Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Rally.

“This is unacceptable! How much have we worked for the development of the empire? If you think about it, it’s thanks to our Creak faction that they can enjoy this prosperity now!”

“Ah, you’re right. They’re getting greedy now that they’re well-fed.”

“The agricultural director is also ridiculous. Why did he have to bring up this issue at this point?”

It was a meeting of the main figures of the Creak faction.

As soon as the conversation started, various complaints burst out.

“So what are you going to do now? Are you going to listen to everything they say?”

“Ha! How can we accept their absurd demands? That’s impossible.”

Most of the officials nodded and agreed with that statement.

Currently, the highest-ranking officials like the directors had their authority exercised by Kim Kiwoo, but the lower-ranking officials were under the control of their respective directors.

But the agricultural director demanded that he give up some of his authority.

He asked that from now on, half of their opinions should be reflected in the personnel evaluation and related matters.

It was a request that could not be easily granted.

The atmosphere became more tense as time passed.

At that moment, the industrial director, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“Hmm. It’s certainly excessive… But I think His Majesty’s intention is more important.”

“That’s true.”

There was no objection to that.

They all knew well that the final decision depended on Kim Kiwoo.

“You should think carefully. After all, His Majesty allowed us to discuss this matter.”

“So you want to say that His Majesty supports them?”

“Well, I don’t know. But at least he doesn’t completely oppose them.”

“I think differently. Hasn’t His Majesty recognized our contributions to building the empire so far? I think he wouldn’t favor them over us.”

“Hmm…”

It was a question that no one could answer for sure without knowing Kim Kiwoo’s thoughts.

“Let’s just wait and see how things turn out. And don’t say anything wrong in the meantime. Do you understand?”

“That’s a fair point.”

The first meeting ended without a clear conclusion.

But the situation did not go as they expected.

***

The collective movement of non-Creak faction public officials quickly spread.

The issue of personnel authority in each department became a hot topic in no time.

Soon after the debate started, all the imperial and private newspapers featured stories related to it on their covers.

Through this, public opinion was divided into two camps.

“They’ve developed so much thanks to the Creak faction, haven’t they? No matter what, this seems too harsh…”

Some people did not like this.

But there were more cases of the opposite.

“Pfft, tsk! I knew this day would come someday.”

“They deserve it!”

They criticized the behavior of the Creak faction.

It was their own fault, in a way.

In the past, most of the imperial citizens had experienced oppression from the Creak faction or some other factions close to them when they settled in the empire.

Their pride in being chosen by Kim Kiwoo turned into arrogance towards others.

In this situation, as time passed and the proportion of Creak faction members decreased, and as the living standards of the citizens became more equalized, dissatisfaction grew.

People tend to remember being hit longer than hitting someone else.

Especially since the empire emphasized equality, these actions of some Creak faction members who were intoxicated with superiority felt even more disgusting.

“It would be nice if they fixed everything else besides personnel authority this time.”

“That’s what I’m saying. But first of all, let’s hope this matter ends well.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

This atmosphere quickly engulfed the empire like a wildfire.

But in the end, the final decision was up to Kim Kiwoo.

Therefore, those who supported the change passionately were worried.

“Isn’t there a way to make our voice heard more clearly to His Majesty?”

They tried endlessly to find a way to change Kim Kiwoo’s mind.

Through this, various opinions came up, and one man’s words gained a lot of sympathy.

“How about this? We gather people who share our will. With this mood, many people will join us, won’t they?”

“That’s true… But what are we going to do with them?”

“We lead them to the square. If so many people gather like this, His Majesty might change his mind.”

“That sounds too radical. It might even offend His Majesty.”

“If that happens, we can just stop then. There’s meaning in trying it in itself.”

“Hmm…”

The debate continued after that.

But as the conversation went on, the idea of trying it out gained more support.

Eventually, they went to the square with the people who shared their cause.

“What are you doing here?”

As a large crowd gathered in the square, the security guards who were guarding it asked incredulously.

But they didn’t panic and explained why they had gathered.

“Huh…”

After hearing their explanation, the security guards frowned.

“What should we do? Should we disperse them all?”

“…”

The senior guard didn’t make a decision right away.

There had never been a case where so many people gathered in the square for one purpose.

In other words, there was no precedent.

So it was hard to make a conclusion on his own.

“Let’s request reinforcements for now. The higher-ups will decide what to do.”

“Got it.”

The senior guard took the best measure he could.

He started to guard with more guards in case something violent happened.

As the situation turned out like this, the people who were walking around the square became interested in it.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many people?”

“Haha. Don’t you read the newspaper? There’s a lot of talk about personnel authority these days.”

“I know that. But what does that have to do with those people?”

“I heard they’re supporters of this issue. They think His Majesty might change his mind if they gather like that.”

“Tsk! Do they really have to do that? The ministers have devoted themselves to the empire so far.”

“Who doesn’t know the ministers’ devotion? What we want is fair personnel authority for the lower-level officials. I’m going to join them in the square tomorrow.”

There were various arguments about this, but as time passed, the crowd kept growing.

There were more people who supported this issue than expected.

And this phenomenon caught the interest of the reporters who were thirsty for news.

“This… could be a very interesting story if I spin it well.”

Soon, some newspapers started to cover the spontaneously gathered citizens in a prominent way.

And other newspapers joined them as well.

Before long, many people learned of their existence.

“We can’t just sit here. Let’s go to the square together!”

Eventually, countless citizens filled the square.

The first large-scale rally in the empire took place.

***

Of course, as soon as the citizens started gathering in the square, this news was reported to Kim Ki-woo.

And he could have ordered to disperse this rally early if he wanted to.

But he didn’t do that.

It was a law that suppressing anything would cause a bigger backlash.

‘There’s no denying the positive effects of a rally.’

Of course, he had no intention of tolerating violent protests.

So he issued guidelines for proper rallies.

To create a peaceful and rational rally culture.

‘Amazing.’

There were far more people gathered in the square than he thought.

The things that had been accumulated unknowingly finally burst out.

Kim Ki-woo confirmed this and immediately arranged a meeting with Straight Tree.

“What do you think of the citizens gathered in the square?”

Kim Ki-woo looked at Straight Tree slightly.

His face was very pale, as if he had suffered a lot in a short time.

It couldn’t be helped.

‘He’s practically the symbol of the Creak faction.’

He was one of the main figures who wrote the legend of the empire with Kim Ki-woo.

After sorting out his thoughts for a while, Straight Tree began to speak.

“…I’m sorry for causing you trouble. It’s all my fault that this situation happened.”

Straight Tree bowed his head deeply.

Kim Ki-woo shook his head.

“How can it be your fault? Lift your head.”

“No. The truth is, I also turned a blind eye to some of the Creak faction’s interests. I had a foolish thought that it was thanks to our efforts that the empire was built. When it was all your achievements.”

“Your thought wasn’t wrong. You are loyal subjects of the empire, and you are the driving force behind its existence.”

“…It’s an honor that you think so. But I will correct our wrong practices from now on.”

“Is that what you all want?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Kim Kiwoo nodded slowly.

“You have made a very difficult decision.”

He was not lying.

No matter how bad the public opinion was, it was not easy to give up some of the privileges that they had built up so solidly.

But they had made their decision.

Kim Kiwoo’s actions also played a big role in this, whether they knew it or not.

He did not impose any restrictions on all the events that happened until the situation became public and a large-scale rally took place in the square.

Anyone who was not a fool could tell which side Kim Kiwoo was more inclined to.

That’s why they gave in so easily.

***

After meeting the upright tree.

Kim Kiwoo immediately convened an imperial meeting and declared.

“From now on, when exercising the right of appointment, no one faction’s personnel shall occupy more than half.”

“As Your Majesty wishes!”

The chiefs’ expressions were not very good, but at least there was no one who directly opposed it.

This news also quickly spread to the imperial citizens who gathered in the square.

Wow!

A loud cheer rang out in the square for the first time in a long time.

It was proven that their actions were not in vain.

“Hahaha! His Majesty listened to our wishes…!”

“I knew it would be like this. Hasn’t His Majesty always been for us?”

“Yeah, right!”

Countless imperial citizens praised Kim Kiwoo’s determination.

This way, the situation came to an end for now and people realized something.

Through such rallies, if a majority of people speak with one voice, they can contribute to changing unreasonable things.

“Damn. There’s no difference between friend and foe!”

Of course, not everyone was satisfied with the decision.

The victims of this situation, the Creek faction personnel and the countless imperial citizens who admired them, looked at this very critically.

They thought that a hasty decision had been made by being swept away by the mood.

Especially, the Creek faction personnel who were in the upper class of the empire felt a greater sense of crisis.

“If we stay like this, we might lose everything we have achieved with our eyes open.”

This was just the beginning.

It was obvious that their position would be steadily eroded.

From their point of view, who had pride in developing the empire to this extent, it was something they could not tolerate.

So they started to unite more and more.

To continue their strong momentum.