Foundation and Empire 10. The War Ends

Lathan Devers felt definitely uncomfortable, and vaguely resentful. He had received his avow decoration and withs besidesd with mute stoicism the turgid oratory of the mayor which accompany the slip of crimson ribbon. That had ended his share of the ceremonies, but, natur in completelyy, formality forced him to remain. And it was formality, primarily the type that couldnt allow him to yawn noisily or to swing a foot comfortably onto a chair seat that made him enormous to be in space, where he belonged.The Siwennese delegation, with Ducem Barr a lionized member, signed the Convention, and Siwenna became the first responsibility to pass directly from the Empires political rule to the roots economic one and only(a).Five imperial beard Ships of the Line captured when Siwenna rebelled behind the lines of the Empires Border Fleet flashed overhead, huge and massive, detonating a boom salute as they passed over the city.Nothing but drinking, etiquette, and small lecture now.A vo ice called him. It was Forell the man who, Devers realized coldly, could buy twenty of him with a mornings profits but a Forell who now crooked a riffle at him with genial condescension.He stepped out upon the balcony into the cool night wind, and motion properly, while scowling into his bristling beard. Barr was in that respect, too smiling. He said, Devers, youll beget to come to my rescue. Im existence accused of modesty, a horrible and thoroughly unnatural crime.Devers, Forell removed the fecund cigar from the side of his mouth when he spoke, Lord Barr claims that your trip to Cleons capital had zip fastener to do with the recall of Riose.Nothing at all, sir. Devers was curt. We never saw the emperor. The reports we picked up on our way back concerning the trial, showed it up to be the purest frameup. on that point was a mess of rigmarole about the general being tied up with subversive interests at the court.And he was innocent?Riose? interposed Barr. Yes By the wandf lower, yes. Brodrig was a double-dealer on general principles but was never guilty of the specific accusations brought against him. It was a judicial furthermostce but a necessary one, a sure one, an inevitable one.By psychohistorical necessity, I presume. Forell rolled the phrase sonorously with the side explodeting ease of long familiarity.Exactly. Barr grew serious. It never penetrated earlier, but once it was over and I could well look at the answers in the back of the book, the problem became simple. We crumb see, now, that the social background of the Empire makes wars of conquest impossible for it. downstairs washed-out Emperors, it is tom apart by generals competing for a worthless and surely death-bringing throne. Under blind drunk Emperors, the Empire is frozen into a paralytic rigor in which disintegration apparently ceases for the moment, but only at the sacrifice of all possible growth.Forell growled bluntly through strong puffs, Youre non clear, Lord Barr.Barr smiled slowly. I suppose so. Its the difficulty of not being trained in psychohistory. haggling are a pretty fuzzy substitute for mathematical equations. however lets see now-Barr considered, while Forell relaxed, back to railing, and Devers looked into the velvet sky and thought questioningly of Trantor.Then Barr said, You see, sir, you and Devers and anyone no doubt, had the idea that beating the Empire meant first nosey apart the Emperor and his general. You, and Devers, and everyone else were right right all the time, as far as the principle of versed disunion was concerned.You were wrong, however, in thinking that this internal split was something to be brought about by individual acts, by inspirations of the moment. You tried bequestry and lies. You appealed to ambition and to fear. But you got nothing for all your pains. In fact, appearances were worse by and by each attempt. And through all this wild threshing up of petite ripples, the Seldon tidal wave act on ward, quietly but quite irresistibly.Ducem Barr sullen away, and looked over the railing at the lights of a rejoicing city. He said, There was a dead pass along pushing all of us the flop general and the great Emperor my world and your world the dead hand of Hari Seldon. He knew that a man like Riose would collect to fail, since it was his success that brought hardship and the greater the success, the surer the failure.Forell said dryly, I toilett say youre getting clearer.A moment, continued Barr earnestly. Look at the situation. A wan general could never pee-pee endangered us, obviously. A strong general during the time of a weak Emperor would never have endangered us, either for he would have turned his arms towards a much more fruitful target. Events have shown that three-fourths of the Emperors of the last two centuries were rebel generals and rebel viceroys in the beginning they were Emperors.So it is only the combination of strong Emperor and strong general that can harm the Foundation for a strong Emperor can not be dethroned easily, and a strong general is forced to turn outwards, preceding(a) the frontiers.But, what keeps the Emperor strong? What kept Cleon strong? Its obvious. He is strong, because he permits no strong subjects. A courtier who becomes too rich, or a general who becomes too popular is dangerous. either the recent history of the Empire proves that to any Emperor intelligent enough to be strong.Riose won victories, so the Emperor grew suspicious. All the atmosphere of the times forced him to be suspicious. Did Riose refuse a bribe? Very suspicious ulterior motives. Did his most trusted courtier suddenly raise Riose? Very suspicious ulterior motives. It wasnt the individual acts that were suspicious. Anything else would have done which is why our individual plots were unnecessary and rather futile. It was the success of Riose that was suspicious. So he was recalled, and accused, condemned, murdered. The Foundation wins agai n.Look, there is not a conceivable combination of events that does not dissolvent in the Foundation winning. It was inevitable whatever Riose did, whatever we did.The Foundation might nodded ponderously. So But what if the Emperor and the general had been the same person. Hey? What then? Thats a case you didnt cover, so you havent proved your point yet.Barr shrugged. I cant prove anything I havent the mathematics. But I appeal to your reason. With an Empire in which every aristocrat, every strong man, every pirate can aspire to the Throne and, as history shows, often successfully what would happen to even a strong Emperor who preoccupied himself with foreign wars at the extreme end of the Galaxy? How long would he have to remain away from the capital before somebody raised the standards of civil war and forced him home. The social purlieu of the Empire would make that time short.I once told Riose that not all the Empires strength could swerve the dead hand of Hari Seldon.Good G ood Forell was ebulliently pleased. Then you imply the Empire can never threaten us again.It seems to me so, agreed Barr. Frankly, Cleon may not live out the year, and theres going to be a disputed succession almost as a depicted object of course, which might mean the last civil war for the Empire.Then, said Forell, there are no more enemies.Barr was thoughtful. Theres a Second Foundation.At the otherwise end of the Galaxy? Not for centuries.Devers turned suddenly at this, and his appear was dark as he faced Forell. There are internal enemies, perhaps.Are there? asked Forell, coolly. Who, for instance?People, for instance, who might like to spread the riches a bit, and keep it from concentrating too much out of the hands that turn for it. See what I mean?Slowly, Forells gaze lost its contempt and grew one with the anger of Devers own.