a disgrace!

This contradiction is irreconcilable. Even if they eliminate all the Resistance Organization today, a new batch of Resistance Organization will rise up tomorrow, until everyone is wiped out.

The Defense Minister's blunt words annoyed the Imperial Emperor. He patted the armrest and said, "I didn't ask you to criticize me. I'm asking if any of you can solve this problem, understand?"

The Defense Minister nodded and bowed. "Of course, Your Majesty, that's why I'm bringing up these facts. We need someone to help us and act as a bridge between us and the local Li Ya."

"We need to ease the tensions between us, and then find ways to change their perception of us. As a new generation of children grows up, our rule will be much more secure."

"Two or three generations later, no one will remember who the invaders were or where the homeland was!"

When the Defense Minister got to this point, everyone in the Ruler's Hall nodded; this was their initial idea.

Children have no attitudes or stances. They will learn whatever they are taught and take it as the foundation for understanding the world and as the truth of the world.

When they grow up in an environment filled with Gefra culture, they are called by the word, and after several generations, they become the purest Gefra.

For the sake of this plan, His Imperial Emperor Your Majesty intended to emphasize the issue of racial equality, which, although ineffective, could win people's hearts.

The Emperor looked at the Defense Minister, "So what are your thoughts...?"

"A buffer, a bridge, Your Majesty, we need a third party to provide us with some assistance!" The Defense Minister reiterated his point of view, "I believe the Bayer Federation is a good ally, firstly..."

"Impossible!" The Defense Minister was abruptly interrupted by His Your Majesty the Emperor before he could finish speaking. "Impossible, you know that? Impossible!"

"I will absolutely not agree to this request. If you think this is the only way, then find me another suitable force, but the Bayer People, impossible!"

The Your Majesty the Emperor was usually calm, lost control of his emotions when he heard the term "Bayer Federation." A naval battle shattered the pride and invincibility of the Gefra people, and their remaining main fleet now dared not leave the coastal waters, for who knows if there were any of those damned submarines out there.

This battle was not just about losing most of the fleet; it directly destroyed Gefra's invincible image, shattered His Your Majesty the Emperor's pride, and put Gefra in a very passive position in the International Community.

So it would have been better if the Defense Minister hadn't mentioned the Bayer Federation; the moment he did, His Your Majesty the Emperor's emotions went into overdrive.

Seeing that the Defense Minister seemed about to continue the discussion, His Your Majesty the Emperor stood up and left the Ruler's Hall, too lazy to discuss anything else.

The remaining people looked at each other, and eventually got up and left. This was probably the fastest morning assembly in recent years. In the past, it always lasted until noon or afternoon. Only today were they able to go back and get some sleep.

Of course, this was just a joke; they were not going to go back to sleep.

As soon as the Defense Minister stepped out of the palace, a car on the side of the road honked its horn. He turned his head to look and saw several familiar faces in the rolled-down window.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked over and got into the car.

In fact, he didn't really like doing this, because the emperor didn't like them doing it either.

As the most powerful noble family in the empire, without exception, the emperor greatly disliked these nobles forming cliques and getting together.

The growth of the aristocratic group meant instability in the power of the royal family. Several political events in history that nearly shook the Imperial Power were due to the unprecedented strength of the aristocratic group at the time.

Normally, ministers would not gather together so openly, but today was somewhat different. His Your Majesty the Emperor left abruptly, ending the court session just as it began, and they had even discussed matters concerning Li Ya.

The Defense Minister hesitated for only a moment before walking to the car, opening the door, and getting inside.

There were three other people in the car: the Navy Minister, the Army Minister, and the Construction Minister.

These three individuals are all closely connected to the Amelia Region.

Although the Empire's fleet has not left the port yet, it will still go out when necessary.

Once in the car and starting the engine, the Navy Minister asked a direct question, "Why did you come up with the idea of bringing in the Federal?"

This issue may seem like a simple "problem," but it is actually a test. The three Navy Minister, the Army Minister, and the Construction Minister all know that the other is receiving benefits, and they are not just receiving benefits from Preton alone, but from many other people.

Over the years, the Imperial Navy has been invincible. For any merchant who wants to seek protection and quickly establish his business abroad, the simplest way is to have the navy escort his merchant ships and occasionally appear in the waters near certain commercial ports.

The Army Minister and the Construction Minister were quite similar; in their respective fields, merchants had to offer them benefits if they wanted their assistance.

Many of them were wealthy merchants like Preton, who supported three or four, or even more, ministers.

Some of them knew about it, just like they knew about each other, but they didn't expect the Defense Minister to suddenly stand up for the Federal government today.

After all, matters of national defense, apart from colluding with those arms groups, seem to have nothing to do with monopolistic businessmen like Preton. So how did they get in touch? To avoid them making the wrong probing, the Navy Minister did not directly ask if the other party knew Preton, but only asked about the other party's motives.

Having held high positions for so many years, they can see through a person's motives at a glance, let alone something as important as the stability of the Amelia Region.

The Defense Minister looked somewhat troubled. "Haven't you noticed the new report from the Amelia Governor?"

Without waiting for their replies, he continued, "Recently, more and more young people have left home and joined Resistance Organization. If this trend is not stopped, they will soon cease to be ' Resistance Organization '!"

"Based on the intelligence we have gathered so far, they plan to conquer a region and use it as a rear base to promote the independence of the Amelia Region..."