Hearts of Iron 4 Player's Guide to Save the Isekai World

Cascadia First

It's a dark, dark day in the world once Russia stops caring who you do it in bed. One could easily imagine what they're trying to do. Against a country with the Hero Summoning, it may not as well be a total capitulation of Cascadia's lands but a perpetual torment that spurs nations to come into her defense once the cake's no longer a lie.

It was somewhere around there. But it made no sense. Any of the two blocs could strong-arm Salais back to the coast to pull the Hero to their side. Now that they spooked Cascadia, they're on a real timer with Erich's act earlier. The longer Salais revised, his forces grew. And waiting out a month to know what his results were was something they cannot risk.

They'll be sloppy, sure, but was Cascadia prepared for sloppy?

"Do you know any spots for a date, Emmanuel?"

"I'm afraid not. Perhaps you can use that to your advantage."

Considering the headache, he has a point.

"Whatever the case, we have to arrest the aristocrats. Those who fled, we will confiscate their property. They're on a real timer, and so are we. To any of the conservative opposition in the House who don't want more liberals inside, they better start sweating once the printing press starts running. Depict the traitors as goblins painting their clothes in Salais' colors if you have to. I want them at the center."

"It'd be preferable if the Angriffskorps deal with any runners."

"Maybe, but what's the point? If they run anywhere else, the nearest noble in the vicinity will hand them over to gain my favor."

"It would send a message. Your presence has certainly angered some of their leadership, but why should we let them enjoy the luxury of safety?"

"I did not take you for a spiteful man, Emmanuel. But my concern about international assassinations is that we cannot control how scary I am without making some compromises, and Soup Kitchens won't cut it enough."

What are they gonna do until Thomas gets the contracts? Start the Second Ponzi Scheme Reich and adopt slavery and brute forcing through each Kingdom's treasury as their actual economic model just to pay up on the Ponzi part? Again?

"Send a letter to the Crown, let them know we're readjusting our budgetary plans. She's been activated."

"By her, you mean–?"

"It's not like we have a lot going on with our roster," fucking balance. "I'm just putting the right pieces in the right places. Hindsight can only take me so far."

It's not like he was an all-knowing deus ex machina. Erich's playing anarchy chess while everyone else was playing regular chess. Hollywood or any media it infected can never grasp the philosophical intricacies of antiquity; Jus Naturale, Jus Gentium, Jus Civile — concepts in an age those in the present only saw the savagery in the whims, desires, and deficiencies of their leaders and people.

And the best part was the world got an idea, be it flawed or with a degree of accuracy, on how Earth worked.

"Don't push your luck. I have political considerations, and my consideration is that I'll become the next boogeyman. But you have my nod on the aristocrats. It'll expedite our ministry's institutionalization. We'll use the momentum from earlier in the assembly, lockdown the whole capital, and round up those on the list as the first wave. It has to be loud. So loud to shake the country and have those turncoats marked wherever they go."

"And how do we prepare for the aftermath of this...extrajudicial approach, sir?"

"I believe the correct term would be 'wartime,' Director. Naturally, we will remain subject to Crown oversight and judicial review. Since the suspects come from a society of gentlemen with a natural appreciation of the arts, we don't have to do much to keep the nobility in check. They'll start thinking we'll let the greedy ones behead them with rusty knives."