Chapter 48 Chapter Forty Seven

The formal surrender ceremony will be held in the outdoor procession square in front of the palace.Akarat was there waiting for Kanya to kneel to him in submission.Prior to this, the ships of the Nongji Company had already docked at the pier and were unloading Udex rice and super soybeans.The food monopolies sent in sterilized seeds that could only be cultivated for one season—some to feed the people immediately, and some to distribute to Thai farmers to plant the next season.From this plaza, Kanya could see the sails of the company ships with their red wheat ears poking their heads above the sea wall.

There were rumors that the young Her Majesty would oversee the ceremony and empower Akarat to form a new government, but at the last minute it was confirmed that the Queen would not be there in person.Everyone stood under the scorching sun—the dry season had lasted for too long, but it didn’t mean it was over—sweating profusely, watching Akarat ascend the platform amidst the monks’ chanting.He swore that he would defend the entire kingdom and pass through this period of unrest in a military-controlled manner, and was then named the new Somdej Chao Phraya.After that, he turned around to face the assembled army and civilians in the audience, as well as the only remaining white shirts lined up behind Kanya.

Sweat trickled down Kanya's face, itching her skin, but she refused to wipe it away.Although she had ordered the surrender, handing the Ministry of the Environment into Akarat's hands, she still wanted to show her most disciplined side.So she maintained the posture of standing at attention, letting the sweat flow.A Pai stood beside her, and they stood in the first row together.He intentionally kept his face straight, expressionless. She saw Nalong standing not far behind Akarat, watching the whole ceremony.He gave her a slight nod, and she refrained from snapping at him for starting all this destruction.Such destruction is unreasonable, useless, and could have been entirely avoided.Kanya gritted her teeth, endured the itch of sweat, and projected all her hatred on Naron's forehead.In fact, it's stupid to do so.What she really hated was herself.She would surrender to Akarat on behalf of the last of those left behind her, and watch the Whiteshirts be disbanded.

Zaidi stood beside her, watching all this, as if thinking of something. "Do you want to say something?" Kanya whispered. Jaidi shrugged. "The rest of my family was killed. It happened during the battle." Kanya gasped in surprise, "I'm sorry." She really wished she could reach out and actually touch him. Jaidi smiled sadly. "It's a war. I've always wanted to tell you that." She wanted to answer, but Akarat motioned her to the stage.Now it was her turn to accept the humiliation.She hated this man so much.How could the anger of her youth end in this way?When she was a child, she swore to destroy white shirts.Now she's victorious, but her victory comes with the stench of the burnt-out yard of the Environment Ministry.Kanya walked up the steps, knelt before Akarat, and kowtowed to him.Akarat didn't ask her to get up, she could only maintain this position for a long time.She could hear what he was saying above her head.

"It's natural to grieve for a man like General Praca," he told the crowd. "Even though he lost his allegiance, he was a man of passion. Nothing else. , that alone deserves some respect for him. The last days of his life were not all about him. He gave his life to the kingdom. He protected Our people. I will never deny his achievements, even if he ends up going astray.” He paused, and then continued: "We, as a kingdom, must heal our wounds." He looked down at all the people, "By all gods of good will, I am very happy to announce that, Her Majesty has granted my request that all those who have fought on behalf of General Pracha or participated in his rebellion plans will be granted an unconditional pardon. I would like to say to those who still want to work in the Ministry of Environment In other words, I hope you will continue to be there with pride and carry out your duties."

He motioned for Kanya to stand up. "Captain Kanya, although you have fought against country and court, I forgive you and give you more." He paused. "We must reunite. We, as one country and one Nations must be united, they must hold each other's arms and walk hand in hand." Kanya's stomach began to tighten in fits and starts, and the whole ritual made her feel extremely uncomfortable.Akarat said: "Given that you are currently the highest ranking official in the Ministry of Environment, I now appoint you as Minister of the Environment. Your duties are exactly the same as your predecessors: to defend this kingdom and Her Majesty the Queen."

Kanya stared at Akarat with wide eyes.Behind him, Nalong showed a faint smile.He bowed his head slightly in respect.Kanya, completely speechless, did a namaste in utter shock.Akarat smiled. "You can disband your men, General. Starting tomorrow, we will rebuild our homeland." Still speechless, she saluted again, then turned around.She tried to give orders to her men, but all that came out of her throat were meaningless gruff sounds.She swallowed, and called out the command again.Her voice was still hoarse.All the white shirts had the exact same surprised and disturbed expressions on their faces, and they looked up and stared at her.For a split second she was terrified: maybe they already knew she was a liar; they wouldn't obey her orders.But then, eight rows of white shirts began to coalesce into one.They walked away in neat steps, their uniforms dazzlingly white in the sun.Zaidi was among the ranks too, and before leaving he gave her a namaste as if she were really a general.This action hurt her more deeply than anything that had happened before.