Months passed, a new year dawned, winter passed and spring came.

　I was 20 years old.
　I have become an adult in Japan.

　So far, all policies are going smoothly.

　Then, an incident occurred.

　"Another strike...

　The commoners again refused to do military service.　
　Refusal to do military service makes one think of an anti-war movement, but that's not the case.

　This is not an act of fear of war.

　So what happened this time?
　The thing is...

　Raimondo explained to me that....

　It seems that ten financially troubled powerful families have unjustly confiscated the property of commoners.
　They twisted the law around and gave a suitable reason.

　Of course, the commoners are not happy.
　But they are no match for the great families who have knowledge of the law.

　But even among the commoners, there are smart ones.
　For example, commoners who are engaged in commerce.

　They deal with Cilician people because of their occupation, and they can understand Cilician. Naturally, they can also write.
　So they have knowledge of the customary laws of this country.

　That's why I saw that this case was a quibble of the great families.

　They incited many commoners to seek clarification of the law.
　So it spread throughout the country.

　'Shall we use the army to subdue them?'
　No, wait. Don't be so quick.

　There is a crucial difference between this incident and the previous two strikes and rebellions.

　One is that the common people are demanding their rights.
　The previous strike was for post-war guarantees, tax cuts and a share of the spoils.
　The previous rebellion occurred when the commoners demanded a new trial.

　This time is different.
　They came for clarification of the law ... in other words, they asked the commoners to make the law available to them.

　Another difference.
　That is that it is a movement across the country.

　The previous strike was launched by some soldiers working on road construction and in a show of solidarity.
　The previous rebellion was launched by commoners in a region ruled by a powerful family.

　This time, however, strikes are breaking out all over the country.

　The last rebellion was caused by a commoner who was ruled by a great tribe, but this time there was a strike across the country. Don't move too quickly.
　I understand.

　If an armed conflict occurs, it will lead to a full-scale civil war.
　It will be a struggle between the ruling class and the ruling class.

　And.....
　We will probably be defeated.

　Because most of our soldiers are from the commonwealth class.
　It's possible that the troops that go to put down the troops will just turn on them.

　"And call Ron.

　I had told that guy to take domestic inter-intelligence measures, in case you were wondering.





　'I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I couldn't see through it.

　Ron was quick to apologize when he saw me.
　Well, I hope he's sorry.

　'Um, can I make an excuse for myself, in case you don't mind?'
　Well, it depends on what it is.

　According to Ron, they were checking all the movements of the Cilician merchants in the country.
　The sorcerers were also made to engage in counter-intelligence activities.

　So there could be no outside intervention regarding this strike.

　''Does that mean our commoners are alone?
　''Perhaps. The centurion is the leader of the area. Also, I think one of the reasons is that the speed of information transmission has increased due to the construction of roads and the increase in commerce.

　In other words, the idea of strike action in one region was brought up.
　So it quickly spread throughout the country through the connections of the merchants and centurions.

　Well, our country's territory is not that large.
　If they wanted to, they could spread it across the whole country in a few days.

　''As for the Adelnian merchants in the country, they were mostly unmarked.
　 We just need to know that there is no foreign involvement.

　Nevertheless, the story will be heard throughout the Adelian peninsula tomorrow.
　If the strike is too prolonged, countries may move to military action.

　And if something were to happen....


　"Your Majesty!　An early horse from Master Bartolo Pompeius!

　I knew it.
　You can imagine the content.

　An armed uprising in the Cilician city-state of King Belvedere's country, which was reaped during the siege.

　Yes.






　"We're in trouble.

　Raimondo sighed.

　My imagination was right.
　It was the Cilician city-state that had launched the independence movement, after all.

　Well, they had a strong sense of independence to begin with.
　I heard that King Belvedere also had a hard time dealing with it.

　''But even so, the movement of the commoners is very active these days.

　Ial muttered.
　Ial was originally from the commoner class.

　He couldn't hide his surprise at the fact that the commoners had come to power all at once in the past few years.

　Well, I guess my tax cuts are a start.

　That gave us a taste of it.
　The commoners understood that if we started a strike, we would be forced to give in.

　However, if we had put down that strike by force, this country wouldn't be here today.
　I have no regrets or remorse.

　And this time, there is only one option.

　"I have no choice but to promise you the law is clear.　
　But to give in too easily to their demands...

　Raimondo gives me a pained look.
　Yes, that's the problem.

　If our demands continue to escalate, our position will be in jeopardy at the end of the day.

　The foothold we've built up until now for the unification of the Adelunian Peninsula will be turned upside down.

　Well, I'm a popular guy.
　I don't think it's going to be until the monarchy is abolished.

　'By the way, what does Your Majesty think of the commoner's demand for rights?
　Depending on what Your Majesty has in mind, I'm sure your response will be different.

　My idea....

　'Well, I'm willing to grant you some degree of suffrage in the end. With duty comes rights, you know. Commoners have a duty to serve in the military, a duty that determines the security of the country. So they should be guaranteed the right to hang on to that.　
　You mean to say that the monarchy will be abolished eventually?
　No, it's not.

　Commoners can fight, or they can govern taxes.
　They can make some political decisions.

　But it's the intelligentsia that can command armies and have real executive and legislative power...
　Only the great families and royalty.

　The privileged classes need to be maintained.......or they will be.
　There is no way a commoner who can't even write can have a democratic government, and even if they could, it wouldn't last long.

　Ancient democracy can only be established inside a small city-state.

　I think it's best when kings, tycoons and plebeians are at odds with each other in terms of political power.
　What exactly will you do?

　Raimondo is persistent in his pursuit.
　As a vassal, it's unbearable for a king to adopt a lame political vision for politics.

　This is a good time to talk.

　''Well, it's only a goal but you know I'm going to take away all the fiefdoms from all the great families, right?
　Yes, I'm aware of that.
　But doesn't that make them a political force to be reckoned with?

　Well, wait, wait, wait.
　We're just getting started.

　"Gather all the great families to the center. Well, since it's not appropriate to call a rich man a rich man after he's lost his domain let's call him an aristocrat. We will build a conference with those nobles at the center. A development of the current council of great families, the name is either the House of Lords is the Senate or the House of Lords is the Senate... well, it doesn't matter which.

　The great families are politicians and soldiers.
　There are a few odd ones now and then, but many are intellectuals and intellectuals.
　It would be a shame to keep them tame.

　I'll start out as the King's advisory body, and eventually I'll transfer some of my powers to them to consolidate their power.

　As long as I'm alive and well, good.
　My children, depending on my education, will be just fine.

　But for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it's a bit of a mystery.

　The king could be stupid, the birth of an oppressive tyrant, the infant could be king, the infant could be severely physically or mentally handicapped...

　Even if the country is strong, it's no good if it's not strong at the top.
　That's where the Senate comes in.

　If they can stop the king from running amok and help the king, the country will be preserved.

　It would also be a good idea to use the Senate as a talent pool.
　Even though they have lost their lands, the nobles still have a lot of assets.

　The children of the nobles would grow up with higher education.
　And they will take pride in the fact that they are leading their country.

　That means they'll be trustworthy.

　It would be nice if we could do a test like a departmental test, but we don't have the know-how or funds to make that possible.
　However, it would be better than the current nepotism hiring.

　We could choose from among these people an assistant to the king, such as Raimondo or Ial, or a military officer like Bartolo.

　But the problem is that the Senate would have too much power, wouldn't it?
　That's what I'm saying.

　So I'm going to use the power of the common man.

　"I'll stipulate that only the king has absolute command of the Imperium. Then every soldier would have to submit absolutely to the king, right?　And then there's the other thing, like making it the king's duty to protect the commoners. If the Senate tries to violate the commoner's prerogatives, the only person who can stop them is the king... and then the people will protect the king, right?

　Given the structure of the ruling class and the ruled class, it is essentially the king and senate (aristocracy) vs. the commoners.

　I'm building this up.
　He is thinking of swapping the Senate (aristocrats) for the King and commoners.


　In summary, it's a sort of separation of powers.
　The balance of power would be distributed among the king, the senate, and the commoners.

　And open the door for the commoners to participate in politics. "And open the door to political participation by the common people, allowing them to present their views to the State, or, depending on their wealth and power, to the Senate.

　In fact, only a small percentage of commoners want to participate in politics.
　Many commoners think that living in peace every day is enough for them.

　The commoners revolt against the ruling class because a few of the more powerful classes of commoners incite the commoners to revolt.
　The core of this strike is also the centurions and merchants with economic power.

　This strike has occurred because they want to break the legal monopoly of the powerful families.

　Then give them the opportunity to participate in politics.
　That way there will be no discontent.

　The strategy is to bring the leaders of the ruling class into the ruling class.


　'I see...................'
　Ial gives me a glittering look.
　Stop it, I'm embarrassed.

　'But if the Senate and the commoners join forces, won't that put the royals at a disadvantage?
　I intend to create a system that will allow the royal family to join the Senate and allow powerful commoners to join their ranks. I'm sure that if the three hierarchies were to mix properly, it would prevent the two hierarchies from forming an alliance to defeat the other one. Well, it still remains a concern, but...''

　No country has ever been destroyed.
　I don't know of any country that has managed to have a king with the same bloodline for thousands of years except Ethiopia and Japan.

　Unless I become immortal, there's no way I can keep it going forever.

　But I can say one thing for sure.
　The less power the king has, the longer the monarchy will last.

　The Islamic caliphate, for example, lost most of its power in the middle of the war, but it somehow survived until the reign of Selim I.
　The Japanese imperial family lost political power after the Jokyu Rebellion, but it has survived to this day.

　Perhaps a bipolar system in which the Senate and commoners hold political power and the king is a decoration would last longer than one might think.

　"And, well, that's what I think.
　Then this is something good for you?
　Well, I figured I'd have to make it explicit at some point.

　Perhaps it would have been better to do it sooner.

　'Maybe it would be better if we didn't balk here and made the king, the great man and the commoner equal under the law.

　Abolish the status laws and judge all men equally under the law.
　Guarantee private property and make their rights inalienable.

　If they are going to demand it someday anyway, the sooner it is settled, the better.

　'But it's a problem for the common man to get into the picture.
　'It's a problem when people don't think you need a king or a great family.

　We have to take care of this ourselves.

　''But even if we could round up all the great families and kinsmen, we wouldn't even have a thousand of them.　The rebels must be at least five thousand, right?

　Ial asks with concern.
　Well, it's certainly not possible for us to fight on our own, but....

　'Not all the commoners have joined the strike. If we could round up those who have decided not to join, we could get 2,000. And I've heard that none of Bartolo's men have joined the strike.
　'Lord Bartolo's army?　Why is that?
　I don't know about you either, but I hear you're very motivated.

　Bartolo has thoroughly trained the commoners he's scraped together.
　He trained the commoners he had gathered to create new tactics.

　Of course, the driven out commoners didn't have time to plow the fields, so they had to supplement their living expenses with the money I gave them.
　So they supplemented their living expenses with the money I gave them.

　In other words, we've become a half standing army.
　And I suspect it's because they're breathlessly trying to test their own training.

　"Bartolo's already on the move to subdue them. "Bartolo is already on his way to crush it, and we're going to round up the troops as fast as we can. And we will demand 'duty' in exchange for 'rights' from the commoners who went on strike after the war.

　You don't give because you give in to demands.
　You give in exchange for an obligation.

　It makes a big difference simply by adopting the appearance of

　'If you decide to do so, we'll have to move quickly.
　Yeah. We're leaving in two days. Let's get ready to go.
　"Yes!

　Thus began the first conquest of the South.