Shadow Empire

Chapter 787 Return to the Federation
In fact, when a person expresses his ideas smoothly, it means that the idea is not something he came up with on the spur of the moment, but something he has thought about.

Leonardo leaned back in his chair, tilted his head and watched his son-in-law's speech, then nodded, "You're right, kid."

"We shouldn't have to pay for this. This is the government's business."

"But!" His timely turn made people's thoughts, which had not yet had time to drift away, return to him.

"The government doesn't have that much money right now. They just lost a lot of money."

He was referring to the people who had been sent over before and the equipment they carried.

Don't expect the Slaads to give the equipment back.

These weapons cannot speak, and they cannot tell others who they belong to, so naturally they all become the property of the Slad people.

So now the sumuli government doesn’t have much money in its pocket, and they may not be able to come up with all the expenses.

Leonardo emphasized this point only to prepare for what was to come.

In fact, he had known about these things a long time ago, including the communication between the ambassador and the prime minister. As a pro-war faction, the prime minister called him immediately, and he knew the news earlier than anyone else.

"We can pay. After all, we are also members of the Sumu. I have an idea."

"We will pay for the armaments of this 20,000-man army, but there is one condition: the officers must be appointed by us."

His words suddenly made everyone in the room realize that what Leonardo wanted was military power.

He can recruit soldiers on behalf of the government and pay money on behalf of the government, but he also has to control the power that only the government has, the power of the military.

They had previously sent several family members to join the army, but they only participated in the war as officers, not commanded the war.

Everyone, including Christopher, suddenly straightened their backs. He was also the son-in-law of the Bianchi family. The battlefield on the front line was indeed very dangerous, but the dangerous ones were the soldiers, not the commanders.

If all officers are born in the family, then can he also become an officer?
This is a good opportunity!

Since Leonardo failed in his bid to become prime minister, he adjusted his thinking. He decided to first control the military and then train a government successor who would be acceptable to the people and bring him to the forefront.

He will gradually and slowly control Sumurai Island through his own means and then become the supreme ruler here.

Leonardo continued, "I invited a trusted friend as the commander. He is a good friend of our family and I have a very good relationship. He also graduated from the Sumuli Army Academy."

"None of you have ever commanded a war, so I can't give you this important task, but you can be officers who obey orders, so you bastards better not let me down, and don't let me waste so much money and have to send you away first."

He picked up his handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth, as he did when he talked too much.

He then named several people, all of whom were assigned to important positions. This time Leonardo planned to gather the strength of two divisions.

So two commanders will be born here.

A group of gang members suddenly became high-ranking military officers. It was a very novel experience for these people!
Once the war is over and victory is achieved, they will be able to firmly control these troops with the merits gained on the battlefield and continue to deepen the Bianchi family's influence in the military.

By then, as long as you control the entire army, you want to become prime minister?

That's not a casual thing!
Christopher obviously understood this as well. He straightened up and raised his head, wishing he could stand at the front of the crowd.

He is also the son-in-law of the Bianchi family, so he should be qualified to be an officer!
Leonardo was obviously not a fool who was greedy for power. He knew very well that he could manipulate the selection of senior officers because these senior officers would not have a direct impact on the war as long as there was still a commander.

He did not arrange for members of his family to serve as company officers or lower-level officers. If these officers were occupied by his stupid clansmen, more than 20,000 people would be useless.

By the time the distribution was almost complete, Francisco was already feeling a little desperate, and at the same time, he felt a little resentful.

He had contributed a lot to the Bianchi family, but in the end he didn't get any benefit at all.

They weren't even as nice to him as Paul!

Just when he had a cold face and was particularly dissatisfied, Leonardo called his name, "Is Dover here?"

"Yes, I'm here." He walked to the front of the crowd with a look of surprise. People looked at him with complicated and disapproving eyes.

Some people had envy and jealousy on their faces, some were indifferent, and some looked half-smiled, which made him frown.

Leonardo looked at Christopher who walked in front of him, and a gentle smile appeared on his face, "Dover, you are a good boy, you have always been like this."

"Her death was her own fault. I have never blamed you. You know that."

"Even if I need you to attend some important gatherings, I will take you with me!"

The "she" Leonardo mentioned refers to Dover's promiscuous wife. He said he did not kill his wife, but someone told Leonardo that it was Christopher who did it.

But he didn't care. After all, a dead girl was not as good as a living son-in-law, and this son-in-law was still somewhat useful.

Christopher bowed his head and thanked Leonardo, "Your wisdom is as vast as the sea, and your kindness is as warm as the sun!"

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh twice. "Don't say these flattering words to me. I have a task for you to do. Can you complete it?"

Christopher was so excited that he bent down, holding his chest, "I swear on my last name!"

Leonardo smiled meaningfully with satisfaction, "You need to provide a steady stream of funds for the family's war."

Christopher had originally been thinking about whether he could become a brigade commander or something, at least a regimental commander, but even a battalion commander would be fine too.

But what he didn't expect was that he was nothing but a talent, and yet he had to make money for the family?
He looked up with wide eyes at Leonardo who was sitting in front of him, his face full of surprise and disbelief.

Leonardo seemed to not understand his expression and asked with a half-smile, "Are you going to regret it?"

Although he was smiling, Christopher saw something in his eyes that made his scalp tingle slightly.

He knew that if he answered "I regret it", he would definitely regret it and would regret it for the rest of his life.

At this moment, he had already sworn to serve the family, so he could only bite the bullet and agree, "No, I'm just shocked that you would give me such an important job."

Hearing him say this, the smile on Leonardo's face became more friendly and easy-going.

"It's really good that you understand my painstaking efforts. Just like I always say, you are a good child!"

"That's why I entrusted you with such a difficult task."

"Our smuggling business in the Federation has already started, but the profits are not very good. You are very familiar with the situation in the Federation, and you need to help us make more money."

"We need this money, and so does the war, understand?"

At this point, what else could Christopher say?
"I know, but..."

Before he could finish his words, Leonardo raised his hand to stop him. "Let's talk about other things later. I have some things to arrange."

He then assigned some tasks, and almost every important role in the family had something to do.

But compared to their serious affairs, Christopher felt that he really had not integrated into this family at all.

He has regained his composure, and it's hard to tell what emotion is hidden beneath his expression, but it's definitely not a good one.

After everyone else left, Leonardo took him back to his study.

"You must think that I don't value you because I didn't arrange a promising military officer job for you." Leonardo opened his mouth and exposed Christopher's little thoughts.

Christopher lowered his head, "No, I haven't thought about it that way."

Leonardo laughed, "Lying won't work for me, Dover."

"I have met many people in my life, some honest, some full of lies. I have met many. I can tell at a glance whether you are lying or not."

"Not letting you go to the front line is for your safety. Perhaps one battle could cause you to lose your mission."

"That is not Sumuli, nor is it any place you know or are familiar with. You can protect yourself."

"On the battlefield, even if it's me, as long as God starts to miss me, I will leave!" Christopher's stern face finally showed some expression, and he explained again, "I don't think so."

Although the words were the same, they were much milder than before.

Leonardo continued with a smile, "Raising funds is just as important to our cause, and it's a little less dangerous."

"The liquor we smuggled into the Commonwealth is selling pretty well, but it's not enough!"

"We need more money. You have to sell your wine to the Federation. You are very familiar with the Federation. I hope you can help us develop these voices and stabilize them."

Christopher's expression changed again, and he stared into Leonardo's eyes, "You want me to go to the Federation?"

"Damn, everything you said is a lie!"

"I won't go back!"

Leonardo looked at Christopher calmly. The biggest difference between him and Paul was that he had been thinking of using Christopher from the very beginning. He also knew what Christopher had done, so he had always been wary of him, but he didn't let him feel the wariness so obviously.

Christopher was like a puppet, controlled by him.

How could he give a better development opportunity to the man who assassinated his adoptive father?

Everything is just exploitation!

He waited until Christopher had finished his temper, then walked over to him with a smile, took his arm and sat down on the sofa, "Listen to me, Dover."

“I didn’t ask you to do business in Jingang City or Likalai State. You can do business in other states.”

"I've asked someone to find out. The Pasretto family is no longer the same after Alberto's death. The threat it poses to you is almost zero!"

"The only ones who pose a threat to you are Lance and the Lance family, but if we don't get close to them, they won't be able to do anything to you."

"This is a great opportunity, Dover."

“This is a good opportunity for everyone!”

"You can establish your own prestige within the family by managing important business for the family."

"You feel there is some distance between you and them, that's because you have never proven yourself!"

"Now you can prove yourself. As long as you can do our job well, I believe everyone will be able to see your efforts and be willing to accept you!"

He emphasized his tone, "No one can be recognized by others without proving themselves!"

"You, me, and everyone else, it's all like this!"

He patted Christopher on the shoulder and said, "Do your job well and gain recognition from others."

He took a deep breath, and his tone became more relaxed. “I will arrange some good hands for you, so you don’t need to worry about your safety at all.”

"No matter how powerful Lance is, he can't just appear in front of you and yell that he wants to kill you. That would be him courting death!"

"And if you feel it's dangerous, you can come back anytime and anywhere. It's very convenient to take a boat now."

"You don't really have to go to the federation. As long as you can get the business done, everything else won't be a problem."

In short, Christopher must find a way to open up this road no matter what.

The huge profits from smuggling liquor are enough to support the Bianchi family and allow them to take advantage of this huge change that people have not yet realized!
This time, Christopher did not refuse, and he knew he couldn't refuse.

Leonardo was a man of great execution, and the next day he went to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister.

The prime minister would have already stepped down. If Leonardo had not been opposed to coming to power, and if another prime ministerial candidate and biggest public opponent had not been assassinated, it would never have been his turn as the former prime minister to return to this position.

The reason he could sit on the throne of power for a while longer was purely thanks to Leonardo, so basically he would not refuse anything Leonardo said.

This includes a larger-scale insertion of members of the Bianchi family into the army.

As for the Prime Minister, he will step down as soon as the war is over, and he doesn't care how bad the country becomes!

Because his family has already immigrated to the Commonwealth, they are waiting to reunite with his family in the Commonwealth after he leaves office.

Things went smoothly, Leonardo got everything he wanted, and Christopher, under an assumed name, embarked on his journey back to the Federation.

This time Leonardo asked him to return to the Federation to raise funds on the one hand for the war, and on the other hand to have sufficient funds after the war to quickly corrupt and buy off more senior military officials.

Prepare for the Bianchi family to rule the island of Sumurri.

So he needed money, lots of it, so much so that Christopher's safety took precedence over this.

As long as he establishes the sales channels, Leonardo doesn’t care whether he lives or dies!

After half a month of preparation, a large amount of wine was loaded onto the ship.

As a member of the war and part of the military alliance, Sumurri Island's freighter arrived at the west coast of the Federation without any problems in the "safe waters".

Returning to the Federation gave Christopher an indescribable strange feeling.

There is nostalgia, uneasiness, the urge to stay away, and regret.

But regret is always short-lived. If Paul hadn't wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have thought of killing Paul in return. It's not his fault.

Survival is human nature. He just wants to live, and he is right!

The cargo ship from Sumuli soon found a place to drift in the sea off the west coast, and the others landed on the shore in small boats.

Some people came to pick them up, all of them were from Sumuli.

Although this part of the Sumur people are unwilling to return to their country, they are willing to continue to respect and honor the four major families.

That's what these people who are now greeting Christopher are like.

This time he brought about fifty people with him. The appearance of a large group of people on the shore attracted people's attention to some extent, and some people had already noticed this place.

Except for Christopher, all of them were stowaways. In order to avoid trouble, they quickly left by car.

The wine is still floating on the sea, and it will not come ashore until the warehouse problem is resolved here.

Christopher did not use his real name this time. He used the pseudonym Camilo and his last name was the Bianchi family's.

This immediately allowed him to establish a certain prestige among the local Sumurians. After all, members of the four major families still held great weight in the eyes of these people.

In addition, they did not obediently return to Sumuli Island, and now people from the four major families came here instead, which made them somewhat scared.

They also tried their best to meet and cooperate with Christopher's requests.

In just a few days, they acquired several warehouses that could be used to store alcohol.

Then at night, under the cover of darkness, they transported all the wine from the sea into the warehouse.

He brought a lot of wine this time, as well as half a bottle of brandy and a small amount of whiskey.

The whiskey production on Sumur Island is not high, but there are many vineyards.

The area is rich in grapes and fine wines, but wine sales have not improved much before. Leonardo hopes Christopher can open up the wine market as they have a lot of wine.

Christopher didn't think it was a difficult thing, just like when everyone hears that someone did something badly, the first thought is not how difficult the thing is, but how stupid the person is!

Besides, the price of wine was not cheap when he left. In addition, the price of grapes has skyrocketed in recent years, so the price of wine should be more expensive!
He had always thought so until he saw a grape brick...

(End of this chapter)