Surrender on My Terms
"Ahem..."
The assemblymen of the anti-Grand Duchy faction sat before me. The man who appeared to be their representative wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke. "We surrender."
A faint smile played on my lips at his words. "Very well. What are your terms of surrender?"
I had already received word that the Grand Ducal army had arrived near Huntington Fortress. From their perspective, dragging out the war would only result in further devastation. Surrender was their only logical choice.
"We will faithfully follow the Grand Duchy as the leader of the Anti-Emperor Faction."
I waited a moment, expecting something more to follow, but they merely shifted their eyes, nervously reading my expression. I replied coldly, "Is that all?"
The assemblymen exchanged glances, silently gauging the room, before one of them stepped forward. "We will also pay reparations."
Looking at these clueless assemblymen, I made a conscious effort to repeat my exact words, syllable for syllable. "Is that all?" That was the best way to instill absolute terror in them.
"T-that is..."
Seeing them look at one another in utter confusion, unable to grasp what I wanted, I spoke.
"When Valorang assassinated the late Emperor, I understood why you betrayed him. After all, he was a traitor to the Empire. But when I ascended as Grand Duke and waged war against Yohanes... where were you then?"
I stared at the assemblymen, who looked utterly lost for words. I knew they were in a tight spot. Back then, Valorang's madness had crossed a line, turning the Anti-Emperor Faction into a sinking ship. It was only natural that they jumped ship. Even if I had been in their shoes, I would have cut ties with Valorang just as quickly. The faction's survival had seemed impossible. Well... though our ruin would have suited them perfectly.
"Yet, once Valorang was dead and I, his rightful successor, became the Grand Duke, you should have submitted to my leadership under the terms of the Anti-Emperor Faction treaty. Instead, you acted with insolent arrogance, behaving as if you were independent and ignoring my authority entirely."
For generations, my ancestors had pressured the nobles of the Anti-Emperor Faction, treating their lands as de facto territories of the Grand Duchy of Francesco. In reality, they were not officially part of our domain. Imperial law strictly limited the jurisdiction of high nobility. Thus, even though those lands lay outside the Grand Duchy, my ancestors had ruled over them under the pretext that, as the head of the Anti-Emperor Faction, they were bound to follow our leadership like vassals.
"Ahem... But Your Grace, the former Grand Duke colluded with demons. We believed the treaty was nullified the moment that occurred."
"Indeed. In truth, for the survival of our own territories, the Grand Duchy's leadership was..."
I slammed my fist onto the table, deliberately cutting them off with a display of simulated fury.
SLAM!
"You talk too much. You speak as if you still have a chance at victory. Would you care to continue that line of thought?"
My threat was clear: shut up unless you want to continue this war. None of them dared to utter another word of protest.
"First and foremost, as retribution for betraying us when the Anti-Emperor Faction was on the brink of ruin, and for breaking your oaths, I demand the right to govern your territories."
They blinked in sheer bewilderment, their faces pale with shock. "Y-Your Grace, with all due respect, surrendering the ownership of our lands is far too harsh a condition."
"Indeed. No matter how victorious you are, demanding that the defeated surrender their ancestral lands is unacceptable."
"How can someone with no blood relation to the ruling family govern our lands?"
In this world's culture, one could not claim a territory unless they shared a bloodline with its ruling family. To put it simply, fiefdoms and titles were treated as private property. The only way to seize such a territory was through the lord's direct liege, but under Imperial law, their direct liege was the Empress herself. Even then, the sovereign could not revoke a vassal's land unless there was a severe breach of their feudal contract.
"Were you not originally members of the Anti-Emperor Faction? And our Grand Duchy is the leader of that faction. Since you breached the faction's treaty without just cause, I, as your leader, shall exercise my right to revoke your territories."
They stared at me as if I had lost my mind. "Your Grace... you must be mistaken. A faction is not a sovereign state. How could a faction leader possibly possess the right to revoke land?"
"Exactly. A faction leader holds the right to guide and direct, but that does not make you our liege lord."
Their arguments were perfectly logical, legally sound, and backed by Imperial law. In times of peace, that is. But we were in an era of chaos. He who held the power dictated what was logical, and his word became the law.
"It seems you are still unwilling to submit. Shall we continue the war, then?"
I had no intention of letting their lands slip through my fingers. I was going to seize their territories once and for all.
"You may fight on if you wish, but let me promise you this: your lords and their families... will not be treated as prisoners of war. However, if you surrender your lands quietly, I will recognize their noble status and protect their personal wealth."
To be treated as a prisoner of war meant receiving the respect due to a noble even in captivity. Conversely, denying them that status was a thinly veiled threat that they would face a grim fate if captured. Yet, their focus seemed to lie elsewhere. One of them stepped forward, looking as though he had just heard the most absurd thing in the world.
"How can one be a noble without land?"
Titles like Duke, Marquis, and Count were intrinsically tied to the land. I was called the Grand Duke because I owned the lands of the Grand Duchy of Francesco. If those lands were taken from me, the title of Grand Duke would pass to the conqueror. A title was synonymous with the right to rule a territory, or ownership of the land itself. In the past, a title was merely a contract granting governance over a territory under a higher noble, but now, the concept had evolved to include actual ownership of the land. Naturally, they found it impossible to comprehend how they could lose their land yet retain their titles.
"In other words, I will recognize your lords' titles, but I will govern the land in their stead, acting as their proxy."
I watched the assemblymen process this, their eyes darting back and forth, before I continued. "Every year, I will grant them ten percent of the tax revenue generated from their lands to cover their living expenses and maintain their noble dignity."
This was by no means a small sum. The living expenses and maintenance funds allocated to my own family from the Grand Duchy's annual budget did not even exceed one percent. After all, how much did a single household really need to live comfortably? Personally, I considered it a waste of money, but securing the right to govern their lands was the priority. Of course, once I had consolidated absolute control over their territories, I would gradually slash their stipends and cast them out. Why on earth would I keep funding their idle, luxurious lifestyles? Once their lands were firmly in my grasp, they would be utterly useless to me.
"Mmm... We shall convey this to our lords, but..."
"Haha, make sure you do. After all, dumping the tedious administrative duties of their estates onto me while they enjoy a life of leisure doesn't sound like a bad deal, does it?"
I glanced at the men, who clearly wanted to object but found themselves unable to find the words. "Go and present this to your lords first. We can resume our discussion afterward."
The assemblymen bowed in acknowledgment and retreated from the room. Staring at the empty seats they had just occupied, I muttered, "Fools..."
That night, Theodora lay on the sofa and asked, "Couldn't you have just seized their lands outright?"
"No. Under Imperial law, seizing another noble's territory by force is illegal."
Furthermore, I was a high noble. Doing so would provoke a massive backlash from the lesser nobility, and the Emperor Faction wouldn't sit idly by either. I expected Yohanes to suppress them somehow, but even he was likely panicking right now. He probably never anticipated that I would strip them of their lands.
"Isn't it essentially the same thing anyway?"
Not quite catching her drift, I set my documents down and looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're still the one who's going to govern those lands in the end, aren't you?"
I nodded. "True. But legally, I am merely governing on their behalf, not annexing their territory."
Of course, it was a blatant loophole, but there was a vast legal distinction between direct ownership and proxy governance. While the law strictly regulated the expansion of one's territory, there were no clear regulations regarding governing a land by proxy. It was the kind of loophole a merchant would exploit, not something a traditional noble would ever conceive.
Theodora pondered this for a moment before speaking in a thoughtful tone. "Still, it seems like the same thing to me. If they appeal to the Supreme Court..."
"The Chief Justices support me, remember?"
She blinked her crimson eyes, her lips parting slightly as if she had temporarily forgotten the ordeal she went through when we married. "Ah... right."
"In any case, there won't be any legal issues."
The law, by its very nature, dictates specific punishments for specific actions. In other words, you cannot regulate or punish something that isn't explicitly written in the statutes. Even if they tried to argue it was an underhanded trick, I already had the Supreme Court in my pocket. There was nothing they could do.
"You really are... incredible." Shaking her head in amazement, Theodora stood up and headed toward the bed. "I'm going to sleep now, so turn off the lights."
"Can I... just finish reading this one document before I turn them off?"
At my plea, Theodora turned back slightly, a gentle smile playing on her lips as she spoke in a bright, cheerful voice. "No."
Her tone was firm yet cheerful. I let out a soft sigh. "Alright..."
Clap, clap!
At the sound of my hands, the light orb extinguished. Darkness instantly enveloped my vision, but I knew exactly where the sofa was. I lay down on it, bringing another long day to a close.