Shadow Empire

Chapter 749: Smuggling and Selling War

A victory for the Federation brought about wild praise in public opinion, as if the Federation's participation in the war had determined the final outcome of the war.

The war bonds on the market were sold out. The interest rate was 13.5% for three years, and they would be snapped up as soon as they were released.

For example, bonds with a 24% interest rate over five years are almost invisible to ordinary people, and will be bought up by some foreign capitalists.

Without even waiting for public sales, they had already negotiated a reimbursement agreement with the federal government's Department of the Treasury and just swallowed it all up.

This is definitely a feast of wealth for some international brokers and agents.

A large amount of foreign capital flowed into the federation through various channels, and then these agents and brokers purchased bonds in large quantities and kept them in the safe deposit boxes of federal banks.

The world situation is very complicated, and the Federation's marginal victory in a battle shows the country's rulers' desire to participate in the war and their desire for victory.

The place where the Federation is located is not connected to the Tanfit continent. There is an ocean between the two continents, which serves as a natural barrier.

Even if the Dantra Republic is able to divide Slade and its allies as it wishes, it will be difficult for them to infringe upon the specific practical interests of the Federation through force.

Therefore, for some capitalists who are facing huge changes, quickly transferring funds to the federal government is a very stable approach.

As for why buy government bonds?
The reason is simple. A lot of this money comes from illegal sources and is smuggled in.

Countries like Slade, which participated in the war, no longer allow capital to flow out and have imposed corresponding restrictions.

If they rush to escape with the money they have earned from the people's pockets as soon as the war breaks out, they will definitely lose without even fighting the war.

The rich and the middle class are the backbone of a country. If they all run away, can we expect the poor to save the country?
So now all the banks on the Tanfit continent have stopped their international remittance business and have fallen into complete silence.

The only way for capitalists to protect the money in their hands is to try every possible means to transfer the funds out.

How to transfer?

We can see the clue from the recent continuous rise in gold prices. They will exchange their banknotes for gold, whether from banks or from the public.

For ordinary people in the society, they have no idea about the current situation and future development. The only thing they can do is to exchange the unused things in their hands for money as much as possible, and then turn them into materials that they will need in their subsequent lives.

Food, medical supplies, and a few other things.

As a result, a large amount of gold and federal sol cash were smuggled from the Tanfit continent to the Federation.

This money is nominally black money, and the federal government is well aware of this, but the customs department has already been instructed.

The banknotes packed in containers, neatly stacked in squares and wrapped in waterproof cloth, as well as the gold bars firmly fixed on wooden racks with cloth bags, were all turned a blind eye and not handled.

The federal government knows exactly what this money will become - national debt!
The most appropriate option for them is to buy government bonds, and then wait three or five years, if the Federation really played a key role in the war and won.

Not only will they not lose money, they may even make a fortune because of such high interest rates!
The pressure on the federal government to spend military money has been greatly reduced, and it no longer cares whether the money is legal or appropriate!

Now, anyone who says they have money to come in, no matter whether the money has any problems or not, as long as they are willing to buy Treasury bonds, the federal government will let it go!

Victory in a battle also brings more changes, not just here, but in all aspects!

After returning to Jingang City, Lance had no other time for a while. He began to concentrate on making a baby with Patricia, and spent every day in the midst of gunfire.

In early May, the Union won another victory on the battlefield, further intensifying the pride of the Union citizens.

It was at this time that Tom called Lance.

"You've been pretty quiet lately. I haven't heard anyone say anything about you. This has been a shocking month for me!"

Lance laughed a few times, "Would you rather hear about the trouble I got into?"

"No, I'm just curious as to what made you quiet down!"

In the past, Tom would hear news about Lance every once in a while. Whether it was good or bad, he would always appear in his ears.

He hadn't heard anyone mention Lance for a month, and he even felt a little strange. Was this still the person he knew?
In fact, he didn't hear it, but it was because he was in Xinjin City, and what happened here would have no influence once it left Likalai State.

For example, with Lance's help, the state police and the Prohibition Committee cooperated to arrest a large number of bootleggers.

They used interstate highways and trucks to transport some banned liquor from other states into Likalai State, where they were discovered at roadblocks on state highways.

They could catch some every day. In the beginning, they could catch goods with a market value of hundreds of thousands, but later they caught less and less. In less than half a month, the amount of alcohol smuggling on the interstate highway went from one truck to two or three boxes in the trunk of a car.

Even though there are only two or three boxes of wine, as long as it is strong liquor such as whiskey and brandy, the profit is more than three to five thousand yuan. If you put a little more, it will exceed ten thousand yuan!

You can earn three to five thousand, seven to eight thousand, or even ten to twenty thousand by driving back and forth for two days. This is still a huge profit for those smugglers!

In order to evade detection by the state police, they divided the wine into more cars to increase the chances of passing.

However, as the crackdown becomes more and more stringent, the cost of smuggling is not rising, but the profits it brings are decreasing.

At the same time, in major cities, the number of people caught and fined for brewing alcohol privately is increasing.

These are actually very easy to catch, and Lance gave them an idea and got some trained dogs.

When the dogs smell the alcohol, they will bark and then look for the source of the alcohol. They only need to take the dogs for a walk on the street and they can find many small brewing workshops.

For humans, the smell of fermented wine crops may not be easy to identify, mainly because the quantity is too small.

Like the winery on Lawrence Farm, you can smell it from a mile or two away.

But for dogs, the smell is too obvious.

Many people were thrown into jail as a result, and this became the most thorough month in Likalai State after the implementation of the alcohol ban!

Some cities have directly cut off supply, and bars can't get much alcohol. The sales price of alcohol in the terminal market has become ridiculously high.

Even the Thorn Gang and the Marcus family were running out of wine. Although they were still "discussing", Lance knew that there was not much time left for them to finish the discussion.

Just like he said, either you bow your head and follow his rules, or you pack up and get out.

However, Tom would not know this news at all. Even if he heard it, he would most likely not associate it with Lance.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Tom explained the purpose of the call. "Congress and the Presidential Office attach great importance to these two victories. They want more people to know about them and to have a more beautified filter for the war."

"So the Federal Arts Council (a non-governmental organization) will come up with a task to select the '10 best war films of the year'. I heard that you have a production company under you, and you can make a war-themed movie."

Lance didn't take it seriously after hearing this. "Is this a political mission assigned to me, or just... a casual remark?"

"Of course it's not a political task, but I think you should do it. If you want to whitewash yourself in a different way, you need to appear in front of the public with a more positive and valuable image."

"This is a good opportunity, and they are promoting the establishment of a film committee, which will be established in the second half of the year. From the end of this year to the beginning of next year, they will select this year's annual films."

"People like these things. You have a production company. I also heard that you have a lot of cinemas. You should make use of them and make full use of them!"

Lance listened carefully. He was a good listener and not one who would refuse for the sake of refusal. "You're right. Is there anything that must be shown?"

"For example, I want to make the war very romantic and add some sour love stories into the war?"

"The entanglement and conflict between family and national interests?"

Tom laughed in the receiver. "Your words are full of your prejudice against war movies, Lance. Tell me, what happened that made you so unhappy?"

Lance did not hide his opinion, but just complained, "Over-glorifying war will make people lose their respect for war, whether it is the public or us."

Tom's laughter stopped, and after several seconds, he sighed, "You have some truth, but that's not what we should consider." "If you want to win an award, you'd better shoot something people want to see."

"If you don't want to win an award and just want to show your face, then it's up to you!"

"Anyway, don't forget this. There is one more thing. The soldiers on the front line are very satisfied with your wine. The quota may be slightly adjusted in the near future."

"Pay attention to yourself."

After hanging up the phone, Lance walked to the balcony and looked at the scenery in the suburbs.

Some bodyguards who were patrolling by looked up and greeted him. Lance was not the kind of person who kept too much distance, so he also greeted the bodyguards downstairs. They were all his own people.

He didn't really want to make the film, but now that it had become a political task, it would be inappropriate to refuse.

What to shoot?

He lit a cigarette. Since he had to shoot, he had to serve himself and gain benefits for himself.

He took a puff of cigarette and narrowed his eyes slightly. Countless movie clips he had seen flashed through his mind. Finally, there was one that broke through the siege, which made him very satisfied.

More than half an hour later, the director arrived at Lance's manor.

This was his first time here, and he couldn't help feeling a little restrained when he saw such a magnificent manor.

If the butler had not pulled the hat from his hand with force and hung it on the tray specially for hats, he might have gone to see Lance with the hat.

The butler came from the empire and was said to have served the nobles before. Later, due to the civil war, his "master" was killed by the rebels.

He and his family carried the boat across the Eastern Ocean overnight and arrived in the Federation.

His son joined the Lance family, so when Lance needed one of "their own" to be the butler, he stepped forward.

"If you don't want us to take off your coat, you'd better take it off yourself and put it in my hand," he said.

The director reacted immediately, took off his coat and handed it to the butler while saying sorry.

The butler handed it to the maid and took a breath, "Come with me, Master Lance is waiting for you."

"Thank you!"

Soon, he met Lance in Lance's office.

There is a huge window on the side of the Lans, through which you can have a panoramic view of the entire countryside.

The moment the door opened, a breeze blew, making the director feel refreshed!
It’s fucking great to be rich!
He bent slightly and stood by the door.

Lance motioned for him to sit opposite him, and then asked the butler to bring some drinks and pastries.

“Did you know that the federal government is pushing for the creation of a federal film commission?”, he asked first.

The director nodded, "I know about this."

The rapid development of the film industry has ignited the enthusiasm of capital, using thirty to fifty thousand yuan, or even a hundred thousand yuan, to drive box office revenues of hundreds of thousands or even millions.

In particular, the profit-sharing system created by Lance, under the strong protection of force, has now begun a more detailed reorganization of Wanli Productions.

There are production companies, cinema companies, distribution companies, and also agencies specifically set up for actors, directors, screenwriters, etc.

Some capable people can handle the distribution themselves, but most small production companies don't have the courage to put guns to the heads of theater owners and force them to spit out money that does not belong to them.

So they will still choose Wanli Distribution Company to help them distribute, and Lance has begun to consider registering a formal "Wanli Group".

The film industry is developing at a speed beyond people's imagination, which will naturally bring about a series of changes. The establishment of an industry union is obvious.

As a director who is considered a big name in the industry, he must know about this.

Lance nodded slightly, "I will get a seat as a committee member or executive committee member for the company, and then you can choose a representative to participate in the preparatory work."

"Also, I recently had an idea. I plan to make a war movie."

As they were talking, the butler brought in coffee and pastries from outside. There was no milk in the coffee, but of course there was a small pot of full-fat hot milk on the tray, and some sugar cubes stacked together.

As for those pastries, Lance didn't like them. They were too choking.

"Thank you!" The director stood up slightly, reached out to take his coffee and tray, and placed them in front of him.

He picked up three sugar cubes and was about to pick up more when he felt his face getting hot. He looked in the direction where he felt strange and saw the butler staring at him.

He put down the sugar tongs sheepishly and poured some more milk.

The butler shook his head slightly and left the room.

He felt that it was a waste to give this guy coffee beans worth hundreds of dollars. He was only suitable for drinking sweet milk and had no idea what taste was!
After the butler left, the director felt much more comfortable. He asked tentatively, "I heard that everyone seems to be planning to shoot a war movie recently. Is there any mission?"

He's sensitive, which is good.

Lance nodded, "Yes, there is a political mission, but I don't like their traditional war movies where soldiers fall in love on the front line or something."

"I need a more brutal war, a more real war, do you understand me?"

The director drank coffee that had no bitterness or sourness at all, picked up a small pastry and stuffed it into his mouth. "I understand. So, did you prepare the script, or did I?"

"I have an idea. Take some notes."

The director immediately swallowed the pastry in his mouth and took the pen and paper from Lance.

"This story...is based on the Golden Port City!"

"Golden Harbor?" The director looked up at Lance, surprised. "There's no war going on here!"

Lance glanced at him sideways, and he smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

"The background of the story is this war. We have gained a huge advantage on the front battlefield. In order to save the country from collapse, the Republic of Dantra planned a battle plan called 'Stab Gold'."

"They mobilized the entire Eastern Ocean Fleet and attacked the Jingang Wharf without our knowledge..."

When the director's pen recorded this, although he didn't know what would happen next, he already felt his scalp tingling, and as he exclaimed "Oh my God", he became more focused!
"Golden Harbor City was completely destroyed, and the naval base suffered heavy losses. We need to use a large amount of space to show the helplessness and powerlessness of ordinary people in the face of war when it comes."

"I want more blood, corpses, ordinary people who died in the bombardment, and cities completely destroyed by the bombardment!"

After the director finished recording, he raised his hand and said, "Let me interrupt. This may be very expensive to produce."

Lance curled his lips, "Money is not a problem."

“They want us to win an award, so let’s give them a big shock!”

In fact, not only will this movie not offend them, but it will make them feel excited and even cheer loudly, so that against all odds, this movie will become the movie of the year!
No matter what it is, at this moment, it is essentially serving the war, serving the federal government, and serving the interests of the masters.

Lance had thought about one thing before. As his business grew bigger, relying solely on Lawrence Farm to make wine would not only meet the national supply, but it would be great if it could meet the supply of Likalai State, let alone expand outward.

So he needs the Yalan region and that super factory suitable for brewing wine.

With cheap labor, tropical climate and suitable environment for planting, it will become a super machine for Lans to make money!
But there is a prerequisite, he has to take over this place!

(End of this chapter)