Shadow Empire

Chapter 623: Ways to Make Friends and Recruit Soldiers

"Reporters from the Federal Daily want to come over for an interview, but these..." Major General Bruni looked at a worker who suddenly fell down in the crowd. The people around him lifted his arms and feet and threw him into the shade and went back to work. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

Lance seemed calm. "Their country is suffering from war and invasion, and their compatriots are being slaughtered."

"The Federation is a country with international responsibilities. We will be the first line of resistance, opposition, and even counterattack against the Dantra Military Alliance."

"This is what they should do, both for the sake of human civilization and for themselves."

"Help us build the Federation, and then counterattack Dantra."

He paused for a moment, "I will arrange for someone to be interviewed. If you have anything you want them to say, you can tell me in advance."

Major General Bruni nodded, "I understand."

Lance took him to visit some underground fortifications and the coastal defense artillery cluster that was under construction.

There are no obvious bay or strait structures near or even around Jingang City, so the role of coastal defense artillery is basically non-existent.

If the commander of the Dantra Navy was not obsessive-compulsive and insisted on landing under the bombardment of coastal defense artillery, they could have moved a hundred kilometers to the left or right to land.

There is no point in building these coastal defense guns, and they have no military value at all!
But the construction of these coastal defense guns is also a huge project.

Lance joked, "Major General, do you think these things are of any value when we need to rely on them to defend against the attack of their warships?"

Major General Bruni is a standard civilian general, but he is also a graduate of a well-known military academy, and he knows what Lance meant.

When the federal navy had been destroyed and could only rely on coastal defense artillery to protect the security of the country, they had actually lost, and lost completely.

"You're a smart man, Lance, but not all of us are smart."

"Politicians and ordinary citizens who don't know these things don't understand that the value of this thing is just to give us more time to escape."

"They believe these shore guns can protect them, and those reporters also want to see the powerful gun barrels."

This is actually a face-saving project. Some senators and the Department of Defense all need this.

The group took a tour of the construction site. Overall, Major General Bruni was very satisfied. Everything was completed quickly and well, just as Lance had promised.

And this mainly depends on cheap labor.

The money used to hire one federal worker could hire more refugee workers, and when there was no need to build complex structures, just leveling the ground and pouring concrete, having more people was definitely an advantage.

After returning to the hotel, Lance asked the mayor's secretary to leave first. Major General Bruni did not ask him to stay. He knew that the rest of the matter had nothing to do with him.

So he immediately stood up and said goodbye.

When he returned to the villa, the mayor was not surprised that he came back so early, but asked with some interest about what happened today.

He explained everything in detail. "I think Lance and this major general of the Ministry of Defense knew each other before, and they have a close relationship. It doesn't seem like a simple official business."

The mayor was somewhat amazed and a little emotional. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Lance is an amazing guy. I can't see him clearly anymore."

"A city gang leader and a major general in the Ministry of Defense, this is not a relationship they would have the opportunity to have."

"He's developing too fast..." He was silent for a while, "You can build a good relationship with him. It's not shameful to wait for an opportunity (lying dormant) politically for a while."

"On the contrary, if waiting for an opportunity can bring you more advantages, you can completely use him as someone you can rely on in the early and mid-term."

The mayor already had a very high opinion of Lance, and he was also very clear that the reason he lost was because he lacked high-end support.

If he had senators willing to support him at that time, he might not have lost to local forces. But the situation is different now.

Since he has this shortcoming in his political career, his secretary must have the same shortcoming as well. This is also the most common problem encountered by grassroots political forces when they are "pioneering".

They cannot reach high-level politicians. If they rely solely on their own accumulation, it will take at least several generations of efforts to reach the middle level of politics.

At this time, they need someone to rely on.

Lance is a good choice, he has people in Congress and he is capable himself, which is a good thing.

After the mayor's job adjustment, he will soon go to the second or even third line job and will not be in charge of any department or job with actual power. His political life is equivalent to ending at this moment, and he will not be able to provide any assistance to his secretary.

If the secretary wants to go further, he must have someone to help him.

Given the level they currently have access to, Lance has become the best choice.

The secretary nodded, "I understand."

The two stopped discussing this topic and instead talked about some arrangements for the mayor after his retirement.

At the same time, the secretary also had a little doubt in his mind. What would Major General Lance and Bruni do after he left?
What will they do?
Of course, do something that is inconvenient for others to be present.

"Here is four million..." Lance gave a bank account number and password to Major General Bruni. "This is the first batch of funds. We will have the second batch soon, at least this amount."

Major General Bruni put away the card with the account number and password. He nodded slightly and said, "But the quality of the project cannot be compromised. This is the bottom line."

Lance used a large number of refugees, but the Department of Defense calculated the cost based on federal workers.

The cost is very reasonable. For example, based on the current average federal wage for one worker, the cost is about forty-eight dollars.

Taking into account that this is heavy physical labor and requires better nutritional supplements, etc., a food allowance of about fifteen yuan was added.

Now is the hottest season of the year, and they may face heat stroke, overexposure and other medical needs, so they are given a medical subsidy of ten yuan.

Construction workers are more likely to encounter danger than workers in other industries, so each person has to pay two dollars of commercial insurance premium every month.

After all the rough calculations, all the expenses per person per month are about 90 yuan.

No wonder everyone says that the Federation is a civilized and developed country, but their civilization and development are often concentrated in writing.

Forty thousand people, ninety dollars per person, that's three million six hundred thousand dollars a month in workers' expenses, but in reality these refugees can only take about fifteen dollars a month from Lance.

The cost of hiring one local worker can hire six refugee workers. If 40,000 people die, three million can be saved every month just for this part of the cost.

Four months of construction and twelve million dollars.

Of course, Lance must have made some money from it, plus some unexpected expenses, the kickbacks to the workers were about nine million.

A very suitable number, and one that Lance can manipulate directly.

Lance said as he took out another small card and handed it over. There was still an account and password on it.

Major General Bruni looked at him in confusion. He smiled and explained, "This is something I gave to you personally."

"Your Excellency, there will be many opportunities for us to meet. You will gradually get to know me. I am a very generous person and I like making friends."

"You gave me such an opportunity to make money, so I must repay your kindness." He leaned slightly, moved closer, and lowered his voice. "Personal matters."

He swung his body back and said, "I have always believed that if you do something good for your friends, you must get something in return."

"If you help me this time and I don't know how to be grateful or repay you, next time you encounter something like this, maybe you won't take the initiative to interfere with the outcome."

"There is a saying in my hometown, 'If someone helps you, in addition to being grateful, you also have to repay them.'"

The meaning between the lines of what Lance said was to tell Major General Bruni that if he had similar needs in the future and could use him, he could come to him.

In addition to the official part, there is also a personal thank you.

Major General Bruni thought for a while and then smiled. "Call me Bruni. The title of Major General sounds too unfamiliar."

He glanced at the small card on the table and pursed his lips, as if he was looking at something quite interesting that attracted his attention. He picked it up and put it in his pocket, "Then I'll take it."

Lance nodded, "Of course!" The two smiled at each other and suddenly felt that their relationship had become closer. It was not just because of Senator Cleveland as a connection, but the point-to-point relationship between them had become much closer.

The great power of wealth was fully demonstrated at this moment. Before this, he had never corrected Lance and accepted the honorific title of "Major General" which implied a high status.

But at this moment, they became friends.

After this little plot ended, Lance mentioned a small request of his at the right time. As soon as he opened his mouth, Major General Bruni looked at him with his head slightly tilted.

He pretended to be stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Bruni..."

Major General Bruni nodded, "Yes, that's it."

"Okay!" Lance kept his smile, "There's something I might need your help with."

Making demands right after paying is actually a good thing for federal politicians - civilian generals are also politicians.

If you don't let them do something, they will feel uneasy because they will doubt the money or whether there is some deeper problem behind the deal.

But if you ask them to do something, they will understand that it is a transaction of money and power, and it will become simpler.

Major General Bruni smiled and nodded, "Tell me about it."

"The Coast Guard is managed by the Department of Defense, right?"

Major General Bruni nodded again, "Yes, we are in charge, what's the matter?"

The Coast Guard has a special department in the Ministry of National Defense called the "Coast Guard Command." What is surprising is that the current "Commander-in-Chief" in charge of this part is an admiral, who is of course a civilian, but a part-time position.

In fact, the specific work is still the responsibility of the brigadier general of the headquarters.

And the positions of the entire Coast Guard are also linked to military ranks.

"I have a friend who is now the captain of a small team locally. He is very responsible and accountable at work."

"We have talked about this many times. I think he should be given more responsibility, but I don't know who to contact for this matter..."

Major General Bruni smiled after hearing this. This is so damn easy!

"I'll make a call."

"Please."

Show your favors openly; no one is a fool.

Major General Bruni did not avoid Lance and directly called Jinzhou in the living room. After talking for a few words, he covered the microphone and asked, "What's your friend's name?"

Lance immediately replied, "McCork."

He turned around and continued to say something, also mentioning the name.

A few minutes later he came back and sat down, smiling and said, "I don't know how high your friend's military rank is, but no matter what, he will become deputy captain next week. Are you satisfied with this result?"

"If you want him to take full charge of policing this coastal section of Jingang City, he must be promoted to the rank of major."

Lance really didn't know about this, but he was already very satisfied to have a deputy captain.

As for the captain, he is more responsible for administrative work, that is, arranging what they should do every day, how to do it, and who should do it.

The people who are truly responsible for carrying out these tasks are the deputy captain and others.

Moreover, with the identity of deputy captain, it would be a piece of cake to continue to win over and corrupt the captain.

"Very satisfied, Bruni, I really don't know how to thank you..." He paused, "I have a few bottles of good wine over there, I'll bring them over for you to taste later..."

It would be too "vulgar" to talk about money at this time, so Lance found a different way to thank him.

Major General Bruni also liked Lance's excitement and his generosity.

He thought about it for a moment and said, "The admiral in charge of this area will come here before the end of the year. We can chat together then. Remember to make the arrangements."

Lance nodded vigorously, "I promise to arrange it very well."

Major General Bruni took the initiative to bring up this matter in order to please both sides. After the garrison arrives here, there will be more contact with the locals anyway.

Friction is inevitable in contact, so there needs to be a character who can solve these problems. Lance is a good candidate.

He introduced local problem solvers to the admiral, demonstrating his control over the situation while also showing Lance his value and ability.

To make friends, you either need ability or money.

If you have neither ability nor money, you cannot be friends!
The news of Major General Bruni's arrival in Hong Kong quickly spread in Jingang City. It was no secret that civilian generals were equivalent to politicians. The idea that they were just "politicians in military uniforms" was deeply rooted in people's minds.

When the Ministry of National Defense and the Major General are combined, people will take them seriously.

Congressman Williams held a welcoming ceremony. As a member of Senator Cleveland's circle, Major General Bruni must have given him some face.

Plus, Councilman Williams would soon become mayor, so he gladly accepted the invitation.

The issue that people talked about most at the banquet was the issue of garrison.

Many of them were worried that the garrison would have conflicts with the local people. Once conflicts arose, many things would become difficult to control during the war.

Most of the people who can come here have their interests centered around Jingang City, and they don't want to see any problems in Jingang City more than anyone else.

This kind of worry is inevitable. The military is a super monster. Many times it is suppressed by the federal government. But once it is released from the cage with the coming of war, some things will be hard to say.

In this regard, Major General Bruni could only try his best to calm these people down, and this was also part of his job.

It was his arrival that made people smell the approaching war.

Major General Bruni stayed in Jingang City for about a week. He was supposed to leave in three to five days, but Lance asked him to do something, and he had to see the result before leaving. This also shows that he is a responsible person.

Only after McCock's order was sent to Golden Harbor City did he say goodbye to Lance, who also gave him a box of wine.

The things are not expensive, only a few thousand dollars in total, but it's a token of my appreciation.

McCock's promotion once again allowed the interest network centered on Lance to see Lance's "strength". The Coast Guard is called the "Coast Police", but in fact they are a real military organization. To be able to insert their hands into the military, it can only be said that they have some things.

The more Lance has, the more enthusiastic the people around him become. Everyone hopes that they can become the next McCock and reach the pinnacle of life through Lance.

After Major General Bruni left, Lance put the matter of winning over these powerful departments on the agenda again, and he handed over the court and the judge to lawyer Robben.

Lawyer Robben has some connections in the Ministry of Justice and a certain amount of standing in the local judicial system. Plus, he is also considered to be within this system, so these things are very simple to do.

Because of Attorney General Terry, local prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office also met with Lance privately.

At the beginning, they didn't talk about anything too in-depth, but they left a little impression on each other and will continue to follow up later.

Everything is moving in a good direction.

In mid-to-late September, "recruitment advertisements" suddenly began to appear everywhere on the streets of the federation. Both the army and navy needed to recruit soldiers, but did not mention the specific number of recruits.

Among these conscription policies, there is one very special one.

That is, non-citizens who do not have federal legal status but are currently temporarily residing in the federation can obtain federal citizenship by joining the military.

At one time, a large number of refugees and illegal immigrants began to actively sign up for military service to obtain this legal status...

(End of this chapter)