Often, sudden catastrophes are slowly and gradually planned over a long period of subtle influence. It can be concluded that the successful secession four hundred years ago must also have been achieved in one fell swoop after more than a decade, or even several decades, of preparation and operation.
It seems the Westerners in this world enjoy setting up schemes.
But unfortunately, Rin is naturally fond of disrupting schemes. It's not a deliberate hobby, but she always manages to mess up others' plans, intentionally or unintentionally. The previous Old Magus of Mahoutsukai no Yoru couldn't understand how Rin found him and came knocking until he was utterly annihilated.
"If the Empire doesn't come up with countermeasures quickly, then as the Empire's annual soldier casualties grow larger and larger, the Western Kingdom will be secretly accumulating strength, resting easy. If we continue to deal with this like 'boiling a frog in warm water,' the Empire's great disaster won't be far off."
The Old Emperor, seated on his high throne, gasped after hearing Rin's statement. One moment he was facing a life-and-death crisis, the next the entire Empire was on the brink of disaster. He had to admit, such a situation... was too thrilling!
"General Rin Tohsaka, what is your meaning?"
Rin looked directly at the Old Emperor on the throne, and said with powerful clarity:
"Your Majesty, I hope you will allow my Seventh Legion to be reformed from a garrison force into an expeditionary force. Its personnel will be expanded to one hundred thousand, and officers graduating from the Imperial Military Academy each year will be preferentially assigned to the Seventh Legion for selection. Military funds and supplies will be doubled from the current basis. Give me three more years, and I am willing to lead troops on an expedition beyond the Imperial borders, to eliminate the great scourges of the Empire from both the north and south that have plagued us for a thousand years! Afterwards, I will gather the Imperial forces to flatten the Western Kingdom and reclaim the Imperial territories lost for four hundred years!"
Rin's words were very clear: she wanted money, people, and time, and in return, she would give him the world! The question was whether the Old Emperor dared to gamble, dared to gamble on whether General Rin Tohsaka had this ability.
Rin's words were undoubtedly like throwing a bomb into the Great Hall of Political Affairs. The entire scene instantly lost control, becoming as noisy as a marketplace. The Northern Nomads and Southern Barbarians had been a great problem that had troubled the Empire for nearly a thousand years without being eradicated. The Western Kingdom, since its split from the Empire four hundred years ago, had left the Empire helpless. But now, in Rin's mouth, they seemed like a group of insignificant wild boars and clay dogs, easily crushed, to be eliminated at will.
"General Rin Tohsaka, such an expeditionary force as you describe would undoubtedly require the Empire to expend its entire national strength. It's not that this old man doesn't trust the General's ability, but how can such a major matter be approved based solely on your word? General Rin Tohsaka, what can you guarantee that you can sweep away the Empire's thousand-year-old problems with only one hundred thousand soldiers?"
Minister Qiao Li stepped forward again, questioning Rin on behalf of all officials.
"By my people, by my soldiers, by the swords in my hands. Any ten thousand soldiers forged by my hand are enough to sweep across a nation!"
One hundred thousand soldiers was not a large number, but Rin dared to say she could lead one hundred thousand soldiers to flatten a nation. This breathtaking, soul-shaking aura made one feel no falsehood whatsoever.
At this moment, Onesis, who was on the same side as Rin, immediately jumped out to strongly support Rin's proposal, loudly saying:
"Your Majesty, I support General Rin Tohsaka's proposal. Although General Rin Tohsaka is a woman, her ambition is a hundred times stronger than all of us male officials combined. This is an excellent opportunity to revitalize the Empire."
"Your Majesty, I also agree with General Rin Tohsaka. Since she, as a woman, could break the Imperial Military Academy record and create unimaginable miracles, I believe she will not disappoint Your Majesty this time either."
"Your Majesty, I also agree..."
To the surprise of all Imperial military generals and the Old Emperor, Minister Qiao Li stared dumbfounded at his colleagues behind him. He saw that more than half of the civil officials present voluntarily stepped forward to agree to Rin's proposal to establish an expeditionary force. Only Minister Qiao Li and a few well-known 'hard bones' in Imperial officialdom did not approve Rin's proposal.
However, the Imperial military generals side found it difficult to directly object at this time. As fellow military officers, not supporting their colleague would be too offensive and yield no benefit. Moreover, at this point, the Legion Commanders of the major Imperial Legions dominated the military side, and Rin establishing an expeditionary force was fundamentally unrelated to their interests. Furthermore, an expedition to actively conquer foreign tribes would at least free the border defense legions from a year of warfare.
Rin calmly responded to all the questions raised by the few who opposed, which could be summarized in one sentence: I have the ability to solve everything you're talking about.
With Rin herself addressing all the doubts and questions from the opposition, and Onesis secretly working to win over the civil officials, the civil officials focused on their strengths, relentlessly'selling' the idea to the Old Emperor.
From Rin's personal bravery, strategy, and the miracles she had repeatedly created, to the powerful combat strength the rebuilt Seventh Legion developed in a short time to resist the unprecedented riot in the Forest of Dangerous Species, and then to the grand cause of the Empire's safety and the necessity of this expedition, and so on. They'sold' it from every angle, making even Rin herself raise an eyebrow in doubt - Am I really that good?
Don't let these civil officials fool you; they might seem weak, unable to carry heavy loads or eat much, but when it came to verbal battles, each of them spoke with eloquent brilliance, painting a magnificent picture. What was even more commendable was that what they said happened to be true.
They infinitely exaggerated existing favorable conditions and infinitely minimized and covered up unfavorable aspects. From ancient times to the present, no matter the world, how many heroes and great figures have been ruined by the mouths of these scholars? Verbal battles, killing with words, has never been an empty phrase.
"... Your Majesty, the eradication of the Empire's thousand-year-old scourge and the recovery of lost territories for a hundred years await your sagacious decision. This will allow the people of the Imperial Capital to forever bid farewell to the suffering of war, and it will be recorded as a glorious and significant chapter in the Empire's future history. This outstanding achievement is in no way inferior to His Majesty the First Emperor's creation of the forty-eight Teigu, Your Majesty!"
With Onesis's exclamation, the Old Emperor was finally moved. As the supreme Emperor of the Empire, with the entire Empire under his command, what other pursuits could he have to strive for good governance? At the very least, he could not allow the Empire to decline and fall under his rule. Instead, he wished to revitalize the nation, allowing the Empire's power to flourish. The reason for all this was but one: to be remembered in the Empire's annals, forever praised and worshipped by his subjects. In simpler terms, it was for the empty title of a 'thousand-year emperor.'
In the Empire's nearly thousand-year history, many wise rulers had emerged, diligently governing and ensuring the Empire remained the strongest nation in the world for almost a millennium. The current Emperor was the ninety-ninth Emperor, and in terms of achievements, he could only be considered mediocre, neither meritorious nor blameworthy.
However, if, during his reign, the Empire's thousand-year-old scourge—which even the First Emperor's creation of forty-eight Teigu failed to resolve since the Empire's founding—could be dealt with, and the territories that had seceded four hundred years ago could be reclaimed, then he would undoubtedly be a wise ruler whose accomplishments rivaled those of the First Emperor!
"Good! Let it be as General Rin Tohsaka has said. The specific details for the establishment of the expeditionary force will be thoroughly outlined in a plan during the subsequent military council. General Rin Tohsaka, I trust the loyalty you have just shown in saving me and serving the nation. Do not disappoint me."
"I respectfully obey His Majesty the Emperor's decree. Tohsaka Rin will certainly resolve the Empire's crisis, quell the Empire's great troubles, and reclaim the lost territories, in return for Your Majesty's trust and heavy responsibility placed upon me."
However, in the shadows unseen by anyone, a wicked smile quietly appeared on Rin's lips...
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.