fantasy novels Chapter 377 The Blame, Earl Hall's Decision
Chapter 377 The Blame, Earl Hall's Decision
Chapter 377 The Blame, Earl Hall's Decision
Robert, quick-witted, took advantage of the eldest prince's feigned unconsciousness to escape the Fussac embassy first, but the other political heavyweights who remained in the embassy were not so lucky.
Count Hall, Prime Minister Agushid, and Duke Negan, who knew the inside story, watched Robert's departing figure with envy, and couldn't help but curse in their hearts.
Seeing things were going badly, you took the opportunity to escape, leaving us all to take the blame. You're a complete bastard!
Although they all cursed Robert as a bastard in their hearts, they also knew that if given the chance, they would all be willing to be that kind of bastard too.
Unfortunately, none of them reacted as quickly as Robert, and they missed their chance to escape.
After cursing Robert's escape in their hearts, the bigwigs present began to think about how to clean up the mess, at least to avoid getting blood on themselves.
Finally, everyone turned their attention to Prime Minister Agushid, who held the highest position at the time, hoping that this bigwig would make a decision for everyone and preferably take the blame for everything.
At this moment, Prime Minister Agushid became the focus of everyone's attention in the embassy, as it was now the turn of this veteran politician to answer the question that the eldest prince had just faced.
After the eldest prince fainted, Ambassador Fussack did not stop him from leaving, but he did not abandon his aggressive stance.
With one hand holding a newly signed document and the other a list of medicines from the Fusak Empire to aid the Kingdom of Rune, they were presented to Prime Minister Agushid, leaving him to decide the direction of relations between the two countries.
The nobles, celebrities, and reporters from major newspapers attending the press conference were not fools; he had already sensed something was amiss and that there was more to the story than they knew.
Everyone stopped whispering and stared intently at the two sides on the stage, trying to discern the truth behind their actions.
Even the flashes from the cameras decreased, and everyone waited to see Prime Minister Agushid's reaction.
At this point, Prime Minister Agushid's situation was even worse than that of the eldest prince, because no matter what, the eldest prince still had Augustus's bloodline, while he was really just a subject.
If the eldest prince still has the power to decide on such important national affairs, then he, as the prime minister who was merely pushed out, has absolutely no power to decide on this matter.
So it seems that Agushid Nigan is faced with two choices: accept the aid list from the Fussac Empire, or reject it.
In truth, he never had a choice. He could only refuse the Fussac Empire's "goodwill" and take full responsibility for the Fussac Empire's breach of the previous agreement, willingly accepting the scorn of all the Rune people and bearing the responsibility for all the troubles that the Fussac Empire subsequently provoked.
From a young age, Agusid Negan knew he could not inherit the resources of the Negan Duke's mansion, so he actively participated in politics in his youth, immersing himself in the political arena for decades. He finally climbed to his current position with great difficulty, but now he is about to fall into ruin, unable even to feign unconsciousness. How could he accept this?
But what can he do if he's unwilling? He has children and a legacy for his descendants. By taking the blame, he can at least gain some gratitude and leave some goodwill. Otherwise, he would truly have nothing left.
So even though he was extremely unwilling, he could only force himself to say:
"We appreciate the Fursac Empire's concern for the people of Backlund during the pandemic, but the Kingdom of Rune is powerful, has ample reserves of supplies, and is well-prepared and experienced in managing the pandemic, so it does not need any assistance from the Fursac Empire."
Having already decided to take all the blame, Prime Minister Agushid made his position clear and directly rejected the Fussac Empire's "goodwill," leaving no room for further negotiation.
And as Prime Minister Agoshid had predicted, his words were met with a barrage of insults from all the prominent figures in Backlund present, as well as some journalists with a sense of justice, such as Mike Joseph.
Even some nobles who had lost relatives to the pandemic glared angrily at Prime Minister Agushid, wishing they could tear him apart.
They completely failed to understand why Prime Minister Agushid would refuse aid from the Fussac Empire. Was this the time to maintain the so-called national face?
Besides, the fact that the Fusak Empire acknowledged the sovereignty dispute over Ayoun Island clearly shows that the Kingdom of Rune has won. Accepting the Fusak Empire's aid at this time would not be a loss of face at all, so what's wrong with accepting it?
Some hot-blooded young reporters even tried to attack Prime Minister Agushid, disregarding the occasion, but were stopped by the bodyguards around them.
Ambassador Fussack's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, and he slightly opened his mouth, revealing his teeth, and let out a laugh:
"Is Prime Minister Agushid's understanding correct that he has already decided to reject the goodwill of the Fussak Empire?"
Prime Minister Agushid had already spoken, and there was no going back. So he was no longer conflicted and instead became more composed, staring straight at Ambassador Fusak, who had been acting as their character all day, without saying a word.
Ambassador Fusak, having grasped Prime Minister Agushid's meaning, laughed heartily, tore all the documents in his hand to shreds on the spot, and then tossed them into the air.
Then, amidst a rain of paper, he loudly addressed the stunned and bewildered Backlund celebrities and newspaper reporters below:
"Our country, with utmost sincerity, is willing to establish a friendly, harmonious and stable relationship with the Kingdom of Rune, in order to resolve the disputes between the two countries in various international affairs."
Even in order to achieve this goal, His Majesty the Emperor of our country risked great criticism to promote the dispute over Ayoun Island. However, the government of the Kingdom of Rune regarded the friendliness of the Fusak Empire as weakness and the aid of the Fusak Empire as worthless, and blatantly rejected the goodwill of the Fusak Empire.
In view of this, and in order to avoid losing its national dignity and thus making concessions to the Kingdom of Rune, I can only solemnly declare here that the Fusak Empire will never recognize the sovereignty dispute over Ayoun Island. Ayoun Island is an inseparable part of the Fusak Empire, it was in the past, it is now, and it will be even more so in the future!
Meanwhile, the medicines that the Fussac Empire had prepared to provide aid will no longer be donated to the government of the Kingdom of Rune, but will instead be transported to the embassy here, where we will distribute them free of charge to the people of Backlund who come to collect the medicines.
After all, the people of Backlund, who are suffering from the plague, are innocent, and they should not be deprived of their chance to live because of the stupidity and prejudice of politicians.
I urge the media to report what I said today truthfully, so that more people know where they can get medicine, and so that the politicians around me know what the power of justice is!
Thank you all for attending the press conference at the Fussack Embassy today.
Ambassador Fussac delivered a long, prepared speech to the crowd below, placing all the blame for the events on Ayoun Island on the government of the Kingdom of Rune, emphasizing the Fussac Empire's sympathy and support for the suffering people of Backlund, and taking the opportunity to criticize the Kingdom of Rune's government for its inaction during the pandemic.
His words resonated with many people, and after his speech, many couldn't help but cheer loudly for him, even clapping and applauding regardless of their political stance.
Meanwhile, the high-ranking members of the Ruen government, led by Agushid, had already left the embassy and headed to the Sodrako Palace while the ambassador was giving his speech.
On the way to Sodrako Palace, Count Hall deliberately got into Prime Minister Agushid's car. The two political heavyweights, who had fought and cooperated for many years, looked at each other in silence.
Finally, it was Prime Minister Agushid, who suddenly looked much older, who spoke first, breaking the awkward atmosphere in the carriage.
"Having been in politics for so many years, I never imagined I'd suffer such a huge setback at this age. Life is truly unpredictable!"
Earl Hall also sighed deeply. Today's events had shocked him as well, and he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
The prime minister, who was of the same rank as him, was completely powerless in this incident and could only take the blame.
This makes him, even after decades of political ups and downs, tremble with fear. If he were in the prime minister's position, he wouldn't have a better choice.
"Actually, everyone knows your difficulties, and His Majesty knows them even more."
"With His Majesty's strong support, you might be able to weather this storm!"
Earl Hall spoke in a hoarse voice, saying things he himself didn't believe!
As expected, Prime Minister Agushid chuckled and said somewhat presumptuously:
"We both know what His Majesty's true nature is, so there's no need to use His Majesty to comfort me at this time."
Count Hall sighed, unusually refraining from correcting or avoiding the issue. Instead, Prime Minister Agushid, observing the somewhat uneasy Count Hall, said:
"To outsiders, we may seem unapproachable and glamorous, but only we ourselves know the true taste of our lives."
Essentially, we are all the "scapegoats" that Emperor Rosell spoke of, it's just a matter of when and what kind of blame we take.
Some people are lucky enough to never encounter a problem they need to take the blame for, even until retirement or death.
But many more people were burdened with undeserved blame early on, ending their political lives and even their lives prematurely.
I've lived for so many years and reached the position of Prime Minister. Although I'm somewhat unwilling, at least I won't lose my life for it.
In this light, this incident might actually be my luck, allowing me to escape unscathed.
I'd also like to remind you that you're not young anymore. Whether you stay or retire, you need to think it through in advance.
Prime Minister Aguhid saw that Count Hall was restless and unsettled, and assumed that after witnessing his own fate today, he was considering resigning.
Count Hall merely nodded absently at the advice of his Conservative colleague, Agoshid, who was both an enemy and a friend, without replying.
In fact, Prime Minister Agushid underestimated Count Hall. Count Hall did not have the intention to retire because of today's events, but rather suddenly realized that the evolution of the world situation might be beyond everyone's imagination.
Having personally experienced the oppressive power of the Fusak Empire today, and recalling the turbulent situation in Backlund and even the Kingdom of Rune this year, Earl Hall, with his keen insight honed by years of experience, sensed something unusual.
Whether it was the war in the southern continent in the first half of the year or the several assassinations and blockades that occurred in Backlund in the second half of the year, the reasons behind them actually went beyond simple politics and were clearly driven by extraordinary forces.
Although this is an age where the extraordinary is not readily apparent, extraordinary power has never truly been far from people. Even Earl Hall's greatest political label is that of the secular representative of the Church of the Goddess of Night.
But never before has the situation in the country been so dictated by various extraordinary forces as it has this year, leaving no room for people like him to intervene.
The voice of ordinary politicians in national affairs is being eroded, while extraordinary forces are coming to the forefront!
This was the conclusion that Earl Hall suddenly came to after experiencing today's events.
It was this conclusion that made him realize that the logic of things in the future world had changed.
The future world order will inevitably see extraordinary figures rise to the forefront, while ordinary politicians like him will be relegated to the sidelines.
Although they will not completely disappear from the historical stage, their voice will be greatly weakened.
This reality rekindled a fleeting thought that Earl Hall had once had: to change his heir.
Earl Hall always upheld the principles of stability and order, so he knew that his eldest son was not a perfect heir and never considered changing the heir.
However, he was also an open-minded person who was willing to embrace change. Therefore, he deliberately maintained his support for his second son, Alfred, on the one hand to put pressure on his eldest son, and on the other hand to fulfill his responsibility as a father to raise an outstanding child.
However, Hilbert's actions were exposed last time, causing him to suffer a great loss when facing Charles Negan, which finally made Earl Hall consider changing his heir for the first time.
However, both Hilbert and Alfred were his sons, and he loved them both equally. Moreover, the cost of changing an heir was too high, and all aspects had to be taken into account. If things went wrong, the previously harmonious family atmosphere would be completely destroyed. So, after some hesitation, Earl Hall suppressed the idea.
But today's events and the newly realized situation have rekindled the thoughts that Earl Hall had buried deep in his heart, and now they can no longer be contained.
As the secular representative of the Church of the Goddess of Night, Count Hall knows many things that ordinary politicians do not, such as: the young Count Akhova is actually a demigod!
When Count Hall first heard the news, he was almost speechless with shock. Now, thinking about it, if Prime Minister Agushid were a demigod, even if he took all the blame, he would still be able to escape unscathed and even get through this crisis without a scratch.
Thinking of his second son, who was said to be about to advance to Sequence 5 in the Southern Continent, and the relationship between this second son and Robert, Earl Hall silently made up his mind in the carriage.