Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 624: Santiago capulet (3)

The only reason that the Emperor probably did not put restriction on him is because he probably knows that if Santiago were ever to rebel against the Empire, no one would follow him other than his soldiers.

He is suited to be a great general that inspires dread and fear. But he is not good at being a ruler. 

Because of his deed

Everyone understood war. But the title of Butcher and madman is not a good reputation to pass down.

His descendants would have to live with this history. 

Regardless of how much his descendant would try people would brand them as the descendant of a butcher.

And not the kind of butcher that chop pork and cows. It is human butcher. 

Nobody other than the sick people in the head would like a person who kills all the time. 

Out of the Twelve Generals, all the other ten were celebrated and even their subordinates live a good life 

Thinking about it makes him sigh

Bonfereile Braveheart from House of Sauville come from a renowned noble family in Vangua. 

He is considered the role model of many military officers in Vangua most of which is still of noble stock 

In a way, he even become the representatives of Vangua to talk to the Emperor. The House of Sauville is highly respected in Vangua.

Santiago always felt that the appointment of Bonfereile to the position of the great general is not simply because of his ability to lead army and his bravery but there is also some political consideration there. 

Vanguans are a rebellious people. 

Some of them still believe that King Harald loss in the battle should not have made the entire land of Vangua to be ceded to Arrandy at that time

If the Emperor had put an Arrandian noble as the representative of Vangua to the Empire, it might have created an even greater dissatisfaction among the common people of Vangua and the nobility of Vangua.

To them, at that time, Arrandians is not trusted by the people of Vangua. 

The House of Sauville could be said to be related to House of Althea. 

Regardless of the name change of the House of Zephyr, it is without a doubt that the former Empress Helia is related to the House of Sauville as the House of Althea was related to most of Vanguan old nobility

So, to Santiago, Bonfereile was the perfect person to be bestowed the title of the Great General and calm the nerves of the nobles of Vangua.

The Emperor had many benefits in doing so. 

Not only he had elevated a noble house that is one of his staunchest ally, increasing their loyalty and thereby increasing his control over Vangua, he also signals to the rest of the Vanguan nobility that he would not discriminate against them and he is not averse in putting them in high position

Even though the system of the twelve Great Generals was abolished after the Conquest War, during the Conquest War, the power to act given by the Emperor to the Great General was like he had crowned Kings to act for him

At that time, any Great General is only below the Emperor and no one else. 

Santiago could not help but think of this when he thinks of Bonfereile.

Bonfereile is praised by many people because of his bravery and living a life of peace and clam in one of his castle in Provence in southern Eden (formerly Vangua) 

And he still has a lot of influence over the decision of the noble circles of Vangua.

Then there is Leander.

Leander is from the House of Cromwell. 

Lord Oliver Cromwell is one of the powerful civil minister in the court and the father of Leander Cromwell. 

The background of Lord Leander is one of the highest amongst all of the twelve general

The House of Cromwell is not some new noble house that sprouted during the Vermont rise but an old house that had survived through the many political uprising of the Human Continent

Leander unlike his father is a man of integrity. Sometimes people wonder if Leander is really the son of Lord Oliver.

Leander reputation among the people is even more exaggerated. Some people is given titles based on their behavior. Some are given title by their virtues.

And Leander is the latter.

he is bestowed the title the loyal. 

This is the only person in the Empire that is given permission to not kneel, to bring weapons and arms into the Palace court and the only one given the permission to freely enter the Imperial Palace

As he is loyal to the Emperor, his tale is prevalent in the Empire because the Empire without a doubt wanted to instils loyalty to the Imperial Family.

Since they have Leander as a model for such virtue, the Empire did not mind promoting him and make him even more famous

And Santiago knows Leander. His loyalty is not something that is forced onto him. Leander truly is loyal to the Emperor

After all, during that day, when two of the Twelve Generals wanted to rebel, they did not invite Leander.

If Leander was there, there is no doubt that he would unsheathe his sword and beheaded those two general.

During that time those two even said if a rebellion were to happen, Leander would stand on the side of the Imperial family.

Fortunately, such thing did not happen and a great rebellion was extinguished even before it started.

To those who is high in the court, they know some of the rumors about the supposed rebellion attempt when the twelve generals were summoned back to the Capital but no one knows who the two generals that wanted to rebel that day

Unfortunately for him and Giovanni, most of the officials of the court believe that those two refers to him and Giovanni

Santiago still felt unfair because of this. 

It is then he realizes how his reputation had colored the way people perceive him. Even when he was not the one doing it, he would still be suspected.

It seems even though his contribution toward the Empire is as high as the mountain, people would always only remember him as a cruel and sadistic person. 

But Leander? That self-righteous prick? It seems that he could not do anything wrong. Even if he did something wrong, the Imperial family would probably would even cover it up for him.

The reason why Santiago had such a harsh word for Leander is simply because he is jealous of him 

What seems so hard for him to achieve, is so easily achieved by Leander

Even if Leander dies in battle, there might be a parade of people that would come to his funeral and deliver sorrowful eulogy, his name would be carved in the history of the Empire as an embodiment of the virtue of loyalty

His descendant would probably also have the benefit of inheriting such a glorious legacy. People who did not meet Leander do not know how self-righteous that boy is. 

Still, he is a capable General. 

He is not as strategic as the other general but if there is one word to describe him, it would be that he is a steady general.

When he wages wars against a city or a kingdom, he thinks of it as a continuation of politics. 

Rarely he slaughtered an entire city, preferring to solve things that would bring benefit not only to the Empire but to the people that is being conquered. 

At times he would use soft methods. Other times he would become a bit forceful.

But whatever methods he used, it is an undeniable fact that his method work for the Empire. 

Those villages and small cities that is conquered by him rarely rose in rebellion against the Empire because of the methods he employs

His strategy and tactics would not be as brilliant as Alberth and most of his strategy is very orthodox and rarely it is out of the box.

But it is steady. 

And since the Empire possess one of the most disciplined army in the entire Human Continent excluding the Great Renasia on the Far East as long as they follow the strategy, in the end, victory would fall into the hands of the Empire

But that is not the only reason why Leander is so highly regarded by the people of the Empire and the noble class.

Leander himself embodies the knight virtue.

There were only two men in the Empire that Santiago acknowledges as a true adherent to the Knights Code. 

And the number one is not Leander. It would be Duke West of House Palais. He is not one of the twelve general but it is not because he is unqualified.

It is mostly because the Emperor needed people like Duke West to rule his vast empire. Last he heard, Duke West is governing the state of Venicia.

The second would be Leander. For Knights, Leander and Duke West are two people that they look up to

But Santiago prefers Duke West then Leander. 

At least Duke West is not so self-righteous.