OR1-EPXB: The New King
When the new visitor appeared in the hall, the laughing and chatting guests unanimously dropped their respective topics of conversation, and together they turned their attention to the elderly gentleman in a tuxedo at the doorway. This spirited old man wore a pair of black-framed glasses, a comical bowler hat on his head, and his white suit was clean and spotless - as cold and intimidating as Siberia after a heavy snowfall. Behind him, a hostile-faced young man in military uniform followed the old man every inch of the way, like his shadow.
"He really came back."
"How can this be fake?" Someone whispered, "He came back ... Only, he is old and can't keep up with the times. He'll be out of business soon, I'll bet."
Jacob Herzog strode majestically into the hall to the center of the room and looked around at the rivals and associates, either strange or familiar. It had been ten years, almost ten years, since he had fled in disgrace from Europe to become Governor-general of South Africa. Whatever achievements he had gained in South Africa, they could not wash away the bitter past of his failures in Europe. His ideals could only be accomplished ... or partially accomplished when he assumed supreme power in the EU, leaving the rest to future generations, to the younger ones who would carry on the legacy. Right now, he needed to establish his dominance, and the EU didn't need any more talkative parrots.
"I am happy, very happy." Herzog, the former Governor-general of the South African Autonomous Union, tapped his cane on the ground, "Citizens who are willing to come here today, I believe that you harbor a goodwill towards me ... I do as well, and that you are my friends rather than my adversaries. After the tragedy of the Rhodesian Rebellion and the economic crisis, we desperately need to unite and find a new way out. Two years ago, when I was at the center of public opinion, you unreservedly chose to support me, and now it's time for you to be rewarded for your efforts."
Adalbert Herzog eyed the socialites. He wondered how many of them would be willing to assist his father in good faith, some might just be looking for new partners and backers, others were purely looking for an opportunity to use Governor-General Herzog ... No, he wasn't the Governor-general anymore ... In short, it was It was to use old Herzog against their enemies. Frankly, the Rhodesian Rebellion, while it made those who were already anti-Herzog firm in their convictions, made the wavering citizens choose to be in the same trench as the Governor-general all the same. But emotional choices were unreliable, and without negotiating the distribution of benefits with these people, they could not march into the Senate, much less gain the consul's throne.
"As I recall, the first step in our plan should be to support the Progressive MPs in the elections."
"I haven't forgotten ... I'm well aware of that, Adalbert." The elder Herzog glared at his son, "However, we must not let all our efforts pave the way for the success of others. If at all possible, we should gather enough forces to shake up the status quo now, and I believe we will be able to do so soon."
Some of these socialites invited by Herzog led small groups in the Senate, and they had few seats in the Senate to form a force strong enough to influence Senate decisions. Old Herzog intended to form a temporary alliance of all the forces available to him, and as long as they were able to maintain this pact for the time being, they would be able to threaten the original political situation of the EU in a short period of time. Of course, there were some very serious internal conflicts within some of the groups themselves, and the conflicts between the groups were also quite serious, so much so that Adalbert thought that this so-called alliance would never be able to come up with any new common program other than to work together to gain seats in the Senate.
Several decently dressed senators emerged from the crowd and came over to old Herzog. Adalbert handed them a document drafted by Herzog and asked the councilors to look it over.
"Nonsense, isn't it?" One of them had just read a few lines when he angrily objected, "With all due respect, you don't have the backbone right now to ask us to merge into the new organization you're about to set up ... Besides, you've already failed miserably in the elections last time, and I don't think your name is going to serve you well in Europe. "
Without a word, the elder Herzog listened to the men complaining about some of the details in the document, and only when they finally ended their complaints and began to scrutinize the vital clauses in earnest did, he slowly open his mouth to illuminate the current situation that these parliamentarians were facing:
"I think the biggest task for the citizens of the councilors is to win the next election ... I know what you are thinking, you want to say that the current cabinet is unpopular, and you can take the opportunity to use these contradictions to gain the support of the citizens." His eyes hidden behind his black-framed glasses were filled with contempt and hostility, "But this is just your wishful fantasies. I can tell you from my years of experience in politics that if nothing else, you will remain insignificant pawns and tools in the Senate. Trying to shake the average citizen's confidence in a well-functioning old system by attacking its shortcomings without proposing alternatives won't work."
"But-"
"If you only intend to make a living as councilors, you can leave now." The former Governor-general said in an undeniable tone, "On the contrary, assuming that all of you here want the Senate to pass certain bills, then working with me is your only option. You don't have what it takes to stand up to the majority that occupies the Senate, and the chance to turn the tide will only come when we cooperate with each other."
Suddenly, another uninvited, obese figure appeared in the doorway, and two security guards were trying to pull him out.
"Kobe! Kobe!"
The fat old man with a full head of white hair broke away from the security guards and came before Herzog's eyes. Old Herzog took off his black-rimmed glasses and carefully scrutinized the other party for a long time before putting his eyes back on, with no half-emotional fluctuations audible in his tone:
"So, it is Councilor Citizen Emil Wagner. It has been a long time, why have you come to a shabby place like ours? I don't recall inviting you."
Councilor Wagner smiled sarcastically and shook Herzog's hand, speaking in a low voice:
"I know you've been back for a long time, but I didn't dare to come to you ... Hey, we haven't seen each other for almost ten years, too, and now that you're back, that's just right - I mean, with the election, I hope you're ..."
Old Herzog stepped back a few paces, with an uncontrollable disgust on his face. Raising his cane, he pointed at the councilman in front of him and said to Adalbert, "Uninvited thieves and robbers are not welcome here. Remove him."
Adalbert moved at the sound of his voice, picked up the obese councilor and headed for the door. The councilor howled incessantly, and the wretchedness of the sound made many of the ladies in the hall cringe. Lt. Col. Herzog slammed Councilor Wagner to the ground and instructed the security guards to close the door. However, the Councilor, who quickly rose from the ground, came rushing in with a twinkle in his eye, ran up to the elder Herzog, and in a low, servile voice, grabbed at his pants leg.
"Kobe, I'm going broke! ... My son owes millions of euros in gambling debt, I can't afford to pay ah. Kobe, we've been friends from elementary school to college, you help me this time, I'll ... be there later."
Old Herzog tapped heavily on the floor stand with his walking stick, the sound was not harsh, but it made Senator Wagner and the other guests who had originally intended to continue to make complaints about the content of the document stop complaining. He crouched down, reached out his left hand, and yanked the terrified Councilor Wagner up off the floor. A strange smile appeared at the corners of the former Governor-general's mouth as he carefully patted the dust off of the councilor's clothes with his left hand, a kindly expression that made the other councilors on the sidelines shudder at the sight of it.
"Emil, Emil, my dear friend Emil, you still know me as your friend." Old Herzog helped Councilor Wagner to the chair next to him, and the other guests who were originally sitting near this table immediately hid away after seeing it, "When I was in school, you took the paper that the two of us had completed and published it separately under your own name, and I don't blame you because I wasn't too far behind that one paper; twenty years ago, you used my name to cheat and steal, and the unfinished building is still placed in the Kiel Harbor for all to see." He poured a glass of red wine and forced it into his old friend's hand, "I don't blame you for any of this, as I said, our Herzog family is still quite a big family, not the kind of thugs that must get revenge back after being counted once."
The corners of old Herzog's eyes were suddenly moist, and his voice trembled a little.
"... And then what did you do? When I needed your help the most, you lied about my having two illegitimate children outside the country, lied about my wife's alleged financial crimes, and passed the knife to my enemies. Councilman Citizen, if I hadn't been Jacob Herzog, if I had just been a lucky guy who climbed up the ladder from ordinary citizen to here, I would have been finished then and there, and you would have destroyed my future once and for all. I like people who take the money and do the work; at least their efficiency and loyalty can be estimated in figures, and they don't waver as much as their friends."
The other legislators, hearing this weighty news, began to think long and hard about whether or not to use this opportunity to blackmail Councilor Wagner's peers. If Councilor Wagner's organization had abandoned him for the sake of his reputation, perhaps the man behind the orchestration of this event could be taken seriously by the elder Herzog. The former Governor-general wasn't wrong, they were too weak to form a strong influence in the Senate, and Old Herzog might actually have a chance to unite them into a powerful new organization.
"... Investments gone wrong are also the norm. You are the one who got rich, spending and throwing away money in Europe, while I rolled back home to South Africa to continue to be blamed." The old Herzog patted Councilor Wagner's back, and the obese councilor, not knowing whether he was in shock or guilty, actually cried out, "You have met new friends, have new business, and can't use me. Fortunately, God is fair, He gave me new opportunities ... and took much from you. Now you are afraid, your business is deteriorating, and you see me coming back from South Africa with curses and honors, and you are shaken again." The dissipated old man threw his arms around his old friend's neck with such force, and with such a look as if he would have strangled the other on the spot, that Adalbert was so frightened that he hastened to make his father let go.
Old Herzog calmed himself and said vaguely:
"But I know that you are like those men, only seeing a new master and hoping for a reward. I'm not quite down and out, I'm just away from Europe for a while, and my foxes friends have fled far away one by one ... You've never respected me, you've cursed me behind my back that I'm just lucky enough to have been born into a rich and powerful family, and even you're now shamelessly calling me Kobe when you come to the door begging for my help to save your life, and you're worthy of it? " He grabbed Senator Wagner's hair and forced the other to look straight into his eyes, "Emil, even the Consul has to use honorifics when he talks to me, and you don't even want to address me as Your Excellency."
Old Herzog suddenly stood up, gasping for air and walking haphazardly around the hall. The people saw that he was very unstable, and they didn't dare to come forward to stop him. Adalbert was discussing the details with the other councillors on the side, and it seemed that old Herzog was in no mood to discuss major issues with his future allies today. The formalities of merging organizations were quite complicated, and some of them were geared towards conflicting types of voters. Conservatives and progressives don't vote together, a rule that also applies to small, loosely organized organizations or legislators running as individuals. Old Herzog might have used a special method of reconciliation, perhaps like Emperor Charles III transformed the Britannian Empire, gradually getting the various sectors that were in serious conflict to support them at the same time. This process of transformation was a long one, and they first had to convince the citizens and then prove the truth of their propaganda with actual achievements.
Emil Wagner became a senator over a decade ago. Unlike other senators with fixed labels on them, his image in the eyes of the public was that of a man who sees things as they are and is unprincipled. Therefore, when Senator Wagner gave Old Herzog a blow behind his back, no one was surprised, and even Old Herzog did not have the expected shock and sorrow at that time, he just accepted it calmly. Since then, whenever Governor-General Herzog returned to Europe on duty, he never met with this old nominal friend, lest a new feud should be added between them.
Adalbert Herzog waited for his father's final decision. Governor-general Herzog had never shown unnecessary mercy to traitors, and this hatred had become even stronger after his return from South Africa. The old millennium had passed, and according to the imperial calendar, the new millennium would require new ideas and new situations, and it was with a willingness to innovate that Herzog would sweep away the dust of the old Europe. The garbage that stood in his way had to be cleared out, or at least not allowed to endanger the citizens of the EU.
"So, speaking for yourself, should I spare you?"
Senator Wagner approached the elder Herzog, who, with tears in his eyes, stammered:
"I ... I do not deserve forgiveness; I have to depose myself ... but ..."
He looked curtly at old Herzog and shook the other's hand.
"Your Excellency, I have never begged you so urgently for anything ... I have helped you several times before, and you ..."
Jacob Herzog watched the expressions on the faces of the crowd. He saw contempt, he saw indifference, he saw worry and awe, and he saw fervor. There were those who believed they could follow the shining predecessors who had broken into this living hell on earth, who were so keen to die for slogans that they never thought about the meaning behind them. The effect of the program had been achieved, and Herzog had no need to drive those who had no deadly grudge against him to the brink of extinction.
"Come on, you've become a grandfather, don't beg like a coward in front of outsiders." Old Herzog sighed heavily, "Listen to me, I will help you once, but not because we are friends ... because you didn't take advantage of the time I personally can't go back to Europe to divide up my estate. Someday I will meet your son in law, and I would like to know why a young man with a home and children is addicted to gambling."
Adalbert did not feel relieved - his old father was still taking the opportunity to implore him to marry as soon as possible. Old Herzog needed new allies, and it was up to Adalbert to take on that responsibility and find a credible partner for his father. As for affection ... since Adalbert's parents had also cultivated a kinship over the course of their long life together, perhaps he could do the same himself.
While the returning king, former Governor-General Herzog, was lavishly entertaining his allies, the staff headquarters of the EU National Defense Force in Paris was receiving visitors from a foreign country. Technically, the visitors themselves wouldn't agree with that, insisting that they weren't a country, but outsiders still generally viewed them as a sovereign nation that existed on its own. The Southern Court Protectorate, whose relations with the Britannian Empire had recently begun to deteriorate, and feeling that the alliance was unreliable, the Protectorate sent an emissary to the EU, with whom they had no interest in entangling, to discuss a new program of military cooperation.
Receiving the visitor was Lieutenant Colonel Gene Smilas, a combat staff officer at the Special Operations Command of the Joint Staff Headquarters of the EU National Defense Force. His heroic battle during the Rhodesian Rebellion had been the focus of media publicity, although some were bound to accuse him of indulging his men in revenge killings of the rebels. Some said that that battle had a direct impact on the situation on the front lines, ultimately contributing to the total collapse of the rebels. Smilas didn't care about these claims; he knew how he had earned his victory, and he himself had narrowly missed out on running away from the enemy encirclement. Adalbert needed to take primary responsibility in this matter, and he should have told Smilas the truth the day before the explosion.
"You are Lieutenant Colonel Smilas?" The bearded man standing in front of Smilas was enthusiastic and offered to shake his hand.
"Precisely." Smilas was a bit embarrassed, "I didn't think you had actually heard of my name ..."
"Alas, anyone who has paid the slightest attention to the Rhodesian Rebellion will know who the heroes and pests are." The officer with a beard longer than Smilas laughed out loud, "You fought well in that battle, the Britannians didn't take much advantage of it."
The head of the military delegation sent by the Nanting Protectorate was called Wang Shuang, with the rank of Xie Dutong, which converted to the EU rank of roughly Brigadier General (Général de brigade). He used to be the military attaché of the Nanting Protectorate in the Britannia Empire, and was transferred back to the mainland shortly after the Bloody Coat of Arms incident.
The two chatted about some official business, all about maritime cooperation between the EU and the Nanting Protectorate. The EU's navy used to penetrate into Southeast Asia, but after the Nanting Protectorate expelled the EU's colonial power in Southeast Asia, the conflict between the two sides gradually weakened. Now, the relationship between the Britannia Empire and the Nanting Protectorate is getting more and more tense, the Nanting is in desperate need of a new ally, and the EU with its powerful navy will surely be able to protect them better than the imperial court... Hopefully, this will be the case.
"I cannot give a definitive answer on this matter." Smilas felt a bit of a headache at Wang Shuang's request, "As a matter of fact, the mainstream opinion in my country is not in favor of carrying out this kind of military action that borders on foreign expansion. The relevant motion may not be able to pass the Senate for approval.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you guys make your stance clear, the rest of the problem will be solved by ourselves." Wang Shuang saw that the guards around the conference room were distracted and asked in a low voice, "By the way, I have an acquaintance who worked in your EU's South African colony, his name is Michael McNeil. I heard that he joined the army later, do you know where he went?"
Smilas looked at Wang Shuang awkwardly and thought for a long time before he stammered out a reply:
"He ... is gone."
"Gone!?" Wang Shuang was shocked, "Then ... where is it buried?"
"Don't know." Smilas sighed, "At that time, Major Herzog intended to use a group of troops to lure the rebels to continue the siege, and McNeil took the initiative to stay there to command the daredevil resistance. What happened later, you also know ... that we blew down the valley, but none of our men came back. In that situation, even if he wasn't killed by the enemy, he was probably killed in the explosion."
Wang Shuang closed his eyes and collapsed in his chair, looking somewhat lost. He shook his head repeatedly, explaining the causes and consequences to the bewildered Smilas:
"I worked with him for a while when I was a military attaché stationed abroad in the Britannia Empire. This person is very interesting and has a lot of interesting ideas ... novel ideas. I really didn't expect that he would actually leave just like that, not even ashes."
"... Actually, he has a grave, Lt. Col. Herzog built him a headstone in Paris." Smilas coughed twice, "After the old man selling newspapers who took him in died in Paris, Lt. Col. Herzog incidentally chose a grave for McNeil in the same cemetery as well ..."
Speaking of which, Smilas couldn't help but scrutinize Wang Shuang's demeanor. This was a true soldier, or at least pure at heart, unlike him and Adalbert who had many personal motives. The East might revere such heroes, but it tended not to give them a fair shake. What exactly is the difference between a monarch and a republic again?
"Speaking of which, I intended to visit his grave recently. If you are still in Paris at that time, I would welcome you to join me in visiting the home of the spirits."
"No problem." Wang Shuang immediately agreed to Smilas' request, "... Anyway, it's too bad. Alas, for so many years, I have only met one foreigner who could discuss the world and life with me, and I didn't realize that he was already dead... Hopefully, the god you believe in can give him peace."
Epilogue B (2/5) END
Chapter Notes:
Please note that all dialog in this section is in French. Since there is no switching of languages in the dialogues, they are not indicated in their original language.
Translation of Chinese titles:
協都統 (Xie Dutong, Assistant General, then equivalent to Major General as OF-7, now generally regarded as equivalent to Brigadier General as OF-6)