The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

war.

Yes, war!

The land seized from Casimir, the reparations seized from Victoria, the people seized from Letania—

Which of these wouldn't be a reward that would drive nobles mad?

Indeed, war only brings rewards when it is won—but when Vladimir the Great announced the withdrawal of troops from the war, who would doubt that the war would be lost?

War after war brought rewards, from Vladimir's supporters at the beginning, to the royalist nobles, to the neutral nobles, and finally even the opposition nobles couldn't resist joining this "business investment"!

Thus, war became a cyclical business plan: the emperor borrows money to start a war—the imperial army wins—the spoils of victory are shared—the emperor borrows money to start the next war.

In this process of circulation, the emperor will borrow more and more money, the imperial army will become stronger and stronger, and the victories in wars will become more and more glorious—until the entire empire is drawn into this cyclical circulation.

"It is precisely because of the support of these nobles that Ursus, a semi-slave state, was able to support such a large army, and that the Empire was able to wage war to the point that the whole of Terra was wary of it."

"So, what if, in the last and greatest war, the largest army, supported by the combined resources of all the nobles, fails to bring any return to the empire?"

Qiao Yelan asked quietly.

The answer is self-evident.

"When the investment yields no return, the cycle collapses completely. However, the money and resources already consumed are irretrievable. The enormous investment in the entire war becomes the cost, weighing on everyone who entered this cycle."

"In other words, the Ursus Empire—has been hit by a landmine."

Chapter Fifty-Two: A Mistake

"So that's how it is...?"

Nikolai's dry mouth couldn't produce a single drop of saliva, and his tattered tongue barely managed to coax his faint voice into sentences.

"So, in your eyes, the empire really is just a transaction..."

Kosichello barely managed to conceal the shock in his heart. Qiao Yelan had always said that he was a businessman; so this was what he meant.

[If Vladimir hadn't mobilized his internal guards to return from the northern wilderness, would you have helped him?]

"Of course. In fact, I have helped every country that has focused on fighting evil, and in return, they have given me their help and have never betrayed me."

Qiao Yelan said calmly.

"The Great Yan established the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, where countless celestial masters and soldiers fought to the death against evil spirits; the Sami people settled in that wasteland, and the shamans used their lives to stop the expansion of the collapse point; the Cyclops went to the northern border with his prophecy, where they helped all those in need."

“I have never broken any of the contracts I have signed—you should be one of the people who understand this best, Your Highness Kosich.

I truly cannot refute this.

"His Majesty...he just..."

“He just doesn’t trust me because he knows his son is mediocre—he’s worried that he doesn’t have enough time, that Fyodor will become my puppet, and that his country will become my tool.”

Qiao Yelan shook her head slightly and gave Nikolai a contemptuous smile.

"But he made one mistake—if Ursus can't even be a tool, then Ursus has no value to me."

“My only request to Ursus is to stop the demons. To this end, I not only researched ways to use the demons, but also helped Vladimir unify his kingdom—and I did it, I was just one step away.”

The man extended his right hand.

“Mr. Nikolai Romanov, it’s time for you to make your choice—to renegotiate the contract with me and get the Empire back on track with my help; or to give up this opportunity and become a diligent paperhanger?”

The old man, who could now be called a regent, stared in slight surprise at the right hand extended in front of him.

He was thinking about one thing.

Was his elder brother, the late Emperor Vladimir of Ursus, also invited in the same way?

Vladimir's rise to power was nothing short of incredible. As a prince who was not favored and whose political ideas were even criticized by his father as "empty and unrealistic," he won over all dissenting voices with near-miraculous military victories.

This was the original law of Ursus, a law that even the emperor had to abide by—if you win, everything will go smoothly.

Everyone says that Vladimir's rise to power began with the Battle of the Four Emperors, where he seized the opportunity and chose the right path at the crossroads of fate.

But what if it wasn't Vladimir who reached the crossroads of fate, but rather the crossroads of fate that came to Vladimir?

What he grasped—was it an opportunity to soar to new heights, or—

The right hand of the man in front of me.

Or perhaps, these two are actually the same thing?

Nikolai didn't know, but he knew one thing.

Without hesitation, he extended his right hand and clasped it tightly with Qiao Yelan's right hand.

If he doesn't seize this opportunity, someone else will.

But by then, Romanov might not be the surname of the Emperor of Ursus.

-----------------------------------------------

What is your current stance?

“I have direct contact with Fyodor, who, along with Witte, led the royalists, while I led the opposition.”

The royalists and opposition after Fedor came to power were no longer divided according to the standards of Vladimir's time—in fact, there were probably more people in the opposition who sided with Vladimir back then.

Because the current opposition is mostly composed of traditional nobles, with the main forces being the dukes and marquises in various regions, as well as some high-ranking military officers, they are the ones who have benefited the most from the war. Therefore, even though Nikolai was a staunch supporter of Vladimir before, he can still stand in power so smoothly now.

The royalists were mostly business owners and civil servants who had previously profited from the war. Many of them, like Witt, were promoted and were originally commoners or non-aristocrats. They were the ones who truly controlled the wealth of Ursus.

This categorization led to an awkward position for some people, such as Oleg in the Ministry of Justice and Yegor in the Ministry of Labor. They were naturally at odds with the opposition nobles, but they also felt disgusted to join the royalists.

The biggest disagreement between the two sides now lies in which leg Ursus should take next – the economy or the military.

Entrepreneurs naturally want to develop the economy. With Kazimir as a prime example of a businessmen and soldiers sharing power, these people are extremely envious and wish they could follow the example of the Business Federation, stripping the military of their aristocratic status and letting them simply act as the state's henchmen.

The dukes and the military, on the other hand, wanted to continue pursuing a war-led national policy. They firmly believed that Vladimir's theory of plunder and reform was correct, and that Ursus should continue down this path, training the army's combat capabilities while shifting the costs of domestic reforms onto other countries.

"Does Witt know that you have connections with Fyodor?"

Nikolai hesitated for a moment.

"I can guarantee there's been no leak on my end, but as for Fyodor... I'm not so sure."

Qiao Yelan narrowed her eyes.

This is not good news. Even Nikola doesn't think highly of Fyodor. This guy might really be a complete noob.

"I hope to have a secret meeting with His Majesty Fyodor, but I don't want this to be known by more people."

"Of course, I'll make the arrangements."

Nikolai couldn't be more eager for Qiao Yelan to meet Fyodor, and even better if his nephew could sign a contract with him, only then would things truly be peaceful.

"What exactly is Anatoly's infected person program all about?"

"I did issue the order to deal with the infected people; it was a solution that Fedor and I discussed."

Nikolai gave an answer that surprised Qiao Yelan.

He was a little surprised; the other party shouldn't be the type to use such methods.

"what are you thinking?"

"Our plan at the time was to encourage the infected to form wasteland pioneering groups with the serfs, and to reward them with free people so that they could go to the northern wasteland and tundra to develop land and minerals."

"Because there is no longer enough fiscal expenditure to continue the policy of abolishing serfdom, this method is not only lower in cost, but if successful, it can effectively reduce the current burden on mobile cities and the increasingly serious unemployment problem."

Nikolai didn't try to hide anything, but his answer made Qiao Yelan facepalm.

"Are you aware of Anatoli's infection management plan?"

"No, he didn't tell me the detailed implementation plan."

"Then I suggest you call your son now and have him bring over a copy of the plan from the meeting at noon today—your dear son has been led astray by someone you don't know."

Although the old man didn't understand, he still did as Qiao Yelan said.

"Father, is there anything I can help you with?"

Anatoly's voice came through the receiver.

"Have you prepared your plan for handling infected individuals?"

"It's ready, and we've already coordinated with all the departments. It will be rolled out across the board very soon."

"Okay, have Yefim bring me a copy."

"...It's my father."

Just as Nicola was about to hang up, Anatoly spoke again.

"Father, do you have any visitors?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing... I brought the documents myself."

"it is good."

Nikolai hung up the phone, a shadow falling over his face.

Anatoly's last two sentences alone were enough for him to realize the trickery in this plan.