"Sir Nathan, I don't know your exact background, but I do understand one thing.
Even if you created the Rebels single-handedly, deep down, you still look down on us and don't believe we have any value!"
Hearing Leon's words, the middle-aged man, realizing his slip of the tongue, was startled and quickly tried to amend,
"This isn't about looking up to or down on anyone! I'm stating facts! Whether it's the nobility, merchants, or parliament, no one would !"
"Have you ever considered why those people wouldn't ?"
Feeling the gentle vibration of the small mirror in his pocket, along with a tap on the belly from a dog's paw, Leon knew that Senior Emma was almost here. He calmly continued,
"Because under your leadership, we are just a wandering will-o'-the-wisp, burning wherever it goes, never even opening our mouths in daylight to ask for what we really want!
To put it plainly, precisely because you look down on us from the bottom of your heart and never tried to tap into our value, the Rebels in your hands are just weapons to launch attacks. Of course, they get no support!"
As Leon spoke, he discreetly touched the Black Goat's horn, peering into the souls of the Rebels.
Anger, resentment, doubt...
After his deliberate provocation, the Rebels were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with middle-aged Joshua. By the time Senior Emma arrived, Joshua might not even be able to rally them!
From the start of entering the meeting room, it took no more than a single meal to bring the Rebels to the brink of disbandment. Leon continued to fan the flames,
"For so many years, there have been thousands of old soldiers who retired due to injuries around the Capital City alone; workers risking losing limbs from machines, working high-intensity shifts for over ten hours a day, yet can't even earn enough to feed their families, numbering in the hundreds of thousands!
There are also small handcraft workshops going bankrupt under the impact of big factories; farmers having their land seized and grain prices driven down, forced to work on noble estates; and impoverished citizens struggling to find even one stable job...
Do you have any idea how many people there are in total?"
"You couldn't possibly know! Because you've never thought we were worth it, you haven't even bothered to pay attention, so how could you know such things?"
Facing the middle-aged man, choked into silence, Leon, who also didn't know the exact number, slowly stood up and said earnestly,
"There are so many people living in pain, longing for change. If you genuinely saw them, were willing to lend a hand, even if just one-tenth... or even one percent of them began to identify with us, no one would dare ignore our opinions!
If you did that, even if the royal family didn't , they wouldn't arrest us; even if the nobility didn't , they wouldn't dare to bully us; even if merchants and factory owners didn't , they wouldn't hate or even oppose us!"
"When we start trying to voice ourselves in the open, when citizens and workers see hope for change in us, this initial force will start gravitating towards us!
And once we have this genuine pivot, there will be so many more things we can do next!"
"The royal family wants to balance the nobility, to control the increasingly massive group of merchants; parliament wants to limit the powers of the royal family and the nobility, to regulate business practices of the chambers of commerce; the nobility wants to gain more power, to truly have a share in commerce; merchants want to break free from binds, to establish favorable business laws, to prevent being strangled and squeezed by the other sides..."
After briefly outlining the basic demands of the Kingdom's various factions, Leon, while calculating Senior Emma's arrival time, sincerely painted a large vision,
"To gain support, we must first make ourselves valuable!
When we truly become a force, we become a crucial weight that can be thrown into the balance in these power struggles, influencing the swing. In exchange, the forces backed by us must also offer some benefits.
If factory owners want our support to avoid being squeezed by the royal family and the nobility, they must carve out salary space for ordinary people; if the royal family wants to crush the Old Nobility with the help of citizens and workers, they need to provide more legislative protection;
And if the parliament wants support from citizens, they must not only help push relevant legislation through but even offer seats in the parliament..."
At this point, Leon paused slightly, scrutinizing the captivated expressions of the Rebels within the room, and raised his tone slightly,
"Ladies and gentlemen! Once those who truly savor the benefits we bring, letting more people see the significance of having someone to speak for them, more and more people will start leaning towards us!
And when we become truly powerful, competing with the royal family, the nobility, the parliament, and the chambers of commerce, we can even reverse the situation, actively forcing other forces to make concessions to us!"
"By that time, the nobility, fearing being completely crushed, must appease us! Merchants and factory owners, worried about boycotts and bankruptcies, will have no choice but to favor us!