On May 23, 918, in the process of fighting for the interstellar planet "Yi", Jiang Ziyue, the commander of the new Roman Imperial Army, took advantage of the opponent's supply shortage and used the large supply ship "Olympus" as a bait to destroy nearly half of the remaining ships of the Bundeswehr tracking fleet. But he temporarily changed his mind and ordered the cancellation of the next planned counteroffensive.

The change in plan caused confusion among the subordinates. Captain Lota Stoldett, captain of the cruiser "Nezha", asked Major Jiang Ziyue in dissatisfaction in the communication system: "Why did you cancel the counteroffensive?" Wouldn't it be better to take the opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the enemy now? ”

"Captain Stoldt, although the enemy has lost half of its ships, the number of ships left is equal to ours. But don't forget, more than half of the remaining ships are battleships, and the enemy still has the advantage in firepower. Jiang Ziyue explained.

"I heard that Captain Ernst Quinsky, captain of the 'Olympus', and one of his sergeants perished with the enemy. Did you give up on the next counteroffensive because of their sacrifices? Lota Staudert asked without hesitation, she could already see that her superior's expression was completely different from that of the Olympus before its departure.

"Not exactly." Jiang Ziyue replied, "After receiving the report, it occurred to me that we must maintain our strength to guard around the 'Yi' planet until the new instructions of the Senate arrive. If we fight the enemy now, we are likely to lose both sides, and we will not be able to continue Operation Cleopatra. ”

Lota Staudert's analysis was a big revelation for her boss, who said: "I think the enemy must be very psychologically complex now, they are afraid of us and they are cruel to us. So, you don't want to rush to mess with them either? ”

"Of course, this has to be taken into account. The sum of successive enemy losses over these days, especially the suicidal attack on the 'Olympus', was quite unbearable for many commanders. I reckon they will most likely retreat and leave the 'easy' star field. In that case, there is no need for us to do thankless work. ”

"So, Ernst they died in vain?"

"No, Rota. That's not true! Jiang Ziyue suddenly raised his voice, obviously stimulated by the other party's words. They destroyed seven battleships and a dozen cruisers, how can it be said that they died in vain? ”

"Yes, sir. I beg your pardon for the misdeeds. Captain Lota Staudert said apologetically.

"You see, our fundamental purpose at the moment is to carry out Operation Cleopatra and protect the safety of the expedition team. Therefore, as long as you can repel the enemy, it is the greatest success. And to destroy the enemy is to repel the enemy. ”

"But what if the enemy doesn't retreat?"

"I'm confident in my judgment."

"Let's make a bet." Lota Staudert said with a smile.

Although Jiang Ziyue didn't show any interest, he still asked, "What are you betting on?" ”

"A date."

"Dating?"

"Yes." Lota Staudert excitedly said, "You won, I'll date you; You lost, you date me. ”

Jiang Ziyue couldn't help laughing and said, "You want to take this opportunity to design me?" Don't you know? Hehe, I am one of the five good young people in the empire, I don't smoke or drink, and I stay away from pornography, gambling and drugs. If the enemy doesn't go, we will never let them go. ”

Recovering from the shock and shock of the explosion of the USS Olympus, the Federation tracking fleet has regrouped and prepared to fight against the Imperial Task Force IX ready to strike out of the void at any moment.

Resentment and humiliation mingle in the space of the tactical command center, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. The successive defeats left Wolfensohn and Oswald depressed and their minds blurred and distorted.

In the tactical command center of the flagship Nimitz, the commander, Brigadier General Nicholas Wolfen, suddenly said to his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Gunther Oswald: "Gunther, I remember you said that that damn interstellar planet is like a black hole. ”

"Yes, sir." Oswald replied, adding, "I remember, you said: she is like a black hole, and she may suck our honor and life into it." ”

Wolfensohn was reminded by this remark, and he looked at the other man and sighed, "Our honor has been sucked away by her." What will most likely be life. ”

"Sir......

Wolfensohn waved his hand to signal him to shut down, and said: "I have carefully considered it, in the face of an enemy whose original strength was less than half of ours, I have lost about eighty percent of my own troops, and I still cannot destroy the opponent, which has proved how incompetent my commander is. I'm sorry for the dead brother, wow. ”

Wolfensohn's voice whined, and the intensity of his grief made him unable to contain himself for a moment. Trying to control himself, he continued: "Therefore I cannot be sorry for the brothers who are still alive, and give the order to retreat and return to the homeland. ”

"Yes, sir!" Oswald replied aloud, full of mixed emotions.

At 20 o'clock on May 23, the warships of the Federation tracking fleet flew out of the airspace of the explosion of the "Olympus" one after another, entered the speed of light, and embarked on the long journey home.

On June 1, near the planet "New Byzantium", which is more than 7,000 light-years away from the interstellar planet Yi, an unmanned notification ship changed from the speed of Akberi to the speed of light at a speed of more than 1 million kilometers and launched a communication laser at a planetary transit orbit station more than 1 million kilometers away. A battle report about the Yi field was soon sent to the city of New Rome on the planet's surface.

The war report was finally compiled and then faxed to the Senate and the Privy Council in the central part of the city of "New Rome".

The confidential secretary handed the paper war report in a confidential letter to Günter Hermann Fischer, chief of staff to the Privy Council. Fischl took it out and glanced at it, then put it back in again, then got up and left the office, walking through the corridors decorated in baroque art to the offices of the Imperial Consuls.

The Chief Staff of the Imperial Privy Council can be regarded as the Prime Minister, but in terms of legal procedures, he does not have the power to help the Consuls coordinate the work of the various ministries of the Privy Council. In reality, however, in the state apparatus of New Rome, the chief staff of the Privy Council was the second most senior executive after the Imperial Consuls. Because almost every generation of consuls often had to spend a lot of energy and time on the decision-making of the Senate, they had to delegate the chief staff to direct the work of the ministries below, so they had meaningful powers. Because of this, the chief staff of the Privy Council is usually also a confidant of the consul.

At only 37 years old, Günter Hermann Fischer, like Jiang Ziyue, has no prominent family background or political background. He is a prominent person promoted by Wang Zeren from among the ordinary people, with a clear political stance, decisiveness and good at coordinating the relationship between people, and he also has unique means for the country's economy and finance. Fischl also had the status of an alternate senator of the Senate, and the youngest member to enter the Senate since the founding of New Rome. But this identity is also largely due to Wang Zeren.

In the eyes of many current political commentators, Fischer will definitely be Wang Zeren's successor after retirement, and it is likely to break the age record of the Senate and become the youngest senator or even the youngest consul in the empire.

"Jiang Ziyue, really lived up to expectations, and once again won more with less." Wang Zeren, the imperial consul, raised the battle report presented by Fischer, and said happily and proudly.

"Your Excellency, some people probably don't want to see this kind of good news." Fischl humbly reminded.

Of course, Wang Zeren understood who his henchmen were referring to.

Those conservatives in the Senate were indeed very reluctant to see this kind of war report, not because they were not patriotic and did not want the imperial army to win, but because they did not like the success of those promoted by Wang Zeren. Jiang Ziyue's victory in commanding the Ninth Task Force in the "Yi" star field had a double significance for Wang Zeren. In addition to proving that Wang Zeren's vision is indeed unique and correct, it also increases the prestige of Wang Zeren and the political factions favored by him, and strikes a blow to conservatives.

"Not wanting doesn't mean not happening." Wang Zeren said with a smile, his tone full of contempt, "Their people will only nest in the base and talk highly, criticizing the Federation, and they don't have the courage to actually fight." ”

"However, Your Excellency, I believe that your instructions to Major Jiang Ziyue were to search for 'Antnest', and the enemy was repulsed. This will inevitably lead the Confederation into believing that we have really found 'Antnest' and will commit a larger number of troops, and the war is likely to escalate further. The current federal government is also in a financial crisis, and it is entirely possible that they will take the opportunity to launch an all-out war in order to deflect domestic problems. Fischer said worriedly.

"That's what I want." Wang Zeren said with confidence, "All-out war." ”

"Total War!?" Fischer was shocked by the consul's words, "But the army and the whole country are not mentally and materially prepared for an all-out war with the Union. ”

Although he is Wang Zeren's confidant, Fischer does not know much about his future plans. To be precise, it was Wang Zeren who did not clearly explain his strategic intentions to his own people.

"Start preparing now from the Privy Council." Wang Zeren put away his smug and complacent smile and gave instructions seriously. "Of course, it is likely that the war will not be fought in our country or in the Commonwealth, so that whoever wins or loses will not unduly irritate the citizens of both countries."

"You're talking about the scramble around the newly discovered interstellar planet 'Yi'." Fischer asked.

Wang Zeren expressed his affirmation, and then added: "This is the original intention of my intention in formulating Operation Cleopatra. ”

Günter Fischer now fully understood that Wang Zeren had made an ordinary scientific expedition into an exploration of the "Antnest" operation, which was to use it to trigger a major war with the Federation. But what good is an all-out war with the Federation? Increase military orders? This is a completely cheap affair for the conservatives of the Senate, who are behind them the predators and monopolies of vested interests. Moreover, in the event of defeat, the consuls will bear great responsibility, and it is very likely that they will be removed from power because of this.

Wang Zeren seemed to see the doubts of his henchmen, so he said to him: "Günt, apart from war, we have no other legal way to gain greater power. ”

As a confidant, Fischer was not too surprised by the content of Wang Zeren's words. He understands that the old Chinese man in front of him is not only ambitious, but also calculating. Under Wang Zeren's gray hair, his mind is full of the so-called Wen Taowu strategy. So the shrewd Fischer immediately asked: "You intend to use the opportunity of the war to become a dictator?" ”

"Exactly." Wang Zeren replied solemnly.

According to the provisions of the Imperial Constitution, namely the Senate and the Roman People's Constitution and the Senate and the Roman People's War Law, when the Senate and the Roman people suffer from a large-scale invasion by foreign enemies and a planetary catastrophe, the consuls may, depending on the situation and with the authorization of the Senate or themselves, nominate another person of extraordinary ability or themselves as "dictators", and ask the Senate to make a "final decision" (Senatusconsultumultimum), The nominee was officially appointed as "the dictator who presides over all the power of the Senate and the Roman people in times of crisis" ("dictator" or imperial dictator).

As soon as the final decision of the Senate is made, the dictator himself will temporarily concentrate all the powers of the Senate, the consuls, the National Assembly, the National Assembly, the Political Coordination Council, the Supreme Court. After the requirements for a final resolution were dismantled, the Supreme Arbitration Council made a "final ruling" on the basis of the application of the Senate and the resolutions of the National Assembly and the Political Coordination Committee, removing the office and powers of the dictator. That is, whoever is appointed dictator until the foreign enemy is repulsed or a large-scale disaster is restored will become the true "emperor" of the new Roman Empire.

The system of "dictatorship" is the most extreme manifestation of human meritocracy, and the legal empowerment of a natural person who is considered outstanding to exercise dictatorship is an unthinkable politics in the eyes of many democrats. But in the history of New Rome, the three dictators who have succeeded in saving the country from peril have indeed succeeded.

In May 2608, during the tsunami that swept across the continents of the planet "New Byzantium", the Senate of New Rome passed a final resolution for the first time, formally appointing the then consul Hu Jinbo as dictator. Because of the concentration of power, Hu Jinbo maximized the operational efficiency of the state apparatus, mobilized the entire army and all available forces to participate in disaster relief, and minimized losses and after-effects of the disaster.

In 2751, New Rome, which had begun to expand on a large scale, entered into a full-scale war with the then very powerful "Second United States of America". In July of that year, the fleet of the "Second United States of America" surrounded the planet "New Byzantium", and the Senate once again passed a final resolution appointing Field Marshal Friedrich Weickert, the commander of the fleet, nominated by the Archon, as dictator. Wector gathered all the nation's military and civilian ships to successfully break the siege and launch a counterattack, crushing the enemy in one fell swoop, placing all three planets of the "Second United States of America" under the glorious banner of the Senate and the Roman people.

The third dictator was Marshal Du Yimin in 2890. When 20,000 federal warships flew across the 135th parallel, the intellectual-turned-consul Fidel Albeniz immediately nominated the then commander of the Central Fleet, Marshal Du Yimin, as dictator. But it wasn't until the Federation fleet approached "New Byzantium" that the Senate passed the final resolution. After concentrating the forces of the whole country, the dictator Du Yimin successfully defeated the superior enemy and wrote the famous "Himalaya" Star Field Battle.

To the chagrin of the people of the empire, after the final resolution requirements disappeared, the Senate hoped that Du Yimin would be like Marshal Weikert, "it is advisable to chase after the poor with the remaining bravery" and unify the Yingxian spiral arm interstellar in one fell swoop. didn't want to make Du Yimin end up in defeat and self-determination, and also achieved the first reputation of Su Yu, a five-star general of the British Bundeswehr.

In 2890, Wang Zeren was also the commander of the detachment under Marshal Du Yimin. Now, he hopes to ascend to the pinnacle of power in the new Roman Empire, just like his former bosses.

However, the dictators that have emerged have been pushed to the forefront of history by the objective situation. They are all high-end products of "the times make heroes". Then, every dictator also took the "heroic momentum" to the extreme.

Wang Zeren's plan is obviously different from that of his predecessors, he first wants to create the objective conditions that will enable him to become a dictator—to trigger an all-out war with the Federation, to produce the elements for a final resolution, and then to force the Senate to pass a final resolution and formally appoint himself as a dictator.

After understanding the archon's grand plan, despite knowing Wang Zeren's obsession with power, Günter Fischer secretly took a breath. He didn't expect Wang Zeren's greed for power to reach such a point, and he thought that this time he had thoroughly seen Wang Zeren's character of being a man and a politician.

In public, Wang Zeren showed a sincere posture of thinking about and serving the people everywhere. And he is eclectic and vigorously promotes and appoints talents with ordinary status, which is admired by almost everyone. In fact, his heart is the extreme dictatorial maniac mentality of "I'd rather bear the world than the world bear me".

I really didn't expect that the person I was full of gratitude and loyalty would be a terrible madman who used the safety of the whole country as a stepping stone to power! Do not hesitate to drag the entire country into the abyss of war, and pave your own path of glory with the corpses of countless people!

Despite his apparent calmness, Fischl was already filled with fear and ambivalence. Now that he is completely pushed in front of the great right and wrong, to stop the old man in front of him who is obsessed with power to the point of going mad, or will he continue to be stupidly loyal to him?

Fischer is very aware of Wang Zeren's kindness to him, although he is so talented, but without Wang's support, everything will only be ignored. It is precisely because of Wang Zeren that he has today's status of almost "a supreme minister", and can display his ambitions and realize his ideal of "seeking happiness for the people and seeking strength for the country".

In the past, he thought that Wang Zeren's political ideals were completely consistent with him, and that Wang and he were like-minded. Now, Fischer is very sad about his judgment.

Fischel looked at the consul in front of him, examined the other party, made a decisive decision, and said solemnly: "Your Excellency, it is unwise to put the safety of the whole people at risk of personal glory. ”

In the face of this kind of almost harsh exhortation, Wang Zeren asked with a smile: "Fei Shiergong, don't you have a more euphemistic statement?" ”

"Thanks to Your Excellency's grace and support, Günter Hermann Fischer has the status and glory he has today."

Fischl's words and tone became extremely formal and serious. In his opinion, this conversation may well mean that he will officially break with the political madman in front of him.

"But what you have just said is contrary to the fundamental interests of the Senate and the Roman people, and is bound to put you in a reactionary position. As the chief staff of the Senate and the Privy Council of the Roman People, for the sake of the country and the people, he must do his duty to dissuade His Excellency; As a person of your respect and grace, and for the sake of your name, Günter must also be loyal to dissuade you. ”

Wang Zeren still kept his smile on his face. He really didn't look at the wrong person, Fischer not only has a clear political position, but also has the courage to serve the country and the people without fear of power. But Wang Zeren did not use the dictator's business to test Fischer, he asked one after another:

"Why don't you ask me what I'm going to do when I become dictator? Become a dictator for life, or abolish the constitution and become emperor? On the other hand, do you think that in the current situation, under the present conditions, we can conclude a permanent peace with the Federation and finally plan a unified human world? ”

Günter Fischer suddenly realized that Wang Zeren wanted to use his power as dictator to realize his ideal of peace and unity in the interstellar human world.

Under the current conditions, the senators of the Senate have basically been divided into three major factions.

The new reformers, led by Wang Zeren, advocated the return of power to the people politically, called for permanent peace with the Federation militarily, culturally agreed with the theory of the unification of the interstellar human world with the Immortal spiral arm, and ideally pursued the peaceful reunification of human society. There were three patriarchs in this faction, Wang Zeren, Baldel Blackett, and female senator Ajelina Christoplovna Ulyanova.

The conservative faction, led by the female patriarch Greenjade Rockey, represents a vested interest group formed in the past three hundred years, backed by military trusts and monopolistic enterprises in a number of basic industries. Although this faction does not have ideas and propositions that are in direct opposition to the new reformers, they are full of contradictions with the new reformers because their ideas and practices on peace and the return of power to the people have greatly harmed the interests of the strata behind them.

In fact, it was more than 300 years ago that the pioneers of this faction were determined to reform and make great efforts to govern the country, so that today's New Rome has 5,000 light years of country and the domineering and strength to compete with the Perseus Federation.

This faction had an overwhelming majority in the collective decision-making process, with five of the nine patriarchs: Greenjed Rocchi, Li Zhongkun, and Fernández Asturia, as well as two other female patriarchs, Liu Mingqin and Schumetlin von Damstein.

Wang Zeren was also a member of this faction, and the Wang family behind him used to be at the core of this faction, but after the death of Wang's great-grandmother Wang Xiaodi, the core position of the Wang family was replaced by the Luo Ji family. Some people speculate that part of the reason for Wang Zeren's "abandonment of darkness and turning to light" is likely to be the loss of his family's status.

The remaining one, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz, is classified as a centrist, also known as an isolationist. In fact, Ibrahim is a true conservative, and his political ideal is to return to the good old days of the founding of the Senate, so he does not support any struggle between the two sides. Unexpectedly, he was isolated by others, and was labeled as an "independent veteran" by conservatives.

Correspondingly, the internal struggle in the Senate also led to the emergence of corresponding factions in the National Assembly and the Privy Council, and in the process of formulating bills and implementing policies, fierce debates often arose because the interests of various factions were involved. After Wang Zeren became an archon, he quickly purged conservative officials from the Privy Council, and extended the infighting in the Senate, the decision-making body, to the executive branch. In retaliation, the National Assembly, loyal to the conservative patriarchs, launched a counter-offensive in the National Assembly and won a resounding victory, winning nearly two-thirds of the seats in the National Assembly in just one general election.

Wang's new reformers have never been able to overwhelm the dominant conservatives, so there is only one way to defeat them quickly and completely: become dictators, use highly centralized power to weaken their opponents in the National Assembly and beyond, and try to empty their opponents before the requirements for a final resolution are gone.

Among the nine current elders, only Wang Zeren is a soldier and has a complete "road to glory" - that is, work experience in all major links of the promotion system, from grassroots officials to consuls. He was awarded the Order of the Golden Caesar, the highest honor of the Senate and the Roman people, three times, and was one of the heroes of the "Himalayas" Star Field Battle, enjoying a high reputation in the army and among the people, which is unattainable by other senators.

And he was the consul, the only one who had the right to nominate a dictator – although nominally authorized by the Senate, but in times of emergency so-called self-empowerment. Because the consul himself was the first senator and had the power to speak as the chief speaker in the Senate's decision-making, the law allowed the first senate to authorize the first consul to nominate a dictator if necessary, which was called "self-authorization".

Therefore, Wang Zeren can nominate himself as dictator almost without restrictions: Wang Zeren, the first elder, authorizes the consul Wang Zeren, and nominates citizen Wang Zeren as dictator!

Of course, this does not mean that Wang Zeren will be able to become an archon, and after the nomination, he must wait for the unanimous approval of the other eight senators to make a final decision, so that he can temporarily control all the power of the senate and the Roman people. Otherwise, no citizen or institution will be able to deal with his instructions in accordance with his original authority.

It was only then that Fischer understood Wang's motives for not hesitating to wage all-out war to become dictator.

But getting conservatives to unanimously approve their nominations is obviously not an easy task. Therefore, Fischel reminded bluntly: "Your Excellency, I am afraid that this road is not easy to follow, and it is not only quite immoral to blackmail conservatives by starting a war, but it is also easy to be exploited by them. ”

"You can rest assured, as long as I become a dictator, I can use the power in my hands to quickly stop the war and start peace. And in the process, we have to act quickly to take them down as much as possible. Wang Zeren is full of confidence.

In fact, since leaving the planet "Iserlon", he has taken action, assigning his personal assistant Otto Bateman to the planets to connect with people and groups supporting the New Reformers, informing them of plans and arranging actions. But he did not move on the capital planet "New Byzantium" in order to confuse his opponents, and only now did Günter Fischel know about it.

With the ringing of the classical wall clock, it was time for the daily meeting of the Senate.

Wang Zeren stood up and said, "Let's go, today will decide the fate of the Senate and the Roman people, and even the entire Immortal Spiral Arm Human World." ”

His voice was full of emotion, excitement and excitement, but also confidence and pride.