Dynasties Online-Chapter 202: The First Chavarian Grand Marshal In A Hundred Years.

Chapter 202: The First Chavarian Grand Marshal In A Hundred Years.

"Grand Marshal."

"It is a title that can even strike fear into the hearts of kings and emperors, let alone those of lower status."

"It was an honour, it was a sign of trust given by the monarch with no sign indicating a more loyal or more leal subject than the Grand Marshal."

"But for everyone else and even for the man who appointed such a role, it was a threat."

"A naked threat to both their lives and the sovereignty of their lands."

"As such, no matter at what time, the appointment of a Grand Marshal will always be resisted by people in the heart of a nation’s bureaucracy, and the landed noble class."

"Because in times of war, a Grand Marshal is the most powerful man in the kingdom."

"He holds more power than the governmental structures meant to balance the military’s power."

"More than the king or emperor himself."

"Because a Grand Marshal is in control of the nation’s army, including the armies and levies of the various noble lords."

"One word from the Grand Marshal and you could find your home under siege before you even knew an army was raised."

"One word from the Grand Marshal and you could find yourself having to find provisions for the army; otherwise, such provisions will be collected as ’tax’ from you, whether you like it or not."

"And when someone with the capability and influence in the army is as high as Amulius Lunaris was at the old age of 65."

"Then even the entire continent will tremble."

"Let them fear and tremble before the might of Chavaria, let them quieten children with tales of their terrifying might, for the Grandmaster of War will be held back no more."

Emperor Flavius Crestier, 2nd Emperor of Chavaria.

....

August 8th,4009 ASA. Chavarian Imperial Palace.

Amulius Lunaris entered through the gates of the Chavarian Imperial Palace, which, like all seats of kings and emperors in the world of Dynasties Online, was both a home, a fortress, and a last refuge for its ruling family.

Walking towards the throne room for the Grand Court Session, Amulius, despite his age, walked with purpose and a confidence not seen in nearly 40 years, for today was the day he would finally return to a domain he had left for the good of the country.

He was returning to the crucible of war.

The throne room was large, capable of hosting hundreds, if not thousands, of nobles and ministers. Amulius took his place near the front of the gathered courtiers, which numbered in the hundreds, still wearing his ministerial court robes instead of armour, as he had not yet been given command of an army or the title of general.

Something that would change today.

He was also the last minister to enter the court, as all the others were in one place or another, socialising together, each with their own factions and interests, which the ruler needed to balance to prevent any one faction from gaining too much influence and power.

Such was the art of rulership, something Emperor Flavius had mastered over the years, as they were not dealing with a young, inexperienced monarch, but one who had won in a brutal power struggle against his older brother and then, with the help of his father, purged the parasites that had clung to him.

At the very front and the minister closest to the throne was the current prime minister of Chavaria, a young man sitting calmly in his wheelchair seemingly alone except for the two royal guards behind him, his golden eyes penetrating through the court, managing to see through people’s thoughts and intentions with a glance, making every minister, even the one or two older ones who hadn’t resigned to feel uncomfortable and threatened.

The old prime minister, the one who helped to plot the downfall of House Aurellion in Chavaria, died nearly two years ago, though even just thinking about that slippery snake Amulius’s fists clench involuntarily as some wounds never truly heal even after a decade had passed.

Since then, no one has taken over the post, mainly because it is too powerful and a position that can contend with imperial power. Hence, emperors are reluctant to give out to anyone they do not trust implicitly.

And a prime minister coming from the imperial family itself was even rarer because in the event that the Emperor of Chavaria is incapacitated for any reason it was usually the prime minister who would have control of the court and even when the emperor was in power and active if he led the officials to stand against the emperor than there was a good chance that matters could be delayed or even stopped entirely.

Worse, if an ambitious prince of the imperial family wanted to, he could easily leverage this position to usurp the throne for himself.

But Flavius seemed unworried about this prospect, so he forcefully pushed through the appointment of his younger brother as prime minister the moment he became emperor, even as many ministers in the court tried to dissuade him, as the emperor’s word was law, each shouting loudly how dangerous such an appointment would be while each of them covertly eyed the crucial and powerful position for themselves.

Because the current prime minister of Chavaria was the 6th son of Emperor Cassius Crestier Prince Aurelius Crestier.

Aurelius was an intelligent young man who only wasn’t given the title of crown prince because his legs were disabled, a fact that made many ambitious people and nobles in court breathe a sigh of relief when they heard of the unfortunate accident that led to his current state.

The reason was simple, the young prince was just too talented, and this showed from a young age!

One would think that a kingdom or empire would rejoice at the prospect of having a talented and wise ruler.

However, this is not always the case: while it is good for the royal family and even the kingdom’s ordinary people, a wise ruler may not be good for the powers deeply entrenched in the very core of the empire itself.

Because while a ruler like Cassius was even desired when Chavaria was weakened, now that the kingdom has turned into an empire and has the power to shock the entire southern continent, and the power of the imperial family is at its peak, an intelligent and talented emperor was only ever more of a threat and not someone who could be influenced easily by the nobility.

Not that Flavius wasn’t talented, but at least his support base as a prince mainly came from the aristocratic and landed noble class, and as a result, even if many of them were purged by Cassius, it still gave them a certain influence over the new emperor even if Flavius had begun to suppress them as now what was once the basis of his power had become the biggest threat to his power and position.

There was also the fact that the base of the imperial families’ support and power came not only from the 400,000-strong imperial army but also from the support of the powerful landed aristocrats of the original Kingdom of Chavaria, who now hold the majority of both the administrative and military power in the empire which had led to its stability over the years but also has increased the old Chavarain nobilities power as the nobles remaining from the old Kingdoms of Nadron and Plurus were not to be trusted.

Not yet, at least, and so could not be used to check and balance the old entrenched nobility, so the imperial family had to rely on brute military force.

A fragile base of power, if there ever was one, as all it takes is the loss of a large portion of this army, and the foundation of the imperial family’s power will be shaken.

"Minister Amulius."

The young Prince Aurelius said, bowing his head in respect for the old minister who had seen the reign of 3 Chavarian monarchs.

"Your Highness."

Amulius replied, bowing deeply and with the pleasantries over, he began talking to the rather reclusive young prime minister.

"I take it you failed as well, then?"

The Chavarian Minister of War asked.

"His majesty is determined to go to war."

"It is not the war I object to, but his majesty’s need to send so many men to the battlefield that I object to."

"What he wants to do will stir up the hornet’s nest!"

Amulius Lunaris said his voice low yet laced with anger, as it would not do for the more scheming nobles and ministers of the court to know that he, the vaunted and respected minister of war, objects to the impending mobilisation of troops, especially when he will be the one who commands them.

Such a scandal at court would be more than enough for a few in the Imperial Court to have wildly speculative ideas about how to sow distrust between him and the new emperor, especially when his reputation and influence in the army far exceeded that of the new monarch.

And this was something that neither Prince Aurelius, Emperor Flavius, nor Amulius himself wanted, as it would weaken the country and imperial power.

"He might stir up the hornet’s nest, but in every looming catastrophe lies opportunity."

Prince Aurelius said meaningfully, his lips quirking upwards as Amulius raised an eyebrow, and of course, the intelligent old loyal minister instantly understood the young prince’s intentions with his prodigy-like intelligence and sighed.

"As long as you have made preparations, I feel at ease. I really have gotten old. This is the world of the young now; old-timers like me should just go on one last hurrah or slink into retirement."

Amulius said, chuckling to himself before turning serious once again.

"I take it your highness has dealt with the rats. I do not want another southern expedition to turn into a calamity because some corrupt fuck of a bureaucrat or noble decided to get greedy."

"Don’t worry, your grace, we are only sending half the imperial army. The other half will ensure compliance after all the scars from a decade ago still run deep in the hearts of the ambitious and corrupt, and they have not forgotten the price of touching what is not theirs to touch."

Prince Aurelius said his gaze and voice turned cold and ruthless, for the 23-year-old prime minister was more than capable of spilling blood if necessary.

Seconds after the two finished their conversation, the imperial herald cried out in a loud voice.

"His majesty arrives!"

Walking regally from the side door leading to the inner palace, a man in his mid-thirties appeared, looking every inch the ancient Chinese emperor as he approached the golden dragon throne at the centre of the massive, opulent courtroom.

As the emperor Flavius Crestier sat down on the golden throne, all the ministers, except for Aurelius, who was stuck in his wheelchair, bowed their heads and immediately knelt before him to show their loyalty and respect.

"Long live the emperor!"

They cried out in unison as Flavius raised a hand.

"Rise!"

Flavius said loudly in an authoritative voice that echoed through the courtroom.

All the court ministers and nobles rose, signalling the start of the biweekly grand court session, where important matters of the empire are discussed and addressed.

"If you have anything to report, please do so; otherwise, the court will be dismissed."

The herald called out as the commander of the imperial guard took his place just below Flavius.

"Your majesty, I have a memorial to submit."

Prince Aurelius, the emperor’s brother, said, bowing as much as his upper body would allow in his wheelchair, as the main topic scheduled for discussion this day was the impending war with Nathia, which everyone knew was going to happen, though some didn’t know exactly when it would be fought, like those close to the emperor did.

Because most of the courtiers were not stupid and knew why so much food was being sent to the Nathian border and why the imperial court had banned the selling of foodstuffs abroad.

"For 20 years, our Chavarian Empire has prospered, and for nearly a decade, it has been at peace with abundant full granaries, righteous government and strong armies standing as a beacon of civilisation in the world. It is clear to all that heaven, and even the gods themselves, bless our great nation, intending for it to rule a larger land and make the surrounding countries pay tribute and loyalty to us."

"However, under the instigation of villains and greedy nobles clinging to power, many countries and their people do not know of your benevolence, rule and protection, leading to the commoners suffering under tyrants unable to live in peace and prosperity."

"This is especially true for the Kingdom of Nathia, which has long become corrupted and fallen far from its peak as a multiethnic harmonic kingdom. Therefore, I implore your majesty to free the people of Nathia from tyranny by bringing its lands under your enlightened rule."

Prince Aurelius finished speaking loudly and passionately, bowing his head respectfully to the emperor, and if Amulius didn’t know better, he might even have believed the young prime minister’s rhetoric, but he, like many others, knew that all this was said to give Chavaria a pretext to go to war with Nathia.

After all, while some of what Aurelius was true that much Amulius was certain of from his many spies hidden in Nathia.

However, Chavaria did not attack Nathia out of righteous indignation as some imperial nobles were as bad, if not worse than those in Nathia, but because they wanted their land, which connected through the Narth River to the sea, and to avoid more troublesome opponents than Nathia, as all the surrounding nations were either more powerful than the thousand year old kingdom or had very strong alliances before them.

It was a simple matter of the strong bullying the weak, as it has been throughout all of recorded history.

Another minister was quick to join Prince Aurelius’ plea, as the emperor had clearly had his close confidants and allies.

"Your majesty, what the prime minister has said is factually correct and morally sound. I also request that Your Majesty send your righteous army to bring your benevolence to Nathia by bringing its people under your rule."

Throughout the Chavarian imperial court, one minister after another, each a part of Flavius’ new faction, all came together to petition him to declare war on Nathia, bringing a smile to the emperor’s face.

"Your majesty, may I ask who will be leading our army against Nathia and how it will be formed?"

Another minister asked respectfully, his words tacitly implying that the decision to go to war was already settled, as this empire was new and imperial power was at its peak so as long as the emperor wanted war a war would happen after all he had 400,000 men in the imperial army that he could mobilise without even having to ask the imperial court or the powerful nobles in the empire if needed they could even ’requisition’ supplies along the way from those nobles who did not want to pay their taxes or help keep the army fed.

This 400,000-man-strong sword, hanging over the heads of any noble or faction of nobles commanded by a grandmaster strategist, helped strike fear and stifle even the most ambitious nobles, making them feel like they were always only one wrong step away from death.

Which, to be fair to them, was not far from the truth.

Especially as the officers in the imperial army have not forgotten how many of their most competent and respected commanders had been killed or executed due to the schemes of the nobles inside the imperial court and so had a natural enmity and hatred for the powerful landed nobles of the empire who see them as nothing more than pawns to be used in their games for greater power wealth and influence.

Amulius imagined that many even saw the war as an opportunity to consume part of the imperial army and lower the power of the imperial court.

Of course, there was no such good thing in this world, and so, apart from 200,000 elites from the imperial army, 10,000 men from the imperial guard, and 90,000 men that Amulius would raise from his own lands and vassals, the other half of the army would be split between the many landed nobles of the empire so that it is not just the imperial family who will lose power should this war go to shit.

This meant that as far as Amulius was concerned, he had 300,000 elite soldiers to be used as critical moments and 300,000 unfortunate souls to be used as cannon fodder and consume the strength of their enemies the only problem was such a large army would make the world react in shock as it would reveal the true strength of the empire which had consolidated it power for nearly 20 years.

Of course, the soldiers the various landed nobles would bring would not be anywhere near as good as his own or those belonging to the imperial family, but they would be professional men-at-arms and not a complete peasant rabble, as over the nearly 4000 years of recorded sentient civilisation even if many of those records seem more like myths these days, the noble class had long understood that peasants were the core of their economy and wealth.

This meant that unless their territory or title was threatened, they would not easily mobilise the peasants and farmers in their territory who produced their food and gold for war, instead preferring to use professional soldiers, which also helped protect them from uprisings.

There would always be some fools, but for the most part, wars these days were fought between professional soldiers, occasionally bolstered by mercenaries if they had the spare coin.

At times, peasants from the invaded territories were even left mostly alone, at most having to supply the invading army with some food, though this usually happened only under intelligent or enlightened monarchs.

Amulius didn’t know why so many gods favoured that he had met over the past few years seemed surprised by this because, as far as he was concerned, it was foolish to destroy and raid lands that you wanted to occupy as it would take years and even decades for them to recover and you would even have to invest a lot of money into them so why not build up a good relationship with the locals to help stabilise the conquered territory quicker?

It seemed like a natural conclusion to him, as even now in the Plurus and Nadron, apart from certain stubborn parts of the local nobility in those kingdoms or those commoners oppressed by corrupt and tyrannical rulers, the people had mostly come to accept Chavarian rule.

After all, if this were not the case, then even if Flavius was ambitious, he would not have dared to raise such a large army to invade Nathia, and he would not have sent half of the imperial army to ensure that it went smoothly.

However, some gods favoured, especially those who call them ’Socialists’ amongst their own, whatever that word meant, seemed utterly stumped by this.

Socialism was a new term reported to him by his spies, whom he had sent to watch over these newly appeared gods favoured. From what Amulius understood, it was a political ideology.

One that may be dangerous in the future, but for now was nothing more than a curiosity to Amulius at the moment.

It baffled him how these gods favoured seemed to talk so freely amongst themselves, as if the others around them could not hear what they were saying and were completely ignorant that they were being watched.

But his errant thoughts were quickly brought back to the court meeting by Flavius’s next words, which shocked most of the court.

"Amulius Lunaris, Minister of War, will be granted the rank of Grand Marshal in charge of all military affairs within the empire, able to call all armies of the realm and any noble to arms."

Emperor Flavius said decisively, his authority imbued voice resounding through the court, indicating that this matter was not up for discussion.

The ministers were shocked, the younger ones stuck with expressions of disbelief, while the one or two grey-haired ministers left over from the previous reign, who decided to stay, closed their eyes in resignation, but it was something that Amulius sensed, which made him smile, as it appeared that even after 40 years, his reputation was still remembered by them.

Fear.

Fear of his reputation.

Fear of his vengeance.

Because it was the landed Chavarian nobility who helped to bring about the downfall of Amulius’ two beloved disciples, whom he treated like his own children, and now the fate of the entire Chavarian army and all its officers was in the hands of this man.

This was the reputation of a legendary young general who, at 25, became a grandmaster strategist and even began to train two disciples, though they had long since left this world, while Amulius was still stuck in court helping Cassius control it.

They didn’t forget just how much effort it took to keep this man away from the army, though they imagined it was to prevent the world from uniting against them, that they kept this dragon hidden away.

After all, even just deploying two grandmaster strategists at the end of the Chavarian Unification Wars was nearly enough for the surrounding countries to work together to destroy them, let alone if they deployed three.

So Amulius Lunaris, a once-in-a-century genius who drew the blueprint for the destruction of two kingdoms and the foundation of the great empire of today, stayed behind the scenes and away from war until now.

And now, such a man who was known for his fierce loyalty to the Chavarian Imperial family was appointed as the Grand Marshal, a rank above even that of Great General!

Just the thought of it sent icy chills down the spines of those old ministers!

No matter what....

This appointment cannot be allowed; otherwise, even if all the nobles in the empire worked together, they would struggle to defeat the royal family!

"Your majesty, the minister of war is nearing his 66th year and is credited with over 40 years of loyal and devoted service. Surely, such an outstanding and virtuous minister should be allowed to live out his days in the peace of the capital instead of suffering on the battlefield during autumn and maybe even the cold winter months."