No man in power is tired of the feeling of being in power, whether he is a king, a prince, a bishop or something else, once he has tried the taste of power, few people can give up the pleasure of life and death with a word, and every person in power always does his best to consolidate and expand the power in his hands. Countless people fell on this path, and a small group of lucky and crazy people reached the end, rising from power to dictator.

I am the world!

This phrase speaks to the hearts of dictators and those who are ready to become dictators. Unchecked, unbridled power is enough to drive anyone crazy, and has attracted countless careerists from ancient times to the present day to embark on the path of dictatorship at any cost. However, there are always very few successful dictators, and even fewer are successful dictators.

In addition to hard indicators such as civil and military prowess, a successful dictator's ability to control the country is also an important indicator of success.

The Führer of the Third Reich, who was touted by the German batons, was not actually a successful dictator, and without mentioning his end, the Führer would have lost several points in terms of domestic control alone. At the beginning of the war, most of his power was in the hands of his comrades, and he had to spend a lot of energy every month to balance the relationship between those comrades. It was also necessary to balance the Nazi Party's relations and conflicts of interest with other powerful institutions in Germany. More importantly, he had not yet fully mastered the German army at that time, and as long as the officer corps had the determination and courage, they had the strength to thwart the "Führer's disorderly life" or "edict", and even mobilize the army to "clear the monarch's side". The Führer had the Gestapo under him. But the secret state police were also able to exert their might against the common people and the Jews, and as soon as they ran into the regular army, they immediately coaxed them. Under the watchful eye of the supposedly pervasive and omniscient Gestapo, the anti-Nazi movement in the occupied territories and in Germany itself never stopped, culminating in major cases such as the July 20 incident. If it weren't for the fact that the coup clique was too young, hesitant to act, and the Führer's luck had not yet run out, it might have been possible.

In terms of domestic control, the Führer was hardly a successful dictator, much less than his good friend who loved and killed each other, the Iron Comrades who were also world-class butchers. Uncle Steel killed countless people, and no one dared to assassinate him until he was dying. The gap is just too great. Compared to their counterparts in the NKVD. The Gestapo is a bunch of scum.

On top of Uncle Gang, there are also the more powerful Ming Taizu and Ming Cheng Grandfather, and the factory guards they control can also be proud of many juniors in the spy industry. During the Hongwu period, the Hu Weiyong case, the Lanyu case, and the empty seal case combined to kill more than 100,000 people. The melon vines of the Yongle year are copied and the ten tribes are famous. During the reign of Chengzu, there were palace people who secretly accused the Goryeo concubine Jin of rebellion. Zhu Laosi didn't blink his eyelids. Without interrogation, three or four thousand palace people were killed in one night. "Take the whole family and kill them all" has become the mantra of these two......

With the ruthlessness of the old Zhu family, Uncle Gang had to kneel when he saw it. Compared with the darkness and tragedy of Xulian and the factory guards. The Gulag is also a paradise on earth. And the factory guard, it is the royal eagle dog that was used in this cruel massacre, the Ming generation, from the prince and the marquis, to the civil and military officials, and the small people, few people who heard the name of the factory guard and did not lose heart.

It is self-evident what the consequences of putting such a murderous steel knife and imperial power amplifier into the hands of a prince who is trying his best to grab the throne.

'Unlimited law enforcement power, but also extraterritoriality! What the hell does he want to do?!'

Holding a copy of the bill, Minerva's face was as white as the paper in her hand.

What does Bernard want to do? would ask this kind of question, and it can only be said that she was over-impacted and had not recovered for the time being. If you have a little political instinct and have some understanding of the current situation, you will never say this problem.

It is clear that after the crown prince, the second prince has also lost patience and is ready for a showdown. It's just that he didn't stupidly and openly send troops to assassinate like the crown prince, but chose a more vicious method - to engage in spies.

According to the Second Prince's suggestion, the secret service had the power to use violence legally, with absolute police powers, and could arrest any Charlemagne national who was deemed a criminal at will, whether it was a commoner, an official, or an active soldier. And it has its own prison, its own courts and judges, and its own neighborhood monitoring and whistleblowing agency, which can directly convict and sentence prisoners without the normal judicial process......

This alone is already chilling, and Bernard also suggests that the secret service needs to have control over the flow of information throughout the country, whether it is the postal service, the post station, or the magic communication, it must be unconditionally monitored. To this end, the program has been specially designated "Prism" and "Five Eyes", which monitor the daily speech and communication of citizens and "suspicious elements", as well as the censorship of books and news, respectively. Once it is discovered that there is an act that "endangers the public safety of society" or "poses a potential threat to national security", it can be carried out without going through the regular judicial process, and at the same time, in order to cut off the "inferior blood with criminal impulses" and pollute the "pure and noble Charlemagne nation", the spies have the right to carry out the "honorary death penalty" on the families and relatives of the criminals......

is so reasonable, in addition to the feudal society of the Celestial Empire, it is probably His Royal Highness Bernard.

With the control of such a powerful and unchecked secret service, coupled with the elite soldiers of Titans, the sword composed of the two will hang over the head of every Charlemagne, and anyone who dares to challenge Bernard will be ravaged and crushed by the relentless iron fist of these two violent institutions. Bernard's path to the throne will be unhindered.

Minerva didn't have much interest in the throne and didn't want Charles to be involved, but she shuddered when she saw Bernard prepare such a large secret service.

If the crown prince's act of killing his relatives is already crazy, Bernard's act of organizing a secret service is mad. At a time when all forces are about to go crazy in the struggle for the throne, to set up such a spy agency with various privileges, whether it succeeds in the end or not, will intensify the contradictions. The army in the hands of the crown prince, the navy in the hands of the prime minister, plus Bernard's Titans - all the military forces once the face is torn apart. If you start a civil war......

Minerva shuddered, and the image was too terrifying for her to imagine.

"What should I do to ......?"

If it was in the past, she would immediately leave to find Bernard and try to persuade Brother Wang to give up his crazy thoughts. But now, knowing Alfheim, the Transcendent, she knew very well that the meaning of such an action was limited.

Is it really Bernard himself who really came up with the idea? If it's not him, it's the consortium, or even the ...... behind the consortium? So what's the point of persuasion? It's hard to extinguish the ambitions that have been stirred up, but it's hard to cut off the black hands that incites Bernard...... No way. Even with the addition of Bishop Richelieu, he could not do this.

The royal brother, the ambition, the prime minister, the consortium, the elves, the Alfheim, the transcendental species—the intertwined contradictions are constantly swirling in the mind. It constantly brings frustration and anxiety to the girl, and the feeling of powerlessness spreads little by little.

In this state of chaos, most people end up choosing the most beneficial way to deal with it...... This is commonly referred to as "staying away". After all, in the face of absolute divine will, what can a fragile and insignificant human being do? Who would blame a person who bows down in the face of fate?

However. This will not be the case with Minerva now.

If it was before meeting Roland. If it was before meeting Alfheim and the elves. Minerva might just give up. However, after knowing that the boy still did not give up his ideals and beliefs in the face of the "indisobedient" existence, after hearing the words "no one is born to interpret fate", Minerva, who could not fully agree with these words, also changed slightly.

It's easy to get into peace. However, that would not change the situation in any way.

After a moment of silence in her hand, Minerva pressed the bell on her desk.

＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃

"Are you going to turn Charlemagne into a real field for all failed policies?"

Roland sat across from his desk in an extremely natural manner, with impeccable manners and a polite tone. However, the air emanating from his body was far more sinister than when he used to be angry.

"Real yàn field...... Is it?"

Li Lin shook the spoon with a thoughtful expression, and then asked in a confirmed tone.

"Why do you think that?"

Indeed, Charlemagne is now like a dumping ground of all sorts of mistakes, extremism, imperialism, monopoly capital, militarism, military interference, unplanned and uncontrolled expansion, chaotic fiscal policy...... Now we may have to add the terrorist government and the spy government, all kinds of policies that have not appeared in this world, which seem to be good but are very unsuccessful in reality, take root in Charlemagne, and then bear evil fruits...... It is not wrong to say that it is a mistake. But why does Roland think so?

He had never said anything like "real field", and the various interventions were very subtle, and it would be too hasty to draw this conclusion based on his intuitive impression.

(Because Charlemagne's policies are forbidden by you in Alfheim.) ）

Roland continued to maintain a disapproving expression, and swallowed back the top that surged to his throat, he didn't come to Li Lin to entangle this today, there are more important things to say.

After a short sigh, he asked:

"Are you going to make Minerva a sign?"

A vague accusation.

Obviously it won't be the spokesperson for the company's latest products, and Roland won't mention this trivial matter at all. He was referring to the signboard of the government, a banner like the "Qing Jun Side".

As soon as the news of Bernard's spy came out, Roland understood that all-out war was inevitable, and that the secret service proposal was nothing less than a declaration of war on all forces, and that no matter what the final outcome was, Charlemagne's upper echelons would be completely divided. As for whether the intensified contradictions will turn into a war of expansion or a war of aggression, it is not yet clear whether this is the opportunity that the elven camp has been waiting for for a long time.

In order to demonstrate military merits and reap political capital, the foreign expansion war;

Abandonment of a qiē exchange, a civil war aimed at the complete elimination of the opponent physically;

Regardless of what the two princes do, Minerva and Prince Charles will be arched to the forefront and become oddities. Either use this inconspicuous fulcrum to balance the balance of power between the crown prince and the second prince, the army and the Titans, or simply blackmail the Son of Heaven to order the princes, take advantage of Prince Charlemagne's "orthodox" status, at the invitation of the young King Charlemagne and the regent, under the banner of "avenging the monarch's father" to "enter" the country, and establish a "royal paradise of co-prosperity and coexistence" in Charlemagne - this is undoubtedly in line with the strategic direction of the elven camp.

The Wehrmacht's detailed strategy had never been a word that penetrated Roland's ears, and asking Parsifal and Tristan would only embarrass old friends. However, it is not difficult to guess the general direction.

Alfheim's population, values, concept of security, the limits of the mobilization system, the storage and transportation routes of materials, the structure of the administrative system, the surrounding geostrategic environment, and the long-term foreign policy...... Synthesizing and analyzing all kinds of information, it is not difficult to get a glimpse of what kind of strategy Li Lin will formulate.

Avoid fighting on two fronts and concentrate on Charlemagne as a priority.

This is the only viable strategy that can avoid the ills of Alfheim's inherent deficiencies and maximize the political and military benefits that Charlemagne has been trying to isolate and divide Charlemagne.

"Only by defeating the number one power on the mainland can we deter other countries, and we will not dare to act rashly until Yalfheim has digested the results of the battle. ”

Just as the Franco-Prussian War was to Prussia, the Russo-Japanese War was to Japan. In an international community that follows the law of the jungle, if you want to get ahead, you have to find the strongest, not the weakest, opponent to practice. However, Charlemagne is not the only enemy of the elves, and if the war is too much attrition, or if the war is protracted, the attitude of other countries may develop in the direction of Alfheim. How to find the greatest common divisor in defeating Charlemagne and building the post-war order became an urgent issue, and it was Minerva who prepared the chess pieces to solve this problem.

"After the war, someone has to come out and clean up the mess, Richelieu is the right person, but his mind belongs to the past, and it is unknown whether his physical condition and old thinking can adapt to the new era. Other mediocre people are not enough to worry about, and we cannot directly send a governor to turn Charlemagne into a colony, which will only provoke the displeasure of other countries. In this context, what better candidate could be than a wise, responsible, regent who could consider coexisting with Alfheim?"

Li Lin raised the corners of his mouth and continued to fiddle with his cappuccino.

The answer is no.

Demonstrating strong combat effectiveness can deter other countries, but it can also make those countries wary. After all that Charlemagne had brought, it was impossible for them to accept a foreign power that had all Charlemagne's resources, a more powerful army, and advanced military technology. Whether it's for the sake of strategic balance or their own security and interests, they will work together to contain this unprecedented threat. At this point, there is a new, weak, Charlemagne who can contain Alfheim to a certain extent, and at the same time can be accepted by Alfheim, which will go a long way in alleviating this strategic concern.

To put it bluntly, it is the so-called buffer state.

And the leader of this buffer state - as Li Lin said - can only be Minerva de Bourbon. (To be continued......)