Defying the Fate of Beheading-Chapter 505 - 281 Confrontation in the Hall, Intense Killing Intent_2
The hawkish faction within the noble parties - the Duke of Williams’ Family.
Seven years later, after he became the governor of the Tunis Royal Capital, he finally saw Ken Williams.
On the rooftop of the largest hotel in the capital, the two of them raised their glasses and drank together.
Ken Williams said, "Congratulations, you now have the qualification to enter the game."
He replied, "Although it’s a bit slower than I imagined, I finally have the opportunity to speak for those without support."
He looked at Ken, who had already succeeded as Duke, and said, "When you congratulated me back then, and said we would become enemies, did you have another idea in mind?"
Standing on the rooftop, swaying a glass of red wine, Ken smiled and said to him:
"Did you know that the former Duchess of the Williams Family, my mother, was originally just a commoner?"
He nodded.
The previous Duke Williams was a fanatic believer in free love.
He spent a lot of effort just to be with the woman he loved.
The group of Tunisian nobles was rather indulgent.
Yet the previous Duke Williams had only one beloved until his death.
It was precisely because of his father’s strong support that Ken Williams, with commoner blood, could take over the family so effortlessly.
At this moment, this newly appointed duke smiled and said:
"You must know that for the Williams Family, what’s important might not necessarily be the duke but the identity we represent."
"We are the spokespersons for four different groups."
"Hawkish nobles, dovish nobles, neutral, and commoner factions... We play corresponding roles within each of our groups based on the needs of the empire’s stability."
"If I were to openly stand by your side, it’s not that I can’t, but it would inevitably lead to repercussions."
"The bearer of everything is not me, but you."
"Do you believe that if I stand by your side just once, next time, the neutrals, who were originally your allies, would immediately defect to the noble faction?"
"The commoner faction, which is your political foundation, would also distance itself from you."
"At that time, you would find yourself isolated and unassisted in Tunisia."
Duke was a bit startled.
How did he respond back then?
Ah, he remembered, he said:
"If it is for Tunisia and more people, bearing this cost alone would indeed be great."
This situation is so reminiscent of that conversation many years ago.
He said to Ken Williams: "Your son is even more extreme than you. Back then, you were still helping me from behind the scenes, but now he’s a bit too biased towards the commoner faction."
"Though I like people like that, it’s not too friendly to your family."
Ken Williams finished his tea and then said:
"I said back then that you might end up isolated and unassisted in Tunisia. Duke, now that you’re in a high position, is your answer still the same as back then?"
The Prime Minister Duke collected his smile, speaking in a remarkably calm tone:
"Never changed, my robe is stained with the blood of Tunisian commoners; I’ve never thought of getting out clean."
Ken, somewhat sentimentally, smiled: "You, too ambitious, too calculative, without anyone protecting you, you will inevitably be surrounded by infamy."
He said slowly, "In the Jianqi Sect, there’s always been this saying."
"If an opponent is great, we attack him for corruption and bribery."
"If he’s honest and clean, we slander his private life as improper."
"If he’s loyal and true, we spread rumors about his peculiar character."
"No one can be perfect, can they? If truly so, then find a chance to kill him and say he died of a disease."
"The funny thing is, in the official circles, even if they are not followers of Jianqi, they still frequently employ these tactics."
"They might want it, but I don’t."
Ken Williams stood up and said, "If you really plan to help my foolish son, or say, achieve your ideals through him, then go ahead."
"This is the only time I can help you, after which you can no longer receive protection."
No one might believe that the Williams Family and the Prime Minister Duke have become enemies.
Duke smiled and said, "Of course, I won’t waste this opportunity."
He knew that with this action, if nothing unexpected happened, the power of the Williams Family would directly decline.
This is no joke, if the Duke Family could call all the shots, then the entire empire would only need the voices of four people.
The authority of the Williams Family was supported and established by the hawkish nobles.
After this act, presumably a significant number of people would part ways with their family, turning instead to the dovish nobles or the neutrals.
This is about revolutionizing the Williams Family.
It’s easy to revolutionize others, but revolutionizing oneself is hard.
Duke bowed his head and said, "It’s up to you."
...
The next day.
The Tunisian Noble Council held a temporary general assembly.
The four great duke families and the core faction figures corresponding were all present.
The topic of this meeting was how to handle the increasingly tense situation with the Giant Demon Tribe.
But at the start of the meeting, the atmosphere was already filled with tension.
A marquis from the hawkish faction that Williams belonged to said mercilessly:
"Why stop Ninos’ Wrath? I’d say not only the giant Ninos’ Wrath but even the regular version belonging to the four great duke families should be aimed at them."
"Who cares what damn status Mayer has, if the Giant Demon drives straight in, have you thought about how many people would die?"
Duke Slode of the dovish faction shook his head and said:
"We can first observe the situation, it’s not yet so tense, the Giant Demon Tribe should be more tense than us right now."
A marquis from the neutral faction shook his head:
"This time I choose to stand with Williams and them, the giants are fierce and cunning, do we need a reason to take action against them? Don’t forget they hold the power of the Demon King, you can’t be too cautious."
Someone from the commoner faction said, "Striking hard without clear justification will lead to problems."
The marquis from the neutral faction spoke again: "Even if there’s no clear justification, it’s time to act. If they truly advance, and we can’t stop them... that’s a serious crime of wrath, over a hundred of them. Have you forgotten the Emperor’s Iron Guard?"
The room fell silent.
For a moment, they didn’t know what to say.
Yes, what they feared most was a situation like the Emperor’s Iron Guard.
The war back then was truly a nightmare for all nations.
The Iron Guard was able to wield such power not because they were inherently that strong.
The room was bustling, and no one could convince the other.
At this time, no one realized that since the meeting began, apart from Duke Slode’s clear stance, the other three dukes had not spoken.
Suddenly, the Prime Minister Duke spoke:
"Activating Ninos’ Wrath is correct, but we must prepare for a cease-fire because this war cannot be fought."
The marquis from the Williams faction laughed furiously, "Duke, even as an old prime minister, do you want the war to cease at a time like this?"
Duke raised his head and said:
"Marquis Griffith, I know your son died in the war against the giants, making you extremely hostile to them, but on this point, I stand by my viewpoint."
"There was no irreparable situation developed between the two sides; if revenge is the reason to spend energy to launch a war, the country will face a great disaster."
"Duke, back when Tunisia and Ense fought for no reason over historical disputes, how many people died?"
"How is what we’re doing now any different from back then? How will future generations discuss us?"
Marquis Griffith trembled with anger: 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"Duke, being the Prime Minister allows you to slander others at will?"
The Prime Minister Duke calmly said, "Recently, in the past two days, you’ve been madly lobbying nobles in the Williams faction, do you think others don’t know?"
"What’s the reason for specifically going to lobby? Don’t tell me you don’t understand."
Griffith was enraged: "How dare you!"
"You’re the one being audacious!"
Duke shouted angrily, "Activating the regular Ninos’ Wrath of the four major families means that Tunisia is at a life-and-death juncture."
"At that time, the ultimate weapon cannot be sealed again, we must find a chance to vent this power, but the only place we can release this power is the ’enemy’ Giant Demon Tribe."
"This means the war will escalate directly, and once it fully breaks out, with thousands of them, can you bear the consequences?"
"Is it really time to make a move now? Are you willing to bear the potential loss of these thousands of lives?"
