Wang Zeren walked out of the Privy Council building with Fischer and other alternate senators who also served as ministers. In front of them was the People's Square in New Rome.

Piazza del Popolo is not only the center of the city of New Rome in the geographical sense, but also the political heart of the New Roman Empire.

In the center of the square square with a side length of 950 meters is a circular fountain with a diameter of 95 meters. A man-made fountain with a height of 900 meters erupts from the center of the pool. Due to the high altitude, most of the water sprayed out is evaporated in the process of falling, and occasionally small water droplets fall down, such as the drizzle of moisturizing things on a 'spring' day, and the sunlight of the star "Himalaya" is 'shining', so that the whole People's Square is shrouded in strange colorful light.

This fountain represents the homeland of mankind and is known as the "Fountain of Earth".

On the edge of the fountain pool, there are nine huge bronze tripods imitating the Fang Ding of the Shang Dynasty of China, symbolizing the nine elders of the Senate who hold the highest power. On the east and west sides of the fountain pool, there is also a 95-meter-high platinum-titanium alloy pillar, and at the top of each pillar is a gold-cast winged double-headed eagle. These two pillars symbolize the two central planets of the Perseus spiral arm, "New Byzantium" and "Andromeda".

On all four sides of Piazza del Popolo are the four magnificent buildings of New Rome: the Senate to the north, the National Assembly to the east, the Privy Council to the south, and the Constitution to the west.

All four power buildings are built on the same scale in the classical Baroque style that accentuates the majesty of power, built on a nine-metre-high white 'jade' and marble pedestal. The length of each building is 500 meters at the front, 300 meters at the sides, and 50 meters at the height of the main body. In addition, there are 12 huge stone pillars on the front of the square, symbolizing the 48 habited planets in the Perseus Spiral Arm in addition to the "New Byzantium" and "Andromeda".

The only difference between the four power buildings is the roof. The Senate building adopts a dome dome, which symbolizes the supremacy of the heavenly court, and the Senate flag flutters on a red background; The National Assembly building has a flat roof, symbolizing the common people of the New Roman Empire, that is, the spiral arm of the Perseus; The Privy Council has a pyramidal spire, symbolizing the administrative structure; The Constitution Building is a gabled structure commonly used in Western-style courts, symbolizing fairness and justice. The latter three are all 'planted' with national flags on a black background.

Normally, the senators and alternate senators who held consuls, speakers, chancellors, and other positions of authority worked in their respective functional buildings, except for the four senators and the twenty-seven alternate senators who did not hold other positions.

There are no urgent matters or special circumstances, and before the regular meeting of the Senate every day, the senators and alternate senators who wear many hats walk out of their respective office buildings and walk nearly a kilometer to the meeting hall in the Senate building after the bell rings. At the same time, the senators and alternate senators who did not hold concurrent positions had to step out of the Senate building and greet their colleagues at the 'gate'. This form is not exempt even if it is windy and rainy. In New Rome, the Senate was itself regarded as a solemn and sacred ritual.

Of course, if there is an urgent matter that needs to be negotiated immediately, the elders will not hesitate to hold a video or audio conference even if they are squatting on their own toilets, because at that time efficiency has been put in the highest position, and the form is irrelevant.

In addition to Wang Zeren, four veterans, including Smelterin von Damstein, who is also the president of the National Assembly, Baldel Blackett, who is also the chairman of the Political Coordination Committee, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz, who is also the chief justice of the court, and Liu Mingqin, who is also the supreme prosecutor, also walked out of their respective power edifices with the alternate senators. At the same time, Roki also walked out of the Senate building with three other senators and other alternate senators to greet him.

After all the senators and alternate senators came out, the military band, which was already guarding around the "Fountain of Earth", raised their Turkish bell canes and blew the trumpet. All the patriarchs and alternate patriarchs stood and raised their hands in salute to the "Fountain of the Earth" in the center of the square. They didn't put their hands down until the Charger stopped.

Then the military band played the march of "The Supreme People's Senate". The five concurrent senators led the alternate senators down the stairs and marched to the center of the square to the melody of a magnificent march.

At this time, between the four major buildings and at the four corners of the square, many people stopped outside the guard cordon. Most of them are citizens from various local planets, and there are even tourists from the Perseus Federation, in addition to watching this strange political ceremony, most of them are ready to visit the People's Square and the Four Great Power Buildings in the afternoon.

The New Roman Empire may seem authoritarian and mysterious, but in fact the offices of state institutions were much more open than those of the Perseus Commonwealth. Basically, People's Square is open to the public free of charge every afternoon, and many non-sensitive areas of the four major buildings are also open to the public. During the monthly Open Day, citizens can also attend regular meetings of the Senate in the Senate or apply to give short personal speeches to the National Assembly and the Political Coordination Committee. However, the openness of form does not imply the openness of substantive power.

The senator, dressed in a white robe with purple and red trim and purple 'color' stripe on his right shoulder strap, led dozens of alternate senators wearing unadorned white robes behind him to gather next to the "Earth Fountain" in the march of the "Supreme People's Senate" with a wide vocal range, and then turned north and walked towards the Senate building.

After ascending the ninety-five steps in front of the Senate Building, Wang Zeren and the other elders formed a row, and the ninety alternate senators were divided into nine phalanxes according to their respective positions and stood behind each elder. Then they walked together into the wide 'door' corridor of Perseus.

On both sides of the corridor and the sky "flower" board are oil paintings that record the events and characters of the interstellar human struggle history of the Immortal Spiral Arm, making people feel like walking into the time and space of history.

After passing through the Perseus Corridor, you will come to the Senate Hall.

It is a circular conference room on top of which happens to be the dome of the Senate building. The ground in the middle is painted with a pattern of the Milky Way disk against a huge cosmic background. The nine Elder Thrones are arranged in a circle around the Milky Way pattern. The patriarchal throne is carved from natural 'flower' granite, which is heavy and smooth. But people will feel quite uncomfortable when they sit on it, not only hard erect, but also cold 'forced' people This may be the feeling of the pinnacle of power, hard and cold.

Behind the throne of the senators is the alternate seat of the senator distributed in a ladder. Although the alternate patriarch did not have the grace and power of the patriarch, he enjoyed much more when he held a meeting than his superiors. They have leather sofas and solid wood conference tables, and each seat is equipped with a computer terminal, writing utensils, and even drinks and snacks, which are not available to the elders in the meeting.

Of course, in general, the treatment is directly proportional to the workload. Each senator leads a fixed set of ten alternate senators, who are often the political partners and decision-making teams of the senators. When the meeting is held, they sit behind their respective patriarchs, and although they have no right to speak, they are responsible for the tedious work of recording meetings, planning decisions, and organizing and implementing the contents of meetings. Only when the senators are absent for any reason can they collectively speak and vote on behalf of the senators.

Nine elders walked up to the icy 'flower' granite throne, and ninety alternate elders moved into the seats behind their respective patriarchs. Everyone was seated and stood, and the patriarchs raised their hands in unison to salute, and then Wang Zeren, as the first patriarch, said loudly: "Seniors, please sit down." ”

And they all sat down in unison. Wang Zeren continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, today's regular meeting has officially begun. I would like to invite Elder Grindel Rockey to announce today's agenda and the programme of meetings. ”

The Senators did not have to stand in the center of the chamber to speak, so Greenel Rockey sat on the throne and spoke. Originally, the arrangement of topics and content should have been done by the first patriarch Wang Zeren, but since he also held the position of consul, this kind of errand fell to Grindel Roki. The wrinkled old woman, who still wore heavy makeup, said in an old sharp tone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have received a good report from the Frontier Fleet's Task Force Nine, because considering that the victory in the star field near the newly discovered interstellar planet 'Yi' is likely to trigger a large-scale retaliation by the Perseus Federation, I propose that the main topic of this meeting be to discuss the corresponding countermeasures and the related affairs brought about by it."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to speak in order." Wang Zeren announced.

The so-called sequential speaking means that the first elder begins and then speaks in a clockwise direction from the first patriarch's seat.

So, Wang Zeren then stepped down from the throne, came to the center of the hall of the chamber, stood on the Milky Way pattern and said to everyone:

"Major Jiang Ziyue commanded the Ninth Task Force to defeat the strong in the 'Yi' Star Field, which will inevitably cause extreme anger on the part of the Immortal Federation. This year is a presidential election year for the Commonwealth of Immortals, and the weak federal president Richard Milhouse is facing four consecutive years of high fiscal deficits, and his chances of re-election are extremely slim. He is likely to take this opportunity to escalate the war, divert domestic contradictions, and use the war to delay his own political life. ”

"Therefore, I suggest that more fleets be sent to the 'Yi' star field to protect the inter-satellite planet 'Yi'. And put the Central Fleet into a state of imminent war, ready to deal with the war provoked by the Federation. In my judgment, the federal military-industrial oligarchy and monopoly merchants will certainly agree with their president to take the war to the next level as much as possible. It is likely that the all-out war of 2890 will return. Therefore, in my capacity as the First Senator, I propose, if necessary, that I will authorize the Consuls to nominate a senate and the people of Rome as dictator to lead us to victory against our enemies. ”

His last sentence immediately drew a whispered exclamation from many of the alternate patriarchs. The vast majority of these people were still far from the core of power 28 years ago, and had an inexplicable reverence for the "dictatorship" system. Now Wang Zeren brought it up from the beginning, which really surprised and surprised them.

Günter Hermann Fischer, who had already been informed of Wang's political intentions, had a calm face, but his eyes still flashed with uneasiness. As Wang Zeren's chief staff member in the Privy Council and his confidant, Fischer unconditionally supported the opinions of his superiors. But now that the Federation has not taken substantive action and a larger war has not begun, it is really unwise to 'expose' the purpose so quickly, but to let political opponents see their ambitions early.

Wang Zeren returned to his throne as if nothing had happened, and looked around at the other eight colleagues. The senators all looked serious, and did not show the slightest surprise or unusual emotion at his proposal. These people who stand at the pinnacle of power are all highly skilled superactors, and their hearts and expressions seem to have nothing to do with each other.

"I don't agree with the opinion of the patriarch Wang Zeren." Fernández Asturia, to the left of the First Senator's throne, could not wait to get up and voice his objections. As he spoke, he walked to the center of the room and continued to explain his point to the crowd.

"I would like to remind you that the Frontier Fleet's Task Force 9 was originally tasked with escorting the Academy of Sciences expedition to explore the interstellar planet 'Yi', but it was deliberately packaged by some careerists as the so-called exploration 'Antnest' operation. As a result, the federal side misunderstood and sent a fleet to pursue, triggering an armed conflict between the fleets of the two countries. ”

Fernández Asturia is almost outspoken. Everyone present knew that he pointed the finger directly at Wang Zeren, the first patriarch and consul. This almost blunt accusation is the first time in 2890 that the Senate has been in session.

"If we continue to increase troops on a large scale in the 'Yi' star field, it will inevitably lead to a further escalation of the conflict, and it is likely to expand into a full-scale war." Asturia continued, "This may have played into the hands of some, but it was a grave trampling on the interests of the Senate and of the Roman people as a whole." The whole country, because of the ambitions of a few individuals, will once again be embroiled in the catastrophe of an all-out war. Therefore, I appeal to all the senators to immediately recall our fleet on the planet 'Yi', and to stop sending reinforcements beyond the borders of the country, so as not to plunge the Roman people into disaster. ”

Fernández Asturia is the number two conservative, and his words naturally represent the conservative point of view. Thus, Wang Zeren and the patriarchs of the New Reform faction can judge the attitude of the conservatives towards their proposals. Judging from Asturia's statement, the conservative senators will inevitably collectively reject Wang Zeren's proposal to increase troops and appoint a dictator in the vote after the speech.

Sure enough, the speeches of the conservative elders that followed all opposed Wang Zeren's proposal. Li Zhongkun, Liu Mingqin, and Shumetrin von Dammstein all expressed clear views against the expansion of the war in the "Yi" star field. Finally, Grindel Rockey even pointedly pointed out: "Increasing the number of troops will only plunge New Rome and the people into the abyss of total war, and I personally do not endorse this dangerous idea." ”

Even the centrist Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz has been unequivocally opposed to the expansion of the fighting. In fact, no leader who puts the interests of the country and the safety of the people first will easily provoke a war. At this time, the voice of the opposition makes people sound that they are such a group of wise and correct leaders.

Wang Zeren had long been mentally prepared for the rejection of his proposal, so he was not affected by his opponent's tough posture, and calmly made his final statement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, although the interstellar planet 'Yi' has no connection with 'Antnest', judging from the current situation between the Senate and the Roman people and the hostile forces claiming to be the Perseus Federation, war is inevitable. We all know that my New Rome rose to prominence in the Perseus Spiral Arm Star World in countless wars. Since 2890, the hostile forces claiming to be the Perseus Federation have never given up their assault on us. ”

Gradually, Wang Zeren's tone became inflammatory. "Patriarchs, only by seizing the opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the enemy can we bring permanent peace to the people of Rome. Otherwise, the catastrophe of war in 2890 will inevitably recur. And now, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is appearing in front of the Senate and the Roman people. The exploration of the planet Yi has led the rebels into believing that we are acquiring the rumored Antenest. Therefore, the enemy will definitely devote all his strength to attack our fleet stationed in the 'Yi' star field. Taking this opportunity, we can completely annihilate it in one fell swoop, and then pacify all the remnants of the enemy's forces and unify the Immortal Spiral Arm Stars. ”

Then Wang Zeren analyzed the power contrast between the New Roman Empire and the Perseus Federation. In fact, he didn't need to explain it, and the senators were also quite clear about the balance of power between the empire and the federation.

New Rome and the Perseus Commonwealth are on a par in terms of overall national power. Although the new Roman army is inferior in numbers, and the number of ships of each class is slightly less than that of the other party, whether it is the main battleship of Star Wars or the cruiser of the most versatile use, the battleships of the new Rome are slightly superior to the opponent in terms of individual ship power. Therefore, the strength of the starfleets of the two sides is also inseparable. In this case, one side may have a slight upper hand in the war if it takes the initiative.

However, theoretically, whoever starts the war first will only have a slight upper hand, and the odds of victory are not very good. After all, the strength of the opponent can be described as equal, and it does not have an overwhelming 'sexual' advantage. Although war can bring huge profits to the military industry behind the conservatives, as the elders who rule the 5,000-light-year interstellar space, they also have a fairly rational understanding of the risks caused by actively provoking an all-out war.

Finally, Wang Zeren, who had finished stating his views, announced in a loud voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, I will now adjourn the meeting for 20 minutes, and then we will vote." ”

This was the norm of the Senate of New Rome. This so-called adjournment is nominally a respite for the senators and alternate senators, but in reality it is an opportunity for the various factions to communicate and coordinate before the vote. Ever since the rise of New Rome in the Perseus Spiral Arm interstellar world, there has been this so-called "adjournment" before every major decision of the Senate.

So, the senators stood up one after another, greeted each other, and then led their alternate senators out of the council hall and gathered in the common room where their respective factions often gathered.

The patriarchs of the New Reform, led by Wang Zeren, gathered in the Asia Room, while Gringerd Roki led her conservative figures to the Atlantic Room, and the lone Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz led his idealists to the Antarctic Hall.

Many of the alternate senators spread out, drinking delicious drinks and enjoying beautiful music. But the senators and their henchmen gathered to discuss the next vote.

"Wang Gong, you asked for the nomination of a dictator so quickly, it will make Luo Ji and them nervous." The 'female' patriarch Ajlina Christoplovna Ulyanova bluntly criticized Wang Zeren.

"I feel the same way." Baldel Blackett agreed, "Although the conservatives are in the service of the military-industrial complex, waging a large-scale war now will only increase your power, so we may be vetoed by them." ”

Wang Zeren smiled and looked around at his colleagues and said, "I didn't expect them to approve the proposal to send additional reinforcements in the first place. I'm expecting Roki to unanimously veto our proposal. In this way, with the strength of our army on the 'Yi' planet, it will not be able to hold on at all, and the interstellar planet 'Yi' will inevitably fall into the hands of the Immortal Federation. We can take advantage of this opportunity to spread the word that New Rome has lost its so-called 'Antnest', to attack their short-sightedness, and to win more popularity and support for ourselves." ”

Only then did everyone understand Wang Zeren's true intentions.

"But, Your Excellency, what if they approve your proposal?" It was Frederick von Schwering, the Privy Council Treasurer, who looked older than anyone in the room, and whose actual work showed the excellent character of an old man.

He went on to analyze: "The increase in troops will inevitably lead to the expansion of the war, and it will give His Excellency Wang Zeren the opportunity to nominate a dictator, so that we can take the opportunity to expand our power. But at the same time, they will also reap greater benefits than they do now. On the one hand, the profits of the military-industrial complex in their hands will skyrocket as a result of large-scale wars; On the other hand, most of the admirals of the Central Fleet were their men, and although the officers and men at the rank and file were more welcoming to our policy, the commander of the Central Fleet, Field Marshal von Bergdorff, and his staff were hardcore conservatives. ”

"I also agree with von Schweringgong." Günther Hermann Fischer, chief staff member of the Privy Council, said, "A large-scale war with the Bundeswehr must rely on the Central Fleet, which we do not have full control over at the moment. If the conservatives agree to increase the number of troops, it will not be conducive to our future administration. Therefore, Your Excellency Wang Zeren and the elders, please forgive me for my courage, we must withdraw the proposal to increase the number of troops. ”

But Wang Zeren confidently believes that the conservatives will definitely reject the proposal to increase troops by a margin of votes. He said: "As we all know, the increase in troops means the advent of all-out war, and this will give me an excellent opportunity to nominate a dictator, and they will definitely veto the proposal for a surge." What we should consider now is how to attack Major Jiang Ziyue's task force after they have withdrawn from the Yi Star Field. ”

The two veterans, Ulyanova and Blackett, also expressed their support for Wang Zeren's views, but von Schwering still insisted on his opinion: "Personally, I always think that it is too politically risky to use the military increase to promote the legal requirements for the nomination of a dictator. ”

But the elders have already made their decision, and von Schwering can only talk.

Twenty minutes later, when all the senators and alternate senators of the new Rome gathered in the council hall again, the consul and first senator, Wang Zeren, announced that he had voted on the previous proposal to increase the number of troops: "Now, in the name of the Senate and the people of Rome, I declare that the senators who have agreed to send a large fleet to the interstellar planet 'Yi' starfield, please raise your divine right hand bestowed by the people of New Rome. ”

With that, he took the lead and raised his right hand. Ulyanova and Blackett, of the same faction, also raised their right hands at the same time.

But the next situation caught Wang Zeren off guard. The 'female' patriarch Greenjade Rockey glanced at the other conservative senators, and they raised their right hands together. In this way, the Senate approved Wang Zeren's proposal to send additional troops to the "Yi" star field with eight votes. The only negative vote came from the seemingly forever isolated "independence elder" Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz.

The unexpected move by the conservatives in favor of sending troops left Wang Zeren and the other New Reform elders at a loss.

Günter Fischer, who was sitting in the alternate group of veterans, couldn't help but helplessly raise his hand to cover his disappointed expression. It was Finance Minister von Schwering behind him who calmly lifted the classical monocle old 'flower' glass in his right eye. Although the scene before him had proved that he was indeed prescient, in any case, the increase in troops meant the expansion of the war, and the expansion of the war meant financial constraints. The days that followed were bound to be difficult for him, the finance minister of the new Rome.

But the conservatives didn't stop there. Grindel Rockey stood up and said, "Since everyone has agreed to increase the number of troops, I propose that the task of increasing the number of troops be carried out by the Central Fleet under the command of Field Marshal von Bergdorff, and that it be directly reported to the Senate. ”

It's an inch-in-the-inch attack. According to the normal military system, the consul was supposed to be the supreme commander of the army authorized by the senate, and the two major fleets of the new Roman army, the central fleet and the border fleet, were subject to the command of the consul. However, Roki's proposal that the Central Fleet be directly responsible to the Senate was tantamount to depriving the consul Wang Zeren of his command of the Central Fleet. Nominally reporting directly to the Senate, in fact it means that the conservatives have de facto command over the Central Fleet, because there are five of them, and even if the new reformers unite with the "independent senators," they still have an absolute majority in voting.

"I'm against this proposal." Wang Zeren objected loudly. But this is only a symbolic 'sex' resistance, because the conservatives will win the next vote. And even if Roki does not propose such a proposal, as von Schwering said before, the fleet commander von Bergdorff, who holds the real power of the Central Fleet, will not be completely subordinate to Wang Zeren.

The wrinkles on the old noblewoman' Gringerd Roki bloomed proudly, and she screamed with a sense of ambition: "Then, elders, let us vote." ”

By this time, Günter Fischer, Frederick von Schwering, and others in the alternate senatorial group had already begun to pack up the papers on their desks. They are well aware that their political leaders have 'foolishly' and that the seizure of power has turned into a disaster. Today's meeting is almost over, and the responsibility that will fall on them, the Privy Council officers, will be even heavier.

"Is this just a plan?" Wang Zeren regretted the 'handover' and said with a wry smile, "It seems that I am too smart." ”

The office of the Privy Empire consul was filled with a tragic atmosphere of defeat, Ulyanova and Blackett sat on either side of Wang Zeren, and thirty alternate senators stood in front of them, all with solemn faces.

"Your Excellency, even if you disregard the traditions of the Senate and the Roman people and nominate a dictator, you may not be able to control the Central Fleet." It was the old von Schwering who was the first to admonish. "With all due respect, the situation that follows is extremely unfavorable for us. The dispatch of troops by the Central Fleet will inevitably prompt a large-scale counterattack by the Immortal Federation, and the war will escalate without restrictions. If the Central Fleet ultimately wins, the Roki Senators will be even more unshakable in their power and prestige; If the Central Fleet were defeated by the Federation, our New Rome would probably be plunged into its worst crisis since the year 2890, and by that time, the kingdom would be dead, and what good would it be to have internal strife? ”

"Gong Shi Weilin, you are talking too much!" One of the alternate senators scolded.

"No, Gong Schweilin has a point." The 'female' senator Ulyanova was the first to affirm von Schweilin's opinion.

"Shi Weilingong, if you have any thoughts, please say it directly." Wang Zeren instructed.

"Yes, Your Excellency. The escalation of the war will depend on the support and cooperation of our Privy Council departments at home, but if we delay for any reason, the Central Fleet will be at a disadvantage on the front, which is tantamount to betraying the Senate and the Roman people. Therefore, I think that we should give our full support to the war that is about to expand. That's one thing. ”

"On the other hand, although you have lost command of the Central Fleet, there are still many officers in the Central Fleet that you have single-handedly raised, and you enjoy no less prestige among many officers and men than Marshal Bergdorf, and the Frontier Fleet is completely subordinate to you. So, make the most of these conditions and show your full support for the fight. If the war is won by our army, then we can still share in the fruits of victory. Even if the war unfortunately fails, we will not fall into the trap, but can take the opportunity to attack the Elder Roki and his party. ”

All three senators agreed with Schweilin's opinion.

Günter Fischer also added: "Your Excellency, I think that we should immediately launch propaganda to portray the heroic deeds of Major Jiang Ziyue, as a typical figure promoted by you, to show the people and the army, and further win the hearts of the officers and men of the Central Fleet." ”

"Duke Fischer, you reminded me." Wang Zeren immediately gave instructions, "Immediately convene a press conference to announce that I have nominated to the Senate for the award of Major Jiang Ziyue the second Golden Order of Caesar, and to promote him to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Senate and the people of Rome." At the same time, he ordered General Karios of the Frontier Fleet to 'draw' a fleet as many as possible to the 'Yi' Star Domain and 'hand' it over to Jiang Ziyue's command. ”

In the end, Wang Zeren stood up and emphasized excitedly: "We instruct all media organizations loyal to us to go all out to publicize the hero of the 'Yi' Star Field Conflict, Jiang Ziyue and his fleet who win more with less. We must make the people of the whole country deeply feel that we are not old marshals, but vigorous young heroes! ”