Quote Originally Posted by Alleo View Post
We know that we only got Ala Mhigo and Doma back that easily because Zenos did not care about these countries, but why then send someone like him there? Why let someone rule these places that randomly kills someone from their own ranks? These two states might not be the biggest but these wins will give Eorzea the chance to unite into a complete and bigger alliance and Garlemald loses his grip in these lands. And on top of that thanks to them winning more rebellions might raise in the future. So why not protect these states more? If you have such a huge army why not send more of them there?
There are a number of possible reasons why Zenos was given the responsibilities he had, but I think that most likely up to this point he DID behave in a sensible manner. He was bored out of his skull by it, but I'm sure that before he found his "worthy opponent" in the Warrior of Light, he dutifully followed the script he was given, subjugating Doma and Ala Mhigo, all the while keeping an eye out for someone worthwhile to fight. When he found that someone, THAT became his top priority, trumping everything else.

It's certainly possible that no one anticipated this wild swing in priorities (or, at least, not the degree to which Zenos took it). Certainly, before the WoL started meddling there was no indication that Zenos was having any trouble keeping these provinces under Garlemand's thumb. He WAS good at his job - at least, until he decided to quit.

Certainly, the only Garlean who seemed to be able to understand Zenos's deeper motivations to any degree was his father, and Varis seemed to have his own reasons for giving Zenos free rein. Everyone else (fanatics like Asahi in particular) saw him as a brilliant warrior and strategist, a paragon of Garlean virtues.