Chapter 648 — Empire
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 4
His gaze swept over Victoria and Bai Yu. Of the two Lord Protectors, one maintained a placid expression, the other wore an air of easy unconcern.
"The age of the Moen royal house is over, the noble system of the Plains of the Holy Spirit has dissolved. If any factor in this nation still has the qualification to be an obstacle, it is the two of us," Bai Yu said with a smile. "We choose to support you; then the rest of the nobles have no qualification to be obstacles—on that point, I have some confidence."
"The Mountain Legion is gravely weakened, but the Wilde family's hold of awe over the mountains of the North remains," Victoria said, equally brief.
"Very good. Afterwards I will take the system of the Duchy of Cecil as a base template, adapt and improve it to some degree, and spread it throughout the nation. I plan to make the Supreme Bureau of Affairs in the capital the center, dividing Ansu downward into a number of provinces; each province to have a provincial consul, and below that, city bureaus of affairs centered on the great cities, each with a city consul...
"I myself am the supreme ruler of the nation, but I myself will also be subject to the constraints of law, and my rule over the nation will be exercised through the bureau system. Beneath me, grand consuls are established as heads of the Supreme Bureau of Affairs. At present there is but one grand consul, Heidi, but I intend to add two more, to be filled by the two Lord Protectors... Thereafter a body of three grand consuls will be the norm, until such time as the system becomes unfit, or circumstances arise that force a change...
"The grand consuls execute my will and carry out the concrete administrative work of the Supreme Bureau of Affairs, but they should also, by their own judgment, offer me timely counsel...
"As for concrete methods of execution, the Supreme Bureau of Affairs of the Duchy of Cecil has accumulated considerable experience; beyond referring to it, you may also discuss matters with the officials of the South..."
Gao Yang set forth his conception point by point, Heidi continually supplementing from the side, and gradually Bai Yu and Victoria grew used to the rhythm, turning from one-sided listening into fruitful exchange. In this study that had once belonged to Francis II, that had belonged to Wilse Moen, they discussed how this nation's order should be restored, how the productive activity damaged in the disaster should be rebuilt, how a new national framework should be erected...
In the course of discussion, Gao Yang's conception was refined little by little—many of the ideas he put forward were often merely general frameworks, even frameworks riddled with gaps and errors, overly idealistic; yet the greatest significance of these ideas lay in their illuminating points of focus. Inspired by him, Bai Yu and Victoria offered a series of valuable reference opinions, gradually filling in the framework Gao Yang had made.
Even so, the discussion they held today was destined to be preliminary and skeletal; there would surely remain much needing improvement, much needing change to fit reality. And even were the framework made ever so well, its later implementation would require a vast amount of trial and error, of running-in, of adjustment, and would face no small amount of reversals and setbacks... Ansu's last king had done his utmost to sweep away the obstacles to change, but obstacles never vanish entirely; in the end they require the three great costs of time, manpower, and material resources to be slowly resolved.
Gao Yang knew this well, and had steeled himself for it.
Their discussion went on a long while, so long that all seemed to forget the passing of time, until the sun sank beyond the window and lights came up over the castle district; only then did the discussion come to a pause. And Duke Bai Yu Franklin drew a long breath and asked: "Then we should give this kingdom about to be born a name."