“It seems the news has yet to make it here. Worry not, for I am a merciful King. I gave them a warning and a sign. By the end of this calendar, my army will stand at the gate of Petrous waiting for the answer to my ultimatum. Either complete surrender or...death.”

Jonas looked back towards Ash, he found nothing but a completely impassive face. With a frown he returned to address those of PennyHarbor. Most seemed relieved, but others, namely those with painted faces looked like they were going to faint.

Jonas nodded towards the two generals. “Continue, Gravious Mefendous. I am waiting for your best explanation of the situation.”

Mefendous gulped and took a step forward. “T-the s-separation is nothing of note-“

“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you,” Jonas interrupted. He wasn’t having any of this crap. The survival of hundreds of thousands of people, if not in the millions, relied on these men and their abilities.

Abilities he found to be so lacking, he couldn’t understand how they existed until now. The orc horde should have run this place over ages ago, but they haven’t yet, so he had hope that some of the forts and cities actually had competent people in power.

The two generals looked at each other with indecipherable looks.

“We are only separated by ideology and philosophy.” Mefendous did not speak after that. Content to keep his silence.

That irked the already irritated Jonas. “Must I pry the truth from you. Speak or be damned to forever keep your silence!”

With a hesitant look, it took a few seconds before the general’s shoulders drooped. He looked back at Jonas with a defeated look. “I-I-its...we...governance! It’s governance, your majesty! We have separated on which form of government should exist. Please have mercy for we only had good intentions. The orcs have been pushing harder, only the first princesss of the second Orcish Clan as our hostage has prevented them from routing us in every battle.”

The general fell to his knees. He knew exactly what he said meant. They had tried to change the system of power built by the empire without the prerequisite steps needed. And even if they had requested they be given autonomy to rule, the emperor would reject out of hand.

Their system of power resting solely in the central government had worked for the entire existence of the empire. Not only had it been quite effective, the empire had been growing and prospering. The mere thought of it could be construed as treason by the more radical minds in the high nobility.

They would use this opportunity to grab land and strengthen their own Houses. The vacancy had to be filled by someone, why not let it trickle down from the highest positions, the dukes, down to the lowest high nobles. Then again, the emperor wouldn’t deem this as an issue he would need to act on personally. Other than executing the perpetrators and giving out the justice they ‘deserved’, no other action would necessarily need to be taken.

Unless of course one of the princes choose to build their own Houses instead of relying on the royal family, but otherwise, the High nobles were allowed to do as they will. Deciding would in the end be chosen through a succession of duels and faux battles—since oaths bound them from killing soldiers of the empire—with the most ripe and largest lands going to the strongest parties.

Usually the knight families or the dukes getting the best and the rest getting the scraps.

Jonas couldn’t believe how stupid they were to even try something that could end up putting them all on the executioners block heads ready to roll. “Governance? What philosophy do you follow, Gravious?”

“None but what they emperor deems best.” He quickly spouted other neutral bootlicking statements to save his hide, but Jonas was too curious.

“You have one more opportunity. Give me another non-answer and I will make sure you fall for this...idiocy the nobles of the empire’s colony see to be so fond of.”

Mefendous looked around like a cornered rat. His unwavering demeanor and unshakable will seemed so thin now.

Jonas made sure to go through with the show until the end. He slammed a balled fist onto the throne’s arm rests. “Well then?”

“W-we of the Painted Face believe in a decentralized government. Power should not be held by one man, but as a collection. A democracy, as we call it. The noble families would represent their people in a council or gathering-“

“A senate.” Jonas interrupted with a smile. That was familiar, though less developed and much less complex than America’s version. Something like what a then would have had, just on a larger scale.

A look of surprise crossed the general's face. “Yes, yes. A senate. Through this senate, decisions would be made through a vote. Two thirds at least to ratify anything. Of course, there is much more details to it, but that is the gist of it.”

Jonas nodded. “Tell me this then.” He pulled deeply on information he had not expected. Of some place across the sea beyond the bounds of America. Of Britain and its issues with democracy. “What of the armies? Who retains power to command them? And in times of peace, what happens to them?”

Mefendous looked around with a thoughtful expression. Maybe he was trying to speak with telepathy because he kept looking back at his men. “Each noble in the senate would hold an army to protect their lands.”

“I see. So what prevents them from going to war with each other, or if someone becomes powerful enough to challenge the rest of the nobles in the senate—whether through alliances or simple, brute military power?”

“The rest of us would still have armies to deter any notion, and even if it does occur, together we would be strong enough to resist and defeat any such attempts.”

Jonas shook his head. They had not fully thought about it. Their entire lives, they existed in a power structure were such deep thought were easily answered with swearing oaths, but that wasn’t possible in their situation. At least without royal approval, they couldn’t attempt it or be caught red-handed in a matter of days.

“You’d cause a civil war. Destabilize the entire kingdom, throw the common person—your most important aspect of such government—into a state of absolute poverty, and you’d be easily crushed by any united external force seeking an easy target to expand their lands.”

Mefendous looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill.

Joans knew the man wanted to say more but he waved him off before he could begin. “Your time is over.” He looked at the other man waiting patiently with a confident smile. “It’s your turn. Let me hear this perfect government of yours.”

“As you wish, your majesty.” The man looked at his counterpart with a smug smile. Like he was going to make it out unscathed. “Our philosophy is much more sustainable and takes precedence from our own glorious empire. Absolute central power! In the hands of the king lies all power and in a strict hierarchy, everyone else falls into line under his total command. Noble houses rule only in his steed, therefore owe him unwavering loyalty, for they own no lands.”

With a flourish of his cape, the man bowed. Was he in a play?

Jonas laughed. “A dictatorship then. You and those that follow you clearly don’t know how our government works and how the first emperor had gotten power. Then again, that is not information made public. While it may not be called such, we do have a system of checks and balances. The emperor cannot abuse his authority or the high nobles have a right to rebel against that specific person, after they dethrone him, another would be chosen by the entirety of the royal family to once again lead our empire to glory.

It is the same here. I cannot eliminate any innocent noble house without just cause or I would be beyond the borders of ruling written and made clear in the Gratuitous Writs. Collected and put on unaging parchment by the first emperor himself.”

The general, who Jonas just noticed he did not know his name, blinked dumbly or a moment.

“Err...Your Majesty is quite the learned man. It soothes the deepest crevices of my heart of be lead by such a great man. Your wonderous-“

And there begins the bootlicking session. One by one, the heads of the knight and mage families in the city of PennyHarbor each came up for a good five minutes to introduce themselves, their expretise, and lick his boot to a blinding shine.

He ignored them all, instead he was zoned out daydreaming about battle tactics. A smart way to make the time pass, even more so with the ideas he began to come up with...err so he thought.

Roman legions, Macedonian Hoplites, French cavalry, Swiss pikemen.

Of course, the naming schemes were terrible, he’d have to fix them to fit his dreams of the greatest army ever fielded. Poor orcs, they were going to be his guinea pigs.

Hopefully, Raneria doesn’t throw a fit about it. He’d have to get her in a sparring session with Gregor again to distract her when he had that meeting.