Chapter 219 : The Will of the People?
Chapter 219: The Will of the People?
When Wellington stepped down from the Suria Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ car and stood before the resplendently decorated Royal Palace, he still could not help but take a deep breath, once again stunned by the sheer wealth of the Kingdom of Suria.
From the moment their five-member delegation had entered Suria’s territory, all their food, clothing, lodging, and transportation had been fully arranged by the Kingdom of Suria, allowing them to truly witness what luxury meant.
After Bratt had ascended the throne and officially become king, relations with the Ceris Alliance had grown increasingly close, gradually evolving into the image of a loyal follower and junior partner. However, the generous returns it received made other nations green with envy.
Not only had its industrial strength become second only to Ceris on the main continent, but the Kingdom of Suria also enjoyed the Alliance’s relaxed import and export policies.
Its import volume of various sedans and trucks ranked first in the world, and nearly every household had achieved the living standard of owning an Alliance automobile.
In order to preserve its wealth, the Kingdom of Suria also spent lavishly to purchase various military equipment from the Alliance to strengthen itself.
Aside from weapons that had truly reached the high-end or ultra-high-end tier for the Alliance’s own use, as long as Bratt clamored to buy something, he could more or less obtain it.
For example, the Kingdom of Suria possessed an air force group consisting of two fighter squadrons, one bomber squadron, and one transport squadron, totaling seventy second-hand aircraft.
The price Suria paid was enough for the Alliance to equip itself with an aviation wing of several hundred brand-new aircraft—the amount of money they offered was simply too much.
In addition, Suria had introduced hundreds of Saint Chamond heavy tanks produced on modified production lines originally built by the Ceris Alliance for the Tsarist State, thousands of soldier-grade mechanical bodies, and a large number of 75–152mm artillery pieces.
For equipment they did not know how to operate, they simply hired retired soldiers from the Alliance at high salaries to operate them. Suria’s behavior was as outrageous as if it were merely purchasing usage rights.
However, purely in terms of paper strength and excluding top-tier individual weapons, the Kingdom of Suria’s regular army could fully go head-to-head with the Empire’s regular forces, fighting evenly without any issue.
After all, the Kingdom of Suria also served as the Alliance’s external facade and, in emergencies, as a continental enclave, ensuring that the Alliance would not be completely blockaded within the subcontinent.
Just as Wellington finished observing and began walking up the steps, a convoy bearing the flag of the Ceris Alliance slowly arrived nearby.
Wellington stopped and waited in place.
Soon, members of the diplomatic delegation led by Koy stepped out of their vehicles. Upon seeing Wellington, a faint smile appeared on Koy’s face as he stepped forward and shook hands. “I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon.”
Wellington extended both hands and firmly grasped Koy’s hand with a smile. “Yes, though at that time, I was already prepared—either to see you again soon, or…”
“But this meeting still exceeded my expectations. I thought our second meeting would be at the diplomatic establishment ceremony.”
Koy smiled slightly upon hearing this, his tone carrying deeper meaning. “It is indeed somewhat unexpected, but the day you mentioned will arrive very soon.”
Wellington understood the implication immediately, and a clear look of joy appeared on his face. What he feared most was the uprising forces falling into isolation without aid. Koy’s words were undoubtedly a reassurance.
Saying such words on an occasion like today was essentially an indirect expression of support for the uprising forces behind Wellington.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, both parties entered the palace hall together. Representatives from other nations who had arrived earlier could not help but reveal looks of surprise upon seeing them walking in together.
In truth, Koy was also puzzled as to why Midia had changed its previously established gradual strategy, shifting from a neutral stance.
When in doubt, he asked.
Midia’s response was: “There are simply too many people below the stage. I’m not sure who needs help. Unless they stand up themselves and reach out their hand, I won’t be able to see them~”
“Only those who have the courage to stand up are worthy of the Alliance extending a hand to pull them up.”
Education
was a crucial component of ideological export.
Because once a person formed habitual cognition, it was extremely difficult to overturn and reconstruct it on their own.
To continuously negate and correct one’s own judgments, absorb experience, and rethink and plan from different perspectives—so far, Midia only knew of one person capable of this: the Instructor.
By selectively supporting and funding one or two top-tier institutions in another country, then sending their students to the Alliance, where Alliance universities would further refine them before sending them back, it naturally cultivated a future elite class that was pro-Alliance—no amount of money spent on this would be a loss.
Moreover, this did not actually result in a loss. The Alliance could simply use the interest generated from the loans it extended, allowing the recipient country to allocate that interest as investment into such sponsorships.
Without even touching the principal, it could use the other party’s money to cultivate its own future allies~
This was not utilitarian—though one could call it that if they insisted.
After all, to accomplish anything, someone had to take on roles that were not entirely noble and righteous. The core driving force behind social progress had always been the various desires of people themselves.
Wanting a better life, wanting more like-minded companions—these were not things that could be achieved by simply shouting slogans and moving oneself for a few seconds. That would be putting the cart before the horse.
By tracing things back to their roots, one could see that ideology itself was a process of moving step by step from fantasy and utopian thought to concrete scientific validation, implementation, testing, correction, and continuous refinement.
It was precisely because people pursued a better life that such ideas were formed. What mattered were methods that could withstand scrutiny, plans that could endure testing, and tangible benefits that could truly change society and alleviate individual hardship.
Standing on a high pedestal and gesturing without lowering oneself to genuinely seek solutions, without transforming the laboring masses from mere numbers back into living, breathing people—
Then it was no wonder others would say that your Great Tang was not their Great Tang, and that the An Lushan Rebellion would occur. After all, your glory was too abstract; it was not their glory.
And there would be no pies falling from the sky. A better life required one’s own effort, and like-minded companions also required guidance and cultivation.
What the Alliance sought to accomplish could not be achieved by the Alliance alone. Different regions and nations had different customs, and forcibly applying a rigid, templated plan would only lead to stiffness.
Thus, they built schools to cultivate talent, established military academies to train officers, armed people’s minds so that they could in turn arm the minds of others.
The Alliance, as the most steadfast ally, would provide financial, technological, and military support, and combined with the efforts of each nation and its people, only then could they truly ignite the red flame across the stars.
Inside the venue, Wellington could clearly sense the faint but ever-present disdain in the surrounding gazes. His heart felt stifled, yet he maintained a composed smile, constantly reminding himself not to get angry.
While at the Alliance, his mentor had once told him that anger was, in most cases, a dangerous emotion. It could influence one’s feelings and thinking, making it impossible to calmly analyze situations and leading to misjudgments.
Cunning enemies often achieved their goals by provoking anger in others. Only by maintaining rationality at all times could one avoid falling into their traps.
Just as Wellington and the uprising delegation were adjusting their mindset, shortly before the meeting began, they received another piece of news that angered them even more.
At this peace conference, every participating country had five delegation seats—except for the uprising forces, one of the main parties involved, which had only two seats. It was yet another blatant humiliation.
However, Wellington and the others did not care. Their primary purpose in coming here was to persuade neighboring countries to reduce their intervention in the Roshek Dynasty. Their future should be decided by themselves.
And as representatives of the people, the uprising forces were clearly the will of the people.