Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 748 - 701: The Usurpation Trilogy

Neither Duke Gloucester nor Prime Minister Wellington are likely to immediately agree to Perfikot's demands, and they won't agree either.

If they did agree, it would be the end of their political careers.

Even though Perfikot doesn't intend to become a dictator ruling over everyone, the unrestrained power would still make her a monster of power, disrupting the already unbalanced political situation in the Victor Empire.

In fact, Perfikot herself doesn't really want to break this balance.

With her resignation from all positions, a relatively stable pattern has formed among the Northern Faction, the Royalist Party, and the burgeoning Workers' Federation.

Although their efficiency is indeed lacking, that's compared to Perfikot.

If you only look at them, Perfikot thinks they're actually doing quite well.

Moreover, the division of power among the National Assembly, Cabinet, and Royal Family in Victor Empire is enough to ensure the country's smooth operation, and her involvement would only disrupt the balance.

This is contrary to Perfikot's intentions.

She genuinely doesn't want to worry anymore, having worked hard without gaining any benefit.

Of course, Perfikot hasn't completely relinquished power or given up control.

As the Lord of the Northern Territory, she has not abandoned her domain, meaning even without any title or position, as long as the Northern Territory remains in her control and its army obeys her, she can still steer the situation and have control over everything.

After all, with a military at her disposal, she can achieve a dictatorship at any time.

She doesn't do this simply because she doesn't want to, not because she can't.

Moreover, just like how the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister still come to ask her for help, Perfikot, doing nothing, still holds significant influence over the Victor Empire.

If she wishes, she can influence and intervene in the political situation at any time.

This is the relatively ideal state of life for Perfikot, having influence over politics, her words always heard, yet without the troublesome state affairs to handle, allowing most of her time to be spent on what she desires to do...

Such a lifestyle is probably something everyone longs for.

Having achieved this life with difficulty, Perfikot certainly won't ruin it by cleaning up after the incompetent government.

The reason she deliberately proposed this to Duke Gloucester and Prime Minister Wellington was merely to pressure them and make exorbitant demands.

She clearly knows they won't agree, waiting for them to counter-offer.

According to Perfikot's expectations, their bottom line should be acknowledging the Northern Territory's political independence and Perfikot's special status.

For Perfikot, the political independence of the Northern Territory isn't really important.

If this is realized, the Northern Territory would essentially be akin to a past count's domain or duchy, equivalent to a state within a state.

This is the most typical relationship model between lord and vassals from the feudal era, typified by the phrase "the vassal of a vassal is not my vassal."

But as society develops and technology advances, particularly after the steam revolution's productivity explosion, centralization became inevitable, and local lords' powers were gradually centralized.

In such times, it is no longer "the vassal of a vassal is also my vassal," but "everyone is my vassal."

Taking the Northern Territory as an example, although its nobles and knights are loyal to Perfikot, they still must be loyal to Victor Empire, follow the orders of the Queen as the head of state, and abide by the laws issued by the National Assembly and Cabinet.

But once the political independence of the Northern Territory is acknowledged, everything changes.

The Northern Territory's nobles and knights will only need to be loyal to Perfikot. If she chooses independence, then the Northern Territory will no longer be Victor's territory, and these nobles and knights needn't fulfill any obligations to Victor anymore.

Acknowledging this point essentially means conceding the entire Northern Territory to Perfikot, leaving Victor Empire unable to intervene, at least not in her rule over it.

Although currently no one is interfering with Perfikot's rule over the Northern Territory, non-interference and inability to interfere are fundamentally different.

Obtaining this legal recognition means that if Perfikot wants independence in the future, Victor Empire has no reason to interfere and stop her. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Compared to acknowledging this, acknowledging Perfikot's special status is insignificant.

Especially now, with Victor Empire forsaking its core territory, the Northern Territory has de facto become the new core territory. If pushed into independence, Victor Empire would suffer greatly.

Yet, for Perfikot, the former brings no substantial changes in benefits, whereas the latter is more noteworthy.

After all, the latter can offer her more political benefits and give her a more transcendent position in Victor's political arena.

In the circumstance where Perfikot doesn't plan to make the Northern Territory independent and crown herself, her current political influence has peaked and reached its limit.

Unless she's willing to run for Prime Minister for a term or simply establish her dictatorship, it's unlikely she'll advance further.

After all, she can dictate the prime ministerial election, with even the Prime Minister being her person, and further expanding her influence would mean dominating the Royal Family, intending to "reenact the tales of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, and follow the example of Prime Minister Cao."

In other words, Perfikot seeks, in the words of the original world, to gather the trifecta of "granting the false seal and battle-axe, commanding as commander of the imperial household and chief of military affairs, and receiving the nine bestowals," a power chancellor's coup set.

She already has the false seal and battle-axe, as "special plenipotentiary" can be viewed as bearing Royal Family authority.

Though at that time, she only had this title due to assigned tasks, and it didn't truly equate to emperor-like authority.

But for today's Perfikot, this isn't important; the authority of the Lord of the Northern Territory is comparable in intimidating force, with the sole difference lying in the grand legitimacy.

Moreover, commanding as the chief of military affairs and coordinating the imperial household, compared to the power of the Lord of the Northern Territory, also presents no substantial difference.

Perfikot is the de facto ruler of the Northern Territory with full governing power, both de facto and de jure, capable of shaping the nation's internal and external policies with ease.

She isn't merely coordinating as a tri-power but can manipulate their succession.

Only the final "nine bestowals" remains missing for Perfikot, which is precisely what she desires.

That is, a special political status transcending everything else.