Shadow Empire

Chapter 1029 The Turning Point of the War
Lance watched from afar as Senator Cleveland stood with two men he didn't recognize, who seemed to be having a heated discussion.

He didn't go over because no one told him to; Tom stood aside and chatted with him quietly.

“Those two are from Dantler,” he said, pursing his lips. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and handed it to Lance. “I have a feeling that the war might end in a way we can’t imagine.”

Lance hadn't been paying attention to anything related to the war lately, and he seemed somewhat bewildered. "What happened?"

"On the battlefield?"

During this time, he had been in Lapa, and under immense pressure from President Diego and the anti-government forces, he seemed to have come to understand their place and fate in this game.

By influencing and controlling the anti-government forces, Lance forced President Diego to consider a larger-scale war with them, rather than a small battle involving three to five thousand people.

We need to speed things up.

It has been some time since the Lunar New Year, and the year-long Lapa civil war should have reached a "turning point".

According to data recently obtained by Lance, both sides have regrouped approximately 900,000 soldiers. Depleting this force, along with the ones they had previously lost, will allow them to continue fighting.

In addition, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were eliminated by nature due to famine. The population of Lapa has now decreased from 12 million to just over 8 million.

If we remove all 900,000 of them—those who are belligerent, idealistic, or disobedient, and who would become the hard nuts to crack under federal rule—we would be a different story.

Therefore, the population of Lapa is likely to remain between six and seven million.

This figure already meets the basic requirements for the Federation's rule over Lapa. At that time, Lance can push forward the next plan to allow "the people to choose their own national subject". Doesn't this perfectly demonstrate the Federation's respect for the human rights and ethnicity of the people of Lapa?
If anyone still claims that the federal government is interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, the people of Lapa will likely be the first to object, because everything is their own choice, not someone else's.

Once this matter was settled, Lance returned, because the decisive battle was very likely to break out in February or March, and there weren't many days left.

Hopefully, the mining sector has cooled down a little recently in the investment market, but only slightly.

Lance doesn't know much about finance, but he also knows a lot about it.

This statement may sound contradictory, but the reasoning is actually quite simple—

Political winds.

Everyone, especially in capitalist societies and countries, will only tell you that market behavior is free behavior, that it is the natural behavior between people that eventually comes together and affects the trend of the financial market.

In their words, this place has always been independent, sacred, and inviolable.

But in reality, it's all just a scam they're telling you.

Just as capital can never be separated from politics, so too can financial markets.

Furthermore, market behavior always carries less weight than political behavior.

The simplest example is potatoes. Because fewer people are growing them this year, the market demand is huge, so their price will "rise" in the market.

However, if at this time the federal government issues a notice that, in order to alleviate the huge gap in potato demand as soon as possible, the federal government imports a massive amount of potatoes from abroad to meet the domestic potato market demand, and at a low price.

Then the price of potatoes would immediately plummet by half, causing a market collapse.

Similarly, even if a company is performing well in every aspect, its stock price can plummet if the federal government issues a notice stating that the company may be involved in debt fraud or tax evasion, even if almost everyone knows it may be a false accusation.

Policies and politics have a huge and far-reaching impact on financial markets, but no one ever tells ordinary investors these things.

Because if they really told ordinary people that whether it's stocks or futures, their ultimate trend is not controlled by the result of free market trade, but by state intervention and policy regulation.

Then there wouldn't be so many ordinary investors waiting to be fleeced in the financial market. People like those from the western regions who have never even been to Detland's financial district or entered the stock exchange, yet would take out five thousand dollars to buy a stock just because a Detland stockbroker called to recommend it, would probably no longer exist.

These people are the main targets of those financial tycoons and capital groups.

They are foolish, blind, and overly trusting of interpersonal relationships, so foolish and naive that they can entrust their money to someone they've never even met.

This is the Federation.

This is the federal financial market.

Next, the large-scale civil war in Lapa could affect Hope Mining's stock price, so Lance wanted to come and discuss with Senator Cleveland whether to harvest now or after the war was over.

He also wanted to discuss with Senator Cleveland how, after the war ended, Lance planned to use the pretext of "people's petition to form a provisional government" to purge all the resistance fighters and then hand it over to the federal government.

These are all things that need to be discussed. We didn't get involved in these things before because the time wasn't right, but now it is.

He just hadn't expected that Dantra would send people over, and that they would take up a lot of time at the Cleveland Clerk's Hospital, probably... more than forty minutes already.

Seeing Lance's confusion, Tom lowered his voice slightly, "I'm not entirely sure either, but I suspect it's related to the New Year's Day air raids."

Lance glanced at him, a hint of reproach in his eyes. "You could have just said it all at once."

Tom chuckled twice, then lowered his voice again, "On New Year's Eve, they launched an air raid on a location in Dantra that was supposedly their command post. Do you know about air raids?"

Lance nodded. "I'm not stupid. I can read newspapers too."

The Federation already possessed bombers, and the latest models at that. They upgraded the engines, allowing the new aircraft to carry more payload and fly more powerfully.

The military intercepted intelligence during the battle, discovering the possible location of the Dantra Joint Forces' forward command post.

With new bombers already delivered to the front lines, the military decided to bomb this location, which could be the enemy's front-line command post.

As for the outcome, Tom glanced twice at the two Dantra officials who were arguing loudly with Senator Cleveland, and he should already know the result.

"They bombed and killed some government officials who came to the front to offer their condolences, as well as some celebrities and front-line commanders."

"The entire front line is in complete chaos. In just one week, we have advanced about 100 kilometers, and 70 percent of the front line has been pushed into Dantra territory. They are under tremendous pressure now."

It's easy to imagine that when war breaks out on one's own territory, regardless of who wins or loses, it is always one's own people who suffer in the end.

The land was ravaged, the cities were destroyed, and the villages and farmland were burned.

The Dantra people originally wanted to use a war to release domestic pressure and contradictions and boost the economy, but it seems they failed.

The Federation's sudden entry disrupted all their plans, preventing them from gaining an advantage and instead causing them to begin to decline.

The deaths of several government officials and high-ranking military officers in the bombing, though accidental, have begun to shake the unwavering belief of the people of Dantra in victory.

Many people no longer firmly believe, as they did at the beginning, that they will send the Slade back to God's embrace.

Now they are less resolute, and some have even begun to feel a sense of fear and unease, doubting whether the Union people have the ability to end the war.

What impact would it have on Dantra society if they were completely defeated by the Commonwealth?
Some people in the country began to waver, and their president also faced a certain degree of questioning and restrictions.

When a war is raging, nations, interest groups, and people often praise their rulers to the skies, calling them gods who bring about a new world order!

But once the war begins to falter and signs of defeat emerge, people will start to question their rulers and whether their decisions are correct.

Humans are inherently self-interested, whether they are federal capitalists, Dantra officials, soldiers, civilians, or tycoons. These two individuals were not sent by President Dantra, but by the second largest political force in the country.

“They seem to be seeking another kind of ‘victory,’ a political victory,” Tom said with a knowing smile, and Lance certainly got what he was referring to.

If the second largest political force is the largest, then who is the largest?
Without a doubt, it is President Dantra and the political interest groups behind him who are the most powerful political force.

The second largest one is clearly planning to stab their leader in the back at this time, which may be another effective way to end the problem.

The original purpose of war is to release contradictions and relieve pressure, but if a group of people in power are sent to the gallows, freeing up upward mobility and breaking down the solidified barriers between classes, isn't this another best way to resolve domestic class contradictions?

When people have room for advancement, they start thinking about how to improve themselves.

When the barriers between classes are broken down, hard work will inevitably bring positive feedback, and the contradictions between classes will be reduced.

Not to mention, what is released in such actions is not only some channels for advancement and higher positions, but also wealth.

That wealth will be nationalized and then returned to the people in another way. Even if it is only a small part, it will be enough to improve people's lives and fill their eyes with hope.

If there are anyone who least wants the war to continue, these two individuals, and the interest groups behind them, are among them.

Continuing the attack will only increase President Dantra's power, but if they fail to win, they can betray the president and seize power, then blame all the current unpleasantness on the president and those behind him, thus eliminating the conflict.

The war was over, the conflict was resolved, and everyone got what they wanted, except for those who were defeated.

"It looks like they won't be able to reach an agreement anytime soon," Lance commented, smoking a cigarette.

Tom nodded in agreement. "They want to end this war with minimal cost, but you know, that's not what the federal government wants."

The federal government wants to maximize its own interests, and if they cannot provide such benefits, the war will continue.

Therefore, it is difficult for the two sides to reach an agreement, not to mention that this is not even a formal negotiation, but may only be their first contact.

Although no agreement can be reached, such contact will leave opportunities and avenues for both parties to reach a settlement in the future.

Another ten minutes or so passed, and the two left angrily, but they didn't say anything harsh as they left. They just lowered their heads and left quickly.

They glanced at Lance, but did not stop.

Senator Cleveland beckoned to Lance and Tom, “Come here.”

Lance and Tom walked past side by side.

Senator Cleveland took the towel from the butler, wiped her wrists and neck, and then wiped her face. "You saw that just now?"

This is clearly nonsense, yet it's not entirely nonsense.

Lance nodded. "Yes, I saw it and asked Tom about it. I know the gist of the matter."

This is a private museum in New Gold City. It's not open to the public, and there's no one else around, making it a perfect place to discuss business.

“Walk with me,” Senator Cleveland said as he walked ahead, with Lance following closely behind. “What do you think?”

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on the ceasefire."

Lance didn't hold back either, and after a moment's thought, he said, "I think a ceasefire might be a very good option as long as it satisfies our interests."

Senator Cleveland was somewhat surprised. He turned to look at his chief aide standing on the other side of him, who also showed a surprised expression, but quickly composed himself.

Senator Cleveland turned to look at Lance and said with a smile, "I thought you would support us continuing the war. After all, you're young. Young people like war and conquering others."

What he meant was that young people are prone to violence and will definitely resort to violence if they can resolve issues with their fists.

Lance shook his head. "It depends on the time."

“If someone tries to do something bad to me right now, I might fight back. Even if they apologize and surrender, I won’t stop. I’ll beat them to death.”

"Because he wanted to hurt me."

“But we are talking about issues between countries now. This is not a matter of two people punching each other. This is about the overall interests of the country.”

"While we may achieve an unprecedented victory if we continue fighting, Senator, I think we should also consider another matter: do we have enough manpower to deal with the post-war Dantra?"

“We cannot occupy the entire territory, nor can we colonize it. In the end, we will have to leave that land, but we will leave behind an irreconcilable hatred.”

"Many years later, ten or twenty years later, the war will return, and this time it will be more intense and more purposeful."

"At the same time, completely destroying this enemy is not a good thing for our country itself."

"What we need is a living enemy that can threaten us and drive social progress at critical moments, not a symbol that we can completely destroy and that will make the Federation arrogant and frivolous."

"If they can really deal with their president and the political forces behind him, then we can end this war after we get the benefits we want."

"Take their people's hatred for us back into their internal contradictions and conflicts."

Senator Cleveland listened as he walked, nodding as he went. “You’re speaking a little incoherently, but I understand what you’re saying.”

"Your point of view is indeed worth considering; it's a very interesting interpretation."

"What do you think we'll do next if we reach an agreement with these people?" Senator Cleveland asked.

Lance laughed and said, "An assassination that is doomed to fail, to accelerate the re-emergence of internal conflicts in their society."

"Once the internal conflicts have almost erupted, an unusually successful assassination will occur to prevent it from escalating further into an uncontrollable state."

"Then there was internal strife, infighting, and the use of them as a potential threat to federal national security to spur and motivate the people of the Union."

Senator Cleveland nodded in approval after listening, saying, "Very good point, but do you really think the public believes that a country we have already defeated will become a future enemy that threatens us?"

Lance shook his head and said with a smile, "We don't need the people to believe or not believe, because what makes them believe or not believe is not the facts, but the stories."

"Television, magazines, and newspapers will convince them."

Senator Cleveland agreed again, saying, "It's a very good idea. Perhaps we can write it in a memo so we can find it when we need to create content. What do you think?"

He turned to look at his chief aide, who quickly pulled out a notebook and pen and wrote everything down.

It was clear that Senator Cleveland had made his decision after speaking with Lance for a while; he put the matter aside, and when he turned around, a smile appeared on his face, indicating that what had just happened was now in the past.

"Is there anything you want to tell me this time?"

Lance nodded. "Lapa's plan has reached its final stage, so I wanted to ask if there are any things I need to pay special attention to, and what the listed company's subsequent handling methods are..."

(End of this chapter)