abcnovels
Chapter 359
Chapter 359: Shepherd (3)
ARRANDY
On other hand, in other part of Arrandy, with no one to rally the opinions of the noble lords, and with this little time frame of Lord Robert in Rivoli, Silas uses the Vermont's money to bribe and sow dissension on the coalition, his tongue spins lies like the truth, hearsay to concrete facts, and with such prodigious skill resembling the God of Trickery, the faction of lords disintegrated, some lords arguing for negotiations with the Duke, others switching sides seeing uncertain with the future of the coalition.
Silas also spread misinformation telling the coalition that right now Lord Robert himself is trying to score a deal with the Duke by trying to negotiate a better term for himself in the Duke Villa at Rivoli.
This false news which began to sound like the truth, in absence of anyone who could deny it becomes a potent weapon to erode the trust that the noble lords have in Lord Robert.
Quickly they too began thinking to switch sides. Though it must be noted there are still some who are still stubborn.
But to those other lords that have feel like they have been deceived, they feel furious anger for Lord Robert.
Now, not only they have invited the rage of the Duke but now they have been betrayed by the man they most trusted.
And a dark plot bubbles on their mind as they found a scapegoat tailored perfectly for the situation that they faced now.
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IN RIVOLI
A FEW DAYS LATER
'What has happened?' Robert said as he slumped into his chair his hand trembling reading the letter he received from the raven.
For a few minutes, he just stares at the letter, trying not to believe the content of the letter, denying it.
It is now clear to him that he was being used by the Duke to further his plan. Bert has sent him this secret letter detailing what has happened in these few days.
His former lord's friends have all turned their back on him and now calling for his head, making him a scapegoat in this affair.
Robert could understand them.
They will hail him as the mastermind of the opposition and when that has been revealed surely the duke will execute him at the spot.
He has lost. He has truly lost. He never even had a chance. The Duke is too cunning and he, Robert has trusted the wrong person.
He should have considered the probability that Lord Silas is likely to support the Duke more than him.
The Duke it seems has returned home to Acro for a while so now is the perfect time to escape he suddenly mused.
He awakes from his slump and decided. He may have lost today but someday he can rise again.
The Duke family has trapped him. Trapped him completely, destroyed his reputation that he has painstakingly build all these years.
Now Arial enemies are divided and unsure of himself and Robert the leader of that opposition has been painted as the villain
there is no other choice but to flee Arrandy.
Robert knows that Arial has achieved his objective. The plan to remove him hinges on him coming to the villa.
From the very beginning all of it was a trap, a trap he should have seen, even anticipated. But where should he flee?
He could not flee to Vangua not when he is not sure whether he will be accepted and it is well known Harald policy on Arrandians.
And if he flees there, then the fault levied on him would take another dimension by itself. People would probably believe that he is a lord who sell his kingdom to side with Lord Harald.
That would be more damaging to his reputation, a taint that he could not possibly bear to burden
So, he has decided to flee to Great Renasia. Deciding this he sit back down onto the chair, and write a letter and send it through the raven.
He has send to Bert his plan to flee. He had ordered so that Bert will escort his family to Great Renasia. Robert do not think the Duke is so heartless to even targeted his family.
For now, he will flee from Arrandy. The Duke will surely see this as a victory.
A temporary victory.
One day Robert promise, he will return to Arrandy once again. Then opening his bedroom door, he began his escape.
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THE TOWER OF RIVOLI
'You would not chase after him my lord?' Lord Oliver said as they look from the tower, looking at Lord Robert fleeing from the front gate with his horse from the stable.
Arial just look outside the tower onto the fading appearance of Robert.
'It is fine. Let him go. There is no need to do more than this. Any more than this, and I am truly cruel. I have no enmity with him but he keeps being an obstacle to my plan so I have no other choice then to neutralize him.'
As he said this he sits down and ponders by himself as Lord Oliver nodded and exited the tower room and prepares the next steps.
'Haa'. Arial sighed.
Arial know that if he only had a pretext to lure Robert away, his coalition of lords would crumble and fall.
He played the oldest card in the book—threatening with fire while holding out a bucket of water with the other—and Robert fell for it.
The fire was his wrath; the water was his willingness to negotiate.
And Robert swayed. He believes Arial is open to his opinion when all the time Arial was trying to keep him here in this villa cut off from the others.
It was during that time Silas work his spell onto the coalition lords, a time frame that is enough for Silas to turn down the sheep scattered all around the grassy lands.
Isolation is dangerous Arial mused.
A tower does nothing but cut off your information and when you have no information, you have no strength.
Once the lord was in Rivoli, on his grasp, under his influence and constant surveillance, Arial kept him there for as long as it took.
For Arial understood one of the principal precepts in the game of power:
One resolute person, one disobedient spirit, can turn a flock of sheep into a den of furious lions. Take that away….and the only thing that is left is a group of meek sheep.
The times have changed but still the essence of power is still the same.
In every group, power is concentrated in the hands of one or two people, for this is one area in which human nature will never change.
People will congregate around a single strong personality like stars orbiting the yellow sun…. continuously
To labor under the illusion that this kind of power center no longer exists, is to make endless mistakes, waste energy and time, and never hit the real target which is this strong people that everyone center about.
Powerful people never waste time.
And Arial is certainly not one who would waste valuable time, especially not when there is such an enemy that could possibly hinder his plan.
Arial knew that when there is trouble among his lords, he has to look for the underlying cause, the single strong character who started the stirring and whose isolation or banishment will settle the raging seas again.
This is why he has to strike at the shepherd and need not bother with the sheep. This is because such an action will dishearten the sheep beyond any rational measure.
When Great Hero Levitia and Alexander Montblanc led their tiny forces against the Dark Lords empire, they did not make the mistake of fighting on several fronts, nor were they intimidated by the numbers arrayed against them; they captured the kings, and noble lords of the dark lands.
Vast empires fell into their hands.
With the leader gone the center of gravity is gone; there is nothing to revolve around and everything falls apart.
Aim at the leaders, bring them down, and look for the endless opportunities in the confusion that will ensue.
That is how Arial decided his victor against the coalition the moment he decides to plan all this plots.
But of course Arial also think of the consequences for such plots. Then Arial said while looking at the bright moon.
"Any harm you do to a man should be done in such a way that you need not fear his revenge"josei
If I have acted as such to Robert, I must make sure he lacks the mean to repay the favor. Apply it from a position of superiority so that I have nothing to fear from his resentment.
Arial then said
'If you draw a bow, draw the strongest. If you use an arrow, use the longest. To shoot a rider, first shoot his horse. To catch a gang of bandits, first capture its leader. Just as a country has its border, so the killing of men has its limits. If the enemy's attack can be stopped with a blow to the head, why have any more dead and wounded than necessary?'
This is Arial principle…ever-changing. Sometimes he hit hard, sometimes mercy must be given.
Power is fluid, so the method to retain it must also be fluid, sometimes you must have the courage to stand against the currents, sometimes flow with it, sometimes hides behind the background, and sometimes jump into the front.
And thinking this he smiled and he knows that the next meeting will be his victory.
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