Shadow Empire

Chapter 1060 Miscellaneous Thoughts
"First of all, thank you Senator Cleveland for hosting this banquet for me..."

Lance, holding a glass of wine, looked at Senator Cleveland, who was standing beside him. Cleveland patted Lance's arm. "Jeffrey."

Jeffrey is his first name, while Cleveland is his last name; it's a leap in social class!

Previously, Lance could only address him as "Senator Cleveland" or "Senator," because in this circle, Lance lacked some weight in front of Senator Cleveland.

The federal government is a very pragmatic society; a dollar is a dollar, it won't become two dollars, five dollars, or ten dollars.

People will give you as much respect as your value.

Lance previously lacked some value, his own value, so even though he was accepted by Senator Cleveland, he was only on the very edge of the circle.

There are actually many such people, including those on the fringes of society at tonight's banquet.

They are nominally everyone's friends, but more like a useful sidekick who can handle more advanced matters.

They always stood at the edge of the banquet hall, holding wine glasses, always trying to get closer to those groups of three or five, whether to listen to others or to say a few words themselves, it was what they longed for.

But they basically can't do that. If no one invites them over, they can only spend the night chatting with other marginalized people in the fringe areas.

The higher you go, the more distinct the class distinctions become. The class barriers are like a high, towering city wall that not only prevents you from passing through, but also prevents you from seeing, hearing, or speaking.

Now Lance has crossed this wall that is difficult for most people to cross, and has arrived on the other side of the wall—he is about to face another, even higher wall.

The good news is that he is now "inside the wall," inside the wall of a new class.

Lance smiled in response, “I still prefer to call him Senator Cleveland.”

The senator smiled with a helpless expression, not forcing Lance to call him Jeffrey, which was one of the things he liked about Lance.

Lance always knew when to advance and when to retreat, and he also knew how to make everyone look good, which was not easy.

Many people cannot do this, especially at Lance's age. He is only twenty-seven years old this year, and he has done something that his peers cannot do at all.

“What we did in Lapa this time can be disseminated through diplomatic means.”

"The federal government is clearly superior to other countries in terms of government structure and social system. We have a leading, monopolistic position."

"This is our strongest weapon!"

"People yearn for a better life. They hope to have stable jobs, to earn enough to support themselves and their families, and to have better social welfare, free education, and affordable healthcare."

“These things are nowhere to be found in the Alan region, which is actually a good thing for us.”

People love to eat sugar because it's sweet!

Lance uses a metaphor here, comparing these "policies" promoted by the federal government to candies given to the Alan region—beautiful to look at, sweet to taste, and no one would think they are harmful.

However, sugar is not a good thing, and it is also addictive.

However, its side effects and harms are often invisible to people, so they don't realize how terrible sugar can be.

The same applies to these policies.

The federal society appears to operate with a very efficient mechanism, with people fully enjoying the various benefits brought about by social development, having stable jobs and an economic system, and also enjoying freedom and democracy.

These things are both sweet and wicked to those who have never had them.

It's sweet because it's something they might never even dream of, and vicious because once they get involved, they become dependent on it.

"People in the Asia-Pacific region have not yet developed antibodies, so our plan can be implemented very smoothly."

"We want to build Zhuolan into a 'benchmark city,' modern and international, completely changing people's mindset, and then inviting people from other parts of Asia to visit."

"We want to spread the changes in Lapa and Zhuolan throughout the entire Alan region through newspapers and magazines, so that their people can be filled with longing for the changes that are taking place."

“Moreover!” Lance picked up his glass and took a small sip. “Our current methods are very mild and non-aggressive.”

“We are simply providing the necessary assistance to the interim government of Rapa, helping them, who have no experience, to build a mature country. This is not an invasion, but selfless help.”

"People accept these things without any resistance."

“When our consultants have penetrated every level of government and every key position, if you call it Lapa, then it is still Lapa.”

"But if you say it's a federation, then without a doubt it is a federation."

"Without the use of war, without diplomatic disputes, everything was completed silently, from Lapa to the Federation."

“We will support more social activists who are inclined to support us, so that locals will feel more at ease with the federal government.”

"Of course, this is thanks to the thorough work we did in the early stages. Now, the younger generation in Lapa who had a spirit of resistance have basically been wiped out in the war."

"The rest are the easiest lambs to manage."

"When more countries become interested in our system, that's when we'll continue to color the blue pigment into our own colors!"

No one can stand by and watch their neighbor live a good life while they themselves are still struggling to make ends meet.

In addition, some countries already have their hearts set on the Federation, so it is not impossible to gradually erode and infiltrate Asia without the use of force.

No matter how much the Republic of Germany opposes it, it's useless. After all, Asia has only made their country rich over the years, and they have no ability to help their poor brothers around them become rich together.

Now that you're rich, if you're still stopping your brothers from getting rich together, then you're everyone's enemy.

Lance's entire plan is very comprehensive. With the size and depth of the Federation, it is virtually impossible for them to fail in dealing with these small countries!

The people in the room listened attentively, occasionally chatting and discussing, and they had no doubts about Lance's plan.

They might have thought the plan might not be feasible before, but now that it has accomplished a large part of it, people will put away their doubts.

What they care about is the distribution of profits. If Lance's plan can be implemented smoothly, it means they can share in the vast profits of Asia, and that's what they care about.

Mineral resources, abundant goods, people and businesses, gems, gold, and a huge market.

This is what they really want.

Of course, they wouldn't discuss these things today; today was just to welcome Lance back and give him a... chance to show off.

Later that evening, after all the guests had left, Senator Cleveland and Lance sat alone in his study.

"Do you have any thoughts on the candidates for the Rapa government?"

"Also, I didn't ask you earlier, what should we do with these people who have come to join us?"

This is a classic example of giving benefits.

One "special zone" is not enough for Lance, who has made great contributions. Anyone can see that once Asia is brought into the Federation's pocket, it will not only be an increase in land area, but also a number of interests.

This is a treasure trove of immeasurable wealth, and as the person who unearthed it, we can't just praise him a couple of times and give him a medal or something.

The last time Senator Cleveland told Lance that he would apply for a Gold Heart for him in recognition of his efforts in this matter.

The Gold Heart is an extremely rare medal in the Union, and only those who have made significant contributions to the country are eligible to receive it.

For example, the conditions for awarding this medal are very strict for scientists who have made the Federation a world leader in certain fields.

However, if Senator Cleveland says she can do it, then she definitely can.

But one medal isn't enough; Lance needs some tangible benefits so that others can see the advantages of working for Congress and the Union.

Lance thought for a moment, "I don't really have any big ideas, as long as the mineral resources I have are left to me."

"That's not really a problem," Senator Cleveland nodded. "That's easy. I'll have them remove that part."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Acquire as many mines as possible before we sign the contract. This will make it easier for me to report to Congress and the President."

"Otherwise, once the report is submitted, it will be very troublesome if you want to add or remove anything later."

What he really meant was that Lance should put his own portion into his own bowl before serving the food.

Otherwise, by the time the food is actually served and Lance is able to distribute it, only scraps will be left.

Lance nodded. "I'm doing it."

"As for those who have come to join us, my idea is to establish an agency in Congress that is similar to the 'Alan Affairs Advisory Office' and is responsible to Congress, and to place them all in it."

"This gives them a chance to speak, a certain social status, and at the same time, it establishes them as a role model."

"We need to expedite our follow-up work in the Asia-Pacific region. Perhaps some others will want to join them and will contact us in advance."

Senator Cleveland nodded after listening, his face beaming. "Very good, you've thought it through very carefully. I'll try to follow your approach."

That topic ended there, and Lance changed the subject to the war, "I've been reading the newspapers these past few days, and it seems the war is about to end?"

Senator Cleveland lit a cigarette and nodded, saying, "Yes, we have spoken privately with the president of the Republic of Dantra, and we have reached an agreement on certain issues. We are willing to support him."

"It is clear that the president of Dantra has now been abandoned by most of the country. No one can bear the responsibility for the failure of the war. As the nominal supreme ruler of the country, they intend to make the president bear all the responsibility."

“He’s close to madness. Our idea is to cooperate with others to remove this ‘mad king’ from that position and let Dantra continue to have power to wait for the next battle with us. Or is it better to let this ‘mad king’ stay in that position?”

"At least for the foreseeable future, his attention will be focused on the domestic struggle, and he will not be able to attend to external matters."

Lance nodded, as if agreeing with their point of view. "And then?"

Senator Cleveland paused for a moment, then asked, "And then?"

"If this mad king achieves a high degree of internal unity, with him at the helm, Dantra's industrial and manufacturing capabilities will be unmatched by small countries like Alan."

“In the past, when they had internal conflicts, they could restrain each other, but now that no one can restrain him, his power will be amplified infinitely, and he may become a more dangerous enemy of the Federation in the future.”

Senator Cleveland frowned. He hadn't thought about these things before, but now that Lance was bringing up the idea, he couldn't help but start thinking.

Previously, they were so focused on getting Dantra caught up in internal strife that they were unable to develop externally. But what if the president can stay in office forever?
A dictatorial, highly centralized country that is not backward in industrial technology and is even relatively advanced in some areas will become a huge potential danger.

Senator Cleveland frowned and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"No."

"Actually, there's not much of a problem with this direction, but we need to consider taking some targeted measures, such as long-term observation and prevention, to avoid them suddenly launching a new round of war and leaving us no time to defend ourselves."

"At the same time, I'd like to share my own perspective..."

At this point, Senator Cleveland did not regard Lance as an immature person at all. He valued Lance's ideas, which were mature, unconventional, and thought-provoking.

"explain."

“We can loosen the cage a bit to give this mad king more room to maneuver, which will increase the pressure on Slade.”

"If they don't want to face the mad revenge of the Mad King Dantra alone, which could overthrow them, then they will rely on us even more, in every way."

"This will protect our interests on the continent of Tanfield!"

Senator Cleveland took out a notebook and wrote down everything he and Lance had just said, clearly he had taken it all in.

After a while, he finished taking notes and then looked at Lance and praised him, "You are a true genius, Lance!"

Lance simply smiled in response, as if he had done something insignificant.

(End of this chapter)