Under the watchful eye of the Tegong and Kampeitai, petitioners who had gone too far with their proposals could be shadowed and - if necessary - be sent to correctional facilities. Now, however, many of the Tegong officers who stood on guard scratched their head at the message that the Grand Secretariat had spread.
Instead of leaving and returning to their cosy homes when night had come, the crowd had only grown, discussing the issue that divided them at this moment.
"The Bassarid Federation will mean the end of the Empire!" shouted one of the Jingdaoese protesters, while sipping from his tea.
"We will be stronger together, while protecting our Empire from inSANE aggression and imperialism!" retorted one of women who was standing near the podium.
"Discounts! Think about the discount we will get on each others products!" shouted a beggar.
"And what about the minorities? What will they say? Before you know it, they expect to be treated equally!"
"Discounts! Why does nobody think about the discounts?"
The officers shook their heads. War was still going on. The numbers of deaths were still increasing, and the rumours about the horrors of what happened daily at the Dalmacijan front were difficult to contain and suppress.
Zhang San, the Diwang, had taken his opponents through surprise. He despised the War he had declared under pressure of the Army. At the same time he had sought to expand his influence rather secretly within the Navy and, very unorthodox, with business partners. Month after month he had tried to convince the Emperor of the necessity of stronger cooperation, instead of outright conquest of the world. The Emperor had mostly ignored his pleas, until Zghang had found an ally in none less than the influential war hero and Field Marshall Yao Tzao.
Yao had published papers in which he guessed that a long and costly war would lead to a bloody stalemate with only one outcome: the minorities demanding more and equal rights, or - if necessary - even rebellion. Something had to be done, even if it was through stronger cooperation with other (friendly) nations. It hadn't taken long before he retracted the paper, but the old general was not charged.
Zhang found an ally in Yao, and vice versa. Finally the men had convinced the Emperor. The Navy and merchants were enthusiastic: the new Federation would certainly lead to a stronger Navy, while the merchants believed it would lead to a new golden age.
The Army's reaction, however, was one of shock and dismay. Even the War Hero of Floria, Yao, could not change the opinion of many of the officers who knew that in the maritime focused Bassarid Federation the Army would play a secondary role.
