Shadow Empire

Chapter 408: Preparing to Set a Trap [666+7]
When people reach the middle class, most of them will think about this question:

What exactly is wealth?
Is it the money, or the commodities squeezed out of human beings through layers of exploitation of labor?

Everyone has different opinions on this issue, but everyone has one thing in common: wealth does not come out of thin air; it requires people.

As for how wealth actually works, most people actually only have a vague idea and are not very clear.

At this time, Lance's statement that "money that doesn't flow is stagnant water" gave these people something to think about, as if some things in their minds that they couldn't understand suddenly became clear to them.

This feeling is very comfortable, especially for those smart people who are not too stupid.

Thinking and solving problems through thinking is a very addictive thing. The dopamine it brings even exceeds the happiness that cigarettes can provide to people.

But there is a prerequisite, you have to be smart, otherwise you will only feel frustrated and finally depressed.

So I don’t feel this kind of pleasure. If you want to understand what kind of pleasure it is, it’s probably -

It feels like... after sleeping in the early winter night and breathing dry air all night, your nose is a little blocked when you wake up in the morning. You use your fingers to pick it out and a large piece of nasal mucus comes out, which is dry in front and runny in the back!
Breathing becomes smooth in an instant, and the large turbine intake allows the lungs to be quickly filled with air, which is refreshing!

They were also discussing quietly with each other, and Deans, who was sitting relatively close to the front of the table, suddenly asked, "Does this mean that we should invest more in the farm?"

Lawrence's "family business" is those farms and how to sell these agricultural products. These are what he is mainly responsible for now, so he will be more sensitive.

The others looked at him and he said, "What Lance said gave me some ideas."

"War will cause a sharp drop in food production, but the world's demand for food will not decrease, so the price of food will only get higher and higher."

"No one knows how long the war will last. If we can add some more farmland, whether it is to turn it into wealth or consider its political value, it is obviously very appropriate."

After hearing this, others also agreed with his idea, including Lance.

"That's a good idea. Maybe this will give the Lawrence family some more senior officials."

These are actually very simple principles, and they soon made a decision. Each household invested a little money, and then continued to enclose land, continue to reclaim wasteland, and continue to grow food.

The rich get richer, that's the truth.

They are exposed to some information earlier and can afford to take a bigger loss to give it a try.

What limits ordinary people from crossing classes is never their level of education or whether they are sensitive enough to opportunities.

In fact, there are some ordinary people who can see opportunities, but they do not have the capital to seize them. They have no money, or they cannot afford the consequences of failure, so they can only watch the opportunities slip away instead of taking the first step towards success.

What limits them is the unbearable consequences of investment or entrepreneurial failure, which is why they are forever sealed among the ordinary people.

Even if ordinary families have this information, they cannot come up with a large sum of money to invest in agricultural products. Even if they do, would they dare?

One failure may mean that the efforts of several generations will be wasted, and they can only continue to maintain the status quo.

As the capitalists wield their increasingly sharp scythes, they try to pass on assets from several generations as much as possible, and then wait for the birth of a child who can change the family's destiny.

Deans did a quick calculation and said, "We can expand by another 200 to 300 hectares of land, but it's a bit troublesome to run, and we may need to work with the State Land Office."

Such a large-scale land use would definitely not be approved by directly asking surrounding cities. Only the Texas government can approve it.

Of course, the trouble with this matter is just that you need to do it, not that it cannot be done. It’s just that the process is a bit long and a little troublesome.

This land was cheap and they would only charge a nominal fee, but the Lawrence family had to make sure the land was used to grow crops and that enough farm workers were employed.

Governments at any level will not make things difficult for farmers as long as they can provide jobs.

Once the new land is cultivated and seeds are planted next year, in the fall you will be able to harvest countless material and political wealth, and then decide whether to continue expanding the farm.

Patricia, who was sitting at the girls' table, was not like Emily. She had noticed that at the men's table, Lance and William had become the focus of discussion.

Thinking of this, the smile on her face became warm, because she also felt that she was the core of these women.

The direct effects of power not only affect those who hold power, but their loved ones can also enjoy them!
After dinner, everyone said goodbye to each other and drove away. They basically all lived in Jingang City, and their home was actually within the city, not too far away.

"When you win the election, I'll give you a villa like this."

Sitting in the car, Lance talked about this with William while smoking.

Alcohol consumption causes some strange chemical reactions to nicotine, making the effects of nicotine more pronounced, but also making people more resistant to it.

To put it simply, the satisfaction brought by smoking will be more obvious, but the effect will last for a shorter time.

Because under the influence of alcohol, blood flow rate will increase and the metabolism rate will also be faster.

William said a few words before he left, saying that if he had a big house, he could invite everyone to his place to hold such a party next time. Lance could see that he was actually a little vain, and it was impossible for a person to be without vanity.

Barbara’s family has always been the one hosting these gatherings, and even if they are not the most senior in the family, they are still considered very high in people’s minds because they are always the “hosts.”

So when sitting in the car, Lance said this directly.

William also drank a lot of wine, and before he could react, Emily couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of villa?”

Lance took a puff of his cigarette and said, "It's even bigger than this one. It's in the Empire District. After William wins the election, he can live there at night."

William rubbed his temples, “Is it the villa of Qiaobafu?”

Lance nodded, and then William began to introduce Mr. Jobaff and his big house to Emily.

The development of cities has always been outward-looking. If anyone pays attention to this, they will find that some cities with faster development speeds have some obviously unreasonable villa complexes in the city center.

This kind of city is quite common in the Federation. Jingang City is one of them and it is developing very fast.

Decades ago, the Empire District was a suburb of the city, but now it is right next to the city center.

In the future it will inevitably become part of the city center, so there are also many villas in the Imperial District.

Mr. Jobaf's villa is the best one among them.

Listening to William's introduction, Emily felt full of energy!
"I hope you can win the election tomorrow!"

"This way, we can also host such a party as the host..."

Lance spent the night at Lawrence's house. The experience was naturally very comfortable. Patricia was a very obedient girl. When everything was over, Lance held her naked and slept with her all night.

In fact, it may not be that comfortable. After all, it is truly comfortable to sleep alone. It is a little difficult to pose for two people, and you always have to consider whether it will affect each other.

The next morning, Lance ate the breakfast Emily prepared before leaving.

Luca seemed to be very concerned about what Lance talked about with him and showed up at the company early in the morning.

At this time, Lance was already impatient to see Mr. Jobaf go bankrupt. Only if he went bankrupt could Lance quickly take over the building of his bank and transform it into the new company headquarters.

After Lance and Luca entered the room together, Lance had two cups of coffee brought in.

"Do you know the Liji Group?"

Luca nodded as he stirred his coffee. “I know them and have dealt with them before. I don’t like them.”

“The Liji Group is the greediest wild dog because we have our own supermarkets and shops and are not that dependent on them.”

“For example, some farms that mainly rely on the Liji Group’s underwriting have been completely eaten up by them!”

After working with them once, Lance knew that this company was not a good company.

As long as it is beneficial to them, they can use any means and do not care whether it is legal or not. Their main goal is to have no bottom line as long as the benefits are enough.

The Lawrence family was a large landowning class in Likalai State, and they must have been harassed by them.

In fact, most of the large landowners in the federation now have their own sales channels, and the ones who are really troubled by them are the small and medium-sized farmers.

There is no better way for them except to obey.

Lance gave Luca a cigarette. "There's something wrong between them and me. I've always wanted to teach them a lesson, but I've been very busy lately and haven't had the time."

"Since you know them well, you can set up a company and purchase goods in the same way as the supermarkets you have contacted before, and then ask them to deliver the goods at Jingang Wharf."

"Note that you need to fill in a large enough penalty."

Luca didn't expect that there would be such a big surprise waiting for him just after he "joined the job". He swallowed his saliva and asked, "How many years will I be in prison?"

"Why do you think so?" Lance asked with a smile.

Luca explained as if he was saying something that everyone knew, "That's the Liji Group. Everyone knows that they can spend a hundred dollars to save a dollar!"

"I don't know what you're going to do, but I'm going to be in trouble if they get angry!"

Lance smiled and soothed, "No one will go to jail for this. As long as you don't leave Jingang City or even Likalai State, I can guarantee your safety!"

(End of this chapter)