Shadow Empire

Chapter 779 Plans and Propaganda Methods

The lights in the theater gradually lit up. Three senators, a group of congressmen, and some accompanying staff remained silent.

Their attention was on the three senators sitting behind them.

Senator Cleveland looked at the two senators beside him, then slowly stood up by the armrests of his chair and began to applaud.

Soon people began to applaud. The senators were still the most reserved, clapping softly, but when it came to the congressmen, they applauded much louder.

When they reached the entourage, they wanted to slap their hands until they were broken!
It's not because they like Lance's movies, it's just their stance.

"The movie is very well made and has profound meaning. Come to my room later and we'll talk," said Senator Cleveland.

Lance nodded.

Then the three senators left first. As soon as they left, others began to talk about it. This movie is not just telling a story, but also telling a "possibility" and a prospect!
Soon, Tom brought tea to Lance and the Senator. There was nothing more comfortable than having something to eat and drink after watching a movie.

After some snacks, Senator Cleveland brought the conversation straight to the heart of Lance's story.

"Do you think there's a chance the Dentra Republic would send a fleet to attack our ports?", something the Senator had seen in a movie.

Different people, people at different levels, see different things.

Those at the bottom of society may only see exciting plots, impactful pictures, and an ending that is not perfect but definitely touches people's hearts.

But to the senator, Lance was telling a story that was likely to happen in reality.

Lance adjusted his sitting posture and acted very relaxed. The greater his value, the more autonomy he had in front of the senator.

"Why wouldn't they?"

He started with a sharp question, "We have intervened in a war that actually has nothing to do with us, and we are playing an important role in the war. We have already taken the initiative in the northern battlefield."

"Is it possible that the retreating Dantra people will establish a new battlefield to divert our attention in order to restore the current situation?"

This question was very crucial. Senator Cleveland frowned and thought about it. He looked at the snacks on the table as if they were so beautiful.

After a few minutes, he nodded and admitted, "I don't know much about military matters, but I believe what you said is possible when they are facing more and more difficulties in dealing with us."

He thought for a while and asked, "Are you reminding us?"

This is the question he thought of. Maybe Lance wanted to use this method to remind the federal people, including the ruling class, that they may not be really safe if they stay away from the battlefield!

Lance nodded, then shook his head. "On the one hand, I think Jingang City, as an important port, is likely to become a target of attack by the enemy."

Senator Cleveland couldn't help laughing. "Because you live here?"

He seemed to see through Lance's little trick, and Lance did not refute, "One reason."

"On the other hand, I think the land of Yalan is too important to us."

"I have already made my point in the film. First of all, this land is densely populated. They are poor, backward and live in despair."

“You just need to give them an opportunity and a direction, and a lot of them will stand up and run.”

Senator Cleveland nodded, thinking of the scene that had not yet been forgotten in his mind. "Participating in the plunder of war."

Lance continued his words, "Not far from us, within a day's journey, there are hundreds of millions of people willing to fight."

"Xingdao (Star Islands) and Yalan are vital to the Federation's strategic plan. As long as we control these two regions, they can become our fortress against foreign enemies and our forward base for advancing into the world."

Lance's description is very straightforward, but sometimes the more straightforward the language, the more powerful and shocking it is.

Just like "I want to fuck you", whether it is placed between boyfriend and girlfriend or between enemies, it can express extremely strong emotions!

The senator closed his eyes after listening to this. What Lance said was indeed possible. If he didn't know, or if the federals didn't know, then they could do nothing.

But now they know, and if they don't do it, it will be proof of the government's stupidity!

In other words, this is actually a kind of "control". Lance is pushing things in the direction he wants!
The mastermind behind the scenes!

Senator Cleveland thought of this word immediately, as it fits the characteristics that Lance showed at this moment.

After thinking for a while, he opened his eyes and said, "You don't act like a gang leader at all, but more like a politician."

“Have you ever considered a career in politics?”

This was his sincere thought. In the process of interacting with Lance, he found that this young man had a vision that people of this era did not have, and used some bizarre but effective methods to solve problems.

And most of the time, the situation is under his control.

Lance smiled and said, "If I go into politics, will I have a chance of getting into Congress?"

Tom, who was serving them, was stunned. He stared at Lance blankly, unable to believe that Lance would ask such a question.

Senator Cleveland was stunned for a moment, then he laughed; he knew the answer.

"You are a smart man!", he said.

Although he didn't tell Lance whether he could enter Congress, he, Lance, knew the answer very well.

You can be a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, a soldier, a firefighter, or even an actor.

But you can't be a fucking gang leader!
Politics?

In fact, this road did not exist from the beginning!

Lance made his position very clear, which gave the Cleveland Senator a sense of stability. He knew that Lance's condition was stable.

He thought for a moment, "Are you going to use this movie to convince the people of the Federation?"

"But what reason do we have to take over Yalan?"

This is indeed a problem. The federal government's reason for participating in the war is "fighting for justice." If they become invaders now, some people will doubt what the core reason for participating in the war on the Tanfit continent is.

They needed a reason, a reason to take action against Yalan.

"If we can lose one freighter, we can lose the second one!"

"I have a good relationship with a government official in Lapa, and he will soon return to the Federation as a diplomatic ambassador to the Federation."

"If there is news that several countries in Asia are contacting the commissioner of the Republic of Dantra, coupled with this movie and the ambassador asking for help from the federal government."

"He revealed some truths in the hope that we can avoid destructive wars caused by the uncontrolled desires of dictators and ambitious people."

"The Federation has brought the local people the freedom they longed for, as well as a more lasting peace. Isn't this also a just war?"

What Lance said was actually still very general, but Senator Cleveland understood it.

For these top politicians, if you ask them to do a complex three-digit multiplication or division, they may not be able to figure out in their minds what the fucking number is in an hour.

But if you talk to them about politics, with just a little hint they immediately know what you mean.

Senator Cleveland nodded. "This is one way, but it's still not very safe. Let's wait until your movie is released. We need more social emotional feedback."

Although he said so, Lance already knew that this matter was very safe. He also mentioned Yalan's rich natural resources, minerals, agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as a large population.

When the balance is already unbalanced, every extra chip added can make the disadvantaged party fall into hell faster!

The Federation lacks these things, but Yalan has them all, and in great abundance. This is enough to make them lose control of themselves.

Being rich is not necessarily a good thing.

The next morning, the senators visited the naval base together, where they were received by Admiral Miles and watched some naval exercises, including a salvo firing at naval targets.

In short, it was lively and formal, and both parties were very satisfied.

During the chat, Senator Cleveland also talked about the Federation's strategic goals and value in the Eastern Ocean.

Admiral Miles directly brought the topic to the issue of Yalan. As a member of the current military, Admiral Miles is also a radical. He also supports the stationing of troops, so he would never consider saying something contrary to Lance's idea.

He mentioned the "uncomfortable" distance between Yalan and Jingangcheng.

It only takes two or three days for warships to reach the outskirts of Jingang City from Yalan and bombard Jingang. It is difficult for the Federal Navy to deploy defensive forces along the entire long east-west coastline.

In other words, once Yalan falls, it means that the Federation's grand strategy will quickly shift from foreign wars to a war of resistance to invasion on the homeland, and it will completely lose its dominance over the Eastern Ocean.

This was supposed to be a lighthearted visit, but due to some questions from Senator Cleveland, it turned into a serious discussion.

They sat together and talked about some international situations and the important role of the Federal Navy in maintaining current federal interests and maintaining world peace.

They also talked about a series of recent combat plans on the Dantra coastline, such as the bombardment of a port in Dantra, which caused huge losses to the other side.

At this time, they did not talk about how many of the "huge losses" were civilians and how many were enemy soldiers. They only talked about the results achieved.

Politics has always been like this, only showing the side that is beneficial to oneself.

When the discussion lasted until about eleven o'clock, Admiral Miles invited the visiting delegation headed by Senator Cleveland to have lunch with the soldiers in the military district.

This was part of the script itself, and they readily agreed.

Later, a large number of reporters followed them to the navy's restaurant. It can be seen that the navy's food is indeed good, with eggs, beef, vegetables and fruits, and there is no limit on the quantity.

Such meals are only available in middle-class families, but here, anyone can enjoy such a lunch.

Whether they are federals, illegal immigrant soldiers, or refugee soldiers, they can be supplied in unlimited quantities.

Reporters also deliberately filmed some senators eating with big mouthfuls of food, putting them and the soldiers around them in one picture to prove that Congress attaches great importance to the military personnel.

These photos will be published in the media as important promotional materials, letting people know that as long as they join the army, not only will their status be improved, but they will also be able to eat all kinds of good things without spending any money!
After lunch, the delegation boarded a warship and arrived at the sea area outside the base. They first took a look at the nearby coastal artillery and fortresses, and then performed various test firing demonstrations.

The visit ended successfully amid the applause of a group of reporters and politicians who actually knew nothing.

Admiral Miles said that he would guard this "gate" for the Federation and would not allow any enemy to have the opportunity to enter the Federation from here. He also said a lot of things that sounded a little strange.

The political significance of visiting a military base is always greater than the visit itself.

Senator Cleveland had originally planned to stay in Likalai for a while longer, but after Lance caused such a scene, he had to shorten his trip as much as possible.

The day after visiting the naval base, the group hurriedly drove to Maintenon.

If someone were to run it 24 hours a day, its speed would actually be faster than that of a train.

In just one day, they reached Maintenon.

After a night's rest, Senator Cleveland visited the speakers of both houses of the state legislature in Maintenon, visited the governor and state government officials, and had a private chat with Attorney General Terry. He chose to leave after staying for less than five days.

He originally planned to stay here for seven to ten days, at least seven days.

No one knew why he returned to Xinjin City a few days earlier, but they knew that something must have happened in the process.

In early August, the weather became increasingly hot and humid, and what was even hotter than this summer was the promotion of Lance’s new movie!

Lance used promotional techniques that were far ahead of their time to let people see what a "marketing genius" is!
What happened was that on August 5th, a temporary supplement appeared in almost all newspapers across the federation.

The content of the supplement is actually a string of codes, which is said to be a string of codes captured by a certain organization that may involve national security, and it is hoped that someone can decipher it.

This "news" immediately aroused people's curiosity.

Driven by curiosity and patriotism, almost most people got involved, and it became a very hot topic!

In fact, cracking the password was much simpler than people imagined. It only took them four or five days to mail all the cracked results to the newspaper.

After the "decryption", the newspaper added a new supplement, which was like a magazine, recording the secret they had cracked - "Operation Plan for the Sneak Attack on Jingang".

The extremely clever publicity methods have made this campaign directly included in industry textbooks, the news industry, the advertising industry, and various fields.

People may feel a little cheated at first, but once they accept that this is a propaganda in itself, they will feel less uncomfortable.

They are even more looking forward to the release of the movie and can't wait to go to the cinema.

But it’s not all good news in the media.

Some people say it opens the "witch's box" and will put the film industry into an unhealthy state, using more money to create a pile of expensive shit.

But some people also believe that the positive feedback brought by large investments will allow audiences to gain more movie-watching experience, which is a good thing for audiences.

But no matter what, the movie "The Raid on Jingang" was released when the publicity intensity was at its most explosive.

It was very popular and ignited the second half of the summer vacation. Almost everyone was talking about this movie because it gave people a more real feeling.

The shaking of the camera when the artillery roars makes people feel as if they are on the battleship and personally participating in the war!

As for those big explosion scenes, they couldn’t imagine how they were filmed. With such grand scenes, did they really destroy Jingang City?

Audiences from other places have some similar ideas, otherwise how could they shoot it so realistically?

It has to be said that this movie has gained more opportunities to be in front of the audience with its overwhelming attitude. More audiences have also expressed more of their ideas after entering the cinema. This is a good cycle.

The spread of word of mouth attracted more people to the cinema, and also made a small number of them, those with brains, start thinking after watching the movie.

The Federal Post even reported on this movie. Such a serious news used the title "If Movies Become Tomorrow" to outline the importance of Alan to the Federation in terms of security issues!
It mentions some plausibility issues regarding the film's plot, such as whether the Dentra people would launch a naval war to curb the Federation's performance on the battlefield because of their defeat on the main battlefield?

For example, is Yalan's strategic value really that important to the Federation?

Although these are ambiguous questions without exact answers, and are left for readers to think about, everyone seems to have some ideas of their own.

There is never a shortage of people in the federation who care about what Congress wants, workers on assembly lines, workers in steel mills, and workers cleaning sewers.

The heated discussions in society have also attracted more people to participate.

It was at this time that Minister Cassia, who had returned for some time, finally reached an agreement with the President of Lapa. He was commissioned to return to the Federation as Lapa's diplomatic ambassador to the Federation.

This time he came not only by himself, but also with his family, a whole family...

(End of this chapter)