Shadow Empire

Chapter 1267 The Plan and the Annual Saint Farmer Festival
During the Saturn festival, Lance returned to Lawrence Farm.

The new farm was built on a very large scale. After some small farms in the surrounding area were merged, the people from those farms lived on their old farms.

But now, they have all moved to the new farm, which is directly related to Governor Terry's special approval to allow Lawrence Farm to establish a town.

Although it's called Lawrence Farm, from the state government's perspective, it's actually "Lawrence Town," and members of the Lawrence family serve as the town's mayor and sheriff.

Since it's a town, we definitely need to support its scale.

Federal people sometimes have a fanatical pursuit of things like scale and pomp.

So people from the surrounding areas gathered there.

To make it easier for them to return to their farm for work, the Lawrence family funded the construction of an internal railway covering the entire Lawrence Farm area.

The total length is over 100 kilometers, covering almost every farm area.

Every morning, farmers and their wives gather at the train station in their settlement around eight or nine o'clock, and then the little train takes them to their workplaces.

There is a bus approximately every two hours, and there is a schedule that you can refer to whether you are going there or coming back.

Of course, cowboys still prefer riding horses, after all, only those who ride horses are cowboys, not those who ride trains.

As the farm develops better and better, it will attract more and more idle farmers from the surrounding area, and even some people from nearby cities will come to see if there are any better job opportunities here.

The treatment at Lawrence Farm was not bad even by city standards. After all, their income was high, and the three old men valued family honor. In this respect, they were much more lenient and kind to their employees than pure capitalists.

As Lance walked along the farm road, people would constantly take off their hats and greet him.

Summer passed by quietly without people noticing, and late autumn arrived.

"Good morning, Mr. Lance, Mr. William."

Several elderly farmhands who recognized Lance saw him and William walking together, immediately took off their hats, stood by the roadside, and greeted the two.

Judging from their steaming, messy hair, the weather has gotten quite cold.

Lance smiled and nodded in response to their greeting, while William smiled and waved.

Once they had passed this stretch of road, the farmers put their hats back on and continued with their work.

"That's why I sometimes don't like coming back. I've also gradually come to understand why ancient lords built castles to isolate themselves from ordinary people!"

William was somewhat moved. Power had given him a greater understanding of the world, like wearing a pair of glasses that made the blurry world clearer.

This kind of thing happens when members of the Lawrence family are walking on the road, especially the more famous ones.

People keep greeting them, and if you don't respond, they'll think you're arrogant; but if you do respond, you'll have too much to do all day.

Lance laughed and said, "It's a good thing that people recognize you. If the citizens of Lake City treat you the same way, it means that you have at least done your best in terms of governance."

The two continued walking forward, and the Lawrence family manor was now almost within reach. The cowboys patrolling on horseback at the gate took off their hats to show their respect when they saw the two approaching.

Lance and his men greeted the cowboys as before, and then entered the manor under their watchful eyes.

“I spoke with Terry on the phone, and we’re planning to hold a ‘Star Mayor’ competition in Likale.”

"Based on the development of various cities over the past four years, the 'Top Ten Mayors' have been selected."

“Local media, including state-level media, will participate in the follow-up reports to help these ten mayors gain huge visibility throughout the state.”

He turned to look at William. "You're one of them."

"Lake City has also developed very rapidly in the past two years. We don't look at the specific numbers, but just from the percentage growth, it has already ranked among the top cities in Likale State. So there is no surprise that you will become one of the top ten mayors."

"Then we will further promote the continued rise in the profile of some mayors, and there will be subsequent political show events."

William grasped a key phrase: "political show?"

"Yes, it's a political show."

Lance spelled it out: "A show centered on political purposes. If you pay attention to the media's use of language to describe the current political scene, you'll find words like 'capitalization' to describe the changes in politics."

"So why can't we continue to build on this foundation and push for some new changes in politics?"

"Making politics more entertaining may better suit the development needs of a federal society today."

William was a little taken aback when he heard this for the first time. "Is...is it really okay for me to do this?"

"I mean, is turning politics into entertainment a good thing for politics itself?"

Lance countered, "Why do you think this isn't a good thing?"

"A capable person is capable whether he is performing or working. Politics is the ability to govern and the art of expression. If you have the ability, that's enough."

"Politics should not be too far removed from people, after all, politics is closely related to their lives."

"At that time, I will organize TV stations in various places to carry out some publicity activities around you, which will further enhance your popularity and lay a good foundation for your later mayoral campaign in Mantegnon."

"You might even have the chance to 'practice' the position of Mayor Mantegnon before running for office."

Listening to what Lance was saying, William had the illusion that he was getting old, and he couldn't quite keep up with Lance's train of thought.

"I don't really understand... but it sounds kind of interesting."

“You can tell me about these things in detail.”

As they walked and talked, William, who was asking for advice, heard Emily's voice from afar, "Hi, darling, what are you talking about?"

Emily waved her arms at the two of them while holding Victor, and they stopped chatting. "We'll talk about this later."

Then they walked over.

Victor was very polite. He struggled to jump off Emily's arms and then greeted William and Lance, acting like a little adult.

The Lawrence family has now reached the edge of becoming an upper-class family, and they attach great importance to the education of the next generation.

Both Ace and Victor hired the best private tutors in Likalai to teach them from a young age how to face the world and how to learn.

These tutors are very expensive, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars per month per person.

Each stage has different tutors. For example, the tutors who teach the children for the first two to three years will be replaced by new tutors to continue their education. They are almost always replaced every two or three years until they reach university.

Even middle-class families would find it difficult to afford this fee; they might not even earn as much as these tutors.

Victor and Ace are prime examples. Other children in the Lawrence family are also receiving this elite education. The three elders hope to solidify the Lawrence family's social standing.

"What are you talking about?"

William kissed Emily. "We were talking about some work-related things."

After they parted, Emily gave Lance a hug, saying, "You sound very ambitious!"

She hugged Lance briefly before separating. "Have you gone to see Ace yet?"

Lance shook his head. "I just got back and haven't gone to see him yet. What happened to him?"

"He's a good person, very sensible, and will give you a surprise!"

"I am looking forward."

The four of them entered the large house in the manor together. Many members of Lawrence's family, as well as many children, had already gathered in the hall.

When they were poor, members of the Lawrence family were less willing to have children, which is quite different from those who are truly poor.

Poor people are willing to have children because children are equivalent to free labor for them, a tool that can help them make money.

The federal government allows the use of child labor, and many factories have made it clear that they only want child laborers!
On the one hand, child laborers are easy to manage. They cannot join trades, and they are often afraid of adults. When managing these young workers, a few threats are all it takes to make them obedient. These factories are mainly concentrated in the light industry sector, such as handicraft factories that do not involve knowledge, education, or mechanized operations.

The assembly line was full of children around ten years old. They were paid half the salary of adults, but worked almost as many hours.

If a poor family can have ten children, it is equivalent to the labor income of five more adults, and the children eat less, which is a large amount of income for a poor family.

Wealthy people also want to have children. They need someone to inherit their businesses and assets, and they need excellent successors. Therefore, having more children and selecting the best ones is the correct way for a large family to pass on its legacy.

Only the middle class is stuck in the middle.

The Lawrence family has entered a period of growth, escaping that embarrassing situation, and almost all family members have started having children.

Having more children means they can receive more benefits from the family's dividends, and the children also have the opportunity to take on more important roles.

When Lance entered, the people who were chatting suddenly fell silent, and then looked at him and greeted him.

Lance tried his best to respond to everyone, but even if he didn't take care of everyone, they didn't feel uncomfortable.

After all, this is Lance.

When Patricia saw Lance arrive, she happily ran over to him, gave him a hug and a kiss, and said, "You didn't tell me you were coming back today. You should have told me so I could have picked you up."

Lance stroked the girl's soft hair. "I'm not some big shot!"

He held the girl's hand. "How have you been lately?"

Patricia turned and took Lance's arm. "It's neither good nor bad. That's just how farm life is, but it's good enough for me."

Lance saw a group of children chatting in a corner of the hall, with Ace surrounded by them.

Children are not as mindless as adults imagine; they know very well who the real "boss" is on the farm.

Ace and Victor are the true future rulers of the family, while the others will only ever be their subordinates.

So they all played around the two children, carefully maintaining their composure and trying their best not to do anything they shouldn't.

Of course, not all children realize this, and those who don't have already been severely reprimanded by their parents.

If they do something wrong again, their families will send them to school in a nearby city instead of leaving them on the farm.

Nature is cruel, and so is the farm.

Ace was alerted by others and noticed that Lance had returned, so he ran over in surprise.

Perhaps remembering something, he stopped in his tracks just as he was about to pounce on Lance, then straightened his appearance, bowed slightly, and said, "Dad..."

In a very colloquial expression of emotion, Lance patted his head and said, "I heard you did a good job, like a real man."

Ace forced a smile. His tutor told him that he shouldn't fully reveal his true feelings in formal settings and should restrain his emotional expression.

But he was still very happy to be praised by Lance.

From a young age, from the time he was old enough to understand, everyone instilled in him the concept that his father was the greatest person in the world!

This concept will transcend his understanding of knowledge and be deeply implanted in the depths of his mind.

To be praised by the greatest person in the world is an honor that would make his whole world shine!

Lance pinched his cheek again. "Go play with your friends."

Ace bent down again and ran back.

The children, big and small, looked at Lance with awe in the distance. Lance raised his hand to greet them, and then walked towards the others with Patricia.

Everyone was very enthusiastic and chatted warmly with Lance about things he was interested in or not so interested in.

Most of them are related to making money, investing, and policies.

Some people also feel that the Lawrence family's influence in Licarle state politics is still too weak. The only person they can boast about is William, and he is only the mayor.

Well, now there's also a town mayor and a sheriff.

But this is still too little power for a family.

Lance listened to their words but did not express his opinion, only saying that he would consider it at his discretion.

William wouldn't ask him about such things, because politics also has "anti-monopoly" provisions. When a family dominates the political arena in a state, it means that family is about to perish.

The federal government will not allow such a situation to occur, and will not allow the emergence of an "independent kingdom".

More than a hundred years ago, the Federation had such independent kingdoms, but what happened to these families in the end?

They have disappeared into the long river of history, for various reasons, and in short, they can no longer be seen now.

A family can only have one or two notable figures in the state at most; any more than that, and it will cause trouble.

Lance only saw the three elderly people during the family dinner that evening; Herbert looked unwell.

The other two elderly people were not much different from before, and no one mentioned it, as if they had not noticed that Herbert's condition was abnormal.

People were still drinking, eating meat, chatting loudly, and some were even singing at the tables, making the whole restaurant feel like a small party.

After dinner, Lance and William went to Lance's study. They each lit a cigarette before Lance asked, "I think Herbert doesn't seem to be in good spirits."

William nodded and said, "Yes, he is quite old. The doctor said his condition is just normal aging."

“At their age, every few years there is a precipitous decline, which happens very suddenly.”

Herbert is already over seventy years old, and may be eighty in a few years. In the Federation at this time, this age can be considered "long-lived".

In other words, his life was nearing its end.

Have you been to better places?

William shook his head. "Actually, everyone knows very well that even if they find better hospitals and doctors, they cannot take him back from God's hands."

“There are plenty of people who are richer and more powerful than him, but none of them have been able to stop their relentless pursuit of God.”

"Just take this in stride. He hasn't lost out in his life; in fact, he's gained far more than his brother!"

Actually, the three elderly people had an older brother who died much earlier than them, and they were somewhat prepared for this.

Lance sighed. Life is such a mess.

Sometimes he would lament that whoever created humanity, whether it was the Creator, did so only to torment them.

Humanity was given the ability and wisdom to understand and explore the world, but not the time to match that wisdom.

Decades are far too short for intelligent beings.

It's not just these three elderly people; in fact, decades from now, they too will face these same problems.

However, Lance wasn't too afraid of death; perhaps this death represented another rebirth.

He composed himself and said, "I'll ask the doctor at the farm to keep a close eye on his condition and call me anytime if there's any emergency."

He paused for a moment, then said, “Back to our previous topic, after the ten mayors are selected, you will work in Mantegnon as acting mayor for a period of time, about a month, assisting the mayor in his work.”

"This will give you a comprehensive opportunity to connect with the citizens of Mantegnon. They will get to know you, and we will arrange some problems for you to solve so that the citizens can have a clear understanding of you."

"Let them know that you're someone who can solve problems!"

(End of this chapter)