The Master said:
"If you're going to stop in the middle of sothing, it's better not to start at all."
I wholeheartedly agree with this statent.
If you're going to seek revenge, you must ensure your opponent can never recover, or if that’s impossible, make sure they never dare to touch you again.
If you only land a few strikes and leave it at that, you’ll eventually be hit back.
"Think about it, Sebastian. Isn't the border region of the Lyon Kingdom, on the edge of the Holy Empire, in the perfect state for a rebellion?"
History textbooks always teach us this:
The reason dynasties were overthrown in China and Joseon was because the kings were tyrants.
This isn’t entirely wrong, but if we scrutinize historical facts more rigorously...
‘Rebellions arise when life becos unbearably difficult due to a tyrannical king.’
When a king spends all his money on frivolous and decadent hobbies, or purges his officials, the common people don’t rise up.
Why? Because no matter how much the high officials argue and fight, everyday life for the people remains the sa.
But if the quality of life begins to deteriorate drastically and suddenly affects them?
"The price of food around the border area has already risen to nearly eight tis that of other regions, and the people are starving due to post-war reconstruction."
"The Holy Empire and the Lyon Kingdom together fought a war with almost 100,000 soldiers. While the cities and forts might be intact, the villages and farmlands are likely destroyed."
In the 21st century, advanced nations or UN forces try to minimize civilian casualties and ensure basic provisions for the people during a conflict.
But in the dieval fantasy world of the Albanian continent, no one fights wars with the welfare of the people in mind.
Even when fighting on their own soil, the general rule is not to engage in outright pillaging if possible.
For the morale of the soldiers, minor pillaging of "nobles" or "sowhat wealthy citizens" is usually overlooked.
anwhile, invading armies often openly encourage rape, murder, and pillaging for the sake of boosting morale.
This is a temporary solution because the soldiers themselves don’t have enough money to distribute loot, but it serves its purpose.
‘No matter what, a war-torn region can never remain unscathed.’
"When villages are destroyed, and fields are rendered useless, how do you think they feel? They must be driven to madness. When everything is lost, they’ll want revenge."
When people are cornered, they instinctively seek to find the source of their misery, where it started and who is to bla.
In the Donghak peasant movent, the oppressed people united to fight against corrupt officials and the aristocracy, during the Industrial Revolution, it was the capitalists leading the exploitation.
Once they identified the cause, the weak banded together and fought with everything they had, hoping to survive.
And as a result, so improvents in their lives were made.
‘The Donghak peasant movent was crushed within a year due to foreign intervention...’
But finding the cause and eliminating it, that act itself was helpful and provided so relief, which naturally leads people to take action.
Using the people’s emotions to gain profits is the skill of a wise rchant—or politician.
"Putting everything else aside, the mastermind behind all this is us. The Lyon Kingdom, the Holy Empire, and the Toscana Empire have been dancing in our hands."
The biggest benefactor from this war is our Rothschild family.
I didn’t spend much money but managed to acquire a barony, and I successfully arrested Count Guillau, who had attacked our domain, along with all mbers of the Black Death Thieves Guild.
Although not particularly pleasant, I’ve gained privileges like being able to start military service from the position of division commander, along with the highest honor in the Toscana Empire, the Golden Double-headed Eagle dal.
Though I’ve only been granted a barony, I’ve t the conditions to rise to count or even higher.
"But once the Lyon Kingdom realizes that we are not only the key contributors to their war victory but also the cause of the economic crisis in the border regions, things will get complicated."
In fact, the situation is so serious that saying "complicated" doesn’t even cover it.
Unless they try an assassination, they can’t directly kill or bury our family.
What right do they have to interfere with our political matters?
‘But will the nobles from the Sforza faction stay silent?’
I highly doubt that. I would bet half of our family’s wealth on it.
"They’ll try to undermine my political career, using the excuse that I’ve acted dishonorably. Those in the Visconti faction will also try to suppress , either by ignoring or responding passively."
If my cousin buys land, it won’t harm , and he might even treat to so beef, but out of pure envy, he’ll be rolling on the floor, that’s human nature.
What would a politician who can only survive by slandering and manipulating others do?
‘They must want to tighten their grip now.’
"So, we need to create a diversion. Fortunately, the situation is perfect for inciting a rebellion."
There’s a common thread in almost every ard uprising, regardless of ti or place:
‘When survival becos too difficult.’
Without this precondition, the common people rarely risk their lives in rebellion.
And right now, the conditions in the border region of the Lyon Kingdom fit this perfectly.
If I want to hide my involvent and ss with the Lyon Kingdom...
I’ll have to incite a rebellion.
It’s a tactic often used by the wicked British Empire—or rather, the East India Company—when they were conquering the Indian feudal states.
While it’s forbidden knowledge for humans to follow, it still succeeded, didn’t it?
"The common people are ignorant."
There’s a saying that dieval people were less educated than modern people.
This isn’t entirely untrue.
Most of the dieval population—serfs, the poor, and poor citizens—couldn’t even do basic arithtic or read.
Their scope of thought was extrely limited.
‘You need education to think deeply based on it.’
On the other hand, modern people are smarter because most of them have gone through high school, gaining the necessary knowledge and culture to live as humans.
"So, all we need to do is spin a believable story about who caused this situation."
Sebastian broke into a cold sweat after hearing this.
"...What exactly are you suggesting?"
We usually understand the French Revolution as a revolution where the middle class (bourgeoisie) and the common people united to overthrow the evil Bourbon monarchy and fought for democracy.
But as always, the reality is far ssier than we think.
The bourgeoisie was always dissatisfied because they couldn’t rise to the top under the rigid class system, and when France faced massive famine and floods...
They used this to stir up the people.
‘If you get rid of the evil monarchy, you won’t have to starve! We’re righteous, and they are pure evil!’
In reality, Marie Antoinette lived more modestly than expected, considering European royal standards, thinking about the people.
She never once said, "If there’s no bread, let them eat cake."
The Bourbon monarchy genuinely tried to help the people as much as they could.
‘Everyone focuses on the imdiate facts.’
"Let’s think from the people’s perspective. Who is collecting taxes from them right now? And who caused the price inflation?"
"The local lords in the border region collected the taxes, and the rchants are the ones who caused the inflation. That’s how it would appear."
This was exactly what happened during the French Revolution.
The common people believed that if the evil elites who were taxing them without permission and exploiting them were removed, the world would change.
They thought the prices would stabilize and their lives would improve, so they picked up arms and started the revolution.
But in the end, the bourgeoisie, who beca the new elite, ruined the country.
‘Milk prices doubled overnight, and food prices skyrocketed.’
And at that ti, instead of blaming the incompetent revolutionary governnt, the common people blad Robespierre, the radical leader, and sent him to the guillotine.
"Exactly. So all we need to do is add a few words to the story. The Lyon Kingdom was severely affected by the war, and the nobles, despite that, continue to live luxuriously and are excessively taxing the people."
People have a tendency to accept the facts they want to believe.
Would the common people of the Lyon Kingdom be any different?
"Just a little bit of agitation, and with so financial support for a few power-hungry individuals, a rebellion is guaranteed. Let’s bring down the Lyon Kingdom this way."
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