The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"What's wrong with this plan?"

"Wait until Anatoly comes over. I'm curious to see what kind of plan he'll come up with for you—maybe you've had the same bad luck as Vladimir."

The same unfortunate thing happened...

Nikolai was somewhat bewildered. Wasn't the only unfortunate thing the late emperor had done? Losing the Battle of Bloodpeak.

Besides losing a war, what else...?

Wait a moment.

It seems there are still some.

"Really... does your Romanov family have some kind of family trait where the second generation inevitably underperforms?"

Kosiché asked Nicola with a hint of sarcasm.

The eldest son's face turned completely gloomy.

He had already understood what the two men meant—Fyodor and Anatoly had likely been used by that bastard Witte.

The silence continued until the waiter announced Anatoly's arrival.

"Come in."

The study door opened, and Anatoly froze the moment he saw Qiao Yelan.

"What are you standing there for? Come here!"

"...Yes, Father."

Anatoly closed the door, walked to the desk, and put down a file folder.

Nikolai opened the file bag, looked at the thick stack of plans inside, and handed it directly to Qiao Yelan without even flipping through it.

This action caused Anatoly's pupils to suddenly contract.

“It’s really strange, Your Excellency Anatoly. If I had seen this plan at noon, I think Judge Oleg and I would have given it our full support, while Minister Igor would have been the one to keep opposing you.”

The man asked with a light laugh.

Anatoly remained silent, then looked up at his father.

“Father, this is the publicly available plan. Whether it’s for public announcements or for a public vote in parliament, it’s this plan.”

"So the meeting at noon wasn't open to the public?"

Qiao Yelan asked with great interest.

"This document was also discussed at the meeting."

[Tsk tsk, Nikolai, your son has even learned to lie to your face.]

The black snake crawled out of Qiao Yelan's hand, emitting a cacophony of laughter.

The lieutenant general's eyes widened. Who else could speak to his father like this, besides Grand Duke Kosicé?

Nikolai gave his son a cold look, then picked up the phone again.

"Is that Yefim?"

"It is I, Your Highness the Grand Duke."

"Bring me a complete copy of the plan used in today's meeting, without any deletions or modifications."

"Yes, Your Highness."

“Father, the real plan should not have been seen by you. As long as you don’t know about it, then you don’t have to bear any responsibility!”

Anatoly's words stunned the three people present.

"Your Excellency Anatoly, do you mean that the reason the Grand Duke was not informed of this plan is because you did not want your father to be involved?"

"My reason for doing this was what I said to Secretary General Alexander at the meeting—even Speaker Witte could only hint at approval and would still deny it in public, so how could I possibly involve my father as well?"

The man explained loudly.

How could Anatoly not understand the upheaval this plan would cause? Neither the Emperor nor the Speaker would be willing to issue this order publicly, so how could he allow his father to do such a thing?

The only supporting evidence they'll use is a vague statement that "the issue of infected individuals needs to be addressed immediately." They can easily cover it up by saying, "The intention was good, but the execution was flawed."

"I have a very serious question, and I hope you can answer it honestly—why do you think that the public order your father gave you at the beginning had a hidden meaning? What if Grand Duke Nicholas really only intended to deal with the infected people in this way?"

Qiao Yelan seized upon the crucial point of their misunderstanding.

“I spoke with Speaker Witt, and he explained to me in detail just how serious the infected problem the Empire is facing right now. That’s why I understand how heavy a task it is when my father said ‘solving the problem’.”

Anatoly appeared very composed.

He wasn't crazy, nor was he plotting behind his father's back; rather, he genuinely felt that this issue needed to be resolved swiftly and decisively, and believed that he needed to take on all the possible blame and responsibility in place of his father.

Qiao Yelan's expression was strange, Kosichie blinked in bewilderment, while Nikolai's expression was a mixture of pain and relief.

This child is a lot like me; he'd be good at being a soldier.

But he's only suited to be a soldier.

"...Let your father explain it to you."

Qiao Yelan sighed. If he had previously intended to urge Nikolai to clean house, now that everything was out in the open, he could only suggest that Nikolai urge Anatoli to create an alternate account.

When everything was explained, Anatoli's mouth was agape.

"So you really mean to encourage the infected and serfs to clear land in the North literally, rather than using the guise of clearing land to gather them together and deal with them?"

"Of course not! We are soldiers of the Empire! Under no circumstances should a soldier's sword be used against the people he protects!"

Nikolai cursed at his son, whom he had once loved.

Chapter 53: Making the Most of Every Penny.jpg

After Grand Duke Nicholas finished venting his anger, an awkward silence fell over the room.

The silence was broken once again by Yefim's arrival.

The colonel handed a document to Grand Duke Nicholas and then left the study.

When Nikolai finished reading the plan, he was so angry that he was trembling.

The old man suddenly stood up and slapped his son hard across the face.

Without holding back at all, Anatoli's cheek immediately became red and swollen.

"Are you insane! Are you trying to use millions of people as fuel, throwing them into a boiler to burn them alive?!"

"The Empire sheltered them, and now it's their turn to repay the Empire—someone has to do it, or Ursus will fall into ruin! I'd rather do it myself; at least I'll take full responsibility!"

Anatoly did not back down at all and refuted his father.

Before Nikolai could slap the other man a second time, Qiao Yelan spoke first.

"Your Excellency Anatoly, do you mean that you are well aware that this is a sin, but because of your misunderstanding, and because you truly believe that this method can help the Empire overcome its current situation, you are determined to push this plan forward?"

“Yes, this plan is indeed evil, but it can undoubtedly solve the current predicament of the empire. That is why I am so determined to push this plan forward, even if it means binding everyone along.”

Even now, Anatoly still holds his own opinion.

“Father, Grand Duke Kosiché, and this gentleman—Mr. Joe, this is the way I believe can save the empire. If you can come up with a better solution, I will support you without reservation. But if not, I will definitely continue with this plan!”

"you--"

Anatoly couldn't dodge the second slap after all.

Even so, the man still looked at his father with a firm gaze.

I was really fooled. I don't know how that guy named Witt could be so eloquent.

"What if there really is a second plan?"

The man's slow, deliberate voice drew everyone's attention.

"If it's feasible, I'll give it up. Otherwise, even if I don't show up, as long as His Majesty doesn't call for a halt, the preparations will continue."

Anatoly's voice remained calm.

“We can still use the methods His Majesty Vladimir used—to plunder through war.”

The man let out a mocking laugh.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Qiao Yelan, as a soldier, I considered this plan from the very beginning, but I regret to inform you that Ursus's treasury is currently unable to support any large army launching an expedition."

"Yes, Ursus certainly can't afford it right now, but I didn't say we were going on an expedition—the Empire isn't short of regular military pay and food these days, so troop movements are still possible, right?"

Anatoly nodded. There was no problem with daily defense spending. The reason was somewhat unacceptable—it was due to the huge casualties of the Battle of Bloodpeak and the legacy of the Great Insurgency.

The casualties of the Battle of Blood Peak need no further mention. The First Army was almost wiped out, and other units also suffered varying degrees of losses. Moreover, the post-battle "liquidation" resulted in the disbandment of many units.

During the major rebellion, although only six army groups rebelled as organized units, after the rebellion broke out, a large number of troops, either for opportunism or out of shared ideals, raised the banner of rebellion together, though not as thoroughly as the Sixth Army Group.

So although the empire nominally only revoked the designation of one army group during the rebellion, in reality, many more army groups had to be downsized without replenishment, and many were no longer even in name.

Qiao Yelan turned her gaze to Nikolai.

"Your Excellency, if your Second and Seventh Armies, as well as your private army, were drawn from your private treasury, could you launch another tactical offensive?"

"No problem, it's just that these two army groups already suffered heavy losses. Although they have been recovering, it's difficult for them to return to their original strength."