Shadow Empire

Chapter 586: Prelude to War [666+28]
In the conference room of the presidential palace in Golden State, the President sat together with some senators.

In fact, the President doesn't like sitting with these people because he feels abandoned because of the last election.

If he hadn't finally come up with a solution to those problems, he might have retired by now.

He didn't like these senators who didn't support him, but he had to sit with them because the decision on whether to participate in the war would ultimately be made by Congress.

The President of the Federation has war privileges.

Many people believe that the president has the authority to declare war on a country or to enter a state of war in response to a country's declaration of war.

But it's not.

The federal president only has the right to take military action, and only for a short period of time.

Three months, or at most half a year. If the military operation cycle exceeds half a year, he must submit it to Congress for approval before it can be implemented.

He could not deal with the threat of declaration of war from the Military Alliance of the Republic of Dantra on his own. It had to be discussed in Congress, and then he, the nominal supreme ruler of the country, had to announce the result to the people.

It is precisely because he read it that the vast majority of people believe that the federal president has great power.

Senator Cleveland was here, too. Everyone here represented a political interest group, and the process of their discussion together was less like "cooking a pot of cream of mushroom soup" and more like a second-hand market in a poor and backward neighborhood.

People will argue for a long time for the slightest benefit.

"Gentlemen!"

"Tell us all!"

"We can't solve this problem by just sitting here and not talking."

"The envoy of Dantra (whose diplomatic level has been reduced after the last incident) is protesting. If we insist on stationing troops in Jingang City, they will directly sever diplomatic relations with us."

The Secretary of State sat next to the President, his expression serious as he looked at the faces of every gentleman at the table, "I believe you understand what this means."

Of course, everyone understands that the purpose of severing diplomatic relations is to declare war.

It's just that it can't be said so bluntly in diplomatic terms, as that would make a problem that could have been resolved peacefully become unsolvable due to some emotional issues.

It's like... one person takes something from another person.

The person whose things were taken away said: If you don’t return my things to me, I will do something to you!

If the person who took away someone else's things says at this time: How are you going to do it?

Then they may be able to continue communicating. As long as there is a channel for communication, the problem will eventually be solved.

But what if this person says at this time: Why don’t you just touch me?
Then the next step will definitely be upgrading and intensification!

They didn't say they were declaring war, but their meaning was implicit that they would not compromise, and this was the fundamental point.

Of course, this matter cannot be completely attributed to the Republic of Dantra. The city of Jingang is located in the southern coastal area of ​​the Federation and is not only the largest port in the northern hemisphere.

Going directly south from here is the coastal area of ​​the Dantra Republic. The federal government has been in close contact with another military alliance recently, and the two sides have negotiated a lot of cooperation, which makes the Dantra Republic feel nervous.

Now we have to station troops in this position again. What if they collude secretly, formulate some kind of strategic plan, and suddenly attack by land and sea? It will be difficult for them to deal with them.

From their own perspective and the interests of the country, no one has a problem.

It's just that now they have put forward their demands, and agreeing or not agreeing to them will bring serious consequences, and the President does not want to bear this responsibility himself.

It would be fine if a war broke out and they won, but what if they lost?
So he intends to let Congress decide by vote, minimizing his own responsibility.

Senator Cleveland's eyes fell on the Speaker and the Majority Leader, two big men who didn't seem to have the intention of setting the tone from the beginning.

His eyes moved around, and at this time the executive member of the Military Committee spoke up, "We are not afraid of any challenge. Our navy and army are ready to deal with various threats."

"I'm not saying I support us going to war, I'm just thinking about it from the perspective of 'who knows what if war breaks out.'"

"Whether it's offense or defense, we can assert our own interests!"

It seemed like he said it and didn't say it, but Senator Cleveland figured out something.

What he meant was not "we are not afraid of them", but "we can fight them".

The Armed Services Committee is a very important standing committee of the Senate. Its job is to coordinate issues between the federal military and the government, while taking into account the development of the military and the like.

Anyway, they have the right to intervene in anything related to the military, including military operations.

He didn't believe that an executive member of such an important committee would say such things at this time without the Speaker or the Majority Leader giving remote commands.

If the tone of Congress has been set, then all that remains is for everyone to add to it.

But he was not in a hurry to express his opinion. Politics is not about reckless behavior, but about taste! The executive member of the Congressional Budget Committee also took off his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "At present, our reserve funds are still sufficient, and the inventory of materials is also sufficient. We can ensure that we have enough funds and materials at any time and anywhere to protect our national interests."

Okay, I understand. Everyone understands.

My fists are ready, my wallets are ready, you might as well just say fuck it!
Senator Cleveland, as well as other senators around him and those who participated in the meeting, all felt a strong sense of mission and history.

They realized that they were pushing new history forward just as their ancestors had sat together and read the Declaration!
There was a smile on the President's face. During wartime, the president's power would be infinitely magnified, but he soon put away his smile.

The other senators also found out the decision of the bigwigs and expressed their support for the war.

Of course there were people who opposed it, but they were few and far between, and most of them seemed to be expressing that the federation was an open, free country that allowed anyone to have any opinion.

After another senator finished speaking, Senator Cleveland nodded. "The Republic of Dentra has repeatedly used threats and intimidation internationally to try to force us to make decisions that are not conducive to the direction of our current national development."

"It has already caused us to lose points internationally."

"We can back off once, that's humility."

"You can give in twice. That's love for peace."

"But if we give in a third time, it would only be weakness!"

His voice became louder. "The Federation is not a country of cowards. We have the courage and blood to sacrifice for the country. If they think that our policies are sending them a certain message, then we must declare war..."

He clenched his right hand into a fist and knocked it twice on the table. "Come on!"

The Speaker and the Majority Leader nodded slightly. Although they did not inform Senator Cleveland in advance, no one sitting here was a fool.

When the two key figures spoke one after another, they knew which way the wind was blowing.

Just like now, the "small Congress" has reached a consensus, so what remains is for Congress to formally vote and pass it, and then the president will announce the result.

After several others added some opinions, the Speaker spoke up, "War is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity."

"The federal economy has been in a very severe recession in recent years, and we are at a critical juncture."

"We recruited some experts to talk to us about depressions, which come and go every once in a while and are longer each time."

“This time we’re not sure how many years it will last, but it would be best to interrupt the process if we can.”

“War may be a direction.”

The Majority Leader nodded, "We need more territory, more resources, more people, and more wealth."

He paused for about two or three seconds and added, "For the people."

The Secretary of State said nothing this time, and the President knew it was his turn.

"I have always believed that military arrangements on our own territory are our country's internal affairs."

"They are trying to interfere in our country's internal affairs by means of threats and intimidation, which is unforgivable."

"Many people are watching us. If we show cowardice this time, the international situation we face will become worse and more severe."

“Since everyone agrees that we should not recuse ourselves, let Congress vote on it.”

"I will unconditionally support the decision of Congress!"

The Secretary of State then continued, “I will follow up on developments in this regard and will forward any news to you individually.”

What follows is a series of details, such as sending a large number of navy troops to the south and dealing with possible "attacks".

If the Dantra Republic really goes crazy and suddenly launches a surprise attack on the federal port, it will also be a huge loss!

They need to be prepared to respond. The core reason why Congress and senior officials support the war this time is that the internal conflicts caused by the Great Depression are escalating. People are going on strike and marching at every turn, and the middle class is beginning to be affected.

This is a very dangerous signal. Some experts believe that this time the Great Depression will be more severe and last longer than in previous years!
War is a good opportunity to change the fate of a country. Through war plunder, all benefits of resolving domestic conflicts can be obtained, while at the same time exerting pressure.

If the Republic of Dentra hadn't done this, they wouldn't really know what to do.

Joining the war rashly and proactively is not what the people of the Federation desire.

The last time the emperor of the empire threatened to start a war, their fierce protests showed that they did not like war.

If they initiate a war, they will lose the support of the people.

But passive...

(End of this chapter)