241. Butterfly Effect (9)
One day, Paul thought.
‘Will there really be peace when the current war ends?’
No way. It’s a no-brainer question.
Many countries have already collapsed due to the empire’s war of conquest and the war with the demon world that immediately followed. Even if the current war ends with the victory of the human world, peace will not come immediately.
People will rejoice and take up arms again in the midst of chaos.
‘We will wage war again to occupy unclaimed land and fill the void of the collapsed country.’
How can human greed be taken so lightly?
Whether the Demon King’s army conquers the human world or the human world drives out the Demon King’s army, even if the superficial war is over, another war will inevitably follow.
So I asked myself the question again.
‘In such a situation, can Daniel’s policy really spread its wings?’
…absolutely impossible.
Before it can fully spread its wings, it will be swept away by the fire of war and disappear without even leaving a trace. Paul did not want the thought that was everything to Daniel to fade away.
I sat in front of my desk, twirled my pen and glared at the white paper.
‘The method that Daniel came up with is a policy to prevent power from being concentrated in one person. A slow and careful policy that requires verification and consent through numerous procedures before deciding and implementing something.’
It can prevent you from going down the wrong path, but it is difficult to use in times of war. How long would it take to go through so many procedures when enemies are coming right now?
‘Above all…’
Three institutions that keep each other in check, and the head of the institution that is directly elected by the people. Since I pulled it out and sat it down myself, it wouldn’t be impossible to pull it down again. The people will be paying attention to their every move, thinking of pulling them down at any time if they do something wrong.
Being ‘dragged down’ from a high position means the fall of everything that can be built up as a human being. Your face is known and your power has been restored. Even if you sit there and try to take the money you earned, will the people just watch? Money is not the issue; you should worry about your immediate life.
In order to survive, you must choose a safe path without being caught. War requires bold decisions, but has a structure that collapses if anything goes awry. Brother Daniel’s methods did not suit war.
‘Funny enough… what’s important in war is cooperation between top and bottom.’
In order for the revolutionary army to survive on the battlefield and continue its legacy, a leader with ‘concentrated power’ is needed. The only leader who has the power to make decisions and implement them.
Of course, there may be backlash if you make the wrong decision. But that should not dictate future decisions.
‘If you’re going to push ahead even if there’s opposition, you need as much power as possible, so you shouldn’t tear up the power right away.’
Therefore, Brother Daniel’s policy should be postponed to the distant future, when everything is over and a period of stability has arrived, and a new policy that will act as a stepping stone to withstand the era of war until then should be devised. Paul shook his head.
So the young revolutionary recalled a war of words he had with a man not long ago.
To be exact, what he said in that war of words.
[We discriminate against each other based on social status, based on capital, and based on appearance, skin color, and all types of tendencies!]
Discrimination based on capital.
I had that thought a long time ago. I’m a little skeptical about whether unfair discrimination in this world will really disappear if the caste system disappears.
The answer to the question was ‘no’.
He has already seen how money suppresses power. I saw a poor nobleman begging to borrow money from a rich commoner, and I saw an old man who should be respected being insulted by a young man because he was poor.
Even if the caste system disappears, discrimination will remain in this world. Among the numerous criteria for discrimination, the one that accounts for the largest proportion is ‘capital’.
‘Because we need a reason to convince everyone why a revolutionary army that calls for ‘equality’ needs a ‘leader with concentrated power’.’
There is nothing that cannot be used to make people feel the need for a leader. Paul grinned at the answer that was slowly beginning to appear.
‘In addition to the ‘class system’, individual ‘capital’ can also be placed as a superficial boundary object that promotes discrimination.’
So, they are saying that they will abolish private property and implement a policy of collecting everything from the ‘country’ and distributing it equally to everyone. It was purified and called a ‘country’, but in the end, that role was played by one ‘leader’!
A policy where everyone is equal except the leader.
This created an ideology that could withstand the era of war without ruining the ideology of the revolutionary army.
‘The problem is that this should be changed to Daniel’s policy when it is appropriate, but if you are not careful, it can easily fall into a bad direction…’
People in power tend to be easily influenced by it. They say he should step down when the time is right, but it’s likely that he doesn’t want to give up his sweet power. By then, corruption will also exist.
The time to switch to Daniel’s policy will be in a distant future generation, so I won’t be alive to watch it with my eyes wide open until then.
‘…thorough succession education is necessary.’
Although we must be wary of human greed and not trust easily, this is the only best we can do in the current situation. Some people may think of a better way, but this was the best my brain could come up with.
I returned to reality and saw Iram tilting his head.
“Democracy…? Socialism…?”
“yes.”
“?”
Paul smiled faintly.
…Iram is an early member of the revolutionary army who was driven purely by the ideology of ‘equality’. Fortunately, he is a great man who does not focus on personal desires such as ‘power’.
I picked up a pen and wrote on paper. The content wasn’t that long.
[Democracy / Socialism]
“I’m not going to explain it right away because it’s homework.”
“Homework…?”
“Yes. Can you see this?”
I placed my fingertips on the paper and pushed it forward.
“Please infer what these two words mean. I used southern Chinese characters, so if you interpret them, you can roughly figure out what they mean. It won’t be that difficult.”
“…That means…!”
Iram, who had been picking up the paper and examining it, raised his head.
Paul’s wide-open eyes shake slightly as if he senses the intention behind his actions. At the same time, a shaking voice came out with hesitation.
“…You really think of me as your successor?”
“no.”
“Then why…”
“Because right now, it’s not strange if someone dies at any time, regardless of age.”
Rather, the situation is such that young people die before old people.
Paul lifted a document piled next to him without paying attention to Iram. He spoke calmly as he read through it, as if he were resuming the paperwork he had stopped.
“I don’t know when I’ll die either. I haven’t even been able to find a worthy successor right now.”
Am I just too blind or am I not talented? There is no person full of spirituality.
‘I didn’t ask for that much.’
A young person with a flexible mind whose mindset or tendencies are not rigid and can change with education. He is a very intelligent person who has completely absorbed both the teachings of the first head and the additional teachings of the second head and passed them on to future generations. A person of relative integrity who will not give in to personal desires but will work for the greater good.
All you have to do is meet these three things.
In particular, in the case of the second condition, the original attempt was to find a person who was intelligent enough to not only completely absorb the teachings received, but also develop them without distortion and pass them on to future generations, but took a step back.
Paul, who was grumbling internally that there were no good talent, perhaps because the war had ruined everyone, began to busily move his pen. He spoke in a casual tone as if it was no big deal.
“So, when I die without leaving a successor, or when I die without being able to educate all of my successors, or when I die without completing a complete succession in any case, or when even the heirs I have left die under unexpected circumstances and there is no successor.”
“….”
“Mr. Iram, please be a bridge in preparation for that time.”
Iram has been with the leader of the revolutionary army since its creation. Since he was next to the first generation and the second generation, he assisted with many things and saw and heard a lot, so he must have a basic foundation. As of now, you will be able to absorb the teachings faster than anyone else.
Time passes and the leader of the revolutionary army, who has many enemies, lives each day in a difficult manner. It is a precarious situation where you don’t know whether you will die today or tomorrow, but if you really die, the revolutionary army, which has no proper successor, will collapse or go astray in an instant.
“It serves as a temporary device to keep the revolutionary army breathing when it is on the verge of collapse.”
For now, we need someone who can serve as a temporary stepping stone to fill the gap between finding, educating, and nurturing a suitable successor and as a second alternative in case of an emergency.
In other words, we need people who can absorb the teachings as quickly as possible and be able to stand on the front line at any time. Paul raised his head and looked at Iram.
“You said you were curious about the interim policy I designed, right? This is an idea and method that is better to discard than to use it half-heartedly. The same is true when a proper successor has not been found. So, do your homework.”
At that time, I will tell you the clear intention of making it and how to use it.
“I hope Mr. Iram becomes a ‘proper successor’ and another person who will raise that successor.”
Iram is the assistant to the leader of the revolutionary army.
It never stands in battle, and even if its enemies do aim at it, it is far from death as it is aimed at the ‘chief’ and not just the throne.
Paul, who was looking at the opponent who had good conditions in many ways, soon buried his head in the documents again and waved his hand.
“Then just leave now. Don’t make the foolish mistake of focusing only on the afterword and forgetting about the matter I mentioned earlier.”
Find Shiia, try to contact Stigma Primiro, and do your homework.
Iram, who had a list in his head, folded the paper in his hand and placed it in his arms, nodding.
“okay.”
***
“Thank you for willingly allowing me to meet you, even though it may have seemed like a rude request.”
“Not really. I’m sick of the stares following you, and since you’re one of those people who sticks to the line quite a bit, it’s not a bad idea to reduce your gaze at this point. So, what’s your business? … No, before that.”
Stigma places his hand under his chin as if thinking. The eyes narrowed and a slightly lower voice pressed through the air.
“What do you belong to? Mountain country? Empire? Or… revolutionary army?”
“…revolutionary army.”
A revolutionary army.
I think I know why he asked to meet me without having to ask about the business… but there’s nothing I can’t do to show him more generosity by taking the time to meet him. Just because I do some errands doesn’t mean the whole day goes by. I nodded leisurely.
“Yeah, I see. What’s your business?”
“Join the revolutionary army…”
“I refuse.”
I knew it.
It’s not funny that the revolutionary army is offered to ‘Stigma Primiro’ and not anyone else.
Is this an offer made by someone who has given up on his title of nobility? If so, I would like to tell you that you are completely wrong. It was done because there was a bigger goal and not because the caste system felt unfair.
Rather, Stigma tended to be greedy for a higher position where he could prove himself.
In other words, since the caste system was a great stage that might be used again someday, he did not feel the need to eliminate it, so he said no without hesitation.
What was surprising was the other person’s reaction after hearing the answer.
“All right.”
A clear nod without adding any words.
“…You gave up sooner than I thought.”
“It’s better than turning a hero into an enemy.”
“Wise. Whose idea was it? “Chief?”
“….”
“You are the chief. I felt it from the time I saw it on the screen, but unlike his appearance, he
seems to be quite mature in his head.” The other person quickly leaves the room as if he doesn’t want to continue talking.
Stigma, who laughed at the cute struggle to minimize information leakage, looked away without hesitation. .Silver-blue eyes met our gazes.
“…Then is it time to proceed with the meeting we made earlier?”
Remember.
