Empire of Shadows

Anyone who wants to see the senators must definitely pass through this security check.

The things Lance did last night were not a secret. He had no intention of hiding them. Many people already knew that “Senator Cleveland’s young friend has a bit of a temper,” so today when he entered the manor, there was a special procedure.

To prevent him from bringing a weapon, and also to prevent him from having a sudden outburst of temper.

The security guard standing in front of him had a slightly apologetic smile on his face. “Mr. Lance, it’s a routine matter.”

The corner of Lance’s mouth curled up slightly, and then he held his hands up horizontally. The security guard said, “Thank you for your cooperation,” and then quickly checked Lance’s body. He did not find any weapons, so the small tray naturally had no use.

“Please come in, Mr. Lance!” The two security guards made way for him to enter the house. Lance nodded and strode in.

In the short time it took to be searched, Senator Cleveland had already gone to the living room to chat with his colleagues, leaving only Tom here to wait for Lance.

Seeing Lance walk over, Tom patted his arm. “Don’t take it to heart. Strangers all have to go through this process.”

To some extent, being searched upon entering a house, while others did not have to be, did indeed have a bit of a targeted meaning.

But Lance did not feel that this was unbearable. On the contrary, he said with a smile, “This shows that last night’s warning was meaningful.”Tom was stunned for a moment before he realized what Lance was talking about. He shook his head and walked inside. “You always give me some angles I can’t imagine.”

Who would have thought that he could even explain this matter this way? But this explanation was indeed possible.

He didn’t think this was Lance comforting himself. This was his most true attitude.

“You don’t have to be too nervous. They all have a good relationship with the senator. Just follow your own rhythm.”

“If they ask you any questions, you just need to answer them seriously. You don’t have to consider anything else.”

“There is such a huge market behind this matter. They will definitely agree.”

Lance glanced at Tom and nodded. “I see.”

Everyone, every politician, treats politics as a business.

They always say to be wary of the erosion of capital, but they themselves are capital.

Political capitalists.

In a more luxurious room, the gentlemen were sitting around, chatting and laughing. Here were all separate single sofas, not the kind where several people could squeeze together.

Gentlemen always maintain a certain distance. No one likes to be crowded with others.

The sofas were placed in a scattered manner. There was a separate sofa, which was reserved for Lance.

In fact, it could be seen that they could have added more sofas in the room, but there was no need now.

There was a small low table next to his seat. On the low table was already a cup of black tea and some pastries.

Seeing Lance come in, Senator Cleveland pointed at that position. “Sit down and talk.”

Lance walked calmly to the side of the sofa and sat down with a smile on his face.

The good thing about being handsome is that even though people know he is a gang leader, at this moment they are not so “stereotypical” of him.

It was as if there was a feeling of “you don’t look like a bad person,” and they could still talk and laugh.

“This plan was previously mentioned to me by Lance. I think it is very meaningful and will help our soldiers to stabilize their emotions as soon as possible on the front lines and throw themselves into the war.”

He glanced at Lance. “Tell your thoughts to the senators.”

Lance nodded slightly. On the way here, Senator Cleveland had already talked to him, not to talk about the issue of money.

Or rather, the issue of money should not be discussed by Lance, but by himself, behind closed doors with these senators in the end.

After all, as the rulers of the Federation, even if they were so covetous of that wealth that they could hardly sleep, they could not show it directly.

They are the ruling class. They have to have their own style. They can’t be like the capitalists they have always criticized, unable to walk when they see money, right?

Lance had also sorted out his own statement when he came, so he did not need to wait and think about how to say it. He just blurted it out.

“Good morning, gentlemen.”

“It is a great honor to be able to bring my thoughts to everyone. If you have any questions, you can ask me at any time.”

He paused for a moment, not for too long, about two or three seconds, and then began to speak.

“This is the first time the Federation has participated in a world war of this scale. I used the term ‘world war.’ It is pushing the friction between several countries on the Tanfit continent to a huge event that will ultimately affect the world’s structure.”

“The Federation is a very important party in this major event that will change the future structure of the world. Our participation will determine the direction of future world development and change!”

As soon as Lance came up, it was this kind of epic narrative. The senators also quickly got into the state.

Some of them looked at Lance with a not-so-right look in their eyes. They looked at Lance, and then at Senator Cleveland. They always felt that the words Lance had said… were not like something a gang leader could say.

This clearly required a very broad vision and a high level. A homeless person on the street could also say a few words about this war, but the few words they said could not be said to be worthless, but only to be all nonsense and garbage.

But Lance’s words sounded as if there was nothing special about them, but he had raised a few very key points.

The first was “world war.” At present, people did not have this concept.

Secondly, he mentioned that this war would determine the future structure of the world, and the status and role that the Federation needed to assume in this huge change!

This completely coincided with some of the core issues that Congress had been discussing. They also had this kind of cognition and idea, but they used terms like “super-large war” and not-so-concise language.

Lance’s words were too concise, and at the same time did not lack the necessary elements, so they had reason to suspect that this might not be Lance’s own idea, but that Senator Cleveland was just using his mouth to say it.

Could this young man be Senator Cleveland’s illegitimate son?

He wasn’t that handsome when he was young, was he?

Facing these slightly probing gazes, Lance acted as if he hadn’t noticed.

“The situation on the Tanfit continent should not be the same as the situation on our side, whether it’s the climate or other situations. In addition, our unfamiliarity with this large-scale war will make the soldiers very nervous.”

“I’ve checked some materials. I’ve noticed that we will distribute some cigarettes to the soldiers. Tobacco is indeed a good thing. Nicotine can make the soldiers a little calmer.”

“But just these are not enough!”

He took out a box of cigarettes that had been inspected. “Gentlemen, do you mind if I have one?”

The senators all shook their heads. They were all old smokers. Lance lit one for himself.

In the Federation, there is no habit of proactively offering cigarettes to others. Most of the time, everyone smokes their own, because of taste, habits, and some psychological reasons.

The moment the smell of Lance’s cigarette wafted up, the senators also couldn’t help it. They all took out their cigarettes.

A man who should have been a staffer or something of the house’s owner walked to the window and opened it a crack to let the air circulate.

Lance took a deep drag on his cigarette, and then blew it downwards.

Exhaling smoke abnormally was to avoid being seen by some as deliberately offending them. After all, blowing smoke at others has the meaning of offense and provocation.

“War is very cruel. The soldiers on the battlefield have to face a huge mental pressure every day!”

“They will find that a comrade-in-arms who joined the army with them has returned to the embrace of God just because he raised his head and looked around. The shells that don’t know when they will fall on their heads are flying in the sky above the battlefield with a whistling sound.”

“The enemy launches attacks at any time, and even has to launch a heroic charge in the face of a situation of almost certain death!”

“At every moment, everyone is under a huge mental pressure. If you don’t loosen the strings for them, one day they will break!”

The other senators all nodded with grave expressions, because Lance had indeed touched on some key issues.

Besides the civil war, the Federation had not, so far, launched a large-scale foreign war.

What was an internal war?

The massacre of the natives, the massacre of the slaves, and the war that occurred between the people of the Federation who were willing to slaughter the slaves and those who were not.

They always participated in the competition as the champion before the competition began, so it was very easy and not nervous.

But this time it was different. Whether the young lads could withstand the huge pressure on the battlefield was indeed a problem.

Once there were deserters, it could trigger a larger-scale desertion event, which would be a heavy blow to the Federation’s image in the international arena, and to the morale on the battlefield!

A senator looked at Lance. Although he had a guess that all of this was from Senator Cleveland’s own words, he still wanted to ask.

“So how are you going to solve this?”

“Several methods!”

“First, we will have some of the local… ladies with an internationalist spirit provide a way for our soldiers to relax in the rear.”

“Second, we will add more chaplains to the army, so that the chaplains can tell them that this is a just and holy war. If they have an accident on the battlefield, they will definitely enter the kingdom of heaven and enjoy happiness and peace.”

“Third, we will provide some things that can help them relieve their emotions on the battlefield, for example, alcoholic beverages, a certain dose of sedatives or painkillers that will not affect their reason and ability to act.”

The surrounding senators fell into thought. Everyone knew that wine could relax people. Whether it was after work, or when there was something happy or sad, a drink would make a person very relaxed.

But drinking on the battlefield… is that appropriate?

The senator who had asked the question asked, “If they get drunk on the battlefield, won’t it make the situation worse?”

“I think the first two methods are very suitable and can be operated. It just so happens that the Slad ambassador is coming to talk about things these two days.”

The others also nodded one after another. The first was a matter of course. The federal soldiers had left their homes, which were not affected by the war, to go to a foreign country to fight for them. What’s wrong with solving some small problems?

Having chaplains accompany the army is not a problem either. The local patriarchs will definitely like this proposal. This is a good opportunity for them to continue to expand their influence. No matter whether the priests underground are willing or not, God is definitely willing.

As for drinking, they were still a little worried.

Lance shook his head. “We are not providing a whole bottle to them at once. We can provide it once every three days, two ounces at a time.”

“Two ounces, gentlemen. It won’t affect the soldiers’ combat situation at all, nor will it make them so hungover that they can’t get up.”

“But even if it’s just two ounces, it can effectively alleviate the soldiers’ poor mental state.”

Lance looked at the guy who had opened the window just now. “Sir, can you pour me a two-ounce glass of whiskey?”

“No ice, thank you!”

One of the senators nodded slightly. Soon, that what’s-his-name person, in front of all the gentlemen, used a measuring cup to pour a two-ounce glass of whiskey into a square glass.

Looking at the shallow layer of whiskey, a relaxed smile appeared on the senators’ faces.

One of them even said with a laugh, “I can drink ten glasses of this!”

He’s bragging!

Lance immediately gave his judgment. Two ounces is about fifty-five milliliters. It doesn’t look like much, but ten glasses is more than a pound. Even if its alcohol content is not high, unless it’s some very heavy drinker, an ordinary person will also get drunk.

But two ounces is indeed not much.

“If the soldiers only have a sip every day, then there won’t be any problem!”

“In addition, we can propose in the military police that there may be management of soldiers who abuse alcohol, so that they will not have a chance to get drunk, and soldiers are not allowed to casually give their own wine to others.”

Lance made some constructive suggestions, and the senators all felt that these ideas were very good.

A young man with good conversation, knowledgeable, and handsome, will always make people a little curious.

Soon their topic shifted from this matter to other issues.

“Lance, where do you think the future of this war will go?”

A senator asked such a question. This question could not really be considered a real question. He just said it casually.

This question is like the kind-hearted man who is willing to help the girls in need. After providing some protein, while pulling up his pants, he casually asks, “Why did you think of doing this?”

He doesn’t really hope to get some answers about this question and the follow-up from the girls who have just received the protein. He just said it out of boredom.

It has the same status as that one cigarette.

But this question depends on who asks it. For an ordinary person, Lance might not mention his own thoughts, but here, around, are all big shots!

He knows the importance of an opportunity.

If you can’t give them a slap in the face to make them remember you, then the best way is to say something that they need to think deeply about and remember in their hearts.

Then one day when they need someone like you, they will think of you!

Lance replied with a smile, “The Federation will become the center of the world.”

Several of the senators showed a smile, and even laughed out loud. One of them even said with a laugh, “You are more exaggerated than Mr. President!”

“He only thinks that we will become an important part of the world’s composition, and you, you say that we are the center of the world?”

This was essentially also the second question.

Lance nodded. “Yes, because we have a great advantage.”

At this time, whether it was the kind-hearted man who was pulling up his pants, or these senators who had asked casually, they all began to become serious.

“Tell me!”

Lance pursed his lips. “The Federation has the world’s developed industry and science and technology. Our industrial potential is stronger than all of them.”

“Besides this, we are not on the same continent as them. In other words, the war will only make our industry stronger and more mature, but it will not destroy our industrial foundation.”

“But they are different.”

“We can appropriately… control the direction of the war, destroy their industrial cities, and make it take a long time for them to rebuild after the war is over.”

“Then we can use our mature and developed industrial superiority to dump our goods into their countries.”

“Let their governments, their merchants, become more dependent on us in terms of industrial development!”

“When we are running, the others are still trying to re-master walking. We will inevitably become the leaders of the world!”

The senators were all considering the possibilities that Lance had mentioned. The more they thought, the more they felt that they could proceed along this line of thought. Fighting in someone else’s house, no matter how fierce the fight, it was not them who would suffer the loss.

As for the people?

The Federation is a fucking country of mixed immigrants. There is no so-called nation here, only races. Whoever comes here is a citizen of the Federation!

This is also an advantage of an immigrant country. A mixed nation and culture, as long as the rulers make a certain concession, the new immigrants can quickly integrate.

It is indeed a pity that some young children have died, but this does not mean that the Federation will be short of young adults. They only need to open the door for immigration, and countless immigrants are waiting to become glorious citizens of the Federation!

This question is not one with a standard answer. It was a casual question. At this time, they also realized that perhaps the previous Q&A was not from Senator Cleveland’s授受.

They finally had a little interest in Lance. A senator asked, “Will doing so cause some problems, for example, they plan to unite to deal with us?”

Lance shook his head. “It’s unlikely, and even if they can really put aside the hatred of genocide for thousands of years and can really unite, they will not be our match.”

“The East Ocean is our best line of defense. As long as we develop our navy well, they won’t even be able to get on the beaches of the Federation before they sink in the East Ocean!”