Post by Clipse on Dec 6, 2010 16:04:16 GMT -5
Himring, Cornealia.
The Imperial Capital.
On the Qualities of Leadership.
I write this with full doubts that it will be heeded by my successors, if there will be any. The world is constantly changing. New powers are rising and the old ones are beginning to fade. Even after four decades of supremency the circle of the fledging nation that is the Holy Cornealian Empire is coming to a close. Its slow descent into decline and ignorance has now been achieved. And it was wrought by my hand.
When I ascended to the role of an Emperor after twenty five years of Princedom, I have just only begun to realize the perils of being a bureaucrat. A complicated system, full of choices that only consist of deciding between two evils. Choices that will be scorned by the minority that suffers and praised by the majority that flourishes. Everyday I make the call, the very decisions that could easily send thousands into suffering, only to save tens of thousands more. But yet the benefit of the greater good does not appeal to me as it did my father.
In order to have a peace of mind, my father always said, one must be without a conscience. At first I thought he referred to selfless actions, putting yourself at risk so others could live in peace. Was that not the role of a soldier ? I have spent most of my teenage and adult life in a constant circle of warfare. I know little of peace, even being Emperor here in Cornealia for a full decade now, where there is little strife and trouble. Yet there is a distant uneasiness and constant realization. My father's words did not refer to selfless actions, but rather a loss of self. I must lose my mind in order to be at peace with my actions. My mother always told me to keep my faith in God, but how can I put my faith in such a thing when He stole my mother from me ? Killing her slow like how I have bleed the very land of Cornealia dry.
To lose one's mind is to lose one's humanity. Have I not spent my life fighting ? In Osea ? In Siek ? In Nimbia ? Against the Kazani tribes ? Have I not seen my legions slaughter their enemies by the thousands ? Have I not witnessed the destruction of Belka, Langato, Palacon, Oaoino, and dozens of other cities ? Seen hundreds of thousands of innocents put to the sword, by my order or the orders of my enemies ? I have seen my armies, each numbering in the tens of thousands, lost within a single battle. And yet I retained my humanity through all of it and felt guilt at all of my actions. My father, during his rule, did not. He ordered the massacre of thousands of his own people, those he deemed a threat to his new order. While his rise was cliched to the point of being a ridiculous comedic act, he was still able to rule efficiently and without hesitation. And now I am beginning to see a resemblance in his actions to another. Rei Vivica.
Her and my father had many similar qualities. They removed those who were deemed a threat, they ruled with an iron fist, they forged a nation of warriors and cutthroats. They rule was considered successful and prosperous. And neither had their humanity intact. While my father was not a raging, demonic, mass murderer, Rei certainly had no qualms about killing those in her way. She commanded respect and fear, qualities that went hand in hand together a lot. I understand that concept very well, for it was better to be feared then loved. Many mistook love for weakness, and that was a mistake I could not afford. I had to maintain an appearance of fear, that I could defend mine and my own when the time came.
But it was all a bluff. Cornealia does not possess the manpower nor the economy for a prolonged war. For a decade and a half I waged wars for the sake of Cornealian nationalism and watched the men under my command march to their deaths without any hesitation or doubt. They flocked to my banner whenever I called, never questioning the cause or the reason for the campaign I would take them on. They followed me like sheep follow a shepard. But referring to them as sheep would be an insult to their memory. Each fought like lions, and died for the cause of a man who still thought he could achieve greatness through warfare.
The very name of "Holy Cornealian Empire" is just a fraud. There is no more "empire". What was once our proud colonies is now just miles of destruction, waste, and refuse. Where once a thousand settlements had gleamed in the night, only a handful remain. All reduced to rubble and dust. All reduced by my actions. Where my father has started with this nation, I have brought to a close. In the east the nations are uniting, fighting off foreign invaders. In the west there is constant warfare and a shifting in the balance of power. Here, on this island that is simply Cornealia, we must endure. I have to endure, to ensure that this nation can be passed onto my daughter, the future Empress. Already she has an understanding of perspectives and compromise, qualities which my father deemed were vital to being a wise ruler. But will she have to suffer the same doubt as me ? Or would I rather have it that she lose her humanity as well. How can I teach her to rule when I'm gone, when I am in doubt about my own capabilities ?
Sure, I have revitalized the economy and strengthened the military capabilities of the nation, but beyond my borders I have little influence now. Do our enemies only remain in check due to fear of my military command ? They must still think I can strike at them, at the heart of their realms, marching directly into their capitals and tearing down their castles and palaces brick by brick. But I do not possess that ability. I imagine that any future campaign that I embark on will be the end of me. And who then will watch over my daughter ? Who will teach her how to lead and command respect ? I do not trust the defense of the realm to any of my generals; they are all bumbling idiots with no experience. What qualities should I preach ? Should I have her follow my path, full of constant doubt, or should I have her let go of her emotions, her humanity, and instruct her to do whatever is necessary for the sake of the realm ? The very issue drives me insane, and I fear it will make me an old and gray man very soon, constantly thinking about the past and what might have been. It is simply another burden I must bear, heaped upon the rest of the burdens I carry as a ruler.
The Imperial Capital.
On the Qualities of Leadership.
I write this with full doubts that it will be heeded by my successors, if there will be any. The world is constantly changing. New powers are rising and the old ones are beginning to fade. Even after four decades of supremency the circle of the fledging nation that is the Holy Cornealian Empire is coming to a close. Its slow descent into decline and ignorance has now been achieved. And it was wrought by my hand.
When I ascended to the role of an Emperor after twenty five years of Princedom, I have just only begun to realize the perils of being a bureaucrat. A complicated system, full of choices that only consist of deciding between two evils. Choices that will be scorned by the minority that suffers and praised by the majority that flourishes. Everyday I make the call, the very decisions that could easily send thousands into suffering, only to save tens of thousands more. But yet the benefit of the greater good does not appeal to me as it did my father.
In order to have a peace of mind, my father always said, one must be without a conscience. At first I thought he referred to selfless actions, putting yourself at risk so others could live in peace. Was that not the role of a soldier ? I have spent most of my teenage and adult life in a constant circle of warfare. I know little of peace, even being Emperor here in Cornealia for a full decade now, where there is little strife and trouble. Yet there is a distant uneasiness and constant realization. My father's words did not refer to selfless actions, but rather a loss of self. I must lose my mind in order to be at peace with my actions. My mother always told me to keep my faith in God, but how can I put my faith in such a thing when He stole my mother from me ? Killing her slow like how I have bleed the very land of Cornealia dry.
To lose one's mind is to lose one's humanity. Have I not spent my life fighting ? In Osea ? In Siek ? In Nimbia ? Against the Kazani tribes ? Have I not seen my legions slaughter their enemies by the thousands ? Have I not witnessed the destruction of Belka, Langato, Palacon, Oaoino, and dozens of other cities ? Seen hundreds of thousands of innocents put to the sword, by my order or the orders of my enemies ? I have seen my armies, each numbering in the tens of thousands, lost within a single battle. And yet I retained my humanity through all of it and felt guilt at all of my actions. My father, during his rule, did not. He ordered the massacre of thousands of his own people, those he deemed a threat to his new order. While his rise was cliched to the point of being a ridiculous comedic act, he was still able to rule efficiently and without hesitation. And now I am beginning to see a resemblance in his actions to another. Rei Vivica.
Her and my father had many similar qualities. They removed those who were deemed a threat, they ruled with an iron fist, they forged a nation of warriors and cutthroats. They rule was considered successful and prosperous. And neither had their humanity intact. While my father was not a raging, demonic, mass murderer, Rei certainly had no qualms about killing those in her way. She commanded respect and fear, qualities that went hand in hand together a lot. I understand that concept very well, for it was better to be feared then loved. Many mistook love for weakness, and that was a mistake I could not afford. I had to maintain an appearance of fear, that I could defend mine and my own when the time came.
But it was all a bluff. Cornealia does not possess the manpower nor the economy for a prolonged war. For a decade and a half I waged wars for the sake of Cornealian nationalism and watched the men under my command march to their deaths without any hesitation or doubt. They flocked to my banner whenever I called, never questioning the cause or the reason for the campaign I would take them on. They followed me like sheep follow a shepard. But referring to them as sheep would be an insult to their memory. Each fought like lions, and died for the cause of a man who still thought he could achieve greatness through warfare.
The very name of "Holy Cornealian Empire" is just a fraud. There is no more "empire". What was once our proud colonies is now just miles of destruction, waste, and refuse. Where once a thousand settlements had gleamed in the night, only a handful remain. All reduced to rubble and dust. All reduced by my actions. Where my father has started with this nation, I have brought to a close. In the east the nations are uniting, fighting off foreign invaders. In the west there is constant warfare and a shifting in the balance of power. Here, on this island that is simply Cornealia, we must endure. I have to endure, to ensure that this nation can be passed onto my daughter, the future Empress. Already she has an understanding of perspectives and compromise, qualities which my father deemed were vital to being a wise ruler. But will she have to suffer the same doubt as me ? Or would I rather have it that she lose her humanity as well. How can I teach her to rule when I'm gone, when I am in doubt about my own capabilities ?
Sure, I have revitalized the economy and strengthened the military capabilities of the nation, but beyond my borders I have little influence now. Do our enemies only remain in check due to fear of my military command ? They must still think I can strike at them, at the heart of their realms, marching directly into their capitals and tearing down their castles and palaces brick by brick. But I do not possess that ability. I imagine that any future campaign that I embark on will be the end of me. And who then will watch over my daughter ? Who will teach her how to lead and command respect ? I do not trust the defense of the realm to any of my generals; they are all bumbling idiots with no experience. What qualities should I preach ? Should I have her follow my path, full of constant doubt, or should I have her let go of her emotions, her humanity, and instruct her to do whatever is necessary for the sake of the realm ? The very issue drives me insane, and I fear it will make me an old and gray man very soon, constantly thinking about the past and what might have been. It is simply another burden I must bear, heaped upon the rest of the burdens I carry as a ruler.