Shadow Empire

Chapter 992 Farm Meeting
Mayor Xigu City looked at Lance with some confusion, his slightly open mouth remaining open, as if he was ready to ask Lance at any moment, "What have you invested in?"

Seeing the other party's reaction, Lance smiled and said, "As for movies, you should know that Wanli Group's film production companies, distribution companies, and even some talent agencies are all benchmarks in the industry."

Although Lance doesn't inquire about the film industry's development every day, he still pays close attention to the development of these companies.

Film and media are the main channels and mediums for spreading culture and ideas in the future.

You can't expect people who may not have even finished high school to seriously read a non-entertainment newspaper or book and glean some knowledge from it that the author wants them to know.

If they can really do that, then there's a high probability they won't just enter the workforce after graduating high school.

Although federal universities are difficult to get into and have high tuition fees, if you study really well, almost all universities have enough full scholarships and tuition waivers, among other measures.

Whether it's a regular university, a private university, or an elite alliance institution, they all understand that there must be some people in the school who are truly engaged in academic research.

But those people are ultimately a minority. Most people can only enter society after graduating from high school or even before graduating from high school.

They get sleepy when they see books, so visual communication channels will be of paramount importance for future development.

At least visual communication methods are less monotonous.

Furthermore, the "Golden Harbor Television Station," a collaboration between Lance and Golden Harbor News Group, is under continuous construction and development, and Lance has arranged some "long film segments" despite opposition.

People today don't know what a "TV series" is, let alone what a "TV drama series" is, so he used the concept of "long TV movie".

Film a long story, then cut it into episodes of about fifty minutes each. A story should have about twenty or thirty episodes in total, and then start broadcasting it to a limited number of users through television networks.

Lance is in charge of all of this. Whether it's his businesses or Golden Harbor Television, they've all established filming bases in Valley City, which is essentially an investment.

Furthermore, his status as a benchmark in this field will further concentrate industry resources in Xigu City.

In fact, Valley City has expanded considerably compared to the past, especially the western and northern suburbs, where numerous filming sets are constantly being created, making it feel like walking through different universes and timelines.

One second you might be on a main street in a small Western town, holding a revolver and competing with another cowboy to see who can shoot faster, and the next second you're transported to a medieval castle, followed by a palace.

The number of tourists visiting Valley City is constantly increasing, all thanks to the booming film industry. Film fans from all over the world come here to get up close to their favorite stars and to witness the filming and production of movies.

The mayor of Valley City quickly apologized to Lance, "You were right, you've been helping us all along!"

Lance smiled and clinked glasses with him. He didn't think the mayor of Creek Valley was being unreasonable; that was the purpose of socializing.

Look for opportunities!

The celebration party continued until just before dinner, when some people left on their own initiative. These were guests who had not been invited to dinner by Governor Terry, and some of them were ordinary people.

There were also others, like Lance, mayors from various places, who were all invited to dinner, as well as some people of high enough status.

The manor's restaurant could accommodate about two hundred people at the same time. At that time, the people of the Federation were very prolific, so each family was truly a large family.

It was quite normal for a family to have one or two hundred members during this period, and some even had more.

After dinner, Governor Terry saw everyone else off, with Lance walking last.

"I should be able to get there by the morning of the 24th," he said as he saw Lance out.

The "over there" he was referring to was Lawrence Farm, where they had agreed to build a stable interest group in Licarle State.

Governor Terry needs the support of the governor of Likale, as well as the state legislature and his party, to secure a seat in the Senate.

Indispensable.

Senators are nominated by state governments and legislatures, and two are selected from each state legislature to represent their respective state governments and legislatures in Congress to discuss national affairs.

Then, with the addition of some alternate seats, the U.S. Senate now has a total of forty-five seats.

If Terry wants to become one of them, he must be closely tied to Lance's interest group, so he will not refuse Lance's invitation.

The two shook hands one last time, exchanged a few meaningless pleasantries, and that concluded the day's celebration!
After watching Lance leave, Governor Terry returned to his study, where his staff and some confidants were staying; they wouldn't be leaving for the next couple of days.

After Terry became governor, there were many work changes to arrange, which was the "bonus" that these people had been dreaming of!
Governor Terry sat back down on the sofa, rubbed his cheeks, and lit a cigarette.

They brought him some honey milk, which they said would make him feel better and less bothered by the headache he had after drinking.

Some say it works, while others say it doesn't. But regardless of whether it works or not, it's definitely not wrong to prepare it.

All eyes were on him. He pursed his lips and looked at his deputy beside him. "After the handover is completed, I will nominate you at the state government meeting to take over my position and be responsible for some of the follow-up work of the prosecutor's office."

His deputy was so excited that his face turned red!
"Please leave it to me with confidence!"

He spit as he spoke, but no one laughed at him. Instead, they stared at him with envy and jealousy.

The position of Attorney General of the Likale State Attorney General's Office is essentially one of "wielding a sword" within the Likale state's judicial system.

He is capable of posing a tremendous danger to capitalists, officials, and almost anyone.

It is well known that the federal government is full of bad guys, with everyone carrying a criminal record and no one able to withstand investigation.

Whether it's a beggar on the street or a president drinking coffee in the presidential palace, if you investigate them, no one is innocent!
Of course, the Attorney General has such great power, but that doesn't mean he can abuse it. How it is used is sometimes not something the Attorney General can decide on his own.

Even so, this position remains incredibly attractive.

The attention of the others quickly returned to Governor Terry. Now that those around him had gotten what he wanted, what about them?
Governor Terry produced a list and showed it to the people. It contained a list of positions within the state government, some of which already had names, but many others were unnamed.

His meaning was clear: they didn't need to consider those with names, but they could try to compete for those without names.

Those who have already been confirmed are mostly mid- to high-ranking officials supported by the Socialist or Liberal parties. It would be somewhat difficult and costly to remove them from their positions, so the only option is to select and eliminate officials without powerful backers.

The handover process is unlikely to be completed in a short period of time. On the surface, it is said that the new governor will take over the entire state government in early November after the Saint Farm festival, but in reality, it may not be until mid-to-late December or even January before the handover is fully completed.

After all, there are always some things left over from the previous governor over the years. He either gets rid of them or takes them with him. It's impossible for him to leave them for Governor Terry.

Whether good or bad, dealing with these things takes time.

Unfortunately, time is both the slowest and the fastest thing; in the blink of an eye, twenty-four days had passed, and Lawrence Farm had become exceptionally lively.

Lance has been here for five days. Besides him, there are William, Mayor Williams, and James. Arthur also wanted to come, but he is getting married soon, and there are some things to prepare in advance to avoid any problems.

Lance's horse was still somewhat unfamiliar with him, though more so than a complete stranger. At least a complete stranger wouldn't eat a carrot offered to it, but when Lance offered it one, it would sniff it first before eating. "Perhaps only when I'm old and retired will I be qualified to raise a horse from a foal to adulthood," Lance said, handing the horse the carrots in his hand and gently stroking its nose—or rather, its face—as he spoke.

This horse is nothing like Patricia's. Although it is old, it is still very active. When it sees Patricia, it will walk over and rub its cheek against her like a puppy.

You can tell from some very subtle actions that it has intelligence and emotions.

The first time Lance approached Patricia, her horse hadn't even seen Lance yet, but he took the initiative to try and take Patricia away.

It will come to her side while Patricia is still there and try to attack Lance.

Lance envied the pet, but he didn't have the time.

Raising these animals to this size will take a lot of time, and that's what he lacks most right now.

Patricia smiled and said, "It will take time. If you come twice a year, it will recognize you and remember you."

"Actually, everyone really hopes you can come more often."

Lance nodded. "I will try my best."

A young cowboy on horseback approached quickly from a distance. Lance turned to look at the cowboy, and everyone around him also focused their attention on him.

This is a cowboy on a farm, but even so, his bodyguards are ready to fight at any time.

Once the cowboy got closer, he slowed down and made sure his hands were within their sight.

He noticed their gazes even before he got close, but he didn't feel uncomfortable. Big shots should have a certain aura, shouldn't they?
He quickly reined in the horses but did not dismount. "Mr. Lance, the governor is here. The grandfathers want you to come over."

"I know, I'll be there right away."

The cowboy immediately turned his horse around and left.

These past few days have been an incredibly exciting time for the people of Lawrence Farm, not only because William is now the mayor, but more importantly because Mayor Williams has come with his son, and most importantly, Governor Terry has just arrived!
This is absolutely the grandest event the Lawrence family has ever held since its inception, bar none!

The three old men had changed into their most formal clothes and were talking with these important figures on the farm.

They were mainly responsible for keeping quiet, leaving the task of speaking to William. However, it was clear that the three old men were very excited. They were all thinking how wonderful it would be if their eldest son were still alive, or if their parents, uncles, and aunts were still alive, so they could see how much the Lawrence family had grown under their leadership!
This is absolutely a miracle!

It takes about twenty minutes to get from the horse farm to the farm. The journey wasn't boring. Once they arrived at the farm, Patricia voluntarily left. She wasn't comfortable dealing with these officials, even though she was a civil servant herself.

Soon, Lance met Governor Terry, and the two hugged again after meeting. This gesture made it even clearer to everyone how good the relationship was between Lance and the new governor!
"Was the journey smooth?" Lance asked.

Governor Terry nodded. "Aside from my butt hurting a little from the car ride, nothing else went wrong!"

The journey was indeed a bit long, and Governor Terry came by car; the cramped space was indeed uncomfortable.

"Try taking the train back; I have a private compartment, you can try."

"If you're traveling domestically now and you don't have this, it's absolutely a bad thing!"

Governor Terry didn't back down or anything, and simply nodded in agreement.

The two returned to the hall, where everyone who was supposed to be there had already gathered. Lance looked at him and asked, "Do you need to rest for a bit?"

Governor Terry shook his head. "We've been resting along the way, no need."

"I need to leave by tomorrow night or the morning after tomorrow at the latest. There are still many things I need to sign. Let's get straight to the point!"

Lance looked at the others, and since no one objected, the discussion naturally began to revolve around the formation of a interest group.

The group entered the farmhouse. As instructed by old Herbert, there was no one else in the house except the old butler.

Outside the house, cowboys carrying guns and riding horses were everywhere.

Governor Terry couldn't help but take a few more glances and even asked, "How many cowboys like these are there on the farm?"

He originally wanted to say "armed cowboy," but that sounded a bit too nice, so he omitted the word "armed."

Old man Herbert laughed and said, "We have four or five thousand cowboys, and if needed, we can multiply that number several times over anytime, anywhere!"

He seemed to want to explain more clearly, "In this area, at least 300,000 to 400,000 people have improved their living conditions because of Lawrence Farm, and almost half of them are cowboys."

“It’s just that our ‘business’ is too good right now, and the farm doesn’t need that many cowboys, so they’re doing other things.”

"But when we ring the bronze bell on top of this house, they will shoulder their weapons, mount their horses, and appear in the square outside!"

The three old men wore proud expressions when this was mentioned, and Schubert even made a little joke, "Actually, we've only ever shaken this when we were capturing runaway slaves!"

What was originally a rather serious matter suddenly brought smiles to everyone's faces after this was mentioned.

Mayor Williams liked the joke, "Hopefully those runaway slaves' asses will be loaded with bullets!"

The three old men were stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. It was a very vulgar joke, but... they liked it!
When they were young, slavery had not yet been abolished, and farms were full of slaves treated like livestock.

That period was considered by many members of the Lawrence family to be the "golden age," and then Lawrence Farm has been on a downward spiral ever since!
As old ranchers, they enjoyed these harmless jokes, and they also knew Mayor Williams and that the Williams family was a large landowning class that owned tens of thousands of slaves, so they had a lot in common when they talked about this!

Governor Terry, on the other hand, might not quite understand how they suddenly found common ground, but he also knew that this "malicious" joke could bring everyone closer.

After everyone had laughed for a while, Lance said, "Inviting Mayor Williams, James, and Governor Terry here is something we discussed with Mayor Williams before."

“Now it’s not just us, the farm, our business, it has a huge impact throughout Likale State, and most importantly—”

He looked around, his gaze firm and full of power. He reached out and clenched his fist, as if he had grasped fate in his own hands!
"We have a large number of votes!"

"Mayor Williams suggested that we could unite like those local powerful clans, forming a force that firmly controls the entire state of Licale."

"Let's turn it into our own independent little kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, all three old men showed expressions of shock, including William. Although he had vaguely guessed something, Lance's words still greatly shocked him!

Lance was satisfied with their performance. After they had recovered a little, he continued, "Of course, it's not enough for just the people here. Mayor Williams, the governor, and I intend to build this faction around us."

"Now we need to bring in some new people and get more people on our side!"

(End of this chapter)