Chapter 365: 360: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

"The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever."

-        Book of Daniel

"Honourable Elder… " Antonius pulled Borislav up from the ground. "Actually, I am here today not only to reassure you people that I shall not take your lives, but also here to offer you even more benefits under my rule."

Borislav did not quite get what the Caesar means.

"Tell me, honestly, Borislav." Antonius paused for a while to rephrase his words. "Are you familiar with the geography of Drama, the history of this land, the climate of this region, the population demographics of the villages towns and cities?"

"Of course I do, my lord." The chairman replied with his eye brows squeezed together. "My family have been living here for generations, since five hundred plus years ago. Drama is my home town."

"Since this place is your home town, and the people here are just like your neighbours." Antonius raised his voice. "Then why are you people treating them like this? I know that you people are very nervous with every bit of changes in the current government, knowing that they might see you land lords and merchants as nothing but a bunch of luxuriant feast that they can bite on at every moment? Why are you people so unpopular among the majorities? Why do you people attempt to corrupt the government officials every time, and feel uneasy if that official declined your bribe? Why must you always try to build an army by your own, and attempt to expand your land and properties with every single bit of chance possible? Why, why, why?"

The chairman Borislav opened his mouth for a few time but could not think of a perfect way to answer the chain of questions by the lordship. Of course it is not because he does not have a clue on the answer of these questions, he knows the answers to these questions, but he just don't dare to answer them. This is a trick question asked by the Caesar, a question that every one knows about but no one is willing to shine their dirty secrets under the day light.

"Under my clear instructions sent to every single regional government, it is clear that an important part of maintaining stability and continuous prosperity of my government is to crack down on the land lords, regional rogues… But we rarely touch on the scholars, professors and academies that similarly owns a lot of landed properties. Do you understand why?"

Borislav remained quiet, apparently unwilling to answer this question.

"Mainly because of a few reasons; Academies and scholars creates regional progress, innovations, and trains more literate citizens for the region, while the land lords are mainly a bunch of people who only knows how to seat on their forefather's wealth and continuing to abusing their own neighours in to submission; The land lords brings no actual economical and social benefits to the region, always trying to make quick money through what ever means possible, whether be it human trafickign, voiding taxes, smuggling weapons they don't care as they are literally both a moral and a law vacuum. That is exactly why the local officials always love to hunt on you people."

Borislav heaved a sigh of relief, thanking Antonius that he did not say the most critical mistake that the land owners have been doing all the well.

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"But, I am not here today just to reprimand you people." Antonius continued with a sudden change of tone and language. "I am here today to offer you people out, a method that can maintain a mutual beneficial relationship between us, and find a way that can sustain the development and progressive prosperity in Drama for the long run and years to come, even after I die one day… Actually, I have been checking through the government reports and papers of Drama since the moment I stepped in to the city gate, and I found a problem, that is many of the officials does not seem to have a clear understanding on what is going on in Drama, needing to start understanding this place from scratch, including its Demographics, geography, agriculture, economics, business… Because at the end of the day, they are outsiders."

The chubby merchant came back to life and touched his neck, realising that he is still alive on Earth with out being chopped and turned to heaven he lifted his head up, with a face of ignorance, while the others are all attentively listening to the speech and analysis of the Caesar, as merchants and land lords they are always extremely sensitive to the words of their leader, because their instinct tells them that the Caesar is going to announce some big news soon.

"Have you people ever thought, that one day you and the government can co exist peacefully without being seen as a source of trouble, a pest? And can the regional government find a way to effectively make use of your people's knowledge on the region, to find a way to achieve a collaborated advancement towards a better tomorrow, where both you people and the government can prosper together with out harming the relationships of each other?"

"That is exactly the thing we wanted to achieve in the past." Borislav answered with his eyes lightened from the hope he acquired in the words of Antonius, sensing some vital information with his acute senses. "But…"

"But! It is clear that my officials did not have the mind and energy to think about a simple question, why are these regional land lords always being a nuisance, a pest, a parasite to regional stability and economical progression?" Antonius suddenly interrupted the old chair man's words and emphasised on the word but, increasing his voice making sure that it echoes across this tiny court yard and is hearable by every single person here."

Borislav is startled as the Caesar repeated the same meaning in two different sentences, emphasising the same point which makes him baffled, is the Caesar trying to take this chance to be sarcastic and flame them purposely, or is he trying to hide some information within his lines, anticipating that some one here can decipher his lines and get the hidden meanings?

Clearly he is wrong, Antonius did not hide any hidden meanings within his words, he just wants to take this chance to vent his personal hate and curses upon these land lords and merchants, make it clear to them about his attitude of despise and hatred, strike a figure of a ruler with iron fist in to their hearts and mind, despite the fact that he is here tonight to have a peace talk with these people promising to not punish them hard.

"Let me ask you this question, chairman Borislav, since the age when the emperor in Constantinople, and the Ottomans in Edirne ruled over this piece of land, have you ever wanted to change your social statues and image, erase that hatred from both the people on top and beneath you, to join the government as an official?"

Borislav gulped and nodded his head, who would want to stagnate in this state as nothing but merely a merchant, being afraid all day against the government like how the rats are scared of cats, even in their dreams they can foresee armed soldiers bumping in to their doors, putting their entire family under custody, confiscating all of their wealth and then behead them with a bunch of people spectating and spitting on to them.

"I do not know what you people thinks, but for me…" Antonius glanced around observing the emotions of these people beneath him. "It is because the ladder for progress and promotions of your families and future generations and entirely cut off, there is no way you people can achieve a higher social statues in life through normal means. The schools do not want you as their tutees, army does not want you as their officer cadets, the government do not want you because of your reputations… All of these, I know, is not entirely your fault, it might your fathers, grand fathers, fore fathers, but you people are needed to carry these sins with you the moment you are born…"

"Thus with out a way to improve your social statues through normal means, you people slowly become stagnant in yourselves, refusing to advance your academics education sticking to the wealth left to you by your ancestors, or try to exploit the laws and government rules to try to maximise your profits, and even communicating with the enemies to smuggle illegal goods… Because you know, the only thing you can choose to pursue in life is definitely not prestige, honour and social statues. So instead, you become rogues turning for nothing but wealth and land, through what ever means possible even if it is against the nation."

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