Shadow Empire

Chapter 878 Sincerity is a must-kill skill
In the brightly lit hall, ladies and gentlemen raised their glasses and craned their necks to look at Mayor Williams in the middle of the crowd and Joey Diaz beside him.

The newly appointed admiral of Jingang City.

Today is his last day in office, and as per custom, Mayor Williams invited him to attend today's welcome ceremony.

The dignitaries and celebrities of Golden Port City gathered together to show their welcome to Admiral Joey Diaz.

This is probably what it means that the military and the people are one family.

Of course, not everyone could come, so once again the people were represented without their knowledge.

Admiral Diaz is a man who looks to be in his fifties. He is thin but energetic, with slightly gray hair. He is wearing a neat military uniform and no hat.

Standing there gives people a very different feeling, a different feeling from the well-dressed gentlemen around.

He had a smile on his face, not the slightly contemptuous smile that Admiral Miles had shown when he came, but a very enthusiastic smile.

Just like he, the admiral, is fake, he is just an ordinary person.

Mayor Williams made some nice remarks, avoiding the question of why Admiral Miles was leaving and only talking about some good changes that would be brought about by the arrival of Admiral Diaz.

The applause and cheers from the people kept Admiral Diaz’s face full of smiles.

Mayor Williams turned and looked at Admiral Diaz, "Do you want to say a few words?"

Admiral Diaz met people's gazes, pondered for a moment, nodded, and then the crowd suddenly became quiet.

He was very tall, taller than most people, and he stood very straight, with a special aura. "I have always heard about Jingang City and how beautiful it is. This is my first time in Jingang City."

"I have felt the enthusiasm of the people here. I will take over Miles' job and protect all the beauty here!"

"During this process, we may have some contact. If I don't get something right, I hope you can be more patient and give our soldiers some patience too!"

“I hope to be good friends with everyone, and I hope you are willing to be my friend.”

He said with a smile, then looked towards Mayor Williams, which meant he was able to finish his speech.

Those who can appear in this conference room today have at least some status in Jingang City. They have participated in many such social occasions and know that this is the end of the story.

Immediately, people started clapping and cheering, very timely, as if they had rehearsed it many times!
Mayor Williams took two glasses of wine from the waiter and handed one to Admiral Diaz, who smiled and thanked him before taking the glass in his hand.

Mayor Williams raised his glass and said, “Cheers to our soldiers and heroes!”

Admiral Diaz glanced at Mayor Williams and raised his glass as well.

In fact, everyone knows what Mayor Williams said, but his expression is very clever. He does not appear to be flattering, nor does he make those in his party think he is a clown.

He also expressed his willingness and confidence in cooperating with Admiral Diaz, as well as his attitude.

After drinking this glass of wine, it will be free time.

Lance was standing not far away, still observing Admiral Diaz, who took the initiative to walk over.

When the others saw Admiral Diaz going to find Lance, they all stopped trying to get closer and moved away from the two of them, actively creating a "private" environment for them.

"Mr. White!" He called out Lance's last name with certainty, which showed that he had done his homework.

Lance's face was soon filled with a smile, "Call me Lance."

Admiral Diaz did not refuse, "You can also call me Joey. My friends call me that."

"Joy."

The two of them clinked their glasses, and that was enough to indicate they knew each other.

"I've heard about you from other people. Miles has talked about you too."

Lance raised an eyebrow, "I hope they said something nice."

Admiral Diaz showed himself to be a completely different general from Admiral Miles, he was easy going and he would laugh out loud instead of pretending to be serious.

"They say you are a 'magic boy' who can always solve many problems that others can't solve."

"The Department of Defense, the military, Congress, you are a very resourceful person, Lance." There was something hidden in his words, and he complimented Lance in a meaningful way.

The relationship between Admiral Diaz and Admiral Miles is okay. It cannot be said to be very good, but it is not bad either. After all, they are in the same "system" and there may be competition between them, but this kind of competition is definitely much better than the competition between the Navy and the Army.

It's a healthy competition, and Admiral Miles gave Admiral Diaz a piece of advice as he left.

Here, in addition to considering Mayor Williams' attitude, he also has to be careful of Lance.

Admiral Miles didn't know exactly what role Lance played in his downfall, but it certainly wasn't glamorous.

Admiral Diaz had no intention of avenging Admiral Miles for the time being. He just thought it was interesting that a gang leader could get involved with so many big shots.

With only the presidential palace missing, he has basically captured all the federal high-level officials. It is not clear whether he has any connection with the top leaders of the three parties.

A very magical person, so magical that even Admiral Diaz felt that Lance was a little unreal.

Lance thought for a few seconds and answered sincerely, "It is sincere... General Diaz."

"I have touched every one of my friends with my sincerity. I believe sincerity is the most powerful weapon. As long as you are sincere, others will return your sincerity in return!"

Admiral Diaz's smile became more obvious after hearing this, "Are we friends now?"

Lance clinked his glass with him again, "Isn't it?"

After the evening's social events, Admiral Diaz returned to the naval base.

Many workers are cleaning up the ground that was shattered by the shells. Looking at the traces on the ground, one can imagine how fierce the shelling was at that time.

The ground inside the military base is paved with concrete. There are also some underground facilities here, and the concrete on the ground is very thick.

It is difficult for naval guns to penetrate the ground at a small angle, so there are only shallow pits on the ground.

The workers cleaned out the remaining concrete fragments and dust in the pit, then sprinkled water on it, brushed it briefly with a brush, and then poured new concrete.

Damage to the main body of the building will definitely have a certain impact on the entire ground, but the impact will not be too great.

"Are these Lance's men?"

Admiral Diaz asked as he walked towards the villa where he lived.

The villa area is in the middle and rear part of the naval base. Although it was bombarded, the best ones were not hit.

The Dantra Joint Fleet's targets were mainly various ships docked at the port, including cargo ships at civilian ports.

After these large ships sink, the port cannot be put into use immediately even if it is repaired. Salvaging these sunken ships is not an easy task and can delay the time for the port to resume operations.

Apart from some taller buildings in the naval base which became the main targets of the shelling, the places where officers and commanders lived at the back were not included in the attack range.

The adjutant walking beside him nodded and said, "They are all Lance's people. The labor agency of Wanli Group is currently the largest labor dispatch company in Jingang City."

"The price is low, the construction period is fast, and the quality is good. You can't find anyone more suitable than them here."

Admiral Diaz nodded and quickly entered the villa.

The villa was also thoroughly cleaned and the furniture was replaced with new ones. It was obvious at a glance that no one had used it.

As the adjutant followed Admiral Diaz into the room, he took the initiative to explain, "The furniture that Admiral Miles used to live in has been packed up and sent to the warehouse. They said that these are all brand new furniture that has never been unpacked. They were only unpacked after they were moved in and placed."

"If there is something you don't like or are not satisfied with, they can come over anytime and anywhere and make furniture for you on the spot according to your requirements, or order furniture for you."

Admiral Diaz walked into the living room and patted the delicate leather back of the sofa. He could feel that the sofa was not cheap.

The decoration of the entire villa is very luxurious, and some people would believe that it is a house carefully decorated by a capitalist.

Admiral Diaz felt a little emotional at this time. He finally understood what Lance meant by "sincerity" and why Congress, especially the small group of Senator Cleveland, had such a good relationship with him.

He understood it so well! He walked around the room and came to the study.

The bookcases are also new, including the desks and chairs, which are all new.

He stood in the study and looked back at his adjutant with a confused expression on his face, because on his brand new desk, there was a box about one foot high and nearly four feet long.

The adjutant also saw it and was a little confused. "There was nothing here when I came here last time!"

As he spoke, he opened the holster of his gun and put his hand on the handle of the gun. He gestured to Admiral Diaz to stay away and walked to the side of the table.

There was a note on the box - From General Diaz, Sincerely, your friend Lance!
Of course he didn't really let the general come to open it, but he carefully pushed the box himself. It was very heavy.

But he felt that the box could be lifted, so he slowly grabbed both sides of the box and tried to lift it up.

When Admiral Diaz saw something, he suddenly spoke up, "Okay, I'll do it."

Because of the angle at which the adjutant was standing, he couldn't see what was underneath the lifted box, but Admiral Diaz behind him could see it.

The adjutant wanted to say something but was stopped.

Soon the box was opened, revealing its contents, a battleship.

To be more precise, it is a battleship made of gold and in service under the command of Admiral Diaz, the Liberty.

This was the first time that he viewed a battleship made of pure gold, which he was commanding, from a very strange perspective.

This made Admiral Diaz bend down and carefully observe everything on this golden battleship. It was exactly the same as the real one!
There are some sailors working on it, as if a moment was captured and then presented here in this way.

The silver base is inlaid with crushed sapphires, and the wave-shaped ones are not inlaid with white silver, as if it is really sailing in the sea!
This is simply a work of art!

Of course, he also saw some data on the base, such as the fact that this battleship used twenty kilograms of gold and five kilograms of silver, as well as thousands of tiny sapphires.

At this moment, Admiral Diaz had a deeper understanding of "sincerity".

The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He was a sailor himself, and the Liberty was his "vehicle". The more he looked at it, the more he felt that this gift touched his heart.

It has nothing to do with its value, gold, silver, gems or anything like that, I just simply like it!

After admiring it for a while, he said, "Is there a collection room or something like that here?"

The adjutant nodded, "Yes."

He nodded slightly. "Have someone put this thing in, put it in the middle, and give it some light. Don't damage it. Got it?"

The adjutant closed the box again and called someone over.

In fact, twenty-five kilograms is not a heavy weight. For some professional soldiers, they can carry it by themselves.

But picking it up and moving it away without harming it are two different things.

It would obviously be much easier for two people to hold up its base from both sides.

He sat on that particularly comfortable chair, patted the soft armrests, and looked at the brand new study. He was already very satisfied!
He briefly thought about calling Lance, but he quickly killed the idea.

If he called now, perhaps in the eyes of others, he would be someone who is easy to deal with. He couldn't let others think that he was easy to deal with, so he didn't call Lance for the time being.

He rested in the villa at night, and the high-quality mattress allowed him to spend the whole night comfortably.

The next morning, he got up and began to take over the work here. Admiral Miles had already left, taking only his men with him. The remaining soldiers were still here.

After this blow, it will not be easy for Admiral Miles to get back on his feet and regain his power.

It can be said that it is difficult.

For the Navy, Admiral Miles' "elimination" means one more fleet vacancy and a new admiral.

Not everyone in the navy is an admiral, nor is everyone the commander of a fleet. The loss of Admiral Miles is definitely a good thing, not a bad thing, for those interest groups that still have room for improvement.

Congress and the federal government will not allow Admiral Miles to be "reinstated" easily. At the same time, a new struggle may also form within the Navy. Therefore, if Admiral Miles wants to come back, he can only wait, and wait slowly.

Unless the severity of the war causes the Federation to lose more fleets, the federal government will consider re-employing Admiral Miles, who may bring some changes with his experience.

Admiral Miles' backbone had been removed, and the remaining ones were ordinary middle and lower-level soldiers and officers who had no direct interest in them.

They are actually very confused, but they don't need to care too much, because for people like them, the struggles and consciousness of the upper class are too far away from them.

All they have to do is continue to be absolutely obedient.

Obey the new officers, obey the new base commander.

In order to make sure that Admiral Miles did not leave him a mess, he began to check the financial situation of the base. He just took a rough look to see the total income and expenditure.

A special team will check the specific detailed accounts.

"What...is this?" he asked his adjutant, pointing to one of the major expenditure items.

His adjutant trotted over to take a look and was also confused - "Total expenses for physical therapy"

"I...I'm not sure either."

This is a large sum of money. Admiral Diaz frowned and said, "Then go find someone who knows. Judging from the amount here, there should be someone who knows."

Soon the adjutant called a second lieutenant over.

"Good morning, General!" The second lieutenant had never stood at attention so seriously before.

Admiral Diaz smiled only slightly, but it was enough. "Don't be nervous, Lieutenant. I noticed that among our base expenses, there is a thing called..."

He looked down at the file in his hand, "Physical counseling therapy."

"What is this?"

The lieutenant's expression changed slightly, and Admiral Diaz continued, "Whatever it is, it's from the past and has nothing to do with the present. You can speak out boldly."

The lieutenant's expression changed again and again, "General, it's... following the army..."

Admiral Diaz immediately understood that the Federation had abolished the military brothel camps long ago, but some things cannot be cut off just like that.

For the generals and senior officers at this time, if you want the young men to rush out of the trenches to die, can't you satisfy their desires before death?
We can't let a group of inexperienced boys leave this world like this, isn't that too cruel?
So even though the federal government abolished it a long time ago, this situation still exists.

It just changed from a formal organization to an informal organization.

Admiral Diaz took another look at the document in his hand that recorded the numbers, and couldn't help but smile and shook his head, "Who is in charge of these projects?"

The lieutenant still had a straight face, "It's Mr. Lance, General!"

"Mr. Lance?"

The lieutenant's expression changed slightly again, and he forced a smile awkwardly, "That's what they all call him."

Admiral Diaz did not continue to dwell on the issue of title. He could see that Lance still had some status in the minds of these soldiers.

Although he caused three soldiers to go directly to the front line in the last incident, his protection and generosity still made the soldiers like him very much.

“Are these girls local?”

"It's refugees, General!"

Diaz turned the page of the account book and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Lieutenant. I may need your help in the future. Please write down his name."

The last sentence was directed to the adjutant.

As long as they didn't use federal girls and the money was paid by Congress, he didn't really care.

Now the only thing he wanted to know was how much money Admiral Miles could get from this.

(End of this chapter)