Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

a few days later.

The capital city—the residence of the commander of the Salo Guard.

"You've got guts."

"They actually dared to come directly to the official residence!"

"Please rest assured, Commander, we had already made arrangements before we arrived—safety is guaranteed!"

“That’s what you call ‘blind spot’!” Ferguson Fitzgerald, dressed in the uniform of a Guards Major, said with a relaxed smile: “The Internal Affairs Department’s spies responsible for surveillance will definitely not notice anything unusual.”

"Commander, rest assured, my presence here will not cause you any unnecessary trouble."

"It seems you've put a lot of effort into serving the people of Qian Kingdom!"

"You were previously under the command of Yer Gustav, the former commander of the 50th Independent Frontier Regiment of Sharo, weren't you?"

"Does the commander know me?" Ferguson Fitzgerald asked, slightly surprised.

“I don’t know him.” Edgeworth Jeremy, commander of the Sharo Guard, lit a cigarette without offering the other man a seat.

"Guess."

Edgeworth Jeremy's eyes held a hint of mockery: "After all, it's such an important mission. The people of Qian must consider the most reliable ally to be sent to the capital."

Edgeworth Jeremy's statement was already quite polite.

He referred to Ferguson Fitzgerald as a “traitor” rather than an insulting term like “traitor” or “collaborator.”

"Weren't they among the earliest to follow Yale Gustav in surrendering to the Qian Kingdom?"

"So, I reckon that such an important task will most likely be chosen from among you 'old-timers'."

"After all, you veterans are considered relatively reliable in the eyes of the Qian people!"

"The commander's analysis is meticulous and insightful; it is truly admirable."

Ferguson Fitzgerald paid no heed to the sarcasm in Edgeworth Jeremy's words: "The Commander is absolutely right."

"I was indeed a member of the 50th Independent Frontier Regiment of Salo."

"What's the situation with your commander over there?"

"If I remember correctly, Gustav hasn't made a public appearance in quite some time, has he?"

Edgeworth Jeremy asked casually, "I remember Gustav was quite active in public when he first joined, wasn't he?"

"Wasn't he the first foreign propaganda ambassador appointed by the Qian Kingdom?"

"What's going on now?"

"I've heard there are quite a few people who want Gustav dead."

"Could something have happened to him? Or maybe he has too many enemies and is afraid to show his face?"

“Commander is joking…” Ferguson Fitzgerald explained with a smile, “General Gustav is in the capital right now.”

"General Shen also personally received General Gustav and arranged a luxury mansion for the general, as well as the most professional security personnel to protect him closely."

"General Gustav's current position in the capital is Deputy Director of the Preparatory Committee for the Protectorate of Sharo."

"The position of publicity ambassador has been relinquished."

"So there's no need for them to keep showing their faces in public."

"Once the Sharo Protectorate is established, General Gustav will hold an important position there!"

"What? The Protectorate General of Sharo!" Edgeworth Jeremy's face darkened instantly upon hearing this: "The Protectorate General of Sharo, indeed!"

Edgeworth Jeremy laughed angrily, "The Qian people haven't even occupied Salo yet, and they're already preparing for the Salo Protectorate!"

"The arrogance of the Qian people is truly well-deserved!"

"It's still uncertain whether they can win this war..."

“Commander, the current situation is right before our eyes.” Ferguson Fitzgerald looked at Edgeworth Jeremy, whose expression had changed, without any concern: “Many factors determine the success or failure of a war.”

"But are both sides truly working together towards a common goal? Can they set aside personal interests and prioritize the overall situation? Are they truly united in fighting the enemy...?"

"These internal factors could all be key to the success or failure of a war."

"Before I came, General Shen specifically instructed me to deliver a message—Da Qian never mistreats those who have made contributions."

"The promises made will be fulfilled without fail."

"On this issue, Daqian will absolutely not break the contract as easily as the Anti-Qian Alliance."

"Therefore, the commander need not have any worries at all."

"The commander has foresight and wisdom, and he certainly has his own judgment on the future situation and the course of this war."

How far an alliance that appears unprecedentedly united but is secretly scheming against each other can go is an unknown...

"I think the commander already knows who has the higher chance of winning."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be here today..."

"Oh! By the way, the Anti-Qian Alliance just changed its previous strategy for the Western Luo homeland. The Commander should know that, right?"

Ferguson Fitzgerald smiled and said, "The strategy of focusing on strengthening the three main forces has been changed to a balanced approach of strengthening all member states evenly."

"This change appears on the surface to be motivated by public interest."

"But whether that's actually the case is hard to say."

"Based on the intelligence we have, it seems that Glenn, Dunley, Lansfield, and Prun are keeping something from the other member states."

"Everyone has their own agenda, which is nothing new in your Anti-Gan Alliance."

"What arrangements has the capital made for the Shaluo Protectorate?"

Edgeworth Jeremy glanced at the relaxed Ferguson Fitzgerald, then changed the subject: "There's news that..."

"Once the people of Qian Kingdom have taken over the world, they will implement a hierarchical policy to treat the people of Qian Kingdom's native lands differently from the people of the overseas protectorates."

"I want to know—is this news true?"

"Is the capital planning to classify all the original inhabitants of the overseas protectorates as second-class citizens?"

"So, we who surrendered, and our descendants, are all destined to live as second-class citizens?"

"This statement is a malicious smear and misinterpretation of the Protectorate's policies."

Ferguson Fitzgerald then explained, "Chief of Staff Shen said—the day this battle ends will be the day the world is at peace!"

"At that time, everyone in the world will be a subject of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"The original inhabitants of each protectorate are all protected by the Great Qian Dynasty and the Great Qian army."

"As for the commander's mention of second-class citizens, there is no such concept in the capital."

"However, the identity documents and household registration of the natives of the Protectorate are indeed somewhat different from those of the natives of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"But the obviously insulting term 'second-class citizen' would not appear on the Protectorate's household registration and identity documents."

"Therefore, the imperial court respects and protects obedient citizens."

"However, to be honest—if the commander were to ask: Is there a difference in treatment and status between the native inhabitants of the Protectorate and the native people of the Great Qian?"

"There must still be some!"

"After all, that's the rule of this world."

"This is a privilege that the victors should enjoy!"

"The commander should understand this—if the Western Luo Kingdoms win the final victory, how will the Anti-Qian Alliance treat the defeated Qian people?"

"I think I don't need to elaborate on this, do I?"

"Without a doubt—the defeated people of Qian will live an extremely miserable life from now on."

"As the defeated in this war, they will have no dignity whatsoever, and the Western Luo kingdoms will not give them any dignity whatsoever!"

"Just like how the Western Roman countries treated the indigenous people of their colonies."

"No! The fate of the defeated people of Qian will be even more tragic than that of the indigenous people of the colonies."

"The Western Roman countries never took the indigenous people of their colonies seriously, or even treated them as human beings."

"The indigenous people of the colonies were seen by the Western Roman countries as nothing more than slaves, tools of exploitation, and objects of amusement for whom they could be slaughtered at will!"

"The commander is well aware of this situation, even without me saying so, right?"

"And this is the method and attitude of the Western Luo Kingdoms in governing foreign countries."

Ferguson Fitzgerald said calmly, "But what if the Qian people have the last laugh in this war?"

"We have to admit that for the vast majority of people in this world, the situation is hundreds or even thousands of times better than if the Western Luo countries had won!"

"Although we may henceforth become the 'second-class citizens' that the commander just mentioned."

"But at the very least, we will not become slaves or be slaughtered at will by the victors!"

"The people of Qian Kingdom do this much better than the people of Xi Luo in this respect!"

"Commander, please don't use the barbarians as an example. I can only say that the barbarians are an exception."

Ferguson Fitzgerald shrugged: "I don't know what the Commander's opinion is on this issue."

"However, I believe that the people of Qian will create a better world if they win this war."

"To put it bluntly—I believe that for the vast majority of ordinary people, being a 'second-class citizen' under the rule of the Great Qian Dynasty is far better than being what they now call a 'first-class citizen'..."