Shadow Empire

Chapter 1028 Planning

The Federation's weapon design technology is currently considered to be among the best in the world. Although the Republic of Germany has also designed its own weapon with independent patents, it is still somewhat inferior to the Federation's.

It's not that simply loading a bullet into the chamber, pulling the trigger, and firing it makes it a qualified weapon.

Weapon design involves a great deal of knowledge. One of the tasks of weapon designers is to ensure that a bullet can deliver its warhead into another human body in the most comfortable way.

It is a cruel yet sacred thing, because in the course of a war, tens of thousands of people will die tragically on the battlefield because of the weapons they designed.

In a way, he was also one of the executioners. Even if they didn't kill people directly with their own hands, their hands were still covered in blood!

This is not an easy job!

The Republic of Geedel needs to gain some new technology and inspiration from Engineer Smith and his friends.

The light weapons system they developed earlier, to say it was self-developed, was more of a blatant case of being copied.

They disassembled several good firearms from the Federation and conducted detailed research on them.

Firearms are actually not that complicated; they're basically just a bunch of parts assembled together.

The moment any single part is removed from a complex machine, it loses its mystique.

After studying these dismantled federal weapons for quite some time, the weapons experts of the Republic of Chidebred finally developed a "sovereign firearm" that was entirely their own.

They claimed that these weapons were mature and reliable, a sign of the maturity of the Czech Republic's industrial sector, but in reality, they still had some minor flaws.

As for why they have such a strong desire to develop their own military equipment, ultimately it is because they want to break free from their dependence on the Federation in the industrial and military fields.

This kind of dependence is not a good thing. Unfortunately, the Republic of Geed is in the process of industrial development and cannot truly break away from the Federation to achieve independence. Producing a light weapon that is entirely domestically manufactured can greatly boost morale and inspire people.

But one model isn't enough.

Faced with the president's secretary's idea, Engineer Smith agreed on behalf of his partner, "as long as you're willing to pay the design fee."

He vividly portrayed the stereotypes that the Geeders held about the Commonwealth, as if Engineer Smith would hang himself from a lamppost with a rope if they had the money!
The negotiation process was neither smooth nor bad. Apart from being quite materialistic about wealth and money, which are not actually that important, Engineer Smith was very easy to talk to.

They tried asking some questions, such as hoping that Engineer Smith could help them solve some other mechanical problems in his spare time, and they would also pay him a consulting fee, to which he agreed.

The negotiations took only an hour, which was incredibly fast. Some people who were following the matter couldn't believe that they had actually decided on this potentially transformative negotiation in just over an hour.

The president reviewed the documents his secretary had brought him, and the whole process was very calm; no one could tell from his face whether he was happy or unhappy.

His father, the previous president, had warned him that if a president's next move could be predicted, he would soon be sidelined.

From childhood to adulthood, he rarely showed his emotions, as if he was born with a sensitive face.

The document was quickly turned to the last page, which was an application form requesting the transfer of a large amount of foreign exchange reserves from the CDU/CSU Central Bank.

Looking at the considerable number of zeros on the form, the president's gaze fell on his secretary. "I hope it was you or one of your staff who filled it out incorrectly, and not..."

He placed the documents he was holding directly on the table, the pent-up air swirling around him, creating a small gust of wind. "You really want me to pay such a large sum of money!"

The secretary repeated what Engineer Smith had said, and finally added her own opinion: "It is clear that he was not telling the whole truth, but it also reflects the fact that we have indeed alarmed some people."

If they hadn't really alerted someone, Smith's engineers wouldn't have known they were trying to buy bullet production lines directly from military manufacturers.

This news also made the president somewhat sensitive.

This is a crisis, but also an opportunity.

The Federals now know they intend to produce bullets themselves, and they're not only unlikely to be given the opportunity to purchase production lines, but bullet exports will probably be even more strictly controlled.

Standard bullets were already hard to find, and now even export versions might be unavailable.

Such speculation also made the president feel a sense of urgency. He was racing against time, perhaps next year, perhaps next month, perhaps even tomorrow, or even this very second!
Smith's access to the project would be permanently closed, and he didn't believe the federal government would ignore their actions once they learned of their plan to purchase a bullet production line.

They will definitely use some means to retaliate and deal with him!
"Sixty million!" he repeated the number. At this point, the secretary beside him stopped talking, because he could roughly judge that the president had probably made up his mind.

After a long brainstorming session, the president sighed, "As long as he can bring what I want here, sixty million... I'll give it to him!"

He quickly took out a pen, signed his name in the signature section for appropriation at the end of the document, and then handed it to his secretary, saying, "As soon as possible!"

"This project has been pushed back and forth for a year now."

"It's taken us a year to get this far, and we've invested so much money on and off. We have to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion, right?"

The president put the pen back in its cap and looked at his secretary. “It’s not necessarily all bad for us that he wants so much money.”

Seeing the confusion and bewilderment in his secretary's eyes, the president smiled more.

He was a wise ruler, just like his father—not the kind who was only pretending to be wise, but truly wise—so he discovered something special in this matter.

"He said he was going to bribe some federal officials, members of Congress, whether senators or representatives, and customs officials, etc."

“No problem, we’re willing to pay the money, but I have one condition.”

"That's you, or someone you trust, getting involved."

"Let's go with him to bribe those federal officials and see if we can get in touch with these corrupt federal officials. Maybe we can break the deadlock among the federal leaders through them."

The unique political system of the federal government allows for many possibilities and diversity, just as there are always those who support war and those who oppose it.

If enough benefits are offered, it is possible to persuade some federal officials, even high-ranking officials, to speak on behalf of the Czech Republic and the Asian Union.

If at this moment a slightly influential official were to step forward and state that the Asian Union was a friendly neighbor during the Federal era and should not be thinking of invading the Asian region.

This might bring some hope to the terrible situation that Asia Blue is facing!
The President stared intently at his secretary. "You must not be careless about this matter; you must do your best." "As long as he really uses it to bribe officials, it doesn't matter; he can give as much as he wants!"

"You should understand what I mean."

The president's secretary took the documents back and bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Excellency the President."

He straightened up as he spoke, “I guarantee that this money will absolutely be used to expand our network of contacts, and will not be embezzled by him or some nobody.”

The president nodded. "Very good. I look forward to the good news you bring me."

This is telling the secretary that he has to leave.

The secretary bowed again, took the document, and turned to leave.

Not long after, he saw Engineer Smith again.

"His Excellency the President has approved your plan, and he will allocate funds for us soon."

"But before that, there's something else I must tell you!"

Engineer Smith had a gentle smile on his face and a meek and obedient demeanor, showing none of the unpleasantness he had displayed not long ago.

This scene made the president's secretary feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

He and some other officials were actually extorted for so much money by this thing, and he suddenly felt it wasn't worth it.

"Please say."

Engineer Smith's words startled him. He glanced back and said, "I will accompany you to the federal government. We also have one request: to confirm with you that this money has been used where it is meant to be."

His eyes held a hint of warning, a hint of caution, "Instead of letting you, under these pretexts, pocket the money."

Engineer Smith paused for a moment, then his smile gradually faded. He looked at the president's secretary and said, "Then this collaboration ends here."

"I can't possibly take you with me and give money to those people in front of you. Don't even think about it!"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Our relationship ends here!"

As he was about to leave, the president's secretary blocked his way. He should have been the one being passive, but at this moment, he showed an expression that only someone in control would have.

"Engineer Smith, don't forget, this is the Republic of Geed."

Just a simple statement made Engineer Smith's anus tighten slightly.

He didn't quite believe these people would kill him; after all, he still had considerable value, and he was a member of the Federation—

During this time, he deeply felt what it meant to be a "superior person in the Federation" in the Republic of Germany, but he was also too afraid to gamble that these rulers, like the lower classes, would not dare to do anything to him.

Silence is not Cambridge, it is a sign of weakness. The president's secretary gradually smiled again. "It seems that Engineer Smith agrees with our suggestions."

"In order not to affect the smooth progress of our work plan, I will go to the Federation with you. Similarly, the designer will stay and complete the new round of design plans as soon as possible."

"Of course, if you think he can contact those people you mentioned in your place, then you stay and continue to push forward with the factory renovations and worker training, while the weapons designers come with us."

There was silence again, but this silence was shorter. When it comes to matters that directly affect their own interests, people are often quick to cross moral boundaries and make selfish decisions.

“He didn’t know how to contact those people, but I did.”

The president's secretary nodded. "Very good. Get ready. We need to get this production line sorted out at the federal level as soon as possible."

"You don't need to worry about the money. Sixty million has already been transferred to a federal account. You just need to tell me how much each person should give, whether it's cash, checks, or something else, and I'll take care of it."

The usually arrogant engineer Smith looked deflated at this moment. He lowered his head and nodded, "I understand."

Having achieved his goal, the presidential secretary didn't linger. A mocking smile played on his lips. "Alright, I won't bother you any longer. We'll leave by boat this afternoon and arrive in the Federation tomorrow morning. Get some rest."

After saying that, he got up and left the room, leaving Engineer Smith behind.

The moment the door closed, the frustration, dissatisfaction, and resentment on Engineer Smith's face vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor.

He wasn't actually a real technician, nor was the weapons designer; they were senior agents from an intelligence agency under the Federal Department of Defense.

To carry out this plan, the Department of Defense helped them fabricate a work history of nearly ten years in a military-industrial enterprise.

Moreover, it's not just one military industrial enterprise, but multiple military industrial enterprises, and we have files about them.

It's fair to say that even without directly interrogating them, investigating these two individuals from the sidelines will yield the same results.

One of them was a technically skilled engineer, and the other was a somewhat talented weapons designer.

The continuous weakening of the overall strength of the Republic of Chidebred is a measure implemented without the premise of war.

This plan would not only drain a large portion of their already limited foreign exchange reserves, but also deal a significant blow to the president's regime.

It wasn't just them; there were actually quite a few investors who came with the intention of committing fraud.

When they receive the tacit approval or even encouragement and indulgence of federal officials, these scammers become incredibly audacious!
Just like those people who use genuine Federal Reserve bank drafts to commit fraud, if someone actually takes the drafts they gave them to a bank to cash, the bank will definitely tell you that they are fake!
Disrupting the Czech economy, inflicting heavy damage, and destroying the prestige of the ruling family of the Grand President—who have not only failed to progress but have regressed in recent years—is the overall "special operation plan."

The main storyline is now moving into its next phase.

　Updates may be delayed for a while, as my father-in-law is nearing the end of his cancer journey and I have many things to do.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)