Shadow Empire

Chapter 1017 Similarities and Signatures

The following morning, Senator Cleveland arrived at his office and quickly convened a meeting with a core group of senators.

I've been spending almost every day in meetings lately, because it's almost the end of the year.

Businesses get very busy towards the end of the year, with many accounts to sort out and shareholders needing to know how much money they've made and how much they can make next year.

Of course, they also need to erase some potentially negative traces, such as bad debts and financial statements that cannot be made public.

The same applies to government departments. The federal government is like a super-huge conglomerate, and each department is a subsidiary of it.

The Presidential Palace, Congress, and the Ministry of Defense are all its subsidiaries.

The people are nominally the largest shareholder of the federal enterprise, and that is indeed the case.

If the distribution of shares is determined according to the weight of votes, then the ordinary people who make up 99 percent of the country hold 99.9 percent of the votes.

Therefore, the senior executives of these subsidiaries, much like the board of directors and management of those companies, want to retain profits, so they have to produce a financial report that looks good but is ultimately unprofitable.

“We earned one million last year, but invested one million and five hundred thousand in a new project, so our actual income was negative fifty thousand, and we will not be distributing any money this year.”

You said you didn't make any money?

On paper, we're still making a profit, and quite a lot of it. But we have to invest in new projects, so the idea of ​​splitting the profits this year is off the table.

But what if you say you made money?

How come the shareholders don't get a single penny out of such a large company and such a huge year-end profit?

Oh, wait a minute!

They did receive a share, but this share was different from what the shareholders imagined, because their salaries increased.

The president will summarize and announce some of the social changes in a public speech in the middle of the year, much like a mid-year shareholders' meeting.

He would tell these "national shareholders" that although they didn't receive a single penny from the federal profits, their income had clearly increased.

Two years ago, when the economy was recovering, the per capita income was only 47 or 48 yuan. This year, it has risen to 60 yuan, an increase of nearly 20%. This income increase has spread to the entire population. Can you say that you have not received any money?
Who can honestly say that they didn't benefit from the company's (or the country's) operations over the past year?

Shareholders are easily misled by the company's board of directors and CEO, since they are not actually involved in these matters themselves.

Just as people are easily deceived by their rulers, they also do not know where power is actually being used, or whether the social benefits should be reflected in changes in the ratio of labor to wealth.

Many people simply shout "Long live the Federal Government" because their income has indeed increased, and some people in society even refer to them as "vested interest groups during the era of economic dividends."

To put it bluntly, you've already benefited from the changes of the times, so why are you still causing trouble?

The shareholders thought about it and realized that was indeed the case. Just as people were certain that their income had indeed increased, everything remained calm.

They never seriously consider why they never receive dividends from their shares each year, and why they feel so satisfied every year.
Senators from Cleveland currently hold significant influence on the board of directors of "Congress," a subsidiary of the company. To ensure that the company's president, "Mr. President," performs well at the year-end shareholders' meeting, they frequently hold meetings to hide anything that might affect shareholder sentiment.

They also discussed how to divide the profits and what to do next year.

As soon as Senator Cleveland convened the meeting, his private conference room was filled with people, all of whom were core members of his political interest group.

Some people were unable to attend due to their own commitments or work, and Senator Cleveland explained the content of the meeting to them.

If they are interested, or if the content of the meeting is related to their own interests, they will arrange for a representative to attend.

If not, they don't care that much.

Once most of the people had arrived, the door to the small conference room was closed, and power seemed to materialize at that moment.

It's located in this small room, right in the middle of the room!

“Lance called me last night,” Senator Cleveland said, pulling a cigarette from his pack.

The senator next to him casually took out a lighter and lit it for him. He said thank you, then looked up at the gentlemen around the conference table. "He talked to me about President Diego of Rapa, who applied for a loan of one hundred million from the federal government."

"He intends to use this loan to fight against those anti-government armed groups. You know, the situation in Rapa is very bad right now. The anti-government armed groups are constantly encroaching on the territory of the government forces."

“I heard from Lance that if the situation continues to deteriorate, they will soon besiege Zoran, and the Lapa regime will be thrown into turmoil.”

"Here, I need to explain some data to you."

"Over the past year and a half, the armed conflict between the Rapa government forces and these anti-government armed groups has continued to escalate, and at least 400,000 people have died in the war in the past 18 months."

"And the number of government and anti-government forces in the entire Rapa region that we can currently obtain accurate data for is approximately 700,000."

“Lance and I believe that they have consumed too few people. Our plan is to consume at least two million of the warlike population before we can reach the baseline for our peaceful takeover of Lapa.”

The interior of this small meeting room is exquisitely decorated, luxurious yet understated.

The wainscoting, wall panels, and furniture made of precious wood look almost identical to the inexpensive furniture in stores.

But if people look closely and touch them, they can feel the preciousness of these pieces of furniture.

The warm and gentle touch is like caressing a young girl's skin, and the dignified and deep color gives people a solemn feeling.

Even a simple table lamp with a gemstone lampshade and a gold-plated lamp stand, just by being placed there and turned on, exudes an aura of "nobility"!

The gentlemen here are also well-dressed and elegant; they have made "civilization" a standard.

But the words they uttered, the numbers they revealed, suddenly made everything seem chaotic.

You can't tell whether this place is civilized or barbaric, nor can you tell whether these gentlemen are gentlemen or devils!

To them, the regime and stability of a country, the life and death of two million people, are nothing more than simple numbers and simple descriptions.

None of the gentlemen at the conference table felt ashamed; everyone listened attentively, and some even asked questions earnestly.

"How can we ensure that we can deplete such a large number of warlike people?"

"I mean, how can we be sure that our actions will allow their war to escalate further?"

Senator Cleveland nodded and said, "That's a good question, but it's also not a good question. This is something we don't need to handle at all."

"Now, neither the anti-government forces nor the Rapa government have any way to turn back."

"Either the government forces are eliminated or the anti-government forces are eliminated; they have no chance of peaceful coexistence."

“If any of them actually try to sit down and negotiate, then it means that person has no value.”

“I strongly agree with some of Lance’s approaches; what we need is the result, not the process.”

"He can guarantee that the two sides will fight to the end, and that's enough."

They were witnesses to the decision made by Senators Cleveland, and in fact, it has developed much better than people imagined.

Lance didn't expend much war resources, or even much government resources, yet he managed to create a "mess" in Lapa, for President Diego. The ultimate goal of this civil war, as he stated in Congress, was to deplete all the unstable, belligerent population of Lapa.

This way, when the federal government is in charge, these troublemakers won't jump out.

If they can resist the current Rapa Orthodox government, they can certainly resist the future federal government. In order to set an example for the federal government's successful annexation of Alam, they must all be wiped out.

And the most interesting and satisfying aspect of this plan is that they don't need to take action themselves, and there is no hatred between the Lapa people and the Federation; they only have identification with the Federation.

After a brief discussion, everyone agreed that there were no problems, and that the current situation in Lapa was still within the scope of Lance's commitment.

The senator who raised the question thought for a moment, then said, "I have no questions about that. So what is Lance's question now?"

Senator Cleveland took a drag of his cigarette. "A hundred million dollars in funding, and a new plan he's proposed."

“We talked about it last night, and I agree with some of his ideas.”

"He mentioned increasing investment in Rapa, and he would ask Diego to allow the region autonomy until the end of the civil war..."

Everyone looked incredulous upon hearing this!
Given the current state of affairs in Lapa, if the government were to agree to regional autonomy, the country could be completely torn apart!
Whether it's the local ruling class or the large landowners of Lapa, these people can immediately establish small kingdoms.

Even if the civil war were to end and the government forces were to win, President Diego would then face a new war, or he would have to accept the ultimate result of the country being torn apart by his own actions.

Meeting their shocked gazes, Senator Cleveland chuckled twice. His laughter was restrained, with clear sibilance, but everyone could hear the arrogance in his voice!

A kind of arrogance and disdain from a world power towards a weaker nation!

"Because he has no right to refuse; it would cost a hundred million to exchange for it, and..."

He emphasized the word "and," adding, "Of this 100 million, only 10 million will be in cash; the rest will be paid to him in the form of military supplies."

Now more senators joined in this reserved yet arrogant laughter; of course they laughed, because they were all shrewd businessmen.

Based on this calculation, the actual cost of this 100 million in support might only be 50 to 60 million, or even less.

After all, firearms traded abroad generate profits and taxes; if these are removed, they are not actually worth that much money.

Therefore, the federal government only needs to purchase these equipment from those military industrial groups at a lower price and then pay the Lapa government at the original price. Even if the military industrial groups are left with a profit margin, they can still save 20 to 30 million.

That way, you get both face and substance.

"Lance is indeed an interesting person, it's a pity that his background is a bit poor, otherwise I really think he might have been able to share a room with us one day."

Some people remarked on this.

Lance is so good at making everything look good; every move he makes is pleasing to people, which is rare, especially considering he's so young.

Unfortunately, he was of imperial origin and had a background in the mafia.

However, this kind of thing can't be forced. If he didn't have a gang background, he wouldn't be in the eyes of these people today.

Sometimes, when faced with different choices, people can only helplessly choose one of them, rather than having them all.

"I think this plan is perfect, excellent, and I can't find any fault with it."

"I can even imagine that the Commonwealth will help these suffering Lapa people establish autonomous regions, which is the prototype of the referendum he mentioned in his previous report, right?"

In his previous report to Congress, Lance mentioned that the people of Rapa would have the right to choose for themselves, and that the federal government would govern them, rather than them governing themselves.

We've made so much progress toward this goal that everyone initially thought was impossible. It doesn't seem impossible anymore; it's very possible, and it even seems like it could be accomplished in just a few months!

Senator Cleveland nodded with a slight smile. "Then I'll give him my answer. This matter will be handled through the treasury. If no one has any other objections, I'll have it taken over for the President to sign."

It's too late to submit the bill to Congress for a vote now; the only quickest way is for the president to sign an executive order.

During wartime, the president has unlimited power; he can directly sign off on any proposal and implement it.

Others naturally wouldn't refuse; it would be a good thing for them as well.

As the pro-war faction, after annexing the Yalan region, they would definitely implement a higher level of governance, which would mean that the ruling class of the Yalan region would face a major purge.

The profits released after the cleansing will be divided up by Congress and domestic capital, from which they will reap enormous benefits!
Even just acquiring a few mines can provide the family with a stable and respectable income, and also launder a considerable amount of money.

Although they don't have much money to wash, because everything they get is already clean, their families might need it.
The proposal was quickly approved, and then he began to discuss other proposals. The discussion of the past few days' worth of topics did not end until after 2 p.m.

Afterwards, he didn't eat. He went straight to the Presidential Palace, bought a hot dog outside, and ate it as he entered the palace.

As a Socialist, the president and Senator Cleveland were originally in the same camp. Although they might have some factional issues, it didn't prevent them from being friends.

That's how federal people are; they keep their work and personal lives separate. As long as the president takes the initiative to express goodwill afterwards and says that the previous unpleasantness was only work-related, they can be accepted back.

"Didn't you eat lunch?" the president asked Senator Cleveland, who was walking in with half a piece of dog meat in his hand.

"Would you like me to have the chef prepare something for you, like steak or lamb chops?"

The Presidential Palace has a chef who works for the president 24 hours a day. Whenever the president is hungry, they can serve him food in a very short time.

Senator Cleveland shook his head. "No, no need. I've almost finished eating."

He said "sorry" and then stuffed the rest of the hot dogs into his mouth. He hadn't eaten such cheap food in a long time, and it tasted pretty good to have it occasionally.

The soft bread dough, topped with a large hot dog sausage full of meat chunks, and then drizzled with that sweet and sour sauce, is indeed delicious, at least in terms of cheap taste stimulation that can satisfy people.

After the president waited for him to finish his hot dog and clean his mouth and hands, he offered him a glass of water, saying, "Have some water."

“Thank you!” Senator Cleveland took a small sip of water, then handed over the documents from his briefcase. “Take a look; I need your signature.”

The president opened the document and glanced at it briefly. He had seen the proposal before and noticed some of the more important parts that were underlined.

“It seems a bit unbelievable. Is there any room for action?” he said, taking out a pen but not signing it.

This way, he won't give the impression that he doesn't want to sign, and he can still clarify what he wants to know.

In the daily conduct of these high-ranking politicians, they are always able to grasp the situation well and respond accordingly.

He must show equality and respect to Senator Cleveland, who is now the “head of the largest political group in Congress.”

Senator Cleveland nodded and repeated what he had said in Congress. After listening, the president smiled and said, "I've always wanted to meet this amazing young man. If I have the chance, I'll bring him here. I'm very curious about how he grew up and came up with these... terrifying methods."

As he finished speaking, he looked down at the place where he needed to sign, then signed his name and picked up the two stamps.

One is his personal seal, which has anti-counterfeiting measures to ensure that the document was signed by him.

Another is the presidential office seal, which indicates that he signed it in his capacity as president.

After stamping the document, he returned it to Senator Cleveland. "You can go and request the funding now..."

(End of this chapter)