The Empror's Trap

As it turned out, Guillaume Guerin was not just a bookish nerd who could talk a good game. In only two days Kenji had received his rear-line grain-levy plan. During that brief span the man had rifled through a stack of central-bureau files, straightened out every relationship involved, and produced a detailed map of the powerful families' networks and assets across the empire—especially those in Hexi County.

No one knew how many "livers" he had to stay up that long, but he still managed to sort the grain-hoarding gentry and officials into neat categories, describing in detail whether they skimmed cash and grain, hid acreage, or simply bought up stores outright. Heaven knew how he divided things so finely; the main point was that he had a counter-measure for every single type.

Kenji could not be sure every scrap of intelligence was genuine, yet the fellow had clearly dug up plenty of solid leads. Kenji had assumed a spotless "clean minister" like this would disdain shady dealings and therefore know little about them. Who could have guessed that his grasp of the ties between local powers and the court actually surpassed that of many central officials?

"If you want to tackle this foul wind, you must first understand the foul wind," Guillaume said in reply to Kenji's doubts. "Know how it forms, where it forms, and the paths it takes. Only then can you fight it. That has always been my view."

Fine—at least the man was no armchair scholar, Kenji thought; that alone let him relax a bit. Camelot needed people of this sort. If someone was virtuous yet mediocre and achieved nothing, Kenji could hardly employ him. Folk who combined talent and integrity were rare, which was why Pluvia and Kenji often appointed officials of merely average character but solid ability—like the team building the canal. They were greedy, yes, but clever and competent as well; feed them some benefits, rap a few knuckles, and so long as they did not become insatiable they were passably useful. Guillaume, by contrast, seemed to possess both virtue and skill. One plan, however, proved nothing; only real grain delivered to the granaries would count.

"Very well. Go and do it," Kenji ordered. "You may be ruthless, but remember: with the truly outrageous ones, if you choose to be thorough, then go all the way. Don't give them a chance to breathe—otherwise they'll claw their losses back from the people later."

Kenji, worried he might misjudge the force required, repeated the warning. The levy served two purposes: to refill the army's magazines and to knock the local bullies down a peg. When dealing with those powers, you either slapped them lightly so they paid a price and shut up, or you crushed them in a single blow. Hurt them badly yet leave them alive and they would squeeze their losses out of the common folk. If you were truly going to topple a great clan, you had to smash it completely.

"I understand, Grand Marshal. Please rest assured—I will give you a result you'll be satisfied with," Guillaume replied.

Kenji nodded, satisfied, and waved him off. Spring Peace Palace was his private residence, not an office. Guillaume's desk sat elsewhere inside the palace grounds; naturally Kenji would not let him work here. Once the adviser was gone, Kenji mentally bumped his rating up a notch.

"You seem to think highly of him," Lina said, stepping inside and looking after Guillaume's departing figure.

"He's a good talent and will be useful—provided he can survive the bureaucracy," Kenji answered with a wry smile. The official world was less bloody than the battlefield, but careless men still lost their heads. Capable people like Guillaume could easily be framed or murdered. Kenji would lend a hand when needed, yet if Guillaume insisted on courting death, protecting him would be costly, and Kenji might have to let him go.

"I thought you had a big problem with him, young master."

"I do, but talent is still talent." Kenji kept it brief, then asked, "How is the task I gave you?"

"Our surveillance has spread outward from Luminara," Lina reported. "We've found that the entire city has practically become the enemy's infiltration hub. The Holy Church's groups are everywhere. Any bureau or agency that handles a fair amount of external affairs inevitably has Church involvement. Their aim is simple: seep gradually into Camelot and extend their black hands deeper and deeper…"

"As expected," Kenji said, unfazed. The Holy Church had always acted this way; their repeated pushes east were no surprise to Camelot. If they were already burrowing into the capital of the empire, Luminara, they had surely sunk roots throughout the realm. The Gray Scales Division by itself could never handle a nationwide purge. Either the Division set up branches everywhere to watch officials and religious affairs, or they first cleaned out Luminara City and then pushed outward across the land. Given the Gray Scales Division's special status, the first option was impossible for now.

The Division answered only to Kenji and Pluvia. Once its Scaled Guards went into the provinces, local officials would not dare restrain them and could only report to the court. If the Guards then bullied those officials, their provincial power would swell dangerously. Such a force had to stay under the throne's direct hand; neither Kenji nor Pluvia could supervise them day by day, and even Lina would struggle to control them. To keep provincial Scaled Guards from monopolizing power, Kenji had to rule that option out. The Guards would therefore focus on purging Church operatives in Luminara City, after which Her Majesty would order the provinces to handle their own clean-ups.

"Lina, your next task is to take the Scaled Guards and investigate every place where the Holy Church has meddled. Better to make a mistaken arrest than to let one slip away—understand?"

Kenji knew too well how fanatical those believers were. If they began preaching among Luminara's citizens, the chaos would be immense. By the looks of things, it was time to act; otherwise, when war truly broke out, a city riddled with holes would leave them no way to fight at all…