Subversion

At the Sofia Royal Palace, Ferdinand was leisurely sipping his tea. Tea had become part of his life, with a certain air of "a country cannot go a day without its ruler, and a ruler cannot go a day without tea."

Just then, a maid of about sixteen or seventeen came over. She had a round, oval face, dark, bright eyes, and a lively, youthful air about her.

"Your Highness, Mr. Hoover is here!"

"Oh? Alice, show him in," Ferdinand said lazily.

Alice replied playfully, "Yes, Your Highness!"

Anyone familiar with Ferdinand knew that he was easygoing in everyday life and put on no airs.

He could even joke and chat with the maids as an equal, and young Alice wasn't the least bit afraid of him.

In a flash, Hoover appeared before Ferdinand.

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

It was clear he was excited. Though he had tried hard to appear composed, the changes in his expression still gave him away.

Ferdinand said happily, "Good! You and your men have done well this time, Mr. Hoover. We can move on to the next step!"

"Yes, Your Highness! We're negotiating prices with the mercenaries now," Hoover said solemnly.

Ferdinand's brows twitched, then relaxed again. Smiling, he said, "Then go and get to work. I'll be waiting for your good news!"

Bulgaria's situation was already perilous. At this point, Ferdinand had no choice but to tread carefully.

He was afraid that a moment's carelessness might let the secret slip and alert the Stam Cabinet, ruining everything.

From Hoover's report, Ferdinand knew that the first stage of the plan was complete. The Stam Government was on the verge of collapse.

However, the effort to win over the army was only partly complete. On second thought, that was only natural. News of the massacre had not yet spread, so the military had no urgent need to choose sides.

Once the news got out, everyone except the diehards would surely make the right choice. After all, few people wanted to go down with the Stam Government and set themselves against the Bulgarian people.

In truth, the Stam Government's control over the army was not very tight. Most junior and mid-ranking officers, as well as ordinary soldiers, had little affection for them.

That gave Ferdinand an opportunity. Talking ideals with junior officers and better pay with ordinary soldiers were standard tactics, and they rarely failed.

The army operated as a system of its own, making it difficult for outsiders to reach. But that was no problem: Ferdinand had his own Imperial Guard, which he controlled openly and legitimately.

After nearly two years of indoctrination, the Imperial Guard were now all loyal to Ferdinand. The stubborn ones had long since been discharged. They were Ferdinand's trump card for winning over the military.

The Imperial Guard had always been well paid. During times of financial hardship, Ferdinand had even covered their pay out of his own pocket, so morale among the officers and men remained high. Often without even realizing it, they helped spread the word about Ferdinand and boost his standing in the army.

Ever since Ferdinand had taken the throne, the Imperial Guard had been the envy of ordinary Bulgarian soldiers. Their pay was the same, but their meals were a cut above, and Ferdinand had promised to arrange jobs for them after retirement.

One man had been injured during training and forced to retire, so Ferdinand had arranged for him to work in a factory. He received veterans' benefits and the same wages as ordinary workers, but only had to work eight hours a day; any time beyond that earned overtime pay.

It was truly the envy of many. In fact, Ferdinand had once submitted a draft bill to parliament called "Benefits for Retired Veterans," only to be mocked by the Stam Cabinet.

Parliament, representing the interests of the bourgeoisie, rejected it without hesitation. The senior officers didn't care much, since their benefits were already generous. Ordinary soldiers, meanwhile, had cursed parliament roundly.

Hoover's target now was Sava Mutkurov, the commander of Sofia's garrison. If he could bring him around, there would be no doubt that the Stam Cabinet would fall.

Sava Mutkurov, who had just put down a riot, was busy thinking about how to handle the aftermath. An uninvited guest came in and sat down in front of him. It was Hoover.

To eliminate the final threat, Hoover had decided to go in person. If Sava Mutkurov refused, Hoover would have no choice but to send him to meet his Maker.

In fact, if Sava Mutkurov hadn't held considerable influence in the army—so that killing him might make the military feel that they were next—Hoover would have dealt with him long ago.

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

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

Hoover smiled and said, "Mr. Sava, please calm down. If I'm sitting here, then naturally I've taken care of everything."

"Who are you?" Sava Mutkurov asked, forcing down his anger.

Hoover still wore a smile as he said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Hoover. I've come to visit you on the orders of His Highness Ferdinand."

"What? An order from His Highness? You're lying. If His Highness wanted to see me, wouldn't he send someone to summon me directly to the palace? Why would he need to skulk around?" Sava Mutkurov said with a cold laugh.

Hoover ignored his rudeness and asked in return, "Then, Mr. Sava, who else in Bulgaria besides His Highness could make the soldiers outside disobey your orders?"

Sava Mutkurov thought it over. Hoover did have a point. He was the Liberal Party's representative in the army, and Hoover couldn't be a member of the Liberal Party. If an opposition party had that much power, it would have already succeeded in an uprising.

"Then, Mr. Hoover, what does His Highness need me to do?" Once he was sure who Hoover was, Sava Mutkurov spoke much more courteously.

Hoover was still smiling as he said, "I'm sure you know what the Cabinet has been doing lately. They've been acting against the tide and have lost the people's support, haven't they?"

Sava Mutkurov countered, "You're exaggerating, Mr. Hoover. The Cabinet's recent actions have been somewhat ill-advised, but surely things haven't reached that point!"

Hoover looked at him and said gravely, "You may not know this, Mr. Sava, but something horrifying happened in Bulgaria last night!"

Sava Mutkurov smiled and said casually, "Oh, you mean the opposition's riot? I've already put it down!"

"No, Mr. Sava. This is ten or a hundred times worse!" Hoover said solemnly.

At that, Sava Mutkurov straightened up and asked in confusion, "What happened?"

Hoover's expression darkened as he said, "Last night, the Cabinet ordered the execution of the captured opposition members. We don't yet know exactly who they were, but more than a thousand bodies were found just outside Sofia!"

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

Hoover said firmly, "Yes, Mr. Sava. The Cabinet may really have gone mad. They executed all those people without a court trial. This was nothing less than a blatant massacre!"

Sava Mutkurov asked, looking shaken, "This... What does His Highness intend to do?"