"I couldn't have said it better myself," Prince Raijun smiled. "This is the core argument of the Martial Supremacist faction. A nation run by Martial Artists is superior. Hierarchies are maintained. Order is maintained. The efficiency and effectiveness of any such group are elevated. All nations where Martial Artists are not the ruling class have much greater civil unrest and internal political tensions."
Those words made Rui recall the G'ak'arkan Tribe. A Martial Tribe that was, naturally, led by Martial Artists. It was true that there were absolutely no leadership problems, it was also true that this had emerged very naturally. There were no forces on Vilun Island that could oppose a Martial Senior. No potion users, no siege weapons that could erase mountains. As a result, Martial Seniors naturally took the lead of the tribe with very little effort.
In a way, it could be said that this was the natural order of things.
However, Rui didn't care about that. What he did care about was his family.
"It is true that Martial Artists ruling a nation would lead to less internal division for obvious reasons, but it is also true that such nations would be more martial and warmongering in nature," Rui replied. "Martial Artists are driven for power for various desires, objectives, and agendas. Being driven for combat is no different from being driven for conflict and war. Battle and combat supply the necessary experience to refine your individuality, which in turn is necessary for progressing as a Martial Artist. Battle, war, and combat are also directly necessary to reaching higher Realms. A world ruled by Martial Artists is a world of endless war."
"Martial Artists will fight regardless of whether they are rulers or peasants, Senior Quarrier," Prince Raijun shook his head. "It is an inevitability. War has existed long before the Age of Martial Art."
"It may be an inevitability, but that doesn't mean it can't be minimized. This is no different from saying people should stop consuming medicine, for death is inevitable," Rui replied.
"Neither medicine nor pacifism is going to save you when these changes inevitably happen in other places in the world and have happened in other places in the world," Prince Ruijan informed him. "More than seventy-six percent of nations have already conceded some authority to Martial Artists, and increasingly do so every decade. Our Kandrian Empire fell under that category when the founding Emperor Ra signed the Kandrian Martial Pact and ratified the Kandrian Martial Covenant that essentially documents the concessions of the Royal Emperor. This just creates more political tensions between the two power blocs, causing more political unrest. Other nations will become stronger Martial Artists start usurping more power and will become more war-mongering as that happens. Falling behind will make us weaker and more passive if the time for a war ever occurs."
"That 'if' will become 'when' if Martial Artists rule the nation," Rui heaved a sigh. "You insist that it's necessary to become a stronger nation, I may not even disagree with the core sentiment, my issue is that it harms people. Unless you can guarantee that such a conflict will be resolved peacefully and harmlessly, I'm afraid I cannot align with the philosophy of your policies and plan."
Prince Raijun stared at Rui knowingly.
Such a thing could obviously not be guaranteed. There were many powerful forces that believed in the supremacy of the Royal Family. This was the effect of centuries of loyalty development.
"It's a shame that we are unable to find common ground on ideology and philosophy," Prince Raijun remarked with a hint of disappointment and regret. "However, I don't think that matters very much. Did you know that nearly fifty percent of my faction are not Martial Supremacists?"
Rui was not too surprised. Even if people did not agree with the core philosophy of a ruler, there was still much that could be gained by their policies and even in exchange for their support and patronage. The Martial Prince must have worked hard to lobby over as many Martial Artists who were not receptive to an aggressive Martial supremacist philosophy. Just representing their interests and promising better policies was enough to earn the support of many of them.
"What do you propose?" Rui asked.
The Martial Prince flashed a confident smile. "Join me, and I'll extend the current protection you have commissioned over your family from the Martial Union indefinitely."
Rui stirred mildly. This kind of offer had not been beyond his prediction. Still, that did not make it any less alluring. It was expensive to hire dozens of Martial Seniors for Senior-level protection for each member of the orphanage without their awareness. Billions of Kandrian gold coins had been sucked away for a decade of protection.
"That is alluring…But each of the seven princes and princesses has the power to guarantee that, do they not?"
"Yes, except for maybe that peasant Raul, but yes," Prince Raijun replied. nonchalantly. "But you don't want your family in the grip of the Underworld and my fellow Apprentice mafia brother, trust me. There's a reason why he has been only half as successful as me with dragging in Martial Artists to his cause. The others will also make more demands of you than I will. I am the Martial Prince, I fight for Martial Artists as a whole. They, on the other hand, won't represent your interests."
He paused for a moment. "My corporate sister Rafia aims for corporations to gain as much leverage over Martial Artists as they do normal people. That ocean-loving sister of mine is neutral over Martial Art, at best. My mafia brother is for total freedom for Martial Artists, but not necessarily authority. My communist sister wants to basically enslave Martial Artists, even if she denies it. My military brother wants them to become indistinguishable soldiers of an army. My peasant-humping brother wants Martial Artists to be as accountable to the nation as plebeians are."
Prince Raijun shrugged, staring deeply at Rui. "Almost none of them give a damn about your interests as a Martial Artist. Think about that."
