Shadow Empire

Chapter 924 Lessons
Lance hung up the phone and asked Andy to come over again.

As soon as he walked in, Lance said, "Pay them fifty bolt-action rifles first."

"Also give us 10,000 rounds of ammunition and some supporting equipment."

"I'm not very clear about the weapon belt and the like, but you should have some understanding of it."

"Get this done as soon as possible."

Andy didn't agree immediately. Lance looked up at him in surprise, only to see that Andy had a constipated expression on his face.

"You seem to have some different opinions on my decision?"

Lance's words were like a key that opened Andy's mouth.

"Mr. White, please forgive me for being blunt, but I don't think now is a good time to give them military equipment!"

Lance pointed to the chair across from him and asked him to sit down, "Tell me what you think."

He actually doesn't like this Andy, but since he was chosen, maybe he has some outstanding qualities?
Lance wasn't quite sure about this, but he was willing to learn more and hear what "brilliant ideas" Mr. Andy had to offer.

Andy thought for a while and said, "Mr. White, they are not cornered yet. This is different from our original plan."

"We are not in a dominant position in our relationship, and that is not consistent with the plan that Congress has set out."

"I think this is not a good time for us to support their military equipment. We can wait."

In the plan given to him by Congress, a concept was mentioned very broadly.

When these civil resistance groups have been forced by Diego's regime to the point where they have developed clear anti-government ideas but have no resources and can only flee everywhere, it will be a good time to further deepen bilateral relations.

Because they are in a desperate situation at this time, federal aid is particularly important to them. For this aid, they can agree to many conditions that they would not normally agree to.

For example, they could sign some contracts and clauses, promising to lease part of the territory to the federation for a long term if they were able to overthrow Diego's government, or to set aside a piece of land here to allow federal troops to be stationed.

Because as long as they are forced into a desperate situation, whether it is to survive or to overthrow Diego's regime, they are willing to pay any price!

In such a relationship, the Federation firmly holds a dominant position, and everything will be ultimately decided by the will of the Federation.

Andy looked at the entire plan and felt it was very reasonable and full of wisdom.

It will be of great help to them in controlling the Yalan region in the future.

But now that Lance has provided weapons to these people in advance, their "master-servant relationship" will become an "equal transaction" relationship. They pay something and then get some supplies from the Federation.

Even though the process is the same, the Federation delivers some sensitive materials to them, but the results are definitely different!
Andy's objection was not completely unreasonable. At least in his position, it was not completely unreasonable for him to deny Lance's request.

Lance nodded after listening to his statement. "You have some truth, but Andy, the development of this world is chaotic."

“You know a week in advance that you are coming to Lapa on a business trip, but something unexpected may happen in the middle, such as they have a new person, or you suddenly have something and can’t come.”

"The plan that Congress showed you is just an ideal scenario of what we can achieve."

"It's like I put my only chip on a certain number on the roulette wheel in a casino, and I predict that if I hit it, I will get a huge prize."

"But the steel ball may not fall into the space I want."

Lance paused. He pulled out his ivory cigarette case, took out a cigarette and lit it. "It's the same situation now. You have the workbook for the best development situation, but the situation here is different."

"Pedro is a middle school teacher. I know you and some people look down on him, thinking... he's just a high school teacher. What ability can he have?"

"But I want to remind you that this is Lapa, not the Federation. The difficulty of becoming a high school teacher here is equivalent to becoming a university professor in the Federation!"

"His learning ability, his ability to accept new things, his ability to distinguish and analyze, are all unmatched by those high school teachers in the Federation."

"You should have been able to tell that from the fact that he called me the first time!"

He used "should be able to", but the problem now is that Andy "can't", so this is a relatively mild "accusation", he is accusing Andy of not understanding the situation.

Andy had been listening, and at this moment he couldn't help but retort, "Mr. White, I don't think what you said has anything to do with what's happening now."

"He wants to get something from us, fine, but he should follow our rules."

"He wants an equal deal with us, which is not what we want. What we want is to make him bow his head clearly."

"I think we can delay it and make up some excuse, such as Lapa customs seized our container. He can't really go to customs to seek an explanation."

"For example, we need to discuss the pros and cons of doing this, which will take some time."

"The Diego regime is pushing very hard, and they will soon be unable to bear it. Then we will be able to take the initiative as planned."

Lance looked at Andy again and said, "Excuse me, what major did you graduate from?"

Speaking of this, Andy raised his chin slightly, "I graduated from Hellerston with a degree in sociology!"

Lance nodded. "I heard that Dog Heleston University is one of the alliance schools. Are you not a member of the Ark?"

This sentence made Andy's proud chin shrink a lot. He was not a member of the Ark, not even a reserve crew member, because he was not good enough.

Some of his classmates were formal crew members, but he could only learn some things about the Ark from other people's words during conversations.

He knew that this was a secret society covering the entire world. Starting a hundred years ago, various secret societies and secret parties had emerged all over the world, and people were proud to join these secret societies and secret parties.

He also wanted to join Ark, but he was not good enough. No one from Ark contacted him, and no one mentioned being an introducer for him.

"I... am not, but what does this have to do with what we are talking about?" After he admitted that he was not, his tone suddenly changed and became very stiff.

Lance smiled and said, "I'm just curious. If you were good enough, you wouldn't ask these questions."

"I don't know whose route you took to get here, but I hope you can understand one thing."

"You are here to work, not to decide what can and cannot be done!"

"Unfortunately, the report that Congress gave you that you praised was written by me. I now think that the problems we are facing do not fit my previous predictions about the situation, so I made some revisions. That's it."

"If you want me to give you more explanation, I don't mind wasting some time and explaining it to you."

"Do you want it?"

Lance's words made Andy's face turn red quickly. The report that he had always regarded as a work rule that could not be violated was actually written by the gang leader in front of him?

How can this be?

In an instant, some problems appeared in his mentality. He felt angry, terrified, aggrieved, and even felt that God was so fucking unfair!

Countless thoughts and emotions flashed and collided in his body like lightning, and his body trembled slightly.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly stood up and said expressionlessly, "I know what to do."

After saying that, he left Lance's room without looking back. He wanted to maintain his dignity as much as possible, but he had already lost his composure.

Lance watched him leave and thought that this man was a little fucking funny. He thought about it for a while and asked someone to call Albert over.

In this visiting group, Andy obviously respects Albert more, not only because Albert is still an "employee" of a government agency, but also because his political status and influence are obviously higher than his own.

"I just saw Andy, he seems to be in a bad mood!" Albert came in and greeted Lance and talked about this matter. They lived on the same floor. He was smoking in the corridor and saw Andy returning to his room in an obviously bad state. He realized that something must have happened.

Lance briefly explained the situation. Albert was stunned for a moment and then fell into deep thought.

"I didn't expect Congress would send someone like this. I will talk to the senators about this and ask them to replace him as soon as possible."

What they were doing was inherently dangerous, and a little... not very bright.

This kind of work should require unity between the top and the bottom. As a result, Andy directly opposed Lance's decision, which showed that he was no longer suitable for this job.

Transferring him or sending him back is obviously the best approach now.

Lance nodded, "Just make the arrangements as you see fit."

Albert asked curiously, "It's a bit presumptuous, but I also want to know why you made such a decision?"

The two looked at each other for a moment. Albert's eyes were calm, which was the way it should be. Lance didn't know whether he really didn't know or was pretending not to know.

But he didn't mind explaining it to Albert.

"The fact that Pedro took the initiative to contact us shows that he has actually seen through some of the connections between the famine and the unrest, and that we are the ones who are behind all this."

"We came, and then the disaster struck. Although saying this... makes me feel like I'm not a positive character."

Albert laughed twice. "The gentlemen in Congress will definitely not like this description!"

Lance was also laughing, "But they can see it, Pedro can see it, then can the people of the ruling class and the ruling group see it?"

"In fact, Lapa now is like the empire before. The nobles have begun to covet the royal rule and everything the emperor himself owns."

"So a group of lackeys who didn't even have the means of production quickly grew stronger, and even forced the emperor and his loyal soldiers to flee from the imperial capital in a panic."

"If these lackeys hadn't been so stupid and quarreled over who would preside over the surrender ceremony at the last minute, perhaps the political landscape of the empire would have changed dramatically!"

"It's the same situation in Lapa now. If Pedro can see it, there must be others who can see it too."

"If at this time, one of the minister's people contacted Pedro and said that he was willing to support them with weapons, supplies, and everything, and could also provide important intelligence."

"Albert, do you think he will turn to us again?"

"Do you think other ruling groups will follow suit immediately?"

"When this day comes and all this happens, what else do we have to do?"

"Compared to accepting assistance from us, the masterminds behind the scenes, and signing various unequal treaties with us, these traditional ruling forces are obviously more recognized and welcomed by them."

"So some of our strategies need to be modified in advance to cater to the changing situation."

"But Andy doesn't understand this. He lacks sufficient political wisdom!"

There was unconcealable shock in Albert's eyes when he looked at Lance!

In fact, he could not see as deeply as Lance imagined. He just felt that the situation was indeed at a turning point, so he was very careful and would not make any active intervention.

Now that Lance had explained the matter so thoroughly, he understood it all at once, and Lance even used the empire as an example!

Although the large-scale uprising that occurred in the empire has been almost suppressed, everyone still remembers it vividly!
He frowned. “I will report this to Congress and transfer him back.”

Lance knew this, and he didn't want to tell Congress again, so he told Albert directly. As for whether he had guessed or understood it before, he didn't care much.

"I'm worried that he might not obey my request, so keep an eye on him."

"This is related to the execution and outcome of our entire plan. No mistakes are allowed!"

Albert nodded and said, "I will personally monitor this matter."

Then he stood up and said goodbye, thinking about things while returning to the floor below.

Soon he came to Andy's door, knocked, and soon the door was opened.

Seeing that it was Albert, the leader, the indifference on Andy's face eased a little, "What's the matter?"

If it was before he was "educated" by Lance, he would definitely take the initiative to invite Albert in, but he was not in the mood now.

He was taught a lesson by a gang leader, and he felt that there was something wrong with his perception of the world.

Albert glanced inside and asked, "Are you alone?"

Andy nodded, "I don't do those things."

The visiting delegation certainly includes more than just the two of them. There are also some other members, experts, journalists, and people from all walks of life.

As for cultural exchange, even if it is fake, it has to be made to look real.

During this period, many members of the visiting group have begun to get used to the life here. They all found travel companions and traveled around during the day and stayed in their rooms at night.

Someone told Albert about this, and Albert scolded some people under his control, and the situation improved slightly.

But now these people are not doing these things in their own rooms, but instead start hanging out in Zhuolan's red light district.

Just like the red-light district that formed outside the Jingang Military Base, some red-light districts that were specifically used to entertain foreigners have gradually appeared around the Zhuolan Hotel.

Some young and beautiful girls take the initiative to do this job. They even think that accompanying foreigners is not a shameful behavior, but an honorable thing.

I made money and experienced the customs of foreigners. How many people would envy me!
Andy stood at the door and didn't invite him in. He wondered if Andy had also found a girl to come in. For the guests staying here, they only needed to pick up the phone in the room and tell the front desk, and a girl would come up soon.

Albert's action made Andy realize something, and he immediately made room at the door. "Please come in. It's a bit messy, and I haven't cleaned it up yet."

After entering the room, the two sat down separately. The room was actually not messy. Andy's remarks were just a supplement or explanation for why he did not let Albert in immediately.

"I just went to Lance's place, and he told me something about you."

"We haven't had a serious talk since we got here, Andy."

His words made Andy a little nervous. The International Economic Cooperation Agency is a department directly under Congress. In other words, as an important member, Albert is directly responsible to the senators of Congress.

He can talk directly to senators. Maybe he himself is not a very high-ranking politician, but his influence is obviously much greater than his position.

Sidney, the former mayor of Jingang City, lost the struggle with the local interest groups in Jingang City because of his grassroots background and lack of connections in Congress.

So the moment the Senator showed up, all his plans failed!
For a grassroots political participant like Andy, the senator is very far away, and even if he sees him, the senator may not talk to him.

But Albert was real and could influence those people. He immediately straightened his back nervously and sat there obediently like a Boy Scout.

"I... am just worried that this will disrupt the Congress's plan...", he explained subconsciously, but then he remembered that the plan was written by Lance, and his expression changed slightly again.

Albert stared at him for a few seconds and said, "Andy, you are not the creator of this plan, nor are you the leader. You are just a follower and executor at the bottom."

"Tools don't need to have their own thoughts. You can question them, but you must keep your opinions to yourself and not affect the work."

"Honestly, I'm considering whether to apply to transfer you back. I think you've become a threat to our job security!"

Hearing these words, Andy's face turned pale!
(End of this chapter)