Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire-Chapter 792 - 443: Do You Want to Start a Civil War?
Facing the angry dragon-men, the two Fairy Queens could not allow the situation to spiral out of control,
"The Augustus family will absolutely not relinquish their interests in the Southern Province. By seizing control of the Southern Province with such a forceful stance, you are certain to incite backlash from the Augustus family.
Do you intend to spark a civil war?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
"The dragon-men have never feared war; we were born for it!"
In the Radiant Hall, the fierce, glaring eyes of the Golden Dragons now gleamed with bloodlust, the chilling aura of iron and blood echoing in this place that represents the highest authority of the Holy Dragon.
Every dragon-man standing here fought their way up; none reached this place relying on ancestral shades, and quite a few dragon-men ancestors were born as slaves.
Yet, this has no connection to their current selves. The dragon-men do not hide their ancestors’ past but are very willing to display it, as they view their ancestral slave origins as a source of pride.
This is a testament to the generations who bore the Holy Grace of the Holy Dragon Emperor, for only the Holy Dragon Emperor would bestow such honor upon slaves, allowing the descendants of former slaves to reach the pinnacle of the world.
"What is the purpose of you waging war? Is it truly for the Holy Dragon Emperor? You were just questioning my loyalty to the Holy Dragon Emperor, and now I question your loyalty!
This is the heart of the Holy Dragon Emperor’s territory. Do you intend to turn it into a wasteland? Is that the outcome you wish to present to the Emperor?"
Sifreya reprimanded sternly.
"We can win over Alexander; he is also a dragon-man, blessed by the Emperor..."
"But he is still the family head of the Augustus family. How could he possibly betray his family, or the nation established by his ancestors?"
"It’s not betrayal, but rather leading the Augustus family to migrate! We can arrange for the Augustus family to relocate to the Alviss Continent. We can offer them broader territories if they agree to migrate!"
"That’s impossible, the Augustus family will never agree, and if forced, war is inevitable."
"Then let’s go to war, but we must contain it within the Atlas Kingdom!"
"No, perhaps first we can disarm the Augustus family. The Augustus family’s Directly Affiliated Knight Order is composed of dragon-men."
"Inciting defection? Do not underestimate the loyalty those royal knights have towards the Augustus family; they were personally trained by them..."
Inside the Radiant Hall, the fairies and dragon-men were locked in relentless debate, while Noah, who overheard everything, remained hidden among the dust, silent and with no intention of intervening in the debate.
Because the essence of this debate stems from the dissatisfaction of the ever-growing, increasingly powerful dragon-men group towards the share of interests they possess.
They are unsatisfied with the benefits allocated to them under the Holy Dragon Order; they believe they deserve more.
In fact, Noah also finds the dragon-men’s demands reasonable because the dragon-men group originates from humanoid races, primarily humans, with species like elves, dwarfs, and halflings mixed in.
This vast, ever-growing group has made an indelible, outstanding contribution to the expansion, development, and construction of the Noah Territory in several aspects.
The dragon-men deserve treatment commensurate with their contributions, especially those who have come off the battlefield; they all should receive rewards and promotions corresponding to their merits.
Noah initially believed he had a pretty good system for distributing and rewarding dragon-men because, under his governance, he truly achieved a society where the elderly have support, the young have reliance, and the able have use.
The order he constructed, even the most critical Paladins would marvel at, which is why, even during his wars with the Divines, many Paladins chose to stay and support Noah.
For the Divines could not help the Paladins achieve their ideals, but Noah indeed accomplished it. The Ideal Country lay before their eyes; how could the Paladins forsake it for their prospects?
Even in such a glorious Ideal Country, the dragon-men living there still feel unsatisfied; they still desire more and better, and they are particularly discontented with the Augustus family receiving better treatment than them.
Even though this family once nurtured and sheltered the development of the Holy Dragon Noah, the dragon-men believe that was the deed of the past Augustus family, and those who protected the Holy Dragon Emperor back then are no longer alive.
Their descendants, under the protection of the Holy Dragon Emperor, have already gained enough benefits. Even if the immense gratitude is not repaid, they should no longer enjoy such favor, nor occupy vast interests unmatched to their contributions and strengths.
This is where Noah also feels troubled; he does not know how to make a fair judgment because, before this, Noah did not feel the Augustus family’s treatment exceeded any bounds.
Yet now, with the dragon-men’s roar of discontent echoing in the Radiant Hall, Noah suddenly realized the severe distribution issue within the order he established.
Noah may feel his distribution is fair, but the dragon-men see it as unfair, and therein lies the problem. They are currently his largest and most potential-holding subordinate group.
As subordinates, the dragon-men certainly cannot defy Noah’s commands or will. So long as Noah insists, no matter how much discontent or grievance, they will swallow it and choose to follow Noah’s will, but the dissatisfaction within their hearts will not dissipate; instead, it will grow stronger.
No child would like a preferentially treating parent who is unfair in distribution.
But fairness and justice, while simple to speak of, achieving them, or making all parties feel fairness in distribution, is exceedingly difficult.
All along, Noah has persisted in believing that rather than treating outsiders generously, it is better to be kind to his people; as a ruler, he must know his power’s source and the foundation of his rule!
Even now, Noah does not believe there is a problem with his perspective, but who then is the source of his power and the foundation of his rule?
The dragon-men, besides them, is there a second-largest group? Even though the First Clan under Noah, those dragonified fairies, are continuing to grow, they are nowhere comparable to the dragon-men, especially with the construction of Dragon Transformation Towers across the continent.
If he does not tend to the dragon-men, who else does Noah tend to? If he does not allocate benefits to the dragon-men, making them stronger, who else should he allocate them to?
It is known that under Noah’s command, excluding the Dragon Guards, all other armed forces are composed of the meticulously selected dragon-men.
At this point, the answer seems obvious. But the problem is the dragon-men are now discontent and their target is the Augustus family.
That is the family that once protected and nurtured him; although the people of yesteryear are mostly gone, those living now are still here.
Reclaiming tax rights over the Southern Province from the Augustus family with a tough stance is inadvisable, let alone relocating the family.
If he truly follows the dragon-men’s wishes, how will Noah face the awakening Tidel in the future or confront the returning foster father, Casius?
Noah feels he would have no face; after all, a Golden Dragon is the proudest of the Metal Dragons, and Noah is no exception.
He once promised foster mother Selena that he would protect the Augustus family, and he has always fulfilled that promise.
However, excessively caring for the Augustus family has caused discontent among his subordinates, who believe their ruler has been biased in distribution, wanting it corrected after he steps down.
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