Chapter 114: Side Story 8: The Issues of Conquest

"A world under the oppression of Sol’s puppets is one in which Khor’s would not want for us. We carry a part of his will within us. We must follow in his steps and break free from tyranny." A beggar. It was the only word to describe the preacher within Almaris, the ex-Safrid Capital. Many disregarded him as an annoyance or crazy but a few lingered around listening to him. He looked deep into the eyes of the Ammary soldiers on the opposite side of the street watching.

"Our new emperor." He said mockingly, "Is a man who is dyed in blood. He has killed numerous, men, women, and children, he did not discriminate." Despite his appearance, he seemed knowledgeable. His voice was rugged but held a level of eloquence in it. "They call him the Blessed One. I spit on that. I recognize one name only. The Blood Child. We have to submit to a man like this willingly. We have to put our lives in his hands. I fear." He paused taking a deep breath, "I fear for the children of the future. Ones who do not know the truth. Ones who are subjected to the will of a tyrant."

He got nods from a few in the crowd carrying on. "The Safrid family may have treated us poorly in their final days, but, we must remember who they were. They had made all men equal underneath our lord. They protected us for years in defense of the faith. I pity them and hope when Khors returns he will take them along his side." The beggar stopped lowering his head in respect.

"And what’s left? One daughter who is led astray by the Blood Child. The proof is in her crippled son. Proof of the filth of Sol. An abomination." It was one sentence he shouldn’t have said. The two soldiers who were watching walked over with hard eyes.

"We have a duty to Khors. We must return this once-beautiful nation back to its glory." The beggar shouted as the two guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away. "It is our test. Do not fall for Sol’s tricks." Taken away his voice echoed down the entire road. Most of the initial crowd brushed off his words as a beggar’s ramblings, but a few gave each other knowing looks and nods, taking him seriously.

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Marcus looked at the reports in his hand. In every city and major town, at least one report of someone against the new system existed. It was a headache and he had mobilized his men all over. He had ordered to not use heavy force in dealing with these things, but it was quickly becoming something that couldn’t be ignored.

He took a pen out quickly writing to William and Alfred. He needed direction in dealing with this. It was outside his expertise to put down revolts. The knocking on his door quickly took his attention away from his writings. Tidying his desk he called for the door. "Enter."

Walking in, Adrian gave a small bow before taking a seat opposite Marcu. The soldier looked at the small man and couldn’t read him. His mask covering his disfigurement didn’t help him, but his eyes told him nothing. "You seem stressed. His Majesty has left me here in charge of the runnings of the new land for a reason, and yet you have not come to see me yet."

Marcus smiled at this, "Forgive me. You must understand my... apprehension about approaching you." Adrian gave a soft nod.

"But you have a problem. Those reports reach my desk all the same. The situation won’t end the way you are solving this. Arrests can be made, as many as you like, but someone will always take its place." Adrian said with a matter of fact tone. Marcus caught this.

"What do you mean?"

"Count Esmond has kept in touch. Whilst what is happening now is purely the will of the people, everyone, myself included, suspects the Commonwealth will begin to fan the flames. What you have right now is a minor issue compared to what can happen in the future." Marcus grabbed his eyes in annoyance.

He tried to think of a solution but couldn’t. His mind always goes straight to using more force. He knew however that if that failed it would amplify his problems. "Tell me then. How would you do this? I can think of a strict crackdown and martial law but if it doesn’t solve things then I have made things worse."

"That the things with soldiers. They think like they are still in a war. But you’re forgetting the most important thing about war." Adrian paused and Marcus urged him to continue. "Your allies, or knowing who they are. Nasr made this mistake." Adrian said happily smiling. "The new nobles that you have gotten can become this."

Marcus thought about the words. "So I work the nobles. They can influence the people sure, but what if they don’t want to work with me? They have a very justified reason not to."

"But they have a bigger incentive to. Everyone knows the skill of Count Esmond. They know if he even finds a scent of betrayal their house will disappear. They also know His Majesty would be more than willing to get rid of any potential threats to his rule. So you offer them a way out. Have them vouch for a change in leadership. Have them be the bridge between the two nations."

"I don’t think His Majesty would appreciate working with them. he has a very high standard for his vassals."

"And I agree. But it is only a temporary affair. You don’t have a replacement for everything yet. Give them a false sense of security. Make promises and ease their worries. Only a few hardliners will turn you away but most prioritize their survival over pride and faith. Once you are done with them I’m sure His Majesty will give the order like he did all those years ago."

Marcus sat on the suggestion. It was risky. "Even if we have the nobles to bridge the gap. There are other problems that we can’t deal with using a sword or friends. The Followers and the Church hate each other. This is not easy to bridge and requires the Arch-Bishop’s input. As for the problems the people have with a new rule. I have some suggestions but whether the support for them comes will be yet to be seen."

Adrian could only shrug in regards to this. The religious problems, although having some ideas for it, were outside his control. If he put a foot inside he knew that he would face the wrath of Raven and he wasn’t keen on the idea.

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"Marcus has requested financial support to carry out some plans." Alfred read out one of the final issues of the day to his council. "He wants money to begin a fund for widows and orphans from the war."

"Why waste money on things like this." A noble spoke out. He dismissed the idea, but William butt in.

"He’s a soldier. Not a politician. He understands the fears of soldiers and their families the most when it comes to war. He knows a lot of outcry from the people, especially the women, will be directed at their, husbands, fathers, children, or brothers not returning home. Much like what we do for the widows of our soldiers he wishes to ease their worries. They just need to know that they will be looked after even without their breadwinner anymore."

William calmly explained. He knew how Marcus thought and was sure that it was why he had done this. The man wasn’t sentimental enough to give money to his fallen enemies’ families. "We can get the funds. The crown has come into new wealth with the land and trade routes. If it helps deal with tensions in the land then so be it." Alfred said disinterested in the opinions of the others. They all nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

"Finally we have the issue of the faith. The Followers of Khors can’t be dealt with lightly but neither can they be harshly. We already have a plan for religious taxation, but it is a matter of having to deal with any central leadership. The Safrids had control of this before, but now they are gone I’m sure the power has scrambled." It was a headache of a topic for Alfred, but he knew how important it was to deal with it correctly. He had learned enough in his old world to understand this.

"Any funds that the Followers of Khors gathered must go somewhere. Follow the money, you find the people." Anton spoke. He rarely came to the meetings; always having other matters to deal with in regard to the Golden Bank. "If they have no funds it doesn’t really matter."

"Whilst I don’t completely agree with him Your Majesty, he makes a good point. The top brass of the Followers who could hope of starting something will need funds to do so. I’m sure Snowid will be happy to provide this if they have none. If there is no money trail there is another way. We can get a list of all those relevant in the secular circles of the old Sultante maybe we can find something." William spoke. "Adrian should be able to get the relevant documents. The Safrid had to keep tabs on this to maintain control over the faith after all."

"Fine. I’ll get Esmond and Adrian to focus on finding a gold trail and narrow down any ringleaders. In the meantime, we will slowly covert any places of worship into temples and churches of Sol and unleash the benefits of conversion. Once we have the necessary data of the Safrid populace I will then begin the religious taxation. This should happen within a year."

"I know some of you may be concerned about how to deal with the cultural issue. But we can only focus on so many things at once. I will begin to make plans for this inevitable problem but for now, we secure the faith, deal with the populace, and prepare for a new administration."

Alfred stood up after finishing talking. "You’re all dismissed." He gave the words leaving, flanked by his two guards.