Empire of Shadows

For several days in a row, for more than a week, new ”anti-government rioters” were sent to the execution rack every day.

Zhuolan’s central square exuded a thick, bloody smell. Even though the cleaners swept it every morning and evening, it was very difficult to disperse this stench.

Even sprinkling disinfectant wouldn’t work, because the blood had long since seeped into the cracks between the bricks and into the soil.

In a short period of time, there was simply no way to get rid of this smell.

Diego was really angered. The severed heads were put in cloth bags, stuck on poles, and placed on both sides of the road into the city.

The entire Zhuolan, and even the entire Rapa, had calmed down a bit in this execution, which could be called a massacre.

The federal reporters had also gone to see. Both sides of the road were lined with tall wooden poles, maybe four or five meters high or even higher.

They were wrapped in a piece of burlap. The bottom of the burlap was black with a hint of bright red, and on the burlap, some birds would stay.

They, regardless of the occasion and not caring about the crowds on the road, were constantly pecking with their beaks.

This horrifying scene had caused many reporters to experience strong physiological discomfort, including even some reporters who had been to the front lines of the battlefield.They had not had this kind of discomfort on the battlefield full of corpses and body fragments, but here, they felt uncomfortable.

Death is the main theme of the battlefield. No matter how the soldiers died, that was a kind of ”respect” from the war to them.

Although they were divided into many pieces, a piece here and a piece there, it would only make people feel the fierceness of the war.

But here, it gave people a disgusting feeling.

Power overriding the basic rights of man!

Lance was holding the latest International Observer. The front-page headline used ”Whose Hell” to describe the tragedy currently happening in Zhuolan.

The reporters had used large-scale photos to give the readers a feeling of being there. Some readers, after reading this issue of the International Observer, had all called to scold the reporters and editors, saying that they ”made me feel disgusted and want to vomit.”

They felt that these pictures should not have appeared in the newspaper. The impact they brought had made the federal people shudder, and at the same time, it had also produced a stronger sense of happiness!

To be born in the Federation was truly the luckiest thing in one’s life as a human being, bar none!

The mainstream media had also reprinted these articles. At the same time, the reporters had slipped a lot of their own opinions into the reports.

If they said that this was just a part of the barbarity and backwardness of the Yalan region and the Yalan League, then the entire Yalan region was full of such countries.

Power was hereditary, and the ruling class would wantonly deprive the people of their lives, and would use this as a means of rule.

This had made many people have no good feelings for the ruling class of Yalan.

The federal government had let people see what they wanted to export, and had also obtained people’s approval. This had turned the matter of annexation from a ”shameless invasion” into a ”redemption of human rights.”

Congress was very satisfied with the whole plan, so even a core political newspaper like the Federal Post had reprinted these news stories and pictures, and had even specially made two freelance commentaries.

Lance flipped through the newspaper in his hand. These newspapers were actually from yesterday.

”Some agencies had conducted a public opinion poll yesterday. 31% of the people believe that the federal government should intervene, or speak up for the people of Rapa.”

Albert sat next to Lance, stirring the fine coffee in his cup, and chatting about some of the domestic situation.

These few days, Diego was still instigating the military to arrest those rioters. As for whether the ones they had caught had really participated in the riot, no one could say for sure.

The military might also have their own ideas. It was said that many of the local residents of Zhuolan had also been arrested and locked up by them.

Of course, their assets had naturally become the object of plunder by the military.

However, who could say for sure about this kind of thing? Perhaps... this was just a rumor. It was believed that the Diego government would soon stand up to refute the rumor.

Lance was tasting the delicious breakfast. Today’s breakfast was a food with a local style and flavor.

They had used tortillas that were only about less than a centimeter thick, with 80% fat and 20% lean beef, strung on thin iron wires and roasted on a grill without an open flame.

This way the fat would drip down, but it wouldn’t cause a ”frying” effect. After processing these beef cubes, it had shrunk to become a little bigger than a soybean, very crispy little beef cubes.

When you chewed it in your mouth, there would be a strong aroma of beef fat, but it would not seem very greasy, because the fat was no longer in the meat.

At the same time, it had a barbecue flavor, and the lean beef part would not be too dry. Even if you ate it directly, it was very delicious.

They would mix these things with some onions, some apple cubes, and some local fruit cubes, as well as a little vegetable.

They would mix it with a sweet and sour sauce, and then clamp it in a deep-fried, semi-circular, bowl-like wheat shell.

Then they would sprinkle some spices on it. Each one was only a little bigger than a ping-pong ball, and you could eat one in one bite.

Very delicious!

The change in taste was very unique and varied. The texture, and all aspects, were top-notch. You could hardly find any flaws.

Although Rapa was very poor, and also very backward, they, the privileged class, the ruling group, were not behind the gentlemen of the Federation in terms of enjoyment.

Not to mention that in the middle of winter, there was also fresh squeezed iced fruit juice with ice cubes. It was said that this was the same as Diego’s. The strong sweet and sour taste made people’s appetite greatly increase.

”It’s still too few,” Lance swallowed the delicious food in his mouth. He rarely had any strong desire for food.

However, this local food was indeed delicious. The main thing was that it was not greasy at all. Some of the sour fruits in it had very well relieved the possible greasiness.

He picked up another one and put it in his mouth. ”Only 20% to 30% of the people support us doing something. It may seem like a lot, but in fact, there are still 70% who don’t support us doing so.”

”This needs to continue to expand its influence, and at the same time, it must also make people realize the benefits that this place can bring to us.”

”To the government, and to those ordinary people.”

He once again swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up his coffee and took a sip. ”Rapa is very suitable for growing coffee beans, but they haven’t utilized it.”

”There are also rich mineral resources here, which can meet the domestic production needs, and also need workers.”

The labor cost in Rapa is very low, even lower than the refugee workers in the Federation. This can be used, by squeezing the labor of the local workers, to raise the wages of the federal employees.

For some of the workers who are willing to go abroad to work, they are the actual beneficiaries, and Lance plans to have this part of the workers be mainly the federal local workers, not the immigrant descendants, or the refugee workers.

The federal government, after many rounds of bill reforms, had, while giving the immigrant descendants and the dark-skinned people the right to vote, also, through another series of bills, deprived them of their right to vote.

For example, the most typical one is the ”Hernandez Act,” which stipulates that naturalized people (immigrants) and dark-skinned people must, from the date of naturalization, and from the time they have obtained the status of a federal citizen, to pay a fixed fee every year to get the right to vote.

This sum of money is not much, but not little either, just a dozen or so a year.

But for a poor family, especially for the Empire immigrants in the Empire District, they might only save twenty or thirty a year.

At this time, to take out half of their savings to take the initiative to pay a tax that they don’t have to pay, just to be able to legally tick a name on a ballot, is clearly not cost-effective.

So many immigrants and dark-skinned people do not have any right to vote.

Including the federal locals, if they do not have their own house, and do not have a stable job, they also have no right to vote—

The capitalists, with the slogan of ”if you love this country, you should participate in political activities,” to promote the benefits of buying a house, have linked buying a house with patriotism, and it seems to have a point.

And there are indeed many people who, in order to get the right to vote, which is actually of no use, have taken out a loan to buy a house. In the end, they will find that they are just one in a few million.

Their vote cannot affect the final result. So much so that sometimes the result does not satisfy the gentlemen, and they will artificially modify the result.

However, from an overall perspective, this is a win-win for all three parties.

The capitalists have sold the houses that could not be sold. The public has a strong patriotic will and qualification. The politicians have gotten more voter support. They have won completely.

The gentlemen need these voters, and Lance also needs these voters. Let’s not discuss for the time being whether the way they get the votes is... the kind of stabbing oneself (loans). At least they have gotten the right to vote. They are the real voters!

These people have political rights, which are indeed of no use to those who are useless.

But for those who can seek justice for themselves, for example, Senator Cleveland and his small group, then the voters are very useful.

To get these voters with political rights to Rapa, to Yalan, and to give them high welfare and high income, they will be more dependent on the invasion of Yalan.

When the public with the right to vote are ”locked in” on this land, with just an open vote, the federal government, Congress, can get the ”authorization of the people,” to carry out some operations on the Yalan region.

He had already talked about these with Senator Cleveland, and the latter was also very supportive of his plan.

However, he had not gone into detail with Albert. Although his name was the same as one of Patricia’s three grandfathers.

Sometimes Lance was also not used to the fact that the names of the federal people, of the people in the whole world, were always repeated.

He glanced at Albert. ”After the New Year, you can start to get in touch with those people.”

During this period, two ”trainees” had been arrested, and their heads were also hung on the side of the main road in and out of the city. There was still a short period of time before the New Year.

After the New Year, the current high-intensity alert should be relaxed.

Albert nodded. ”I see.”

After seeing Albert off, Lance also returned to his study. He was supporting his chin with one hand on the armrest of his chair, thinking about a letter that had been sent over with today’s newspaper.

The letter was written by Senator Cleveland. The content was to tell him that the Jede Republic had decided to support Rapa with a batch of grain.

According to their understanding, the first batch was about 4,000 tons.

This batch of grain was already enough to solve some of the problems that Rapa was currently facing.

They were not sure what the transaction content behind this aid was. On the one hand, Congress wanted to know what conditions Rapa had agreed to with Jede. This needed to be found out.

On the other hand, because they were using land transport, even if the Federation wanted to intervene and do something, it would be very difficult.

Now, among the ”non-governmental organizations” that were operating on the Yalan side, only Lance was in Rapa, and had the strength to destroy this transaction.

Senator Cleveland’s meaning was to, as much as possible, to make their transaction unsuccessful.

To be honest, it was a bit of a difficult request.

Lance had already burned the letter. He didn’t even dare to talk about these contents with his own country by phone. He also didn’t know if the Rapa side would tap his phone.

This had given him a slight headache, because some information could not be obtained in time, and there might be a delay in handling it.

But fortunately, this matter would also be carried out after the New Year.

Senator Cleveland had also, in the letter, told Lance that during this period, Congress and the federal government would be putting their focus on the war, and would temporarily be unable to take care of his side.

So he mainly had to rely on himself—mainly in terms of manpower.

If he needed some supplies, for example, weapons, grain, or other things, these could be given to him in full.

But if he wanted some government personnel to provide help, it was estimated that it would be useless, including carrying out covert military operations in the Yalan region.

Because in the past few months, the federal navy, in order to ensure that the Dantra’s navy would not once again attack the Federation’s important ports and coastal cities, had deployed its main naval forces on the Federation’s homeland.

Only a small number of warships were escorting the merchant ships that were traveling between the two continents, which had led to the interruption of the transportation of supplies from time to time.

Of course, this was the federal government’s external statement. In fact, they sometimes just sent empty cargo ships, and then claimed that the cargo ships had been sunk during the transportation.

The shipping route was threatened, and the increase in risk would inevitably also increase the cost of transportation.

For people to be braving the huge risks to transport back and forth was certainly not a charity work, so to ask for a little more was also very normal.

Now, besides the federal army’s supply ships being escorted by the navy, the private free trade was basically not cared about.

This had led to a little problem in the supply of supplies for Slad and his allies.

In fact, they also knew that this was a despicable tactic of the federal people. The federal government was trying to gain more initiative and power, and was using these despicable methods to choke them.

They wanted to become the dominant force in the military alliance, and even to have the power to lead the entire military alliance and the future of these countries.

And their reasons were also very sufficient. In the words of Congress, it was that they should get the ”respect” that was equal to their strength.

The Slad people had been beaten so badly that they could only continuously retreat and defend. It was the federal people who had invested a large number of troops to push the front line back to the vicinity of the border between the two countries, and had paid a heavy price.

In the specific data that had not been disclosed to the federal people, the number of soldiers who had died on the front line had already exceeded 300,000.

With so many people dead, and so much wealth invested, then for the federal government to want to get the lead in the war, it seemed to be also what it should be.

It was them who had prevented the war from continuing to deteriorate, and had had a good performance.

However, the Slad government did not think so. If the federal people were to lead this war, they would lose all their current status.

And they were also not sure if the greedy appetite of the federal people could be filled. What if it couldn’t be? For them, it would also be a big trouble.

The Slad country had hoped that through the victory of this war, they would get a large amount of war dividends from Dantra.

On the one hand, it was to solve their domestic, escalating class conflicts. In fact, they, like the Federation or other countries that had taken the initiative to participate in the war, all needed to export their troubles.

On the other hand, they also hoped that through this war, they could establish their own status on the Tanfit continent, and at the same time, to restrain the development of the Dantra Republic.

If the lead was handed over to the Federation, would the benefits they got be reduced?

Their strategic plan, would there still be a chance to realize it?

And, in the military alliance, and the international camp that might be formed in the future, should it also be the federal people who would hold the dominant position?

Due to a combination of many factors, the two sides had been ”negotiating” on this issue all along, and the negotiations had been very unsmooth. No one wanted to give up their own benefits, nor did they want the other party to get any.

The seesaw negotiations had finally exhausted the patience of the federal government. In October, the federal military had completely stopped, and had stationed in place. This had made the Dantra’s side breathe a sigh of relief, and the pressure had been greatly reduced.

They seemed to have also realized this point, that there might be a problem between the Federation and Slad. So they had suddenly begun to strengthen their offensive, and the front line had been pushed back into the territory of Slad.

They had been beaten black and blue by the federal people, who had used money and were not afraid of sacrifice. If they couldn’t beat them, could they still not beat the Slad people?

And more small-scale troops had begun to infiltrate and to carry out destruction in the rear. They had blown up many bridges, roads, railways, factories, and the like, which had caused a part of the industry to be almost in a state of stoppage.

If it were normal times, if it stopped, it stopped. But now it was wartime. Even if a factory that produced screws had stopped, it would not do. This meant that the damaged military equipment could not be repaired.

They were now very, very passive!

Sometimes the Slad people even suspected if they could find their destination so accurately, was it that the federal people had leaked some intelligence to the Dantra people? Otherwise, how could they be so accurate with every shot?

In this situation, Slad’s industrial production and transportation capacity had dropped by another level. What had made them feel even more uneasy was that it was said that the Dantra people had sent a new mission to visit the Federation, to restart the negotiations on the issue of war.

So, the problem that had been at a stalemate for more than half a year had finally ushered in a ray of light and a turn for the better. The Slad people had also begun to, around the question of ”who is the father,” to continue to consult with the Federation, and it was very likely that they would make a concession.

The focus of Congress was all on this, and they temporarily could not take care of Lance’s side.

Of course, not being able to take care of it also had its advantages. At least what Lance was doing, they had no time to care about, nor would they stop him.

So some of his plans could become even bolder!

In the evening, Elvin had given him a call.