Chapter 413: A Vision Beyond History

As the most crucial step in reshaping the order of the Southern Territories, the administrative construction and reform project in the House of Hosman—the city of Hosman—was at the very top of High Lord Gawain’s priorities. Even amid the overwhelming busyness of affairs across his domains, he made it a point to handle intelligence related to this matter first.

And the apprentices carefully selected and rigorously tested by Hetty did not disappoint.

Early that morning, Hetty arrived at the lord’s study to report, bringing fresh intelligence just delivered by a messenger from the territory. “Ancestor, here is the latest report from the House of Hosman. That young man named Daedalus has already begun compiling statistics on the land and population of the Hosman region. Meanwhile, the working group has secured the remaining knights and retainers loyal to the Hosman family and started taking over the estates and farmlands that once belonged to the Count of Hosman. So far, all operations are progressing smoothly.”

“A capable young man… I remember you had high hopes for him,” Gawain said, taking the report from Hetty and nodding as he read. “Hmm… methodical and steady. Looks like he hasn’t made any rash mistakes.”

“He’s a native Hosman, familiar with the local situation—that was one of the reasons we chose him,” Hetty said with a faint trace of pride. Nearly all the young administrators in the Bureau of Governance were her apprentices, and Daedalus’s success was a reflection of her own. Yet beneath her pride, a hint of worry lingered. “But the situation there is complicated. The Hosman family is an ancient and powerful lineage, with deep-rooted influence over the territory. Even locals who understand the area find it hard to make inroads. To be honest… although things are going well now, I’m not confident how long that will last.”

Gawain raised an eyebrow. “You still have some doubts?”

“A family that has ruled for centuries leaves a profound mark on their lands. Their governance becomes woven into the daily lives of the people. Even if the lord is gone, the ‘inertia’ of the old regime lingers everywhere among the populace… We had a hard time reforming the County of Kant, and now Daedalus and his team face a full county-level domain.”

Gawain was unfazed. He spoke calmly, “Traditional noble rule is almost entirely disorderly. In my view, their so-called ‘management’ is no management at all. Establishing initial order in such chaos is indeed difficult. But on the other hand—because there was no real order to begin with—even small improvements can have a huge impact on the territory. Such momentum easily inspires the wiser among the people to gain confidence and start supporting the new decrees.

“The new administrators in Hosman are right at this stage. If they can firmly control the early implementation of the new policies and get respected figures in the territory to actively back them, the subsequent development will enter a virtuous cycle…”

Seeing Hetty’s thoughtful expression, Gawain continued, “You might remind the administrative team there to find ways to persuade, encourage, or even buy off a group of influential ‘middle-tier’ figures—like major merchants, renowned scholars, and other respected elders—so they benefit from the new policies and serve as examples to further promote them. Also, they should establish role models among ordinary citizens, making those who actively comply with Cecil’s laws and governance visibly prosperous and honored. People are practical; no amount of posted notices in the town square beats letting them see tangible benefits with their own eyes.”

“I understand…” Hetty nodded eagerly. “Ancestor, thank you for the advice.”

Gawain nodded but didn’t think his suggestions were anything extraordinary—just some practical insights gleaned from reading a few books in his past life and watching countless documentaries on the evolution of civilizations during his time as a satellite spirit. These ideas weren’t profound. With Hetty’s intelligence and the experience she’d gained reforming Kant, she could come up with similar strategies after a day or two of thought.

Even if she didn’t, the administrators sent to Hosman would likely figure it out once they faced these practical challenges. After all, they were chosen for their abilities. Wisdom is never in short supply in this world; it’s just experience that’s lacking.

“Actually, compared to the difficulties and troubles, the poor ‘governance’ of traditional nobles has left us some conveniences,” Gawain said, shaking his head as he finished reading the report. Then he muttered softly, “Though it’s a double-edged sword…”

“Conveniences?” Hetty blinked, momentarily lost—she was used to not keeping up with her ancestor’s train of thought. “In what way?”

“Cohesion and self-identity. Have you noticed that when the newly acquired territories accept the Cecil order reforms, their resistance is always to the new policies, never to the new rulers?”

Hetty furrowed her brow, still not quite grasping the point.

Gawain wasn’t surprised and patiently explained, “Traditional nobles rarely consider the feelings of their subjects or the development of local culture, economy, or law. In fact, the only thing they care about is tax revenue. To the territory, the lord is just the largest landowner. So the peasants, essentially ‘tenants,’ never develop a sense of belonging or loyalty to this rule. Moreover, noble decrees are often contradictory and flawed, making life unstable for the people. Under such ‘governance,’ the people have almost no cohesion.

“People raised under this system lack a sense of nation or state… Hmm, that might be too abstract for you now. Simply put, they don’t care who their lord is, where he comes from, or even if the country exists. They don’t care whether the king is from Ansu or Typhon.

“And because of this ‘indifference,’ when we took over the Southern Territories, we avoided a major problem—despite defeating over forty nobles, the people ruled by those nobles showed almost no resistance to me as their new lord… They seemed to accept the change of hands calmly.”

Hetty understood everything Gawain said but looked a bit puzzled. “Isn’t that normal? And it’s precisely because of this that we could take over the South…”

Gawain shook his head. “True, but if one day another enemy invades the South, it won’t be good if our people remain so indifferent.”

Hetty’s expression shifted subtly. After a moment, she ventured, “So, you mean we should make the people more loyal to their lord…”

“No, that’s not enough,” Gawain continued shaking his head. “Kings aren’t eternal, no matter how talented. Likewise, making people loyal to a family or bloodline is meaningless. We should create something more lasting, more resilient—something the people will spontaneously identify with and defend.”

Hetty stared at Gawain, a little stunned. She thought she saw a rare spark of passionate vision in her ancestor’s face—an emotion she seldom witnessed. She sensed that this resurrected forebear was brewing some grand, far-sighted plan. She even caught a faint outline of the idea and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have a new plan?”

Gawain didn’t get lost in his emotions. After Hetty spoke, he took a deep breath and said slowly, “This won’t be achieved overnight, or even in a generation or two… but perhaps we should leave something for our descendants.”

Hetty’s eyes brightened at the mention of “descendants.” “Are you planning something for Rebecca?”

“Ahem… Not that exactly…” Gawain coughed awkwardly, waving his hand. “You just ruined the mood I was building. What I mean is, we should make the word ‘Cecilian’ transcend the meaning of a mere local subject and become a greater concept…”

At that moment, Gawain suddenly shifted gears and asked, “By the way, I’ve recently heard a popular phrase—‘becoming a proud Cecil citizen.’ Have you heard of it?”

“Yes, I have,” Hetty nodded. “It was coined by Scholar Gawain Orlando in a commentary two issues ago, right after the special edition announced the crushing defeat of the noble coalition and the great victory of the Cecil legions. Mr. Gawain suggested that the defeated nobles should tie themselves up quickly to better accept Cecil’s civilizing reforms and ‘become proud Cecil citizens.’ The phrase caught on, and people in the territories seem proud of it. Even those responsible for receiving prisoners and assigning labor reform tasks say this to the noble POWs when sending them to labor camps… It’s become an unspoken rule.”

“That scholar is a talent… Glad we kept him around,” Gawain said with a sigh of relief. “This is a good start… I’ll have to have a proper talk with Gawain. We should make better use of the newspapers’ propaganda and guidance.”

Afterward, Gawain asked Hetty about the recent situation at the various frontier settlements along the Whitewater River. When he had gathered all the information, he exhaled deeply. “Good. Though it’s not easy, everything is at least moving in the direction we expected…”

He couldn’t help but glance at Hetty again. “By the way, you haven’t rested in a long time… The Bureau of Governance can afford a bit of a lull now. Pick a day and take a break… And tell me, those dark circles under your eyes—are they real this time, or just makeup?”

Hetty blushed instantly. “…Ancestor, you haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“The impression was too strong. I never thought you’d pull that stunt again… I always thought only Amber was capable of that.”

Hetty grew even more embarrassed, but before she could reply, the study window suddenly swung open.

A crackling sound came from outside.

Gawain turned in surprise—and found not Amber, but Kamail hovering outside the window. The archmage was glowing a deep, vibrant blue, looking even a bit puffier than usual.

Gawain was dumbfounded. “I never expected Kamail to pull this kind of stunt… I always thought only Amber could do something like this…”

Then he heard Kamail’s excited voice outside: “Lord, I have a major breakthrough!”

(End of chapter)