Budo's heavy steps carried him to the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty, this minister has two questions for Governor Akuto."
"Mm? Which two?"
"First… where did Lord Akuto obtain the information about the mines?"
"Second… does Governor Akuto plan to lead the expedition himself?"
"Even if the gold and silver reports are true, I do not believe Governor Akuto must personally campaign. General Esdeath will return shortly. At that time, the Empire can send Esdeath-dono to wage the foreign war."
"Among the Empire's three grand generals, one should guard the palace, one campaign abroad, and one sit in home defense. Such a disposition is best."
"I can only guard the palace. Given Esdeath-dono's temperament, she is ill-suited to remain as home garrison and better suited to external conquest."
"Therefore, this old minister believes we should not send Governor Akuto to war. We should wait for Esdeath-dono's return and send her to lead the expedition."
Budo spoke with seasoned prudence—persuasive and steady.
"Akuto, the points Budo raised are important. How do you answer?"
Furina-sama turned to him.
She would never resent Akuto over Budo's concerns.
If anything, she looked forward to Akuto's reply.
Because Akuto had yet to disappoint her—always giving her that delicious thrill of surprise.
At her words, Akuto smiled faintly. He'd already prepared answers to every doubt.
"General Budo's questions are natural. I will address them."
"First, the reports of gold and silver can be confirmed. There are many rōnin and warriors from the East in Anvale City. Years ago, I heard rumors from them and sent survey teams accordingly."
"According to their returns, the daimyō in Joseon and Fusō are mining gold and silver. However, due to limited technical capacity, extraction is slow. If the Empire seizes those sites, with Imperial techniques we can draw a far grander… picture."
"As for who should campaign: I believe Esdeath-dono's focus should remain on the enemies along the Empire's frontiers."
"I have several excellent subordinates. Though not equal to a grand general, they far surpass ordinary Teigu users. If dispatched together, they can achieve an effect comparable to sending a grand general."
"Budo-dono, when you were ambushed by Night Raid, my subordinates joined the support action. You should have no doubts about their combat power."
Silence fell for a few seconds. Then Budo nodded.
"I acknowledge it. Governor Akuto's subordinates indeed possess battle strength in the first tier beneath the grand generals."
"Since my doubts are answered, I shall give my full support to Governor Akuto's expedition."
Budo agreed—but seeing Akuto not planning to lead personally made the Minister anxious.
What a joke! If Akuto merely sent his subordinates to fight… how would they be rewarded when they returned?
The Praetorian Guard slots wouldn't be enough to grant all the seals of office. That would mean carving field army authority out of the Imperial legions and handing it to Akuto!
Absolutely unacceptable.
Once a grand-general–level figure tastes army command, it's very hard to pry it back out of their hands.
For every measure of command Akuto gains, Esdeath's measure shrinks.
After thinking it through, the Minister sidled into the middle of the hall, rubbing his hands like a buzzing fly.
"I am willing to trust Governor Akuto's ability. However, to speak frankly, the imperial treasury is currently barren. In the short term it will be difficult to fund another war."
Delay. That was the Minister's method.
No matter what Akuto said, the treasury was empty. Let's see how you fight a war with nothing!
Facing Ernest's stalling tactic, Akuto smiled again. He'd counted on exactly this line.
"The Minister is not wrong. The treasury indeed holds little coin. Therefore I propose… raising funds from the nobility."
He played his trump card—subscription fundraising.
The moment the words left him, the nobles leapt up even before the Minister could object.
"Raise funds from the nobility? You mean have nobles pay for imperial war?"
"We already pay many taxes. Forcing us to shoulder expeditionary expenses is exploitation!"
"To squeeze the nobility to fund war—neither Her Majesty nor the late emperor would approve!"
It wasn't just the Minister; many aristocrats and officials sprang up shouting, terrified he'd pry money from their fists.
Akuto only smiled wider at the sight of these tight-fisted gentlemen.
"Everyone, I'm not here to take your money. My exact words were 'raise funds from the nobility.'"
"My idea is: once the Empire secures the gold and silver mines, we will reimburse contributors at double or even multiples of their stake, according to proportion."
"—What?!"
Multiples. At that one word, hearts kicked into overdrive.
If an ordinary man said it, they wouldn't believe.
But coming from the "Living God of Wealth" who had just exploded capital tax receipts—Governor Akuto—of course they believed.
"Governor Akuto speaks rightly! Must war halt for lack of coin? I will donate my family fortune to share Her Majesty's burdens!" cried the capital's chief constable.
"This is profit without principal! A grand-general–backed expedition can't lose. We used to have only one grand general—now we have three! We can beat any foe!" said a senior civil officer.
"We'll win!"
"With three grand generals, our Empire against Fusō—which has none—holds every advantage!"
A crowd of nobles stood up—one after the other.
This was exactly why Akuto volunteered to wage a foreign campaign:
by throwing a massive new interest pie onto the table, he peeled the Minister's faction of officials and nobles away from him.
As the court crackled with excitement, Akuto continued:
"My lords, a reminder: the war chest required is finite."
"Once we've raised enough, we will not raise more."
Silence.
Ten-odd seconds later, the hall erupted into the wildest bidding war it had ever seen.
"Your Majesty! I pledge fifty thousand silver taels to support the Fusō expedition—so long as… so long as the Empire grants a 100% return as Governor Akuto promised—"
"Ha? I'll stake seven thousand gold coins—I'll settle for ninety percent!"
"Don't you steal my spot! I'll sell my calligraphy and curios—everything—to support the expedition! To serve the realm—who but me?!"
Watching the nobles spin 180 degrees, the Minister finally lost his composure.
"Governor Akuto! How can you buy the nobility with the state's tax receipts? You overreach!"
Panicked. Thoroughly.
Akuto shook his head.
"Minister Ernest, this isn't bribery—this is cooperation."
"With these mines, annual output can reach tens of millions of taels of silver and millions of taels of gold."
"The expeditionary budget? Roughly two million taels."
"If we secure the mines one month earlier, we recover one month earlier."
"Tell me, Minister—given current revenue, can the Empire produce the war chest within a month?"
"…No," the Minister ground out.
"Your Majesty, honored colleagues—you all heard?"
"In half a year to one year, if we secure the mines that much earlier, we can cover the deficit—and even turn a handsome profit."
Akuto's words set the tone.
After long thought, even the ever-prudent Budo stepped forward.
"Governor Akuto, I will contribute what I can to support the expedition."
Budo did not have much money. He needed none.
He stepped up mainly to signal his support for Akuto.
The chamber swelled into a babble of voices.
Watching the disorder below, the little emperor pressed her pale-blue hair, then rose from the throne.
"Enough!"
"Akuto, this sovereign trusts you—and Budo-dono's judgment. From this moment, begin raising the funds and preparing the army!"
For the first time, the girl-emperor stomped her blue boots and raised her voice.
Damn it. Huge profits have blinded the little emperor—she made a decision of her own!
For the first time, the Minister tasted such suffocating frustration.
Not only did the little emperor refuse to take his side—even his usual cake-splitting allies were flocking to Akuto!
As the saying goes, rage of the masses is hard to oppose.
However unwilling, he could only swallow this loss and wait for the next chance to turn the board.
No. At this rate, many of my people will defect to him. Even if I can't remove him outright, I must at least check his momentum.
Smiling on the surface, the Minister was cursing in his heart.
Their first direct showdown ended in Akuto's decisive victory.
After splitting off the Minister's support base, Akuto returned to governance.
At the being-renovated Governor's Mansion, the leadership slate he'd requested from Anvale City had mostly arrived.
Thanks to Furina-sama granting him the right to open a personal government, Akuto could appoint his own staff within the authorized headcount.
To execute a superior's policy, obedience at only the top is not enough.
To fill the ranks, Akuto pulled part of his civil, police, and military teams from Anvale to the capital.
Compared to entrenched mid-levels with their own capital interests, his own cadre would execute far more cleanly.
Seeing him return, Shayu set down the paperwork and looked up.
"Shu-kun, someone just came from the palace. We've been granted three Teigu-user slots. They ask whether we'll draft Teigu users from across the Empire, or select Teigu from the Imperial Treasury."
"Do you already have a plan? If not, I'll make the assignments."
Under Akuto's careful tutoring, Shayu had become a competent steward of finance and logistics.
After a moment's thought, Akuto answered:
"Use two slots to draft Teigu users. Use one slot to select a Teigu."
"The two draftees are… the Empire's assassin Kurome, and the Capital Guard's Seryu. They're both outstanding. If we can bring them under our hand, we will."
(End of Chapter)
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