Shadow Empire

Chapter 1047 Factions, Ideas, and Entering the City
"It's done!"

Pedro's face was filled with unbelievable joy as news kept coming back from the "front lines" via telegram. Their vanguard had reached the edge of Zoran and could enter the city they had longed for at any time.

All the rebel leaders wore expressions of fervent excitement; their cause had reached its zenith at this moment!
Pedro handed the telegram to the others and paced back and forth a few steps. "I told the advance troops not to enter the city yet, but to wait until we arrive before entering together."

"In the spirit of the victors!" His voice rose considerably, and everyone's face was filled with excitement.

Pedro's gaze lingered on each of them. "Gentlemen, we need to prepare ourselves, at least to look more presentable when we enter the presidential palace, right?"

Everyone was laughing heartily, already fantasizing about walking into the presidential palace in their best clothes, head held high under the flashing lights of reporters, and taking photos with Diego, the tyrant.

It wasn't about filming how friendly they were, but about filming Diego, the dictator, the tyrant, and how his rule came to an end at that moment!

This was indeed encouraging news. Soon most of the leaders had left, and they needed to bring out their best clothes and accessories, striving to dress themselves up like a flamboyant peacock when that day arrived.

But some people stayed, such as Lance's "students" and a few people who were indeed smart enough.

Pedro noticed that their expressions had changed from excitement to a barely concealed scrutiny. "Aren't you going back to prepare?" he asked.

"We should be able to reach Zhuolan in two days at the latest."

Ross sat silently to the side, and the other "classmate" also remained silent.

A leader of a rebel army from the "common people" looked at Pedro and asked, "What about the concession?"

"Should Diego be killed or spared?"

What kind of government do we want to form?

Pedro's smile gradually faded. He glanced at the three people beside the other man, and a word suddenly popped into his mind—faction.

The other side met their gaze without fear. Their armies were now completely in disarray, and it would take time to redeploy their forces, so they were not afraid that Pedro's men might suddenly attack them.

Moreover, if Pedro really did that, the rebel coalition would collapse immediately, since Pedro is currently the strongest.

To avoid becoming the next ones, the other leaders would certainly flee immediately.

Pedro sat down again and lit a cigarette. It wasn't any fancy cigarette; it was just ordinary tobacco that he had rolled himself.

Although the taste isn't as mellow and fragrant as those imported cigarettes from the Federal government, it at least solves their smoking problem.

The moment the nicotine entered the lung lining and was absorbed, his attention became highly focused. "Let's talk about the first thing: the issue of the concession."

“Lance is backed by the Federation. If we take back the concession, it is very likely to affect the interests of Lance, the Federation people behind him, and even the federal government.”

“Then we won’t be facing a government like Diego’s…” He pursed his lips and shook his head with a disdainful expression, “…an unprofessional team, but a professional federal army with better weapons and equipment.”

"Therefore, on the issue of the concessions, my personal opinion is to respect the facts."

His words kept the room silent. The people below were very angry and unhappy about the concept of the concession. Some soldiers even mentioned wanting to remove it, but the fact was that they couldn't.

Seeing their silence, Pedro knew that they were actually in agreement on this issue; otherwise, someone would have spoken out against his views and ideas.

The fact that no one did this means that no one had any other opinions.

"As for some of the contents of the Zoran Treaty, I think we can talk to Lance and the federal government about things like tariffs and market supply."

The Treaty of Zoran, previously signed by Lance and Diego, addressed the issue of tariffs. Diego had taken a lot of money from Lance, and in addition to leasing the land to Lance, he also stipulated that all goods sold on the land be exempt from tariffs, and that all goods entering the Union port be exempt from any tariffs.

Furthermore, the supplementary clauses stipulate that if the Rapa government is unable to repay the loans owed to Lance and the federal government with interest within a certain period, then control must be transferred to the federal government until they repay the money.

These provisions have caused extremely serious damage to the power of the Rapa government and to the sovereignty of the Rapa state.

They might not be able to resolve the issue of the concessions, but Pedro felt there was an opportunity to discuss these other issues.

“I can talk to the Czech government, borrow money from them, pay off part of the debt first, amend some of the terms, or reduce the amount to a certain extent.”

"It is impossible to completely tear up the Zoran Treaty, and no one will allow us to do so."

Someone slammed their fist on the table. "That damn Diego has given us a huge problem!"

Pedro took a breath. Making such a decision was itself a sign of helplessness and powerlessness. If he could change it, he certainly would have done so, but he couldn't.

No one else could have done this.

"As for the government we are going to form..."

He frowned, and the smoke he exhaled slowly dissipated, filling the entire room, which made everyone else unable to resist starting to smoke as well.

“I hate the federal government and I don’t like Lance either, even though he gave us a huge inspiration and played a driving role in our cause.”

“In my heart, Lance White, this Commonwealth man, can even be called the ‘father of the spirit of freedom in Rappa.’ If it weren’t for him, perhaps we wouldn’t have been able to ignite the flame of freedom, nor would we have been able to advance the cause of liberation.”

"But that doesn't stop me from disliking him. He's no different from those federalists and the federal government—greedy, evil, and depraved!"

“I don’t like everything about them, but that doesn’t stop me from liking their government structure, so my idea is that we should learn from them, but not completely.”

"The president, a supreme figure, possesses far too many privileges!"

"Our country, the level of education of our citizens, and even ourselves, are unable to achieve true fairness and justice. If another tyrannical dictator like Diego were to emerge, for example..."

He smiled and said, "If I were to become like that in my later years, I would do more harm to this country than Diego did."

"Therefore, my idea is that we do not establish the position of president, but instead use the 'Lapa United Parliament' as the highest governing body, with 27 members elected by the 27 princely states to jointly participate in the country's political and development work."

"I prefer the voting system, as it reflects our seriousness and caution in dealing with issues. We are the managers of the country, and we supervise and check each other."

When he said those words, the expressions on the faces of some people, and indeed most people in the room, softened and relaxed.

However, a very small number of people's expressions changed... For example, Ross frowned, with a faint, perceptible resistance on his face.

Pedro noticed this too; he had been watching Ross closely. "Do you have anything to add to my idea?"

When Ross realized that Pedro had turned his attention to him, he shifted his posture. "I just don't understand, if we don't have a president, don't have... I don't know how to say it."

"It's like a big family without a head of the family, just a group of uncles and aunts. How do the lowest-ranking family members know who they should obey and whose orders they should take?"

"Should we listen to this so-called council of Lapa, or to the members of parliament they elected?"

"Won't this result in us appearing as one entity, but actually being divided?"

Ross leaned back in his chair, tapping his hand on the table. "Like my men, they only want to listen to me, not your decisions, or rather, the decisions of Parliament. What do we do then?"

"A civil war?"

“I don’t think this is right. Why does the Federation need a president? Maybe it’s to let everyone know, at least on the surface, who they should listen to.” He looked at Pedro. “You say you admire the federal government structure. Why don’t we just use theirs? It’s mature and stable. We can simplify it to suit our situation.”

“There’s no need to create something that hasn’t been tested; that’s not the way a smart person would do, Pedro.”

Pedro wasn't annoyed after Ross's lecture. He just smiled and said, "I was just offering my suggestion, my opinion. It's an option for you to have a president and to completely replicate the federal government structure. I have no reason to oppose you."

"As for how to ultimately handle this matter, my view is that we should discuss it after we have completely stabilized the situation."

"And don't forget, there are other leaders who don't know about this."

"They also contributed to the overthrow of Diego's rule, and they should also enjoy the fruits of that success."

Ross glanced at him sideways, nodded, and said nothing more.

Despite being just a group of anti-government armed forces that had just touched the edge of victory and hadn't even swallowed the fruits of victory, internal cracks began to appear, and factions and conflicts even emerged.

Sometimes, people fail to do certain things not because they lack ability, but quite the opposite, because they are too capable, even excessively so!

The more knowledge a person possesses and the more experiences they have, the more dangerous their thoughts become.

After the discussion, which resolved some issues but left larger ones unresolved, everyone returned to their respective places to prepare for their upcoming journey into Zhuolan.

Meanwhile, Zhuolan was in a state of utter desolation.

The defeated soldiers ransacked the city's wealthy Western quarters several times. If it weren't for the heavy guard outside the Presidential Palace, they might have looted it twice before leaving.

A large number of defeated soldiers hijacked ships of all sizes and left the area, but many soldiers still had no way to leave and could only continue south, trying to cross the border into neighboring countries.

There is no doubt that these people will become a major problem for neighboring countries and a diplomatic issue that the new government urgently needs to address.

However, none of this mattered to Lance. He was sitting in his headquarters office, and if Diego were there, he would have seen many of his ministers and government officials gathered there.

It's as if... Lance is the president of this country, not him.

"Pedro and his men won't enter the city for another two days, so this is about the right time."

Lance placed the intelligence he was holding on the table and looked at the "leaders" of the various princely states.

The government of Rapa is a huge makeshift government composed of local princely state leaders. The Ravira family is the largest and most powerful princely state, so the Ravira family has always occupied the position of president.

Meanwhile, the leaders and chiefs of other princely states became officials such as ministers, which can be seen as a distribution of power based on strength.

The Lavila family and its staunchest allies were utterly crippled and rendered useless, but the ministers and the princely states behind them retained their power.

These people combined could field four or five hundred thousand soldiers, and with the Federation's advanced weapons and unlimited ammunition supply, their chances of winning against these rebel armies were ridiculously high.

Since the outbreak of the "Battle of Zoran", the Federation has completely cut off the supplies to both the Diego government forces and the insurgents. Their bullets are running out, their funds are dwindling, and their medicines are almost completely exhausted.

Perhaps Pedro still naively believes that as long as he takes over the presidential palace, eliminates Diego, and announces the formation of a new government, everything will get back on track.

He didn't understand at all that Lance had never considered giving him a chance, and he wouldn't give him any chance at all!
Now, four or five hundred thousand heavily armed soldiers have come from all over the country to "serve the king." These anti-government forces, like Pedro and his ilk, are like wild dogs locked in a room, with no chance of escape.

When Senator Cleveland heard Lance's complete plan, he couldn't help but marvel at it!

From the initial "release" to the final "retraction," everything was under Lance's control.

By using the Lapa people to fight the Lapa people, the Federation can eliminate all those with rebellious spirits and unrealistic fantasies without even having to send out troops. The Federation will then gain a stable and easily manageable Lapa.

Whether it's direct annexation, occupation, or indirect control, it's all up to the federal government.

Just like now, the moment these forces rapidly enter the area surrounding Zhuolan and form an encirclement, that will be the moment the rebel army is destroyed.

Their entry into Zhuolan two days later was also a countdown to their lives.
Lance's words were met with nods of agreement from the ministers below. They were also excited. What was the purpose of defecting to the enemy and betraying the country?
Isn't it all for a better life?
Now their families have all gone to the Federation and become Federation citizens. Their children will enjoy a Federation-style elite education and may enter the Federation's high society after graduation.

Being a chieftain of a princely state in a backward and impoverished country like Lapa is not as good as being a powerful and wealthy person in the federation!

They naturally agreed to Lance's request without hesitation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was the first to defect to Lance, and he held a relatively high position among this group of "traitors."

Calling them traitors isn't quite accurate, since they were essentially on the side of Lance and the federal government. Perhaps "progressive individuals" would be a more fitting description.

"Mr. Lance, what should we do after we eliminate these anti-government forces?"

Lance glanced at him. "I'll tell you what to do next after you've finished."

"You don't need to worry. The promises I and the federal government made to you will definitely be kept. You don't need to worry about these things."

"And once we reach the federal government, I will submit a report to the senators and Congress to establish a new department for you."

"At that time, you will have both wealth and power, and you will not lose either."

This excited everyone who heard it!
"In short, let's take it one step at a time and tell your people not to do anything stupid or destructive. What we want is a stable Lapa, not a terrible country."

Soon these gentlemen began to relay the message back, and the soldiers in their own states, who were already fully prepared, began to pack their gear and board the train to the Zhuolan region.

The silent trains were like arrows aimed at the heart of the rebels—deadly and dangerous.

After several days of chaos, Zhuolan returned to calm, but not many people liked this calm.

It was as if a giant hand was pressing down on Zhuolan from the sky, making the air feel thick and heavy, almost suffocating everyone.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the insurgents began to enter the city. Pedro and his men always claimed to be "representing the people," so their discipline was not too bad.

Only a very small number of people watched them enter the city. The people of Zhuolan had been badly ravaged by the previous defeated soldiers and no longer trusted these people.

Pedro had somewhat forgotten whether this was his fourth or fifth time entering Zhuolan.

I used to come here to take people by boat to university in the Republic of Germany, as a teacher.

This time, however, he came here with a different mission, as a conqueror, and the feeling was different.

They arrived at the Presidential Palace quickly and without any obstacles. The entire Presidential Palace was almost deserted. The heavy guards of the previous two days were now almost gone.

Pedro stood at the foot of the steps for a long time, gazing at the magnificent presidential palace that resembled a royal palace.

Then, with a victor's smile on his face, he stepped onto the stairs.

This moment was the pinnacle of his life as a middle school teacher!

(End of this chapter)