32 Episode 4 Great Reflection Society (1/2)

Follow up on a character who got SAGE and became a victim of the Herculean AGE.

This novel is basically a ”me too” story. And as the fate of ”me tuee”, the characters around me are saged to some extent. This is to make Hercule stand out.

However, it's too sad that they remain victims of Hercule, so ......

I'm thinking of following up a bit.

Hadrian the Elder.

The father of Hercule.

Because of the structure of ......, in which the country was rebuilt after Hercule ascended to the throne, Hadrian is inevitably subject to criticism.

In other words, he is compared to Hercule.

Therefore, I depicted him as a not-so-brilliant person ...... in the story.

But in reality, he is either incompetent or competent.

In fact, I'd say he's either incompetent or competent.

So, why did the Lemurian Empire decline?

You might be thinking: ......

It's a simple story.

Hadrian did not cause the decline of the Lemurian Empire, but he was wearing the imperial crown during the decline of the Lemurian Empire.

If he had ascended to the throne at the height of the Lemurian Empire, he would certainly have been regarded as a great monarch.

In a situation where the old social and military systems had collapsed and the territory was invaded by many barbarian tribes due to its location at the crossroads of civilizations: ......

The Lemurian empire is still intact and has been handed over to Hercule.

You could say that.

The decline of the Lemurian Empire was an inevitability of history, and Hercule was an irregularity.

Hadrian was undoubtedly an excellent emperor and a great emperor who did his best to maintain the Lemurian Empire.

In fact, Hercule acknowledged this point.

In fact, Hercule has never called Hadrian ”incompetent, stupid, foolish, or old”.

As a father, Hercule doesn't think highly of Hadrian. ......

As a father, Hercule doesn't think highly of Hadrian, but as an emperor, he actually thinks highly of him and is grateful to him.

Therefore, I would like to grade his abilities.

The basic score is one hundred points. The average score is fifty. The red score is twenty-five.

Military ...... 40 points

That's a little harsh right off the bat!

You might be thinking: ......

Yes, there is no way to follow up on his lack of military talent.

I think his talent is below average.

He was born with this ability, so there is nothing we can do about it.

While there are born generals, there are people who can only be below average no matter how hard they try.

Just look at ......

There is also the aspect that the opponent is bad.

The opponents who beat up Hadrian were all first-rate generals.

In particular, the current king of the Kingdom of Phars, King Sasan VIII, is, well, ......

In the eyes of King Sasan VIII, 30, 40, 60, 70 or 80 points of military ability would be no different.

You can't win against a born genius, a hero of history, a child of the wind.

It is natural for you to lose.

Diplomacy...... 80 points.

That's a high score.

What score?　You were on your knees in tribute diplomacy, weren't you?

Yes, we were.

That diplomacy is a big hit.

Instead of going to war with an unwinnable opponent, losing territory, and getting reparations, ......

It would be a thousand times smarter to get down on your knees from the start, pay tribute, and ask them to leave.

In addition, while paying tribute, the emperor did not harm the authority of the Lemurian Empire too much by keeping his stance of ”unilateral and generous concession”.

Well, most of the Lemurian people would probably blame Hadrian for this, and it would be ripped apart in later history. ......

I guess it's better than fighting a war you can't win and losing.

During Hadrian's reign, the Lemurian Empire lost a lot of territory. ......

The Lemurian Empire lost a lot of territory during Hadrian's reign, but it did not lose any important places, including the provinces of Misru and Suria.

He successfully defended the Lemurian Empire and handed over the territory to Hercule.

Well, many of Hadrian's diplomatic achievements can be attributed to the ”extremely talented diplomats” he recruited.

The achievements of his subordinates are the achievements of the sovereign.

By the way, I don't know if Hadrian intended this or not, but ......

Hadrian's diplomacy of tribute payments was very damaging to the Bulgarian kingdom.

The enormous wealth and luxury that Hadrian brought to the Kingdom of Bulgalon destroyed the economy, culture, society, and military of the humble Kingdom of Bulgalon.

The nomadic people, who lived a simple life, have been taught luxury.

How will this affect us? ......

Well, I can say for sure that it will help Hercule a lot later on.

Economy and Finance......70

Above average.

The tax system is not something that can be changed very often.

The fact that Hercule did well is a consequence.

There is a good chance that it would have destroyed the economy, culture, and society of the Lemurian Empire if it had not been successful.

Like the Emperor Caracalla.

First of all, Hadrian managed to maintain the existing tax system.

This alone should give him an above average score of sixty points.

The remaining ten points are for tax reform.

Hercule criticized Hadrian's monopoly on salt: ......

In fact, the salt monopoly was a great success at first.

In fact, the salt monopoly was very successful at the beginning, and it supported the finances of the Lemurian Empire as a substitute for the per capita tax before the introduction of illicit salt.

In other words, Hadrian was successful in reforming the tax system.

However, it did not solve the problem drastically.

Foresight: ...... 80 points

Hmm, I feel like this guy should be included in the military evaluation: ......

I think military talent and good intuition to read the trend of the times are a bit different vectors ......

So I separated them.

What is it?

It's about the cavalry.

Emperor Hadrian changed the military system of the Lemurian Empire, which was mainly infantry, and made it mainly cavalry.

He realized that cavalry was the way of the future.

And Hercule made good use of Hadrian's heavy cavalry (cribanarius).

I thought I could give him 80 points for this.

However, he did not have the talent to make use of the cavalry.

Domestic Politics......80 points

Another high score.

This one is easy to do: ......

He ruled the country well, even though it was in financial difficulty and military expenses were high. ......

That's about it.

First, public works.

We try to maintain the flood control and irrigation systems as much as possible. We are also doing the bare minimum in terms of infrastructure.

Thanks to this, Hercule has only needed a few repairs and modifications.

When you are in financial difficulties, it is tempting to cut back on public works. ......

The Emperor Hadrian maintained the minimum.

As a result, the flooding of rivers and other disasters were kept to a minimum.

He was a man who was able to pay attention to even the most humble things.

Other measures against famine and plague were also taken.

In each case, the damage was kept to a minimum.

What is important is that he kept the bureaucracy and the army in check and maintained centralized power until the very end.

In times of war like this, local forces tend to become independent. ......

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

Personnel ......90 points.

There is little to complain about in this.

”Hercule inherited most of the appointments made during Hadrian's reign.

The fact that ”Hercule inherited most of Hadrian's personnel” shows the perfection of Hadrian's personnel.

He definitely had a good eye for human resources.

Especially in the development of bureaucracy. ......

It's nice that he prepared people like Galfis, Christos, and Loukanos.

Hadrian also recruited a very talented diplomat, who will appear in Chapter 2.

Good job!

Succession to the throne: ...... 90 points

Which part is the most amazing first: ......

He weighed Hadrian IV (the eldest son) against Hercule (the third son) and chose the latter.

Let me explain it in simple terms.

A fifty year old politician who is definitely not very good, but his subordinates are very good, and with the help of his subordinates, he has the potential to be a good politician.

A super elementary school student who has been featured on TV and is well-liked. Twelve years old.

Which one would you choose as your prime minister?

That's the question.

I think most Japanese people would probably choose the former.

Both in terms of seniority and in terms of common sense.

Elementary school students would certainly not choose the former.

I can understand Fujii*dan, but he's a junior high school student, not an elementary school student.