Chapter 1047: Factions, Ideas, and Entering the City

"It's done!"

Pedro's face was filled with an incredulous joy. News from the "front lines" was constantly being sent back via telegram; their lead troops had already reached the outskirts of Zhuolan and could enter this city they had longed for at any moment.

Every leader of the insurgent army wore a look of fanatical excitement; their cause had reached its peak at this very moment!

Pedro handed the telegram in his hand to the others and paced back and forth a few times. "I've ordered the vanguard not to enter the city yet. We will wait until we all arrive and enter together."

"In the posture of victors!" His voice had also risen quite a bit, and everyone's face was filled with an expression of excitement.

Pedro's gaze lingered on each of these people one by one. "Gentlemen, we need to prepare. At the very least, by the moment we enter the Presidential Palace, we must look more presentable, right?"

Everyone laughed heartily. They had already begun to fantasize about themselves wearing proper clothes, standing under the flashbulbs of reporters, walking into the Presidential Palace with their heads held high, and standing together with the tyrant Diego to have their pictures taken.

Of course, it wasn't to capture how friendly they were, but to capture Diego the dictator, the tyrant, and how he and his rule had come to an end at that moment!

This was indeed encouraging good news. Soon, most of the leaders left; they needed to bring out their best-looking clothes and finest accessories, striving to dress themselves up like flamboyant peacocks when that day arrived.

But there were also some who stayed behind, such as those "students" of Lanse, as well as a few people whose brains were truly capable.

Pedro looked at the expressions on their faces, which were no longer as excited as before, but instead revealed a kind of scrutiny that couldn't be reined in. "Aren't you going back to prepare?"

"At the latest, we will be able to reach Zhuolan the day after tomorrow."

Luo Si sat to the side without speaking, and the other "classmates" were also silent.

An insurgent leader from the "civilian" ranks looked at Pedro and asked, "What about the issue of the Concession?"

"Should Diego be killed or kept alive?"

"What kind of government are we going to form?"

The smile on Pedro's face gradually faded. He looked at the three people beside the other party, and a word suddenly popped into his mind—factions.

The other party met their gaze without any fear. Now that everyone's armies were completely mixed up, it would take time to re-draft their own men, so they were not afraid that Pedro's people would suddenly turn on them.

Moreover, if Pedro really did that, the insurgent coalition would immediately collapse; after all, Pedro's strength was currently the greatest.

The other leaders, in order to avoid becoming the next ones, would certainly flee at the first opportunity.

Pedro sat back down and lit a cigarette—not some high-end cigarette, but one rolled by himself from ordinary tobacco leaves.

Although the taste wasn't as mellow and fragrant as those imported cigarettes from the Federation, at least it could solve their nicotine addiction.

The moment the nicotine entered his lungs and was absorbed by the mucous membranes, his attention became highly focused. "Let's talk about the first thing: the issue of the Concession."

"Behind Lanse are the Federation people. If we want to take the Concession back, it is very likely that we will touch the interests of Lanse, and the Federation people behind him, or even the Federation government."

"By then, what we will be facing will not be a team like Diego's government..." He curled his lips and shook his head, his face full of disdain, "... a team that is unprofessional, but a professional Federation army with better weapons and equipment."

"So, on the issue of the Concession, my personal thought is to respect the facts."

His words kept the room in silence. The people below were very angry and unhappy with the concept of the Concession, and some soldiers had even mentioned wanting to eradicate this thing, but the fact was that they couldn't do it.

Looking at the silence of these people, Pedro knew that they had actually reached a consensus on this issue; otherwise, someone would have spoken up to oppose his views and ideas.

No one did so, which meant that everyone had no other opinions.

"As for a part of the content in the 'Zhuolan Treaty,' I think we can talk to Lanse and the Federation government, for example, about tariffs, or market supply and the like."

The "Zhuolan Treaty" previously signed by Lanse and Diego mentioned the issue of tariffs. Diego had borrowed quite a lot of money from Lanse. In addition to leasing the land to Lanse, he also had to exempt all goods sold on this land from taxes, and exempt any goods entering the port from the Federation from any tariffs.

Even in the supplementary clauses, if the Lapa government could not repay the loans owed to Lanse and the Federation government with interest within a certain period, then the tariff rights would need to be handed over to the Federation government until they paid back the money.

The damage these clauses caused to the power of the Lapa government and the damage to Lapa's national sovereignty were extremely serious.

They might not be able to solve the Concession issue, but regarding these problems, Pedro felt there was an opportunity to talk.

"I can talk to the Jiede government, borrow money from them, pay back a portion of the money first, and correct some of the clauses, or achieve a certain degree of reduction."

"Wanting to completely tear up the 'Zhuolan Treaty' is impossible, and no one will allow us to do so."

Someone pounded the table. "That damn Diego, he left us a huge mess!"

Pedro took a breath. Making such a decision was in itself a manifestation of helplessness and powerlessness. If he could change it, he certainly would have done it, but he couldn't.

If anyone else came, they wouldn't be able to do these things either.

"As for the government we are going to form..."

He frowned, and the smoke exhaled from his mouth slowly dissipated, filling the entire room, which also made others unable to help but start smoking.

"I hate the Federation government, and I don't like Lanse either, although he gave our cause a huge enlightenment and also played a driving role."

"In my heart, Lanse White, this Federation person, can even be called the 'Father of Lapa's Spirit of Freedom.' If it weren't for him, perhaps our fire of freedom wouldn't have been ignited, and the cause of liberation wouldn't have been pushed forward."

"But this doesn't hinder me from disliking him. He and those Federation people, the Federation government, are no different—greedy, evil, and corrupt!"

"I don't like everything about them, but that doesn't hinder me from liking their government structure. So my thought is that we should learn from them, but not completely."

"President, a supreme role—he possesses too many privileges!"

"Our country, the education level of our citizens, and even including ourselves, cannot achieve true fairness and justice. Once another tyrant dictator like Diego appears, for example..."

He smiled. "If I also became like that, in my later years, then the damage I would cause to this country would be more than Diego's."

"So my thought is that we don't establish the position of President, but use the 'Lapa United Assembly' as the highest governing body, with twenty-seven representatives elected by the twenty-seven regional tribal states, jointly participating in the country's government affairs and construction work."

"I prefer the voting system; it appears democratic, free, just, and fair. We twenty-seven people are all the highest rulers, but we also check and balance each other."

When he said these words, the expressions on the faces of some people—it could be said most people in this room—became relaxed and eased.

However, there were also a very small number of people whose expressions became less... for example, Luo Si, who frowned, his face carrying a faint, perceptible resistance.

Pedro also noticed this point; he had been watching Luo Si all along. "Do you have any additions to this idea of mine?"

Seeing that Pedro had asked him, Luo Si changed his sitting posture. "I just don't quite understand. If we don't have a President, don't have a... I don't know how to say it."

"This is like a big family without a head of the family, only a group of uncles and aunts. Then how do the lowest-level family members know who they should obey and whose orders to listen to?"

"Should they listen to this so-called Lapa Assembly, or listen to the representatives they elected?"

"Will this lead to us being one body on the surface, but actually being fractured?"

Luo Si leaned on the chair, his hand tapping on the table. "Just like my people, they are only willing to listen to me and do not obey your decisions, or the decisions of the Assembly. What should we do?"

"Fight a civil war?"

"I don't think this will work. Why does the Federation need a President? Perhaps this is to let everyone know, at least on the surface, who they should listen to." He looked at Pedro. "You say you admire the Federation's government structure; why don't we use theirs directly? It's mature and stable. Just simplify it to fit our situation."

"There is no need to specifically create one that hasn't been tested. This is not the approach of a smart person, Pedro."

After being lectured by Luo Si, Pedro was not angry. He just smiled. "I just put forward a suggestion of mine, my view. Regarding your hope for a President and your hope to completely copy the Federation's government structure, that is also an option. I have no reason to oppose you."

"As for how this matter will eventually be done, my view is to wait until we have completely stabilized the situation before discussing it."

"And, don't forget, there are other leaders who don't know about this matter."

"They also contributed to overthrowing Diego's rule, and they should also enjoy this result."

Luo Si glanced at him sideways, nodded, and didn't continue speaking.

Clearly, they were just a group of anti-government armed forces that had just touched the edge of the fruits of victory and hadn't swallowed these fruits into their stomachs yet, but cracks had already begun to appear internally, and even factions and opposition had emerged.

Sometimes, there are things that people cannot do well, not because people's abilities are insufficient; on the contrary, it is because people's abilities are too sufficient—some are excessive!

The more knowledge people possess and the more things they experience, the more dangerous their thoughts will become.

After ending this discussion, which had solved some problems but left even bigger problems unresolved, everyone returned to their respective places to prepare for the subsequent entry into Zhuolan.

And at this time in Zhuolan, it was also a scene of desolation.

The routed soldiers had gone back and forth, cleaning out the wealthy Western areas of the entire city several times. If it weren't for the heavy troops guarding the Presidential Palace, they might have even ransacked the Presidential Palace twice before being willing to leave.

A large number of routed soldiers hijacked ships of all sizes and left here, but there were still many soldiers who had no way to leave and could only continue south, attempting to enter neighboring countries through the border.

Undoubtedly, these people would become a big problem for neighboring countries and would also become a diplomatic issue that the new government urgently needed to solve.

However, these things had nothing to do with Lanse anymore. Lanse sat in his headquarters office. If Diego were also here, he would be able to see that many of his ministers and many government officials were gathered here at this time.

It was as if... Lanse was the President of this country, not him.

"Pedro and the others won't enter the city until two days later. This time is about right."

Lanse placed the intelligence in his hand on the table. He looked at these "leaders" of the various tribal states.

Lapa's government was a huge, makeshift stage composed of local tribal leaders. The Lavila family was the largest and most powerful tribal state, so the Lavila family had always monopolized the position of President.

As for the leaders of other tribal states, roles like chieftains, they became officials like ministers, which could also be considered a kind of distribution of power based on strength.

The Lavila family and its most steadfast allies had been completely crippled and disabled, but the strength of these ministers and the tribal states behind them was still preserved.

Added together, these people could still pull out four or five hundred thousand soldiers. Coupled with the supply of advanced Federation weapons and unlimited ammunition, their winning percentage against these insurgent armies could be said to be ridiculously high.

Because from the moment this "Battle of Zhuolan" broke out, the Federation had completely cut off the supplies for both Diego's government army and the insurgent army. Their bullets were one less for every one fired, their funds were one less for every bit used, and medicines were basically all used up.

Perhaps Pedro still naively thought that as long as they took the Presidential Palace, killed Diego, and announced the establishment of a new government, everything would get on the right track.

He actually didn't understand at all that Lanse hadn't considered giving him a chance—he wouldn't give him any chance at all!

Now, these four or five hundred thousand soldiers armed to the teeth were rushing over from all over to "protect the King." These anti-government armed forces, Pedro and these people, were like wild dogs locked in a room, not even qualified to flee.

When Senator Cleveland heard Lanse's complete plan, he couldn't help but feel amazed at this plan of his!

From the initial "release" to the final "collection," everything was under Lanse's control.

Using Lapa people to fight Lapa people, the Federation didn't even need to dispatch troops to eliminate everyone who had a spirit of resistance and unrealistic delusions in their hearts. The Federation would obtain a stable and easy-to-manage Lapa.

Whether it was direct annexation, occupation, or indirect control, it was all up to the Federation government to decide.

Just like now, the moment these forces quickly entered the areas around Zhuolan and formed an encirclement, it would be the time for the insurgent army to be wiped out.

They would enter Zhuolan two days later—wasn't that also a countdown to their lives?

Lanse's words made the ministers below nod in agreement. They were also excited. What was the purpose of defecting and betraying the country?

Wasn't it just to live a better life?

Now their families had already gone to the Federation and become Federation people. Their children would enjoy elite Federation-style education and might enter the upper class of the Federation after graduation.

Being a chieftain of a tribal state in a backward and poor country like Lapa was not as good as being a wealthy person with power and influence in the Federation!

Regarding Lanse's requirements, they naturally agreed one hundred percent.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was the first person to defect to Lanse, and his status among this group of "traitors" was also relatively high.

Actually, saying they were traitors wasn't quite right; after all, they could also be considered to be standing on the side of Lanse and the Federation government. Using "active progressive individuals" might be more appropriate.

"Mr. Lanse, after these anti-government armed forces are eliminated, what should we do?"

Lanse glanced at him. "I will tell you about the things that follow after you finish doing them."

"You don't need to worry either. The things I promised you with the Federation government will certainly be fulfilled. You don't need to worry about these."

"And after you arrive in the Federation, I will submit a report to the Senator and the Congress to build a new department for you."

"By then, wealth and power—not one will be missing."

This made everyone very excited when they heard it!

"In short, take it one step at a time. Tell your people not to do stupid things, not to destroy. What we want is a stable Lapa, not a terrible country."

Soon, these gentlemen began to pass the news back. The soldiers who were already ready to go in their tribal states also began to pack their equipment and board the trains heading to the Zhuolan area.

The silent trains were like sharp arrows shot into the heart of the insurgent army—deadly and dangerous.

After a few days of chaos, Zhuolan returned to calm, but not many people liked this kind of calm.

In the sky, it was as if a giant hand was pressing down over Zhuolan, and even the air became solidified and heavy, pressing so hard that everyone was almost unable to breathe.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the insurgent army began to enter the city. Pedro and the others always called themselves "in the name of the people," so in terms of discipline, it wasn't too bad.

There were only a very small number of people on the street watching them enter the city. The people of Zhuolan had been tormented enough by the previous routed soldiers and no longer trusted these people.

This was the fourth or fifth time Pedro had entered Zhuolan; he himself had somewhat forgotten.

He used to come here to put people on ships to go to university in the Republic of Jiede, in the capacity of a teacher.

But this time, he came here with a different kind of mission, in the capacity of a conqueror. The feeling was different.

Soon they arrived at the Presidential Palace, and the journey was smooth and unobstructed. The entire Presidential Palace was also almost empty, and the heavy troops guarding it two days ago could no longer be seen in large numbers.

Looking at the beautiful Presidential Palace, which was like a royal palace, Pedro stood under the steps for a long time.

Only then did he take a step onto the stairs with a smile that belonged to a victor.

At this moment, it was the peak moment of his life as a middle school teacher! ===== CHAPTER 1048 =====