Chapter 423: Chapter 429

Yeverie’s interest was roused as she listened attentively to Jonathan. He sounds like a professor when he’s talking about this. Jonathan had always been a man of erudition. While he didn’t attend classes much, he did travel and experience a lot. Additionally, he was well-read.

As a result, one of his skills was simplifying profound ideas.

Jonathan might read plenty about history, but he didn’t believe everything he learned blindly. Instead, he would rely on his wisdom to judge if what he absorbed was valid.

He continued, “The previous king before Julius was his father, an excellent ruler who took good care of the country. When Julius ascended the throne, he killed the former crown prince. That was the circumstances in which he became king. He was a man who strived for success and wanted to do a better job than his father so that people would praise him. It was always his desire to be remembered by the future generations. While his private life was interesting, such as when he married his father’s consort, it wasn’t anything outlandish for people in his position. For example, there was a king who married his dead older brother’s consort. There are many more examples of this, but you understand my point. Of course, I’m not claiming Julius was a good king. He indulged in a life of luxury and was a licentious man. That is the truth. However, he was also a monarch with foresight who ordered the construction of canals. While it was slightly rushed, people are still enjoying the benefits those canals brought centuries later. Also, before his time, government officials were chosen because of their distinguished families. As a result, no officials originated from less-than-stellar backgrounds. After he became king, he established a new system. Through imperial examinations, he picked talented individuals to help run his country. Back during the age of feudalism, this system changed many people’s destinies. It also lasted over a thousand years and was only abolished around a hundred years ago.”

Yeverie was thoroughly absorbed in his storytelling. “Also, back then, prominent families had a lot of influence and could shape the country’s laws. Julius wanted to remove this system, which he did in addition to establishing the imperial examinations. However, this affected the families’ benefits.

Eventually, his position was threatened due to the turmoil the families caused. Moreover, the three wars he waged and the development of the canals emptied the country’s coffers. It was his desire to achieve greatness that ended him. However, through these events, we can easily see that he wasn’t as terrible as history described him to be. Also, Julius’ twisted story was the handiwork of a king with an infamous bad habit of embellishing himself and interfering with historians’ work.”

As Yeverie processed all the information Jonathan disclosed, she recalled another king of a similar reputation. Previously, she thought that monarch was a terrible ruler who only knew how to cause trouble and indulge in women.

After listening to Jonathan’s explanation, however, she believed it was blatantly unfair for her to view that monarch in such a simple manner.

Yeverie flashed a knowing smile at Jonathan. “I understand now, Your Majesty. I think you would’ve been a good king if you were one in the distant past.”

In response, Jonathan laughed. I think if I do, I’ll probably also be a perverted king who marries a new gal every night.

“I often read a Chanaean book in the past about a general called Erwin. He was a heroic man, and I feel sad whenever I think about the injustice he suffered. Is his subordinate, Judas, really that evil?

When I traveled to Chanaean once for vacation, I saw Judas’ statue kneeling before the general.”

Yeverie’s voice was soft and moving.

The night was long, yet they still didn’t feel sleepy.

Enthusiastically, Jonathan replied, “I don’t think the injustice Judas faced was anything less than Erwin’s.”

“I think so, too. Back then, Erwin was a general who commanded many soldiers and had amassed many achievements under his belt. If the king didn’t desire Erwin’s death, Judas wouldn’t have been able to accomplish his famous feat. Additionally, Judas kept requesting to welcome Albert and Philip back, which was a violation of the king’s taboo. If Erwin had crushed the enemy army and returned with the brothers, the king’s position would’ve been threatened.”

“Initially, when I studied this piece of history, I thought that was the case, too. However, when I dug a little further, I realized the truth was different.”

“Oh?” A glint flashed past Yeverie’s eyes.

“For one, the reigning king, Louis, was absolutely not afraid of Albert and Philip returning. Imagine if I visit Anakin alone. Do you think he’ll be afraid of me? No! He’ll just kill me on the spot! The brothers had no authority, anyway. If the king wanted to dispose of them, he could just hire some thugs to slay them on their way back and claim they died from an illness. Back then, when the enemy army surrounded his city, Albert ran for his life and Philip became king. Thus, even if he returned, there was no way for him to reclaim the throne. Moreover, he was confined by Philip. Therefore, he had no power.

As such, Louis had no reason to fear the brothers. Philip even asked someone to tell Louis that he didn’t have the nerve to covet the throne. He also requested Louis to appoint him a monastery so that if the latter did return, he’d spend the rest of his life in the monastery as a monk. The more shocking part was that Louis himself was the one who proposed to welcome the brothers back. Also, it wasn’t like Erwin didn’t think about the matter. He wasn’t foolish enough to say he’d bring the brothers back and kick the king off the throne. When he departed with his army, he announced that the imperial family was returning home. In other words, he was merely welcoming the king’s relatives back.”

Upon hearing that, Yandell was confused, “In that case, why did Louis shoot himself in the foot by killing Erwin?”

Jonathan grinned. “That’s the question, isn’t it? Why did Louis want to kill Erwin if he wasn’t afraid of Philip or Albert? Well, there’s a reason for that. There is no hatred without a cause. I was interested in this period of history, so I investigated the matter thoroughly. The first main reason I discovered was Erwin’s personality. One could tell from how he wrote his letters that he was an extremely loyal and honest man who loathed evil. He commanded many men and didn’t pander to Louis. Here’s an interesting bit. When one of Louis’ generals grew old and retired, he needed someone to lead his army.

Without giving his decision much thought, he handed the position over to Erwin, which the latter was happy to receive. However, after Louis thought about the situation a little more, he questioned his choice. Eventually, he regretted his decision to transfer all his soldiers to Erwin’s command. Hence, he demanded control of the army back. Erwin was furious and argued with Louis. In the end, he relinquished his title as general and mourned for his mother instead. Afterward, Louis wrote multiple letters to Erwin asking the latter to come back.”

A swift pause ensued before he continued, “Unfortunately, Erwin was still furious and refused to reclaim his mantle. When Erwin was questioned by another general if he truly had the guts to oppose the king, he finally saw through the situation he had landed in. Fearing for his life, he apologized to Louis and asked for the latter’s forgiveness. The king explained he was never furious at Erwin, though he did imply that if he had been, Erwin would’ve been dead. Therefore, a major contributing factor to Erwin’s death at the hands of the king was his personality. While Erwin was a marvelous general, he wasn’t great at anything else besides that. Back when Louis was on the run, he was so distraught that he lost the ability to have children. Additionally, his only son passed away. In response, Erwin suggested a candidate for the crown prince to Louis. From this event, one could see how low Erwin’s emotional quotient was. A court official brought the matter up, so Louis listened to it. Then, he faced Erwin and said something along the lines of, ‘Why did you bring up this matter, Erwin? Do you know the sheer amount of soldiers under your command? What are you implying by mentioning this?’ As much as Louis was displeased by that incident, he was well aware of Erwin’s personality, so he didn’t do anything.”

Taking in a deep breath, he raised two of his fingers. “There were two main reasons Louis wanted to execute Erwin. Firstly, while Erwin was in control of the army, their rations were distributed by the court.

It was a ploy by Louis to put a leash on the soldiers. Of course, Louis could allow Erwin to gather rations on his own. However, if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to control Erwin anymore. Secondly, the court back then was split into two factions, one of which was pro-war while the other supported peace.

Erwin was, naturally, the leader of the pro-war faction. It was a battle between factions and one that Louis couldn’t afford to continue going to war anymore. Some events around that time involving Erwin were frankly embellished by his descendants. In truth, Erwin’s victory in the battle of Zaprington didn’t really leave a mark in history. Additionally, at that point in time, he hadn’t wiped out the main enemy base yet. Hence, Louis was in support of peace. Also, generals who command large armies tend not to have a good ending. Louis was aware of Erwin’s loyalty, especially considering the latter even had a tattoo stating his allegiance to his country on his back. However, some people tried insinuating to Louis that Erwin was a ticking time bomb by citing a previous instance of treason with similar circumstances.

Even if Louis was certain Erwin was loyal, what about the latter’s men? Furthermore, everyone was on guard against each other. For example, if two people with guns meet each other in a dark forest, what do you think will be their first move? To kill the other one, of course! After all, neither of them knew if the other person is going to shoot them or not. To put it simply, everything happens for a reason.”

Yeverie nodded. After listening to Jonathan’s explanation, the confusing facts in history start to make a lot of sense to me.

Finally, Jonathan and Yeverie were feeling sleepy.

“You’re an incredible storyteller, Your Majesty. Can you continue this tomorrow?” asked Yeverie.

“Sure.” Jonathan smiled.

In response, she yawned.

“You should sleep.”

Without delay, Yeverie shut her eyes.

Jonathan, too.

The next morning, when Jonathan woke up, he realized Yeverie had wormed into his embrace.

She slept soundly as though she had temporarily forgotten about her worries.

Smiling, Jonathan chose not to disturb her.

However, Yeverie soon awoke. When she discovered she was in Jonathan’s arms, she blushed.

Immediately, she sat up. “Your Majesty, I…”

Jonathan smiled. “You’re such a silly gal. Come on, let’s continue our journey.”

Taking in a deep breath, he raised two of his fingers. “There were two main reasons Louis wanted to execute Erwin. Firstly, while Erwin was in control of the army, their rations were distributed by the court.

It was a ploy by Louis to put a leash on the soldiers. Of course, Louis could allow Erwin to gather rations on his own. However, if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to control Erwin anymore. Secondly, the court back then was split into two factions, one of which was pro-war while the other supported peace.

Erwin was, naturally, the leader of the pro-war faction. It was a battle between factions and one that Louis couldn’t afford to continue going to war anymore. Some events around that time involving Erwin were frankly embellished by his descendants. In truth, Erwin’s victory in the battle of Zaprington didn’t really leave a mark in history. Additionally, at that point in time, he hadn’t wiped out the main enemy base yet. Hence, Louis was in support of peace. Also, generals who command large armies tend not to have a good ending. Louis was aware of Erwin’s loyalty, especially considering the latter even had a tattoo stating his allegiance to his country on his back. However, some people tried insinuating to Louis that Erwin was a ticking time bomb by citing a previous instance of treason with similar circumstances.

Even if Louis was certain Erwin was loyal, what about the latter’s men? Furthermore, everyone was on guard against each other. For example, if two people with guns meet each other in a dark forest, what do you think will be their first move? To kill the other one, of course! After all, neither of them knew if the other person is going to shoot them or not. To put it simply, everything happens for a reason.”