Way of Overlord
Chapter 263: Inspire Dread, Avoid Hatred

Chapter 263: Inspire Dread, Avoid Hatred

This is the eternal question a ruler always ask themselves. To be feared or to be loved?

Any great ruler should strive to be both

However, it is difficult to unite these two traits in one person

And if one to choose, which one is safer, to Jayeux it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with.

Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely

they will offer you their blood, property, life, and children, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you.

And that ruler who, relying entirely on their promises and benevolence, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon

Men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

Nevertheless, a wise ruler in Jayeux opinion ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred

This is very important. Jayeux did not dismiss the threat that his teacher taught him about tyrant

And that is that tyrants is always overthrown.

But there is a way to become tyrant yet die in a very normal way.

The Xun Emperor was a tyrant. He forces seventy thousand people to build his palace and who knows how much more to build the wall, to build his secret tomb and other construction project that he had created in his life.

In his mouth and in the mouth of his minsters, all that they do is for the people. Yet, it is the people that toils on the Wall and it is the people bones that is buried around the Wall.

It is not the Steppe people that kill those people. It is the Emperor of Xun, his so-called loyal minister and the golden tongue of the scholars

However future generation that did not feel the impact of this cruelty and tyranny praises him as a unifier.

The hero of Xia people. Propaganda of some other rulers that wanted to justify unifying the land, regardless of the cost and the people that have to suffer for that ambition.

If they could see back then how their ancestor were abused by the so-called Unifying Emperor, one would wonder would their feeling change?

But, this is the method of fear. People fear the First Emperor and he uses this method of tyranny yet still, he die a very normal death

A wise ruler that uses this method could endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their women.

But when it is necessary for him to proceed against the life of someone, he must do it on proper justification and for just cause

above all things the ruler must keep his hands off the property of others, because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.

Besides, pretexts for taking away the property are never wanting; for he who has once begun to live by robbery will always find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others; but reasons for taking life, on the contrary, are more difficult to find and sooner lapse.

But when a ruler is with his army, and has under control a multitude of soldiers, then it is quite necessary for him to disregard the reputation of cruelty, for without it he would never hold his army united or disposed to its duties.

In Mayeux heart, Aeryon is the perfect ruler in his ideals and in his heart. He has the heart of loving the people. He fought war brilliant, listening to the advice of people, using people and trusting the people he uses.

But in Jayeux mind, the ideal ruler that complement his method is Dama

This is Jayeux most ideal ruler. Dama is a person of great will and determination. And he has all kinds of cruel and vicious people in his army.

Dama, led an enormous army never before seen in the East since the time of the Old Empire.

And his army is unlike Aeryon army. It is composed of many various races of men. Aeryon had the help of his tribe and the Marynku make the bulk of his army.

But, Dama is different. Yes, he is a Marynku. But he leads mountain men. Dark skin Yindu people. Brown skin clans of Yindu people.

This is not a secret but no one notices it until Mayeux himself made a detailed investigation and he found out not only Dama uses the mountain people, Dama also uses Yindu people.

In Yindu right now, there is a great war.

And there is many people fleeing from the war or fleeing from their crime. Whatever the reason is, there is a lot of people running away.

And some of them flee to the Great Steppe. The Great Steppe is not the first choice of those who ran

Not only the Great Steppe is a harsh place, it is also run by the same kind of people whose the Yindu call the four-legged people.

It is meant as a compliment. A Yindu Raja once went to the Great Steppe. This Raja fought with one of the warriors of the Steppe and loses in a humiliating way.

The Raja then returns to his kingdom and he could not help but be at awe of how the Steppe people could use their horses like the extension of their body

It is from this that the people of Yindu knows, that beyond the mountain pass on their Western Border, there lives a group of people who could see in the dark, who could use their bows and arrows freely, whose riding is unmatched.

A group of fierce people. Just like them.

So, many of those who flee from the war or did not want to get involved in the muddle that is the current war in Yindu fled toward the sea.

Some goes to the southeast, probably finding some islands or other lands.

Some goes further north, probably finding some other civilization there.

And some goes toward the western borders, and make a settlement near the mountain ranges of Yindu.

And some goes even further, entering the Great Steppe and began entering into the view of Dama.

And if they uses that mountain pass, they would met the Eastern border tribes of the Great Steppe

And in the lower area of the Great Steppe, they surely would have to pass through Esbizuk tribe.

Not everyone wanted to live in the mountain with the mountain men.

Some of these people that flees are powerful warriors.

And they wanted to join the strongest person in the area.

And the strongest tribe in the lower Southern Steppe on the eastern region is none other than the Esbizuk tribe

When Dama attacked Nurshira before, not many people relaxes that among his men are the people of Yindu.

Many great warriors of Yindu join Esbizuk.

And when Mayeux found out about this, Mayeux did remark that this must be the plan of Katakura.

Aeryon, their Kan prioritizes people.

Or to be more accurate, population of people

Because population is power.

Power to enact change.

Power to attack.

Power to defend.

Power to economy.

Farming.

Learning.

Talents

All of this needs people.

When most chief would expel refuges of weak tribes that have no use, Aeryon integrates this tribe under one banner.

And not before long, these tribes and these clans identify themselves with Brolgadhr tribe.

Uniting the hearts is not an easy thing. And the Kan knows it. And conquering the world is not easy.

And it is why the Kan instead of killing the people of Yan, uses them as labour force. At the same time, he did not give harsh measure to the Yan people he captures.

Yet, when they broke any laws and show any disobedience, the punishment is more severe than the Steppe people

But each reward has merit and each punishment has a reason.

The Kan is not cruel unnecessarily. And when he gives mercy, he make sure that those who receive his mercy understood who gave them the clemency and grace of life and when he punishes he makes sure to make people understand who they should fear and who they should not disobey

It is like the Kan is taming a wild horse.

And Dama is doing the same thing with the mountain men and the people of Yindu. He uses those who could not fight as support unit.

Those who could fight would be integrated in his army. The people of Yindu is also quite a good engineer.

But they do not built things like the Yan people

Their architecture and their invention is mostly about life...about water. For where there is no water, there is no life and when there is water, there is life

They have all kinds of studies about how to retain life and how to make sure life survives and thrive

How to make sure water stays? How to turns a barren land into green lands

How to turn an empty land into a forest that could bring about fruits and food, animals and insect.

These are the methods of the Yindu people.

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