Chapter 13: The Vow of Revenge from the Second Brother

Maxim continued in a steady, measured tone: "It's a simple truth—if I, the eldest brother, and father all die, the greatest beneficiary will be you. Don't blame me, your second brother, for having such thoughts. In the palace, all the sordid schemes have been recorded in history; it's nothing unusual."

"…"

"Your speech wasn't an act. Your hatred for the Amato people is genuine. Because the quickest path to power for you is to eliminate the three of us, then use the Amato to suppress the old ministers loyal to our father, or else you won't secure your position. But your first choice was to deliver a speech to stabilize the country. That leads me to believe this was the work of the Amato."

Zhang Shan was caught off guard.

He had thought through many things; as a time traveler, he felt he had ample knowledge to navigate this war tinged with the supernatural. Yet, he truly lacked skill in the dark, cutthroat palace intrigues. After all, what man would have any interest in palace scheming?

He never imagined so much suspicion and turmoil brewed behind the scenes.

"Andrei, you've been clever since childhood. But with me and the eldest brother above you, you could only give up and become a playboy. That's not your fault! Even I was merely a backup for the eldest. Since I was old enough to understand, I've prepared for this slim chance for a full twenty-five years. Yet, an assassination attempt left the eldest dead and me wounded..." At this, Maxim pulled back the blanket covering his hospital bed.

The sight was pitiable—his left leg was gone at the thigh, large bloodstains seeping through the bandages. Only when Maxim spoke again did Zhang Shan understand why their father called the second brother disabled: "I can never have children again. Father and I have no choice but to place all our hopes on you."

"I..."

"Come here."

Zhang Shan approached, letting Maxim grasp his hand firmly.

His second brother's eyes burned with intensity as he instructed, "To inherit the power of a nation isn't simple. Besides your own ability, you need a vast array of talents to keep the country running—military, politics, economy, diplomacy... We thought this would be a nightmare for you, since you had no such education. But from your inspiring speech on the radio, we know that the political blood of the Belyaevsky family still flows within you. Do you know? It was as if I saw, across the distance, a seasoned, eloquent sixty-year-old statesman, not a young man barely in his twenties standing before a microphone."

Second brother, I actually plagiarized the speech of some fat prime minister.

No, perhaps you won't believe it, but this is truly the average standard of a university student from the Celestial Empire.

These days, who doesn’t know how to be a keyboard warrior and pontificate on state affairs?

"Don't be nervous, my brother! The situation is difficult now, but it is no harder than what our ancestors faced as they carved their way across this vast icy land." Maxim gave a gentle smile. "There are no weaklings in the Belyaevsky family. Since I am disabled, this life I shall be your sharp blade. I will help you eliminate all enemies lurking in the shadows."

"...Second brother." Though the man before him was unfamiliar, Zhang Shan felt a long-lost warmth stir within.

"Andrei."

***

"Hmm?"

"May I make a small request?"

"Speak, second brother."

"No! This request is a bit outrageous." Maxim’s eyes suddenly flared fiercely, his voice gritted with determination: "I want you to imprison the Amato emperor in a prisoner-of-war camp and walk him like a dog!"

"Deal!" Since entering the room, this was Zhang Shan's most spontaneous, unhesitating reply.

After a brief pause, Maxim burst into a wild laugh: "Ha ha ha ha! Truly the seed of the Belyaevsky family! That's the spirit! That's the taste we need!"

Then he pressed a bell at his bedside.

"Ding ding ding!"

Soon, Natalya, Anna, and a group of people Zhang Shan had never seen before filed into the room in orderly lines.

"You are all pillars of the Belyaevsky Grand Duchy. There’s no reason for you to waste time with a disabled man like me. I have already decided to hand over all my resources to my good younger brother, Andrei. From now on, you will follow him."

"Your Highness..." Several voices faltered.

"At a time like this!" Maxim snapped, "Damn Amato slaughtering our people! Murdering our family! This is the moment to unite all forces against the enemy. Listen well! Even if Andrei orders you to kill me, you must carry it out without hesitation!"

Maxim’s tirade ended with a sudden burst of pain as his wound reopened, forcing the doctors to rush in for emergency treatment, causing a flurry of chaos.

Once treated, he was drenched in sweat from the pain.

"Go now, Andrei! When you have time, have a few more children for your eldest brother and me! Illegitimate ones can be adopted by me, so that even if I die someday, I won't be so disgraceful. Hmm, best if they’re mixed Amato blood! You understand!"

"Well..."

Zhang Shan stumbled out of his second brother’s room, dizzy and overwhelmed.

He had often heard the phrase, "The heart of the royal family is the most ruthless."

***

The complexity expected of a prince was embodied most vividly in Maxim.

Indeed, no prince was ever a saint. Many things, whether he wished to learn or not, would be taught to him with deliberate intent.

Yet this very second brother, trained from youth to be ruthless and cunning, amid such harsh circumstances, did not cling to selfish desires but decisively handed over all his resources to his younger brother. This was, without doubt, a form of resoluteness.

Even after becoming disabled, to give up twenty years of effort in such a short time—few could achieve that.

Zhang Shan glanced at the large group of talents inherited from his two half-brothers and sighed deeply. "Let's talk in my suite’s living room."

Inside, Zhang Shan naturally took the chief seat. "Let's start with the war situation."

A man dressed like a staff officer introduced himself and said, "The front has stabilized. The battle lines hold here, here, and here."

He drew a line on the map.

In truth, this was no surprise to Zhang Shan.

The Far East region of Lacia was not an easy place to conquer.

Vast territories and desolate steppes themselves were the best defense. By "desolate," it meant a lack of military resources.

Even if there were strange soldiers, they all answered to guns and artillery.

In modern warfare, ammunition and fuel supply were insurmountable obstacles.

Moreover, the two sides had no connected railways, not even two roads between them. The nearest Belyaevsky Grand Railway and Weiman Railroad were nearly three hundred kilometers apart. Unless Amato committed the full might of the nation to logistics here, rapid advancement was impossible.

Not to mention, over here in the Far East, there were absurd contraptions like the Titan Train and Sir Knight trains—weren’t these far more effective than any armored train?

***