Empire Conquest
Chapter 98 - 94 Iron-blooded Grand Secretary

Chapter 98: Chapter 94 Iron-blooded Grand Secretary

At five in the afternoon, at the Prime Minister’s Mansion in the Imperial Capital.

This courtyard, located to the west of the Imperial Palace and separated from the Grand Assembly Hall of the Legislative and Consultative Chambers by a river, occupies less than five thousand square meters. It is the official residence of the Imperial Cabinet Chief.

The courtyard is not large. The garden occupies more than half of it, not filled with any rare or exotic flowers but with dozens of towering pines and cypresses. Beneath their dense canopies are several scattered bungalows.

Those who have never been here might mistake it for the garden of a wealthy household.

However, no one would dare deny that the person who lives here is the most powerful in the world.

In the first twenty years, the Cabinet functioned more like a staff agency, whose main responsibility was to provide advice to the founder of the Empire, Emperor Shiwu, and to carry out his decrees. During the war, it transformed into a logistical agency, entirely responsible for the behind-the-scenes work.

This situation lasted until the Constitutional Amendment, that is, the constitutional reform.

Emperor Shiwu held enormous prestige in the Empire, unmatched by anyone—not only because he personally founded the Empire but also because he abolished the inherited imperial governance through constitutional reform, established democracy, and on this basis, set the Empire on a path of stable development.

The most direct result of the constitutional amendments was to endow the Grand Secretary with real power.

Although in name, the Empire adopted a parliamentary cabinet system, with the Cabinet Chief in charge of the executive power as the head of the government. The Emperor was the ceremonial head of state, to whom the Grand Secretary was accountable and by whom he was appointed. In reality, however, the Empire’s system was closer to the presidential-congressional system of the Newland Federation, where the Cabinet Chief’s authority exceeds that of the parliament and he need not be the party leader of the ruling party nor require a parliamentary majority.

The key lies in the fact that the Grand Secretary is elected through a general election, not selected by the Legislative and Consultative Chambers.

The use of the title "Grand Secretary" is more out of habit, as during the years of promoting constitutional amendments, the public was familiar with the Grand Secretary who assisted Emperor Shiwu in establishing the Empire, not the President of the country across East Ocean, and few knew what a "President" was.

Besides, with the necessity to retain the Emperor, it was impossible to have a President.

In the study, a man in his fifties was on the phone.

Yes, this man was Xue Yuanzheng, the current Imperial Cabinet Chief of the Empire.

Although he might not be as internationally renowned as the Newland President who was known for his wheelchair-bound condition due to polio and who treated Keynesian economics as a commandment in his New Deal policy, within the Empire, Xue Yuanzheng’s prestige was not less than any of his predecessors.

First off, before entering politics, he was an Army General and, twenty years ago, a war hero known to every household and revered by thousands.

Of course, it’s not uncommon in the Empire, or other countries, for generals to enter politics after retirement—the Newland Federation has had several generals who became Presidents.

The key point is that in the last major war, Xue Yuanzheng almost single-handedly saved the Empire.

In the summer of the New Calendar year 76, just a few months before the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom joined the war, Xue Yuanzheng, who was then serving as a Border Army Commander in the Northeast, had already taken precautions. He not only repeatedly submitted reports to the Army Headquarter about potential surprise attacks but also directed the Border Forces to prepare for the war.

During these months, the Border Army doubled the depth of the defensive line.

Later on, when the Saiyi military launched a surprise attack, it was the Empire’s Border Force that held off the Saiyi troops using the reinforced border defense line, persevering until the harsh winter arrived. The following spring, they successfully launched several splendid Reprisal battles from the border defenses.

Had it not been for Xue Yuanzheng’s foresight, not only the Ice Storm Peninsula might have been occupied by the enemy, but even the Imperial Capital could have been threatened.

Secondly, Xue Yuanzheng had a strong sense of honor and principles for dealing with the world.

At the end of the war, he had the opportunity to become the Army Commander-in-chief, with just one condition: it required General Ma Zhongyi, the Marshal and Commander-in-chief during the war, to take the fall for the defeat—that is, to climb up by treading on Ma Zhongyi. The result was that Xue Yuanzheng submitted his retirement request.

It’s not that Ma Zhongyi was without fault, but Xue Yuanzheng refused to employ such despicable tactics.

This move earned Xue Yuanzheng the admiration of almost all army officers and soldiers, laying the foundation for his entry into the political arena.

Afterward, he received an extraordinary promotion, retiring with the rank of an Army Admiral.

However, the most important aspect remained his performance in politics.

Although Western journalists often compared him with the iron-fisted Prime Minister of Wild I, who played a pivotal role in the creation of the Tiaoman Empire, calling him the iron-fisted Imperial Chief Minister of the Liangxia Empire, aside from his military service in the Army and his rank as an Admiral, Xue Yuanzheng actually resembled the lame Newland President even more.

To be accurate, it was the lame President who resembled him.

Ten years ago, in year 89 of the New Calendar, or the year the Great Depression erupted, Xue Yuanzheng was elected the Imperial Chief Minister amidst high expectations. That year, the lame Newland President had just emerged from the shadows of his disability and was first elected as a governor.

Almost everyone believed that this iron-fisted Chief Minister would lead the Liangxia Empire down the path of military expansion.

It seemed that only by bolstering their armaments could they withstand the tsunami-like onslaught of the Great Depression.

But the actual situation was different.

Xue Yuanzheng did not engage in an arms race or expand the military without cause; instead, he pushed for nationwide infrastructure development focused on railways and highways. Crucially, the emphasis was on the development of the economy in the remote inland regions of the Empire’s Northwest and Southwest through infrastructure.

After that, the Newland President followed the same path!

Furthermore, Xue Yuanzheng was the first to propose the concept of "global free trade," advocating that all nations do away with tariffs, establish a global trade organization, and create basic trade principles that would benefit all participating countries, using widespread and comprehensive trade to overcome the Great Depression.

Under his initiative, the Liangxia Empire established mutually beneficial trade relationships with many nations.

As a result, over the past ten years, the Empire not only withstood the impact of the Great Depression but also gradually broke free from the constraints of the Seba Peace Treaty.

To this day, no one can deny that the Liangxia Empire has once again become the most powerful country in the world!

In truth, the Liangxia Empire had always been the most powerful country in the world.

What Xue Yuanzheng did was to lead the Empire out of the gloom of defeat and invigorate the hundreds of millions of imperial military and civilians, restoring their unshakeable confidence in victory!

However, few people knew that he was the nephew of Tang Zude, the Imperial Chief Minister during the war—his mother was Tang Zude’s sister.

There was no doubt that his relationship with Tang Zude was the stepping stone for his entry into politics.

In the issue concerning Ma Zhongyi, he was able to stick to his principles thanks to this connection.

Likewise, it was undeniable that Xue Yuanzheng’s political achievements were associated with Tang Zude, but not necessarily a direct cause-and-effect, especially since Tang Zude had already been deceased for over a decade.

After entering the room, the secretary carefully closed the door and then stood by the door, not going over to disturb Xue Yuanzheng.

"Let them all wait. Once I’m done, I’ll naturally go there. If there’s nothing else, that will be all. Contact me if there’s new information."

After saying this, Xue Yuanzheng waited for a moment—just two seconds—before putting down the receiver.

Even as one of the most powerful people in the world, it did not mean he could do whatever he wished without any concerns.

"Have they all arrived?"

"They are all here, waiting for you in the meeting room."

Without further ado, Xue Yuanzheng straightened his tie.

As he made his way, the secretary opened the door for him.