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Vol 02 Chapter 71-1: The Seven-Day War VIII

When a new king ascends to the throne, purges are inevitable.

These purges must be thorough. If executed half-heartedly, they won’t instill fear in potential enemies; instead, they will only breed resentment.

Why is it necessary to purge one’s political enemies? To stabilize one’s regime and ensure your own successor can govern effectively after your death.

However, not every monarch undertakes purges, nor are they an absolute necessity. For instance, Julius Caesar showed leniency towards his political foes, sparing them.

Of course, his leniency led to his death at the hands of the senators.

I’m not so arrogant as to think I possess greater governance skills than Caesar. Thus, I have no intention of forgiving the Dibel faction.

The question is, to what extent should I show mercy?

Killing all dissenters would make me a tyrant, and tyrants don’t often meet good ends. If I show excessive leniency and forgive too much, it will undermine my authority and no one will take me seriously.

The first I forgave were those in the Dibel faction who showed loyalty towards me before the execution list was announced. Their names were removed from the list at that moment.

It’s common for patricians to switch allegiances as power dynamics change. Their primary loyalty lies not with the country but with their status, lands, and families. This is something that I have to take into account.

I dwelled a lot about what to do with those who switched sides after the execution list’s publication. They were the trickiest to deal with.

Keeping these turncoats alive would be planting the seeds of future troubles. But then again, those who switched sides right after my victory over King Domorgal are no different. Both groups are turncoats; the question is which is worse?

The answer? There’s no difference. The latter group had worse luck, were less smart, or simply misjudged the situation; both groups are inherently turncoats.

Why did I forgive the first group but not the second when they were the same? Because that would leave too many from the Dibel faction alive.

Harboring a large number of potential traitors within the country is dangerous. Moreover, having fewer patricians around makes it easier to govern the country. So, they must die.

In addition, this serves as a loyalty test for the turncoats I forgave earlier. They will have to kill their former Dibel faction allies to clarify their stance.

Even the most staunch turncoats will reveal their true colors when forced to kill their former allies.

Now, regarding how I should treat the women and children. This is a complex issue.

I’d prefer to forgive them. It’s cruel and unjust to kill the innocent, especially children who can’t choose their fate.

Yet, ultimately, I decided not to forgive them. Bartolo and Raymond persuaded me to not show leniency.

Leaving them alive could sow the seeds of future discord. Children grow up, and the thirst for vengeance for slain family members never fades…

Their arguments were reasonable, so much so that it was difficult to argue against them.

However, the factor that most influenced my decision was the case of Tetra, an example I saw with my own eyes.

When King Ferme rebelled against his master, he executed everyone thoroughly, except a very young girl, Tetra, who was spared and ended up being the direct cause of his death.

How could I be sure that I wouldn’t meet the same fate?

Ultimately, I reached the conclusion of not sparing the innocents, a conclusion that I might regret later—or rather, one I already regret. Was it truly the right choice?

But the thought of my death, along with Julia’s, Tetra’s, and even my child’s murder, is far worse than my current regret.

◇

The new king’s decree swiftly spread throughout  King Rosais’ Country:

Execute the traitors.
Execute the accomplices of the traitors.
Reward those, even plebeians1, who capture or kill a traitor.
The vassals of the traitors are to be executed as a rule, but those who assist in the execution of traitors will have their sentences reduced.

Bartolo and Raymond were the first to act. Moving separately, they infiltrated the territories of the Dibel patricians, executing them one by one.

Leading the charge were the patricians who had defected from the Dibel faction after the war against King Domorgal’s Country. They had shown allegiance to Almus just before the execution list was published so they were spared at the last moment.

The reason for putting them at the forefront was clear: to prove their loyalty and that they were worthy of the mercy they had received.

Should they show any sign of betrayal, they would be swiftly crushed by the main forces led by Bartolo and Raymond waiting behind. They had to kill their former comrades to survive.

Next to advance were Ron and his men, who led five hundred soldiers into Dibel territory.

The new king, commanding four thousand troops, made his way directly into Dibel territory, his march a demonstration for all his subjects to witness.

The last to move were the vassals of the Dibel faction patricians. When they realized that the Dibel faction patricians were being executed, most of the Dibel faction vassals quickly led their forces to attack their masters’ estates. Close to two-thirds of the Dibel faction patricians were captured by their own vassals.

◇

「Please, just spare this child… she’s not even three years old yet!」

A woman implored Bartolo, her forehead bowed to the floor, pleading for her life.

Bartolo, while drinking, responded.

「I have a little daughter myself, so I understand your feelings. I’d like to help you.」

After discarding his bottle, he unsheathed his sword.

「But I don’t mix personal feelings with my duties. It’s the new king’s command. Both mother and child are to be sent to the next world.」

As he declared this, he struck down the woman. She spat blood and glared at Bartolo.

「What sins have we committed…?」

「Your sin lies in marrying a traitor. And the child… her very existence is a sin.」

Bartolo responded coldly and thrust his sword into the child the woman was cradling. The young life was extinguished effortlessly.

「May you go to hell…」

The woman cursed with her last breath, then became motionless. Bartolo, grabbing a new bottle, drank and said.

「What are you saying? A loyal servant like me wouldn’t go anywhere but heaven.」

◇

Bartolo continued his march. A subordinate approached him hurriedly.

「General! The lord ahead is refusing to grant our army passage through his territory!」

「Hmm? The territory ahead is… part of the neutral faction if I remember correctly. And they’re related by marriage to the next traitor, right? Then, there’s no helping it.」

Bartolo mused, finishing his drink.

「Continue the march. And you, inform the lord that if he values his life, he should assist us.」

「Is that alright?」

「Accomplices of the traitors are to be executed, aren’t they?」

he lord once again refused the army’s entry and was subsequently annihilated by Bartolo, resulting in the extinction of his lineage.

◇

「That was anticlimactic.」

Raymond muttered.

Before him lay a bound traitor, deceived and delivered to his fate by his own vassals. This was the third time, and he hadn’t engaged in combat once.

Raymond was not particularly good at warfare, so he found this preferable. He strode up to the bound patrician and executed him.

「Raymond-sama, may I ask a question?」

The vassal of the traitor, who had captured his own master, called Raymond while smirking.

「What is it?」

「Regarding the traitor’s wife and daughter… may I do as I please with them?」

「No. Execute them immediately!」

Raymond barked, and the vassal hurried off.

Raymond spat in disgust as he watched the vassal depart.

「Scum.」

1TN: Plebeians were the common people of Rome, they had citizens’ rights and the right to vote. They were later divided into plebes who were the commoners who had enough wealth to pay taxes and owned property, and proletari, who were too poor to pay taxes and didn’t own property. Nowadays the term has some pejorative nuance as someone who lacks refinement or ordinary, but in this case, it has the original meaning of the word.