The Empror's Trap

They held a grand court assembly once a month.

This was a routine in Camelot, where the emperor would arrive at the main hall on the morning of the first day of the month to handle political matters. On this day, all central officials were required to attend. This also happened to be the day when civilian and military officials gathered in full force, so many major decisions were usually made then. Because of that, foreign envoys and spies often lingered around the palace, waiting for officials to leave the court so they could pick up any scraps of inside information.

Even so, word rarely leaked. The court officials were tight-lipped, and at most they'd let slip some harmless topics.

Standing in two rows, the officials quietly waited for Emperor Pluvia Camelot, seated up front to speak.

Pluvia glanced at the ranks of civil and military ministers, then turned her gaze toward Kenji, who stood at the very front.

"There is something I want to discuss with all of you today," Pluvia said without beating around the bush.

The ministers bowed their heads slightly, listening intently.

"Since I ascended to the throne, the empire has remained peaceful, but I still can't rest easy." Pluvia added slowly. "Camelot has existed for over a thousand years, and all through that time, war never truly stopped. The southern barbarian lands are blazing hot and plagued by miasma, the northern steppes freeze year-round, the eastern islands are cramped and barren, and the western deserts stretch out endlessly. Only Camelot's lands are lush and fertile. Although the other nations bow to us now, their longing to seize our territory has never faded."

She paused, looking at each of the generals in turn, as though searching their faces for something.

"What is Your Majesty's intent?" one official asked.

"In my father's later years, he campaigned in every direction to give us what we have today. But I believe these neighboring barbarians will seize any opportunity to take Camelot's lands, especially while I'm still early in my reign."

Pluvia's tone grew firm. "I plan to recruit and train new troops, expanding Camelot's army."

Kenji felt his head throb the moment he heard this. He stared at that young emperor in disbelief.

Has she lost her mind?

She just took the throne and is already talking about an army buildup? Shouldn't she first stabilize the court, keep the surrounding nations calm, and deal with any remnants of her father's loyalists before trying to pressure the neighboring countries?

Besides, does she think Camelot's army is weak? Her late father left behind an army of 1million fully trained soldiers. That doesn't even include the massive reserve forces once assembled to defend against the Holy Country in the West.

Over a million troops… and she wants more? Camelot has wealth, sure, but is she really going to burn through it like this?

"Your Majesty, I have something to say, although I'm not sure if it's appropriate." Kenji quickly stepped forward and bowed.

Pluvia gripped the armrest of her seat a little tighter and glanced at him. "Go ahead."

Appropriate or not, he was going to say it anyway. He might even raise hell if she shut him down. Well, fine. She told herself she'd deal with him eventually.

"Since I serve as the Grand Marshal in charge of the nation's troops, naturally I want what's best for Camelot. But, Your Majesty, do you know that our empire currently boasts over a million soldiers with countless experts among them? When we fought in Jinbei years ago, our might shook every corner of the land. A million troops can already suppress any barbarians. Expanding further worries me…"

"Marshal Kenji, you're misinformed."

A general standing to one side suddenly spoke up.

"You've been in your high position for a while, but Camelot's border nations have been eyeing our territory ever since the late emperor grew old. In fact, in the year he passed away, there were over a dozen border incidents. Now that our internal affairs have settled more or less, I believe increasing the army is the logical step. It would intimidate neighboring states and let us respond swiftly if they unite and invade."

Kenji recognized this general, whose surname was Tie. He was newly promoted and the youngest among the leaders of Camelot's Twelve Corps.

"General Tie does make a valid point. But as grand as Camelot's treasury may be, there are still plenty of expenses. How large do you want this expansion to be? If we add two hundred thousand soldiers, that's two hundred thousand laborers who must be taken out of civilian life. We'd need food for them. Could we keep up with that much grain? And could the treasury still fund all the empire's major projects?"

Kenji spoke calmly, sharing his concerns.

"Marshal Kenji, you should know as well as anyone that the world remains at war, with chaos everywhere. Besides those nations, there are demonic threats lurking. If Camelot doesn't build up its fighting strength, how will we protect ourselves?"

"I'm not against strengthening the military. I'm simply saying that expansion isn't the only option. We could take the money we'd spend to feed and train those new troops and upgrade the forces we already have. Look at the Holy Country's paladins, they're the perfect example of an elite soldier. Their so-called holy techniques, plus advanced armor, let them fight a hundred foes at once. If we invest the expansion budget into improving our troops' capabilities, wouldn't that be better?"

The two of them kept arguing back and forth, while Pluvia, the one who started the discussion, merely listened, looking slightly amused. Just as Kenji was about to speak again, he turned toward Pluvia:

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"!…?" She stared at him blankly for a moment, like a student daydreaming in class who gets called on out of the blue. "I think… General Tie has a point. Of course, I see why you're worried, Marshal. But our border defenses can't wait, so expanding the army is both fast and effective."

"You really believe that, Your Majesty?"

Kenji took two steps forward, stopping about six feet away from the throne, then bowed. "I hope you understand that the empire isn't fully settled yet. Certain regions haven't accepted you, and just last year, Hexi County had a terrible disaster that affected its surrounding regions. The common people there still need help rebuilding their cities and distributing grain. Shouldn't we focus on the people for now? We can't just keep launching military campaigns."

He lifted his head and looked straight at Pluvia. "Unless… Your Majesty isn't just trying to secure the borders, but also wants to increase your own… standing forces?"

On the surface, that sounded obvious, expanding the army meant more troops overall. But every official in the hall understood the underlying meaning:

"Is this really about bolstering the frontiers, or is Your Majesty using it as an excuse to form new troops under your personal control?"

It was pretty simple. Right now, Kenji, the Duke of Anos, had command of three hundred thousand elite soldiers. The rest were split under the emperor and other generals. Even though three hundred thousand wasn't a huge slice of Camelot's million-plus army, these were the best troops in the empire. They were battle-hardened veterans, and many of their officers had followed the previous Anos Duke for years.

The court didn't dare strip Kenji of that authority. But the imperial family could expand the army. Kenji wouldn't have a valid claim on these new troops, so they'd naturally fall under Pluvia's personal command.

In other words, she'd be boosting the number of soldiers who answered directly to her.