Subversion

In the Sofia Royal Palace, Ferdinand was leisurely sipping clear tea. Tea had become a part of his life, possessing a certain charm akin to the saying, "A country cannot go a day without a ruler, and a ruler cannot go a day without tea."

At this moment, a maid of about sixteen or seventeen walked over. She had a round, oval-shaped face and pitch-black eyes, her entire being radiating a youthful and lively energy.

"Grand Duke, Mr. Hoover is here!"

"Oh, Alice, bring him over," Ferdinand said lazily.

Alice said playfully, "Yes, Grand Duke!"

Those familiar with Ferdinand knew that in his daily life, he was very easygoing and lacked airs.

He could even joke and chat with the maids as equals, and the young Alice was not afraid of him at all.

In the blink of an eye, Hoover arrived before Ferdinand.

Hoover tried to remain calm as he said, "Your Highness, the fruit is ripe!"

It was evident that he was very excited right now; although he had tried hard to feign a calm appearance, the subtle changes in his brow betrayed him.

Ferdinand said happily, "Good! Mr. Hoover, you and your team have done well this time. You may proceed to the next step!"

"Yes, Your Highness! We are currently negotiating the price with the hired men," Hoover said cautiously.

Ferdinand's brows twitched slightly, but they soon smoothed out again as he smiled and said, "Then go and get busy; I await your good news!"

The situation in Bulgaria was already very dangerous, and at this stage, Ferdinand had to be extremely careful.

He feared that a moment of negligence might let the wind leak, allowing the Stam Cabinet to catch on and causing all his efforts to be wasted.

From Hoover's report just now, Ferdinand knew that the preliminary plan had been completed and the Stam Government was about to collapse.

However, the wooing of the military was only partially finished. Thinking about it, this was normal; the news of the massacre had not yet spread, so the military was not in a hurry to pick a side.

Presumably, once the news spread, unless they were die-hard loyalists, everyone else would make the right choice. After all, few people were willing to be buried along with the Stam Cabinet or stand on the opposite side of the Bulgarian people.

In fact, the Stam Government's control over the military was not very tight, and most mid-to-low-level officers and ordinary soldiers did not care for them.

This created an opportunity for Ferdinand. Talking about ideals with junior officers and discussing benefits with ordinary soldiers were established routines, and they were often invincible.

The military was a self-contained system, and it was difficult for outsiders to make contact. However, this was not a problem; Ferdinand still had a Guard unit, which was under his legitimate control.

After nearly two years of continuous brainwashing, the Guard was now composed of Ferdinand's die-hard loyalists, and the stubborn elements had long since been retired. They were the sharp weapon Ferdinand used to win over the military.

The Guard had always been well-funded. During periods of financial difficulty, Ferdinand had even paid out of his own pocket, so the morale of the officers and men had always been high. They often inadvertently acted as promoters for Ferdinand, enhancing his prestige within the military.

Since Ferdinand ascended the throne, the Guard had become the most envied unit among ordinary Bulgarian soldiers. Although the pay was the same, the food standards were a grade higher, and Ferdinand had also promised post-retirement placement.

Previously, someone had been injured during training and forced to retire, so Ferdinand arranged for him to work in a factory. He enjoyed the benefits of a retired veteran and received the same salary as an ordinary worker, yet only had to work eight hours a day, with overtime pay for anything beyond that.

It was truly enviable. In fact, Ferdinand had even submitted a "Preferential Treatment for Retired Veterans" bill to Parliament, only to be mocked by the Stam Cabinet.

The Parliament, representing the interests of the bourgeoisie, had rejected it without hesitation. High-ranking officers didn't care, as their benefits were high enough, but the ordinary soldiers had long since cursed the Parliament to high heaven.

Now, Hoover's target was the Sofia Garrison Commander, Sava Mutkurov. As long as he was handled, there would be no doubt about the fall of the Stam Cabinet.

Sava Mutkurov, who had just suppressed a riot, was busy thinking about the aftermath. An uninvited guest walked in and sat down in front of him; the visitor was none other than Hoover.

To resolve the final hidden danger, Hoover decided to take action personally. If Sava Mutkurov chose to refuse, Hoover would have no choice but to send him to meet God.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Sava Mutkurov held significant prestige in the military and killing him might cause the military to feel a sense of "fox mourning the death of the hare," Hoover would have already dealt with him.

Sava Mutkurov looked at Hoover and asked suspiciously, "Who are you? How did you get in?"

Without waiting for Hoover to answer, he shouted toward the door, "Guard! Guard! Get this rude bastard out of here!"

Hoover smiled and said, "Mr. Sava, please calm down. Since I can come in and sit here, it naturally means everything has been taken care of!"

"Who are you?" Sava Mutkurov forced down his anger.

Hoover still wore a smile as he said, "Let me introduce myself first. This Humble One is Hoover. By the order of Grand Duke Ferdinand, I have come specifically to visit Your Excellency Sava!"

"What? The Grand Duke's order? You are lying. If His Highness wanted to see me, wouldn't he send someone to summon me directly to the palace instead of skulking about?" Sava Mutkurov sneered.

Hoover ignored his rudeness and countered, "Then, Your Excellency Sava, who else besides His Highness do you think could make the soldiers outside ignore your orders?"

Sava Mutkurov thought about it, and it was indeed true. He was the spokesperson for the Liberal Party in the military, and Hoover could not be from the Liberal Party; if the opposition party had such great power, they would have already succeeded in their uprising.

"Then, Mr. Hoover, what does His Highness need me to do?" Having confirmed Hoover's identity, Sava Mutkurov spoke much more politely.

Hoover continued to smile, "Presumably, Mr. Sava is also aware of the Cabinet's recent actions. They are acting against the will of the people and have lost all public support!"

Sava Mutkurov retorted, "Mr. Hoover, you are exaggerating. The Cabinet's recent actions are indeed somewhat inappropriate, but surely it hasn't reached that point yet!"

Hoover looked at him and said solemnly, "Mr. Sava may not know yet, but just last night, a shocking event occurred in Bulgaria!"

Sava Mutkurov smiled and said casually, "Oh, you mean the opposition riot? I have already suppressed it!"

Hoover said gravely, "No, Mr. Sava, it is ten times, a hundred times more serious than that!"

Hearing this, Sava Mutkurov straightened his posture and asked suspiciously, "What happened?"

Hoover said with a dim expression, "Last night, the Cabinet ordered the execution of the arrested opposition members. We don't know exactly who they were, but just in the suburbs of Sofia, there are over a thousand corpses!"

Sava Mutkurov exclaimed, "What? Mr. Hoover, are you sure? Has the Cabinet gone mad?"

Hoover said firmly, "Yes, Mr. Sava, the Cabinet may truly have gone mad. Executing so many people without a court trial—this is already a naked massacre!"

Sava Mutkurov asked in a daze, "This... what does His Highness intend to do?"