CHAPTER 2108 SHIFT IN PRIORITIES
"Your Majesty, are you sure that donating ten billion gold coins to the Democratic Socialist Party of the Republic of Gorteau anonymously was a worthwhile expenditure?" the Royal Chancellor asked with a skeptical tone.
A group of officials gazed at the Emperor of Harmony across an extravagantly adorned table.
Emperor Rael's powerful gaze shifted to the Royal Chancellor. "It worked just as intended, did it not?" he calmly asked. "If ten billion gold coins is all it takes, then it is worth it to stop a fool who cannot stop what he knows is a foolish endeavor."
Emperor Rael huffed. "More importantly, Kandria is in a precarious position internationally. The Republic of Gorteau is not the only one that is openly hostile to our empire. I do not need to remind all of you that the Sekigahara Confederate would love nothing more than to wipe us off the map. And while the Britannian Empire calmed down after Emperor Arthur broke through into the Transcendent Realm, it is still an imperialistic nation that preys on the weak, colonizing any and all nations that it is able to."
He narrowed his eyes. "We are in a world that will devour us in a heartbeat if we show enough weakness."
His words set the tone of the meeting.
"I have managed to slow down and even undo the damage of our waning influence in the international community," Rael calmly informed them. "However, even for me, it is impossible to undo the damage in our international standing that a decade of political weakness has done to us."
This was a lie.
Emperor Rael possessed the ability to undo all of it.
He even genuinely planned to undo all of it when he commenced his grand plan.
However, for now, he abstained; he had found a better way to make lemonade out of lemons.
"As discussed, there are verifiably grave threats that are hostile to Kandria by all objective measures, the details of which have been provided to you in the information package that each of you has been supplied with. That is why I have formulated several domestic agendas that will take priority from this day forth," he continued. "They are, in no particular order—"
He raised a finger. "Border security."
A second finger rose. "Foreign Intelligence."
A third finger rose. "Economic independence."
A fourth finger rose. "Military and Martial investment."
A fifth finger rose. "Strengthened authority and law enforcement."
The leaders of the executive government grew surprised at the list of priorities that the Emperor of Harmony espoused.
"Your Majesty…?" The Minister of Foreign Affairs stared at him, confused. "Do you intend on waging war? These do not sound like the list of priorities of a leader with peaceful intentions."
"I won't ever declare war," Emperor Rael asserted evenly. "However, that doesn't mean I can live like war doesn't exist. I have already provided ample substantiation for my shift in policy. We have a powerful Sage-level powerhouse that is openly lobbying to wage war against Kandria. The other two are not actively pushing for war yet, but have grown more hostile against us in the past decade due to our political weakness. Wake up; one can hope for the best but must always prepare for the worst."
His rhetoric was quite effective, painting a narrative with a carefully selected set of facts to convince others of his decisions.
In reality, the reason he wanted to make such aggressive wartime preparations was because of his grand plan.
He knew war was inevitable if he went through with his ambition to use the super treasures that Rui had brought back home to elevate the Kandrian Empire above all others.
"Allow me to go through all of them one by one," Emperor Rael offered. "For border security, l plan to triple the fixed capital funding to the Kandrian Border Patrol Force to strengthen our border fortified wall. No cost is objectionable when it comes to strengthening border security. Minister Milian, I entrust the execution of this to you as it falls within the purview of the Ministry of National Security."
She nodded solemnly.
"I do not need to even elaborate on the importance of foreign intelligence," Emperor Rael mused. "I want eyes and ears everywhere. If President Raymond even whispers about waging war on us, I want to know. If Prime Minister Edward decides to commence military action, I want to know. If the Sekigahara Confederate so much as glances in our direction, I want to know. As for military and Martial investment…" Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
He glanced at the Grand General and the Grand Admiral of the Royal Military. "I'm sure you two know exactly how to improve the army and the navy, correct?"
The two men grinned. "You know us well, Your Majesty."
"Hm." Emperor Rael nodded. "As for Martial investment, Minister Varay, I can entrust you to handle a collaboration with the Martial Union to increase the quality of Martial Artists of both parties."
The man beamed at the Emperor's words. "I will ensure that it is done, Your Majesty."
"Good." Emperor Rael nodded. "All of this expenditure will undoubtedly tax the Royal treasury, but I have secured the cooperation of Prince Raul and the Kandrian Ruffians to offset the labor costs. Thus, it shouldn't exceed our budgets."
His gaze returned to the rest of them. "As far as economic independence, the rationale is simple. During times of war, economic dependence becomes a liability. If we import energy from a foreign nation to fulfill our needs, then that nation has leverage over us, which can be very dangerous for war. I seek to cut off this dependence. From this day forth, all of our important needs and interests must increasingly be fulfilled domestically."
The cabinet of ministers stirred at his words.
This was not a light shift in policy and divulged that the Emperor of Harmony was extremely wary of war.
Almost as if he was certain that war was inevitable instead of merely a possibility.
"…Your Majesty," the Royal Chancellor addressed him. "What about the final priority you mentioned? 'Strengthened authority and law enforcement' is frankly a vague priority. Could you be more specific?"
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