Empire of Shadows

On the docks, looking at the bustling metropolis, for a moment, Mr. Cassia’s family was immersed in a happy confusion.

Mr. Cassia had been engaged in international business for many years, and his main focus was the Federation.

On the island of Yalan, there were no rich countries. Almost all countries were equally poor.

This was very strange.

They had rich mineral resources, abundant natural resources, large areas of land suitable for planting various things, and a suitable climate.

But on this land, a rich country could never be born.

Was it a problem with the land itself, or was it a problem with the rulers on this land?

Most likely, it was the latter.

Because although the country was poor, the people could not afford to eat, and had no jobs, the ruling families were all rich, and they and the lower class of society seemed to live in two different dimensions.

The only one near Yalan that could have trade with them and bring them income was the Federation.Mr. Cassia had been engaged in international trade with the Federation for a long time. He would study all kinds of books, newspapers, and magazines related to the Federation, and from them, he would obtain all kinds of information related to the Federation.

Under his influence, his family also had a very special yearning for the Federation.

Because in these external propaganda, the Federation was as beautiful as a utopia!

People like utopias. An idealized society is what everyone yearns for, but everyone knows that a utopia is just a beautiful yearning, not something that really exists. But because of this, they believe even more that there is a utopia in this world.

The Federation is a utopia.

At this moment, they were standing on the land of the Federation, smelling the slightly burnt oil smell in the air, and also a kind of indescribable charm. Mr. Cassia took a deep breath. It was indeed so fragrant and sweet.

Even the smell of engine oil was a sweet, creamy smell.

“We will be living here in the future,” he said, looking at his wife and children.

His wife was also a woman from an ordinary family in Rapa. She did not have much experience, had not been to college, and had not received a higher education.

At this time, she was so nervous that she could not speak. There were cars everywhere, people everywhere. The dock workers passing by were carrying some things and smoking, glancing at them with lifeless eyes. Mrs. Cassia immediately pulled her two children closer and looked at the dock workers with vigilance.

This place was not as good as Mr. Cassia had always said.

The two children, on the other hand, were full of curiosity about everything here. They looked around and were not at all afraid of anything here.

They were also “victims” of the Federation’s cultural propaganda. This was also a place they longed for.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s very safe here.”

The Federation could not be said to be very safe, except for Golden Port City.

But compared to Rapa, where people would lose their lives on the street for the dozens of dollars in their pockets, this place was indeed truly safe.

Soon, Lance’s convoy arrived. Elvin had seen Mr. Cassia before and took the initiative to welcome him. “Mr. Lance has something to do for a while and can’t get away, so he has asked us to pick you up.”

“You go and rest with us first. Mr. Lance will have dinner with you at dinner time. In a few days, you can go to New Golden City.”

“The preparations on the New Golden City side are almost done. I believe you will like it.”

Looking at the open door of the luxury car, Mr. Cassia had his wife and children get in first, and then he thanked Elvin for picking him up.

Although he was a diplomatic ambassador of a country, not all ambassadors have the style of an ambassador.

Lance had specially instructed that they should be made to fully feel the beauty of the Federation, so the car, after making a circle in the Bay Area, the Starlight District, and the city center, finally arrived at Lance’s manor in the suburbs.

This journey had taken almost two hours. There were also special people on the road who introduced the origins of the beautiful scenery and buildings on the side of the road to them.

This journey had opened the eyes of Mr. Cassia’s family.

In the afternoon, after they had rested for a while, they saw Lance at the side of the dinner table.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been particularly busy these few days and haven’t been able to pick you up. I must apologize to you and your family!” As Lance spoke, he pressed his hand to his chest with a look of apology and bowed slightly to Mrs. Cassia.

This made the woman, while feeling respected, a little at a loss.

Mr. Cassia quickly stopped him. “We are friends, Lance. There is no need for this between friends.”

Lance smiled. This was the “recognition between friends.” When from his always saying “we are friends,” to the other party beginning to take the initiative to say “we are friends,” it showed that the relationship between the two sides had undergone a huge change.

“Please sit,” Lance invited the family to sit down, and then had the chef start serving the dishes.

It was still the chefs from Anderson’s restaurant. Last winter, Mr. Anderson (the stubborn old chef) had had a fall and had broken his hip. He was now lying in bed and had not been able to move.

His body was still healthy, but even so, the doctor had also said that he would need to recuperate for at least half a year before he could possibly return to normal.

A full recovery was unlikely. This was already the best result.

So the chefs today were all some young apprentices, but they had all been carefully trained by Anderson.

The scale of the restaurant was getting larger and larger, the grade was getting higher and higher, and the number was increasing. It was impossible for him to really not pass on these unique skills.

There would always be some lucky ones who would become his apprentices and inherit his cooking skills.

The chef that Lance wanted was definitely the best, not only the best, but also the most flexible and smart.

They were standing about fifteen meters away from the dining table, with a series of mobile food carts. They were like jugglers, cooking for the distinguished guests here on the spot.

This made Mr. Cassia’s two children always clap their hands and cheer when they made a huge flame, or performed a move similar to an acrobat.

At first, Mr. Cassia had told them to be quiet, but Lance had said that applause and cheering were a praise for the chefs, so he did not continue to restrain them.

After about a dozen minutes, the dishes began to be plated, and were covered with a cloche, and sent to the side of the dining table.

They had a completely separate meal system. All the food was served on their side, because the table was too big.

The chef, while introducing the food they had prepared, was serving everyone. Everyone had it in front of them. If someone didn’t like a certain dish, they could tell the chef that they didn’t need it.

After the dishes were almost served, everyone had a complete “menu” in front of them.

Lance had someone open a bottle of real good wine, and the dinner began.

For the children, this was the dinner they had imagined!

Because there were family members, they did not talk about work-related matters, but instead talked about some of the trivial, ordinary things in life.

Like when Cassia’s eldest son asked, “Is the water in the Federation all sweet?” Lance had someone go and get him a glass of tap water directly.

The little fellow, after taking a sip, showed a look of surprise. He quickly handed the glass to his younger sister and had the little girl also take a sip.

After the little girl had taken a sip, she handed it to her mother as if she were presenting a treasure. “Mom, you try it. It’s really sweet!”

The woman took a shallow sip. It really had a faint sweet taste. She looked at her husband in some surprise. Mr. Cassia himself also did not know why.

But as a person who had been influenced by the culture of the Federation for a long time, he believed that perhaps this was the superiority of the Federation. Even the water was sweet.

The dinner was very pleasant, with exquisite dishes and a perfect dining environment. Considering that they had a journey of more than a day, Lance did not continue to disturb them after dinner, but chose to let them rest.

The next morning, after enjoying breakfast, Lance invited them to his private cinema to watch the latest movie, “Surprise Attack on Golden Port.”

This was definitely the first super-invested big production in history. Although the special effects were very backward in Lance’s eyes, for the people of this era, this was a top-level special effects blockbuster!

The whole family was very engrossed in it. When it was tense, even Mr. Cassia had held the armrest tightly and had lit a cigarette.

After the movie was over, the family’s emotions relaxed.

Compared to the children and his wife’s more direct understanding of the movie’s content, Mr. Cassia saw the core under these shallow surfaces.

Yalan, in this war, had been forced into an awkward position.

Lance had someone take the two children to the amusement park. Of course, there was also Mrs. Cassia. With someone protecting them, there was no need to worry about their safety. And Mr. Cassia entered Lance’s office.

“What do you think of this movie?” Lance invited him to sit down and, while pouring some wine, he asked.

Mr. Cassia’s expression was a little grave. “Very profound.”

“Very profound?” Lance came over with two glasses and handed one of them to him. “Why is it very profound?”

Mr. Cassia took a puff of his cigarette. “Because we are never the imaginary enemy, and no one will care about our thoughts.”

When he heard this sentence, Lance couldn’t help but show a smile. Yes, not even having the qualification to be an imaginary enemy, this was indeed a very profound matter.

Of course, Mr. Cassia also did not think that the Yalan region could become an imaginary enemy of the Federation. The gap between the two sides was too great.

He glanced at Lance. “Is the Federation planning to do something to Yalan?”

“Why do you ask?” Lance did not immediately admit it. “This is just a movie.”

“We have assumed a direction of war development, a trend, not a political propaganda.”

Mr. Cassia did not believe Lance’s words. He was just thinking. He believed that Lance had a purpose in taking the initiative to let him watch this movie.

But he did not have such a strong opposition, because he knew very well one thing: the situation on the Yalan side would not be worse than now!

In addition, now that his family had come to the Federation, he had more things to think about.

Looking at Mr. Cassia, who was in deep thought, Lance said with a laugh, “This world is changing very quickly. If you can’t keep up with the changes of the times, you will be abandoned by the times.”

He paused for a moment, raised his wine glass, and clinked it with Mr. Cassia’s. “To catch up with the pace of the new era, or to sink into the bottom of the sea with the past and the old era, this depends entirely on you.”

Although he seemed to have said nothing, he seemed to have said everything.

“You can think about it, think more, think more. It just so happens that the place I have arranged for you is in New Golden City, the heart of the Federation.”

“You are an adult, with your own way of understanding the world. I believe that you will find the way to the future there…”

This movie had brought Mr. Cassia too many feelings, and thoughts.

He believed that this movie was definitely a signal, a kind of attempt, and definitely not, as Lance had said, just a movie.

He couldn’t wait for too long and took the initiative to propose to go to New Golden City in advance. He still had to make some preparations there.

The huge effect brought by the movie was still continuously erupting. Long queues had formed at the ticket offices of almost all the movie theaters.

In the film review column of the Film News, almost all of them were recommending that everyone watch this “Surprise Attack on Golden Port,” believing that it had already locked in this year’s best in advance.

In addition, with the continuous fermentation of word-of-mouth, it had already become a super phenomenon.

Along with that, the president of the Dantra Republic, with most of the cabinet members and high-ranking officials, and generals, had also all seen this movie.

An ordinary person, after watching a movie, is just finished. They pat their butts and forget the content.

But for the politicians, they still have an important thing to do—a review.

The students’ reviews are just reviews, to be written in a notebook.

And they just need to discuss.

The president sat in his chair, looking at the generals of the military. “This movie…” he pursed his lips and considered for a moment, “is it possible to achieve?”

As soon as this sentence was spoken, the people in the room were all stunned for a moment.

The prime minister asked in an uncertain tone, “You mean, we can consider really launching a surprise attack on Golden Port?”

“To force the Federation to shift the center of the war from our side to their homeland, in the way shown in the movie.”

The great president nodded. “This is a movie, a movie shot by the federal people. What if we win the naval battle?”

“If we haven’t lost effective control of Yalan, and our forces there won’t surrender even if their supplies are cut off, can we continue to threaten the Federation’s homeland and thereby secure control of the entire East Ocean?”

As soon as the great president’s words were spoken, everyone fell into thought.

The Federation’s movies are definitely biased towards the Federation. If everything develops as it does in the movie, but in the final great naval battle, the Dantra’s allied fleet is not destroyed by the Federation’s naval fleet, but on the contrary, the Federation’s navy is beaten into a mess.

They still firmly occupy Yalan, maintaining a deterrent to the Federation’s homeland. What will the outcome be?

An admiral of the military said, “The federal people might withdraw their troops from the local battlefield and form a defensive line in their south to prevent our invasion of the Federation’s homeland.”

The others also had roughly the same idea. They have all fucking been hit at home. How can they still focus their attention on the battlefield over here?

The great president also had this idea. “Then the kind of strategic tactics shown in the movie, is it possible to achieve it, and do we have a chance to, before the federal people react, bombard Golden Port and seize Yalan?”

The naval admiral pursed his lips. “Theoretically, there is no problem.”

“The federal people do not have too many fortresses on the East Ocean. They have no idea of our whereabouts. If we avoid the current several main shipping routes of the federal people, it is entirely possible that we can, without them discovering us, get close to Golden Port City and bombard Golden Port.”

The naval admiral got more and more excited as he spoke. “Golden Port Docks, as the most important deep-water port in the Federation, it undertakes the cargo transshipment work of half the world. Once Golden Port is destroyed, a large amount of supplies will not be able to be transported to the rear of Slad more smoothly.”

“At the same time, if the naval base located in Golden Port is destroyed, we can not only avenge their attack on our port, but also further strengthen our control at sea.”

“This will be of great help to us in cutting off the military and private trade between other countries and the Slad military alliance.”

“Once their material security is cut off, the changes on the battlefield should be more intense, and rapid!”

The army general also nodded. “The reason why the federal army is advancing so fast now is because they are continuously sending soldiers over, and are bombarding our defensive line for a long time.”

“Their troops’ military literacy is actually very poor, but they are too rich.”

“If their supply has a problem, the pressure on our front line will be reduced a lot, and the casualties will also be reduced.”

From morning to night, shells were flying over their heads. No one knew when a shell would land by their side.

When the shells were no longer flying wildly in the sky, a sea of federal soldiers had already pressed up, and there were also a large number of armored vehicles, tanks.

Even if one person from the Dantra Republic’s side died, in exchange for two, three federal people, but they were ultimately constantly retreating.

Everyone had actually already studied the tactics of the Federation very thoroughly. It was just throwing money, frantically throwing money. The shells were shot over as if they were free.

Even if a gun position of theirs was blown up, a second, a third would soon appear.

On the contrary, because they had exposed their own artillery positions, they would suffer huge losses.

Before a more dominant tactic or war equipment appeared, the advantage established by this tactic of fighting with resources, industry, and population was too great!

It is very difficult to balance it through ordinary strategic tactics.

The great president couldn’t help but laugh out loud when he heard this. “Who wrote this script?”

“We can invite him to be our military advisor. At least he has provided us with a very feasible line of thought.”

The atmosphere at the scene was very relaxed, not tense, nor oppressive. Everyone was laughing.

After laughing for a while, the great president said, “You guys in the military should come up with an assessment.”

“If this plan is useful to us, we might as well give it a try.”

“Our navy can’t just keep wandering around the coastline. When necessary, we also have to go out and publicize our strength.”

The military generals naturally would not refuse. Soon they had skipped this topic and began to discuss other topics.

But this matter had been put on their plan.

(End of a Chapter)