For liberals, there is probably no more entangled state than Yalfheim.

Compared with the rigid system and unbearable stereotypes and bad habits of human society, the suffocating religious ideology is controlled. Alfheim is almost a heavenly place, where citizens are allowed to express their opinions on current affairs, to express their opinions on the government, and even to openly express their dissatisfaction with the consuls, which is unimaginable in a country of humans and orcs. However, the above "freedom" is limited to the first to third class races, and although the "ruled races" such as orcs and humans are allowed to appeal through the judicial process, they are still generally subject to state control, and any anti-system and anti-social speech will attract spies with a keen sense of smell, ranging from criminal detention or hard labor to "resettlement".

Not only is it a question of race, but it is also the same in other aspects, such as the constitution prohibiting military interference in politics, but the consul himself is the supreme commander of the army, advocating the change of the world and the establishment of a new order of more equality, but this new order needs to be enforced with bayonets and cannons, and it is said that it is an enlightened society, but secret service organizations such as Stacy are everywhere, and the heavy issues are nominally approved by the council, but in fact they are all made by the consuls......

By any standard, this is a fascist dictatorship in the guise of a "republican" that deserves to be spurned by all citizens of conscience and wisdom. But Alfheim, who claims to be the most civilized and progressive in the world, not only accepted this form of government, but also generally approved of it from top to bottom, including the vast majority of people of all races and strata, which made the liberal leftists suffocated.

"Gentlemen. We must admit that a democratic society can coexist with an autocracy under certain conditions. ”

Rudolf Ludwig Karl Ferschau took off his eyes and spat out helpless words with a calm face, and the professors and students in the club showed sad expressions.

This is the salon of the Yalfheim State University, where professors, faculties and civilians can express their opinions, whether it is academic discussions or current problems. Over time, it became a stronghold for leftist activities, led by liberals.

The left in Alfheim is mostly made up of intellectuals, including academics, students, doctors, lawyers, etc., who are well educated. Most of them belong to the middle class. He contradicts certain policies of the authorities, such as imperialism, military priority, expansionism, racial differentiation, monopoly plutocracy, etc., and criticizes them in his own publications. It has some prestige among the people, but it has not been able to overwhelm the conservatives and radicals, and it is not the mainstream voice of Yalfheim.

There are many factors that contribute to this situation. The main thing, of course, is the balancing act of the consuls. Tong guò maintains a balance of power in the balance of the parties. The consuls can mediate lightly, so as to promote the operation of national government. Anyone who tries to upset this balance will learn from that Lord's hand. Secondly, the overall political atmosphere in Alfheim tends to be conservative. The liberals, who were counting on the development of a membership among the broad masses of workers, found themselves even without the interference of state policy and official workers' organisations. In the face of the national pride and patriotism of the broad masses, the liberal views also seem somewhat anachronistic. Finally, for the masses who have experienced hardship and lived happily under the guidance of the consuls, it is inherently morally problematic for them to oppose a "wise man" who has not committed any mistakes, and even conflicts with the core ideas of liberalism.

The core value of democracy is equality, which pursues homogeneity in terms of material conditions and spiritual customs, but does not necessarily lead to freedom. Freedom, as a morality of a stronger public character, has a priori set the threshold for those who pursue it—the gifted and the dull-minded, for example, who are necessarily more advantageous in attaining and appreciating freedom, and the wealthy, who do not have to toil all day long, naturally have more leisure to think and study, and are undoubtedly more likely to attain freedom than the industrious worker. Knowledge and wealth can never be redistributed according to the principle of absolute equality.

In this way, people can enjoy the benefits of equality as long as they live, but they need to put in a lot of effort and hope for various internal and external factors to achieve freedom, and freedom can easily be judged as unimportant. In the most extreme cases, when the unequal old system is overthrown, the majority of the public, which is still inferior in terms of intellectual and economic status, will continue to be hostile to the intellectual and wealthy minorities, and if there is a ruler who is willing to satisfy the majority of the people's demand for external equality, the people will happily abandon their freedom and sing the praises of the ruler who gives them a "sense of stability" and "happiness" in order to enjoy a life of "stability and happiness".

There have been too many such things in the history of the earth, the French Revolution, the Second French Empire, the Russian Revolution, the chaos of the Weimar Republic, the establishment of the Third Reich, all kinds of color revolutions...... It has almost become a habit that whenever a society falls into a political and economic predicament, people will shout beautiful words such as "democracy" and "freedom" to launch a violent revolution, and then induce all kinds of chaos and purges, until some wise and powerful power appears, and the people sing praises with gratitude, and live a happy and healthy new life......

The situation is roughly the same in Alfheim today. This shadow state was planned by the consuls, and it was able to establish and grow to the point where it is today, and Li Lin is a great contributor. And more importantly, Li Lin succeeded in making the elves live a life far richer than in the past, and although the "ruled people" may not be happy, the standard of living is much better than in the past. For the majority of the people, since Li Lin was able to unite and lead to prosperity and independence from a scattered tribal regime threatened by his surroundings, extremely backward and impoverished internally, and on the verge of extinction, it was reasonable to exercise both authoritarian power and enjoy luxurious treatment. What's more, Li Lin has always been known for his high work intensity and simple style of life, and it is still a bit difficult to attack a leader who takes work as entertainment and has no personal housing so far, and ruin his prestige.

The popular near-faith admiration for the consuls and the numbness of democracy have cursed the left, but they are not alone in worrying about it.

Nominally and theoretically. Alfheim is a republican state. It is the council that makes the legislators and decisions, and the consuls play the role of coordinators of the relationship between departments and the enforcers of the laws, which are not much different from the CEOs of large corporations. In fact, it is the consuls who really plan the country's major policies and formulate directive guidelines, and the council is nothing more than a rubber stamp, which is only responsible for passing bills. At most, creating a little trouble will not be able to shake Li Lin's authority at all. This is not the case with the Council, let alone the political factions. Although there is no zài party ban. The way in which the government's policies are implemented is criticizable. The policy itself can even be questioned, but the basic principles of Yalfheim's statehood cannot be questioned, nor can any other form of government be established.

"What is the difference between this and a one-party system? Simply single out the formation of a unified political party and legislate to establish it as the only legitimate ruling party!"

Hans Giesvius, a legal expert, slapped the table and shouted. As the staunchest democrats. It's a miracle that he would serve as Stasi's legal advisor. The fact that the experience of working in the secret service promoted his democratic beliefs was all the more surprising.

In the opinion of Gisvius. It is certainly not beneficial for the country to have the Council in the hands of a group of old grandfathers in their twilight years, but it is also not necessarily a good thing for the supreme leadership who is inclined to use military means to solve the problem of "living space" and monopolize the power. The best solution is to create an additional body with legislative and supervisory functions that can express public opinion. Expressing the interests of different parties can also limit and supervise the consuls, so as to achieve checks and balances of power. As for the countries outside, they use the means of negotiation of civilized society to contact them, as intelligent species that have also been nurtured by civilization, the other side should understand the form and be willing to recognize the independent elven state.

"In short, our policy is peace, and it can only be peace. In the event of war, there really will be no one to confront the Archons. ”

Another doctor of law, Hans Donani, who is younger than Giesvius and spoke more bluntly, made a statement.

At the end of the day, the left is not all pacifists, and some members are not even more peace-loving than the right. But they believe that peace is good – not only for the state, but also for the power structure of Alfheim. In their view, if a war broke out, no matter how big or small, the defense forces would be victorious. This raises the question of how the military and the concourses will become more unassailable in the hearts and minds of the people, and it will be more difficult to promote democratization.

The people always stand with the victors - this is a quip spoken by the consuls. History - The Emperor Napoleon, who subjugated all of Europe on earth, became the most authoritative figure in the hearts of the French, and his conquest of France in 1940 and his becoming the head of the male god in the hearts of the German people fully justified this statement. The leftists did not know the story of the Elder Emperor and the Austrian corporal, but they knew very well that in the event of war, the title of consul should be changed to "Kaiser", and no one would oppose a wise founding king.

"Nowadays, it is said that it is to commemorate the 4,600th anniversary of the imperial era, but the real purpose is actually to propagate the idea of the national system, to instill in the people a reactionary consciousness of superiority, to raise the morale of the people, and to speed up the preparation for general war. We must unswervingly oppose imperialism and militarism, oppose the strengthening of the power of the consuls, and build a truly democratic society. ”

Most of the participants nodded in agreement, and Karl Friedrich Godler shook his head disapprovingly, as a representative of the monarchical advocates on the left, had a very different view.

"Gentlemen, take note. After all, we are only a minority, and this will never change whether we become a small independent country or a great empire that dominates the world. If there are no authoritarian figures who can calm the scene, we will have to face the situation of being suppressed by the majority of humans and orcs in the new legislature. This situation will be more intense among the people, and it will lead to political chaos and ethnic conflicts. At that time, we will still have to turn to the forces of autocracy, we can oppose war, but we cannot be unprepared for war, much less oppose the correct opinion of the consuls because we oppose autocracy. ”

"Yes, gentlemen, we love democracy, but we cannot deny enlightened autocracy because of that. ”

Dietrich Bonhofer interjected, and the Lutheran priest's voice trembled a little because he was too excited. As a clergyman serving the Mother Goddess, he had been looking forward to this for a long time.

"Don't talk stupid, what's the difference between this and the group of guys on the right who demand dictatorship?!"

"The title of consul is enough. The emperor said that nothing would work!"

"Do you want to risk going against the will of the people and tearing the country apart?!"

"In any case, the celebration of the 4,600th anniversary of the imperial era must be low-key, or it should be canceled altogether!"

"What are you talking about......

＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃

"Oops, oops, these intellectuals......"

Putting down the report sent by Stasi about the content of the liberal rally, Li Lin shook his head with a wry smile, and Brunhill on the side stepped forward to put away the text with the "extremely secret" stamp.

Xiucai rebelled, and it didn't work out for ten years - this unbreakable truth has always been fulfilled in intellectuals again and again, and they have been slapped in the face again and again.

In contrast.

"They need treatment. ”

Freya said with a determined face and a gloomy tone:

"9mm headshot peanuts?heavy tank load wheel?or simply kick them in the ass. Kick them into the door that says, 'Work frees man to make soap?' I think it's all good. It is very effective in treating brain damage. ”

- Just kill it;

-- Those who engage in democracy must die;

For thousands of years, soldiers who have claimed to be the guardians of order often unconsciously come up with such thoughts when faced with the noisy voice of democracy. The army is originally a violent organization that advocates discipline and obedience, and it is naturally unhappy with those who disrupt social order with only one mouth. What's more, those literati are still planning to overpower the soldiers, and a group of laymen want to dictate the war. This makes it unbearable for experts in this field.

As a sword and shield to protect the country and the consuls. It is already the bottom line of the military for the military to have the Council intervene in finance, personnel, and other affairs. Let such a group of bird scholars who have never seen blood command the army and decide battles and major events?

"War is a matter of importance, and it cannot be handed over to intellectuals. ”

Thor had a rare serious remark. It sounds like that, but the point of view is that it is wrong.

"Thor, you want to learn from Titans?"

Brunhill turned his face sideways and asked:

"Putting the military in charge of government -- what's the difference between that and Charlemagne today? Do you want people to go down a path that has proven to be a failure?"

"No, but ......"

"Shut up, Thor, the argument will only get darker. ”

Tyr sighed, he didn't understand what Thor was trying to express, but with Titans' various "deeds" and the whole process of witnessing the damage caused to the country by the warlord's power. No sane person would approve of Yalfheim taking the path of military dictatorship. No matter what strange arguments the left makes and how much the army hates these long-tongued men, the two sides tend to agree on this matter.

"We just have to obey orders, and it's not our turn to make up our minds about other things. ”

A perfect turnaround. Thor, who still wanted to say something, quieted down, and Tyre had made it clear enough that it was taboo for soldiers to interfere in politics, whether they were right or not. If he wants to go on, it's not sluggishness, it's stupidity.

Li Lin nodded approvingly at Tyr, his face turned to the side.

In all fairness, he was not at all worried about small movements on the left. On the one hand, it is due to the confidence in its own strength and the prestige of the people, and on the other hand, it is due to the scattered state of the leftists. As a favored ruler, what reason did he have to worry about a group of intellectuals who couldn't even come up with a decent consensus? Without the support of external forces, without the support of the citizens, without stable funding channels, without the army...... Can these guys still rely on their mouths to turn the sky upside down? Not to mention rebellion, even the commemoration of the 4,600th anniversary of the Imperial Chronicle, which they said "must be stopped," cannot be interfered with by pedants.

Rather than worrying about the fragmented left, it is better to worry about the right-wing radicals who shout "loyalty to the king" and "support of the national body" every day. Of course, Li Lin also has the means to clean them up, and even on the issue of the future political system and the issue of the voices of different parties, he has already made calculations.

(The bicameral parliament and the three-tier electoral system need to be stepped up, as long as the veto power on bills is ensured and the government is established not through parliament, nor is it accountable to parliament, but only to the supreme government.) Add to that the absolute right of command in wartime and in emergencies, and there is generally no problem. The most important thing at the moment is-)

"The project is progressing well. ”

Looking down, Li Lin praised, and the generals who accompanied him showed proud expressions.

Following their line of sight, they could see a "hill", and even at a distance of 2 kilometers, they could still see what was going on on the unnaturally formed hill. Tens of thousands of human laborers sprinkled the hills like frosting on bread under the supervision of elven foremen, wielding tools, laying railroad tracks, laying foundations, and installing all kinds of unknown equipment and pipes. Behind them, a large group of elven sappers were busy smashing their feet on the back of the head between scaffolding, railroad rails, and gantry cranes, and a huge and friendless beast was quietly taking shape in their hands.

Gustav equipment. At present, one of the largest and most powerful weapons in the artillery weapons of the Yalfheim Defense Force, it is also one of the most terrifying war aircraft in the world since the birth of the intelligent species. After a series of rigorous tests at the southern base of Tongguò, the behemoth has finally been rebranded as the "Hammer of Thor" and has crossed the ocean waiting to be put on duty. The Iserlohn Fort, the core fortified area of the Siegfried Line, was set up for this purpose, and together with the surrounding train guns, it was enough to deal a devastating blow to any enemy who dared to attack.

With a super cannon like the "Thor's Hammer", whether it is to attack or hold the defensive line, there is a better chance of victory, even if Charlemagne pours his troops to attack, there is no need to worry in front of the "Thor's Hammer", which has an ultra-long range and strategic firepower output. From this point of view, it was the timely entry of the "Thor's hammer" into service that strengthened the military's confidence in the "Yellow Plan" and made them more able to give it a go.

"Construction and training continue to be carried out, and it is necessary to build combat effectiveness before the scheduled time for the start of the war, which is essential for future battles, understand?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. ”

The generals stood up together and answered loudly. At this moment, a staff officer on duty came running panting with a telegram, and he immediately stood up and reported wheezing:

"There has been a call from the headquarters of the Lüders consortium, and an envoy has been sent by Ostoria to ask for an interview with you, saying that there is an important matter to negotiate. The branch in the United Principality of Rus' also called, and the Principality also sent an envoy to request an interview. Mr. Alberrich and the head of the Schlenburg branch ask you how to answer. ”

He took the telegram and glanced at it hurriedly, and the corners of his boyish face curled up.

The circus was always preceded by a drum beating, and now, as in the foreshadowing of the coming upheaval, the two telegrams sounded the gong for the opening of the show.

It's not too early or too late, just in time for the celebration of the 4,600th anniversary of the imperial era, which is an excellent time.

"Brunhill, pack your bags, we'll rush back overnight. (To be continued......)