Shadow Empire

Chapter 703: Federal people must have a sense of responsibility towards the country
Anyone who wants to see the senators must go through security.

What Lance did last night was not mysterious, and he had no intention of hiding it. Many people knew that "Senator Cleveland's young friend has a bad temper," so when he entered the manor today, he had this procedure in place.

To prevent him from carrying weapons and also to prevent him from having a sudden temper.

The security guard standing in front of him had a slightly apologetic smile on his face, "Mr. Lance, just a routine matter."

Lance raised the corner of his mouth slightly, then raised his hands. The security guard said "thank you for your cooperation" and quickly checked Lance's body. He did not find any weapons, so the small tray was naturally of no use.

"Come in, Mr. Lance!" The two security guards made way for the entrance to the house. Lance nodded and walked in.

During the short time the body search took, Senator Cleveland went to the living room to chat with his colleagues, leaving Tom here waiting for Lance.

Seeing Lance coming over, Tom patted his arm and said, "Don't take it to heart. All strangers have to go through this process."

To a certain extent, it does seem a bit targeted that people are searched when entering a house, but other people don't have to be searched.

But Lance didn't feel that this was unbearable. Instead, he smiled and said, "This shows that the warning last night was meaningful."

Tom was stunned for a moment before he realized what Lance said. He shook his head and walked inside. "You always give me angles that I can't imagine."

Who would have thought he could explain it this way, but it does work.

He didn't think this was just Lance's way of comforting himself; this was his true attitude.

"You don't need to be too nervous. They have a good relationship with the senators. Everything should be done at your own pace."

"If they ask you any questions, you just need to answer them seriously and don't worry about anything else."

"There is such a huge market behind this, they will definitely agree."

Lance glanced at Tom and nodded, "I see."

Everyone, every politician, treats politics as a business.

They always say that they should be wary of the erosion of capital, but they themselves are capital.

Political capitalist.

In a more luxurious room, the gentlemen sat together, laughing and chatting. There were only single sofas here, and no seats where several people could squeeze together.

Gentlemen always keep a certain distance, no one likes to be crowded with others.

The sofas were placed in a staggered manner, and there was a separate sofa reserved for Lance.

You can see they could add more sofas to the room, but there's no need for that now.

There was a small low table next to where he was sitting, on which was placed a cup of black tea and some cakes.

Seeing Lance come in, Senator Cleveland pointed to that spot and said, "Sit down and talk."

Lance walked to the sofa calmly and sat down with a smile on his face.

This is the good thing about being handsome. Even though people know that he is the leader of a gang, they are not so "stereotypical" about him at this moment.

It's like there's a feeling of "you don't look like a bad person", and we can still talk and laugh.

"Lance mentioned this plan to me before. I think it is very meaningful. It will help our soldiers on the front line to calm down as soon as possible and devote themselves to the war."

He glanced at Lance. "Tell the senators what you think."

Lance nodded slightly. Senator Cleveland had talked to him on the way here and told him not to talk about money.

In other words, the issue of money should not have been discussed by Lance, but he himself had the final talk with the senators behind closed doors.

After all, as the rulers of the federation, even if they are almost unable to sleep because of their coveted wealth, they cannot express it directly.

They are the ruling class, they have to have their own style. They can't be like those capitalists they have always criticized who can't move when they see money, right?
Lance had already organized his words when he came, so he didn't need to wait or think about how to say it, he just blurted it out.

"Good morning, gentlemen."

“I am honored to share my thoughts with you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

He paused, but not for too long, maybe two or three seconds, and then started talking.

"This is the first time that the Federation has participated in a world war of this scale. I used the term 'world war'. It is pushing the friction between several countries on the Tanfit Continent to a major event that will ultimately affect the world situation."

"The Federation is a very important party in this important event that will change the future of the world. Our participation will determine the direction of future world development and change!"

As soon as Lance came on stage, he started his epic narration, and the senators quickly got into the mood.

Some people even looked at Lance with something not quite right in their eyes. They looked at Lance, then at Senator Cleveland, and always felt that what Lance said... did not sound like something a gang leader would say.

This obviously requires a very broad vision and height. The homeless people on the street can also say a few words about this war, but the few words they say cannot be said to be worthless. They can only be said to be nonsense and garbage.

But Lance's words didn't seem to be anything special, but he raised several key points.

The first is "world war", which people do not have a concept of yet.

Secondly, he mentioned that this war will determine the future world pattern, as well as the status and role that the Federation needs to assume in this huge change!

This fits perfectly with some of the core discussions that Congress has been having, and they share this perception and this idea, but they use terms like "mega-war" and less concise language.

Lance's words were too concise, yet they contained all the necessary elements, so they had reason to suspect that this might not be Lance's own idea, but something Senator Cleveland said through his mouth.

Could this young man be the illegitimate son of Senator Cleveland?
Wasn’t this old man this handsome when he was young?
Faced with these slightly inquiring looks, Lance acted as if he didn't notice.

"The situation on the Tanfit continent should be different from ours, whether it's the climate or other conditions. In addition, we are unfamiliar with this kind of large-scale war, so the soldiers will be very nervous."

"I checked some information and I noticed that we would give some cigarettes to the soldiers. Tobacco is indeed a good thing. Nicotine can make the soldiers calm down a little."

"But this alone is not enough!"

He pulled out a box of inspected cigarettes, "Gentlemen, mind if I have one?"

The senators all shook their heads. They were all heavy smokers. Lance lit up a cigarette himself.

There is no habit of distributing cigarettes to others in the Federation. Most of the time, people smoke their own cigarettes because of taste, habit, and some psychological reasons.

The moment the smell of Lance's cigarette wafted up, the senators couldn't help themselves and they all took out cigarettes.

A man who should be the owner's staff or someone else walked to the window and opened it slightly to allow air to exchange.

Lance took a deep drag on the cigarette and blew it downwards.

The abnormal exhalation of smoke is to avoid being considered as intentionally offending by some people. After all, exhaling smoke towards others is offensive and provocative.

"War is very cruel. Soldiers face tremendous mental pressure every day on the battlefield!"

"They will find that their comrades who joined the army with them have returned to God's arms just because they raised their heads and took a look, and those shells that may fall on their heads at any time are whistling over the battlefield."

"The enemy launches attacks at any time, and even launches heroic charges when faced with almost certain death!"

"Everyone is under tremendous mental pressure all the time. If we don't give them some relief, it will break one day!"

The other senators nodded solemnly, because Lance did mention some key issues. Apart from the civil war, the Federation has not launched any large-scale foreign wars so far.

What is civil war?
The massacres of the natives, the massacres of the slaves, and the wars between the Unionists who were willing to massacre the slaves and those who were not.

They always go into the competition as champions before the competition even starts, so it’s very relaxed and not nervous.

But this time it’s different. It’s really a question whether the young men can withstand the tremendous pressure on the battlefield.

Once deserters appear, it is likely to trigger a larger-scale escape, which will be a heavy blow to the Federation’s international image and morale on the battlefield!

A senator looked at Lance, and although he guessed that these were Senator Cleveland's original words, he still wanted to ask a question.

"So how are you going to solve this?"

"Several methods!"

"First, we have local ... internationalist ladies in the rear who provide a way for our soldiers to relax."

"Second, add more chaplains to accompany the troops and have them tell them that this is a just and holy war. If they accidentally encounter an accident on the battlefield, they will surely enter heaven and enjoy happiness and well-being."

"Third, we provide something that can help them relieve their emotions on the battlefield, such as alcoholic beverages, sedatives or painkillers in doses that do not affect their rationality and behavioral abilities."

The senators around were lost in thought. Everyone knew that alcohol was a relaxing thing. No matter if it was after get off work or something happy or sad happened, a drink would make people relax.

But drinking on a battlefield... is it appropriate?

The senator who asked the question asked, "If they get drunk on the battlefield, won't it make the situation worse?"

"I think the first two methods are very suitable and can be implemented. It just so happens that Slade's ambassador will come to discuss things in the next two days."

The others also nodded. The first one was a matter of course. The federal soldiers left their hometowns that were not affected by the war and went to a foreign country to fight for them. What's wrong with needing to solve some small problems?
It is not a problem to let priests accompany the army. The local patriarchs will definitely like this proposal. This is a good opportunity for them to continue to expand their influence. Regardless of whether the underground priests are happy or not, God will definitely be happy.

As for drinking, they are still a little worried.

Lance shook his head. "Instead of giving them a whole bottle at once, we can give them two ounces every three days."

"Two ounces, gentlemen. It won't affect the soldiers' performance or give them a hangover."

"But even just two ounces can effectively alleviate the soldiers' poor mental condition."

Lance looked at the guy who had just opened the window, "Sir, can you pour me a two-ounce glass of whiskey?"

"No ice, thank you!"

One of the senators nodded slightly, and soon the man poured a two-ounce glass of whiskey into the square cup with a measuring cup in front of all the gentlemen.

Looking at the thin layer of whiskey, the senators all showed relaxed smiles on their faces.

One of them even laughed and said, "I can drink ten glasses of this wine!"

He is bragging!
Lance immediately made a judgment. Two ounces is approximately equal to 55 milliliters. It does not seem like much, but ten cups is more than one kilogram. Even if the alcohol content is not high, ordinary people will get drunk unless they are very good drinkers.

But two ounces really isn't much.

"If the soldiers just have one bite every day, there won't be any problem!"

"In addition, we can propose the possibility of managing alcoholic soldiers in the supervision team, not giving them the opportunity to get drunk, and not allowing soldiers to give their alcohol to others at will."

Lance made some constructive suggestions, and the senators thought they were good ideas.

A young man who is well-spoken, knowledgeable and handsome always makes people curious.

Soon their topic shifted from this matter to other issues.

"Lance, where do you think this war will go in the future?"

A senator asked this question, which was not really a question, he just said it casually.

This question is like those kind-hearted men who are willing to help girls in need, after giving them some protein, casually ask "How did you think of doing this?" while pulling up their pants!
He didn't really want to get some answers to this question and the follow-up from the girls who had just received protein help. He just said it out of boredom.

It has the same status as that cigarette.

But this question depends on who asks it. An ordinary person, Lance, may not mention his own thoughts, but here, around, there are big shots!

He understands the importance of opportunity.

If you can't give them a slap in the face to make them remember you, then the best way is to say something that makes them think deeply and keep it in mind.

Then when one day they need someone similar to you, they will think of you!
Lance smiled and replied, "The Federation will become the center of the world."

Several senators smiled and laughed out loud. One of them even said, "You are exaggerating more than the President!"

"He just thinks we will become an important part of the world, and you say we are the center of the world?"

This is essentially the second question.

Lance nodded, "Yes, because we have a great advantage."

At this point, both the kind-hearted man who was pulling up his pants and the senators who asked casually began to become serious.

"What do you think!"

Lance pursed his lips and said, "The Federation has the most advanced industry and science and technology in the world. Our industrial potential is greater than theirs."

"Besides, we are not on the same continent as them. In other words, war will only make our industry stronger and more mature, but it will not destroy our industrial base."

"But they are different."

"We can appropriately...control the direction of the war, destroy their industrial cities, and make it take them a long time to rebuild after the war ends."

"Then we can use our mature and developed industrial advantages to dump our goods into their countries."

"Let their governments and businessmen become more dependent on us for industrial development!"

"While we are running, others are still trying to relearn how to walk. We will surely become the leaders of the world!"

The senators were all considering the possibilities that Lance had mentioned. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that they could proceed with this idea. Fighting in someone else's home, no matter how intense the fight, would not be the ones who suffered the losses.

As for people?
The Federation is a country where immigrants live together. There is no so-called nationality here, only race. Whoever comes here is a citizen of the Federation!

This is also an advantage of an immigrant country. With mixed nationalities and cultures, new immigrants can quickly integrate as long as the rulers make certain concessions.

It is indeed a pity that some young children died, but this does not mean that the Federation will lack young and middle-aged people. They only need to open up the door to immigration, and countless immigrants are waiting to become glorious federal citizens!

This question did not have a standard answer; it was just a casual question. At this point, they realized that the previous questions and answers might not have come from Senator Cleveland.

They finally showed some interest in Lance, and one senator asked, "Will this cause some problems, like they plan to unite against us?"

Lance shook his head. "It's unlikely. Even if they can put aside the hatred of genocide that has lasted for thousands of years and unite, they will not be our opponent."

"The Eastern Ocean is our best line of defense. As long as we develop our navy well, they won't even be able to reach the Federation's beaches and will sink in the Eastern Ocean!"

(End of this chapter)