Chapter 705

"Did you have a pleasant time last night?"

After eight o'clock, Senator Cleveland waved at Lanse and greeted him.

He knew what Lanse had done last night, but he didn't stop him, nor did he intervene; he just listened quietly to his subordinates reporting the matter.

He knew this was Lanse's way of taking the opportunity to flex his muscles.

Jincheng is not bad, but for this country, no matter how good Jincheng is, within the next fifty years, it will never be able to catch up to this place: New Jincheng!

He felt that it was a waste for Lanse's intelligence to remain in Jincheng; he should come to New Jincheng, or at the very least, to Jizhou.

Lanse actually had such a plan himself, but not to move the whole thing over.

He wanted everything in Jincheng, and he also wanted to establish a branch here.

So, flexing his muscles in advance lets the people here know that he is not the type of person who will just swallow his anger when encountering trouble.

If anyone thinks he is easy to bully, or wants to try to deal with him to test Senator Cleveland's attitude, then he will make the other party suffer!

This is a tough nut to crack!

That is exactly what Lanse wanted.

When people realize that he is a person who must repay every grievance, they will consider the consequences more before offending him.

Lanse smiled, "I was a bit impulsive."

The Senator shook his head, "Have you eaten this morning?"

"If you haven't eaten, I'll have them bring you another serving."

At this moment, the Senator was sitting at the dining table enjoying his breakfast, a very simple breakfast, and also a very common one.

On the egg cup sat an egg with the top already opened; it must have been prepared by the butler or the cook, as the edge of the eggshell was very neat.

Of course, it is also possible that they boiled many of them and finally chose the neatest one to place on the table.

Next to the egg cup was a small plate containing three strips of trimmed bacon and about seven or eight or more thumb-thick bread sticks.

These bread sticks were cut from toast, square and uniform, then baked in the oven until crispy before being placed on the plate.

Besides that, there was also a piece of butter in the upper right corner of the plate.

Lanse only took one look and that was enough, "Thank you, I've already eaten."

Senator Cleveland smiled, "Then I'll eat by myself. You can go to the living room; there are already some friends there, and you can get to know each other."

Lanse left the dining room quickly, and Senator Cleveland withdrew his gaze from Lanse and focused his full attention on his breakfast.

He is a focused person, whether in politics or when it comes to dining.

He picked up one of the small bread sticks and stirred it inside the eggshell.

The bread stick was coated with some yellow-white substance, slightly solidified egg white and unsolidified egg yolk, but because it had been heated, it became thicker.

This way of eating looks barely acceptable, and those thick egg yolks provide a special visual sensation.

However, Lanse couldn't accept this; he only took one look and felt a bit uncomfortable, because this kind of egg yolk, similar to a soft-boiled egg, was too fishy.

This era is a period of rapid industrial development, and every chicken, except for when it was just born, has never enjoyed the freedom of running around.

Soon they were sent into narrow cages to grow up, and combined with the intensive feeding of low-cost feed, the eggs these chickens lay are actually very fishy.

Yet the Senator ate with great relish, as if this stuff were delicious.

When it comes to dining, at least breakfast, he is truly not picky.

After eating two or three sticks, he picked up a small white porcelain seasoning bottle from the table and sprinkled something from the egg opening; it must have been a condiment.

Then, holding a silver spoon, he scooped out the remaining egg inside, put it into his mouth, and even wore an expression of enjoyment.

He really hasn't eaten anything good, Lanse thought, wanting to laugh, but fortunately, he held it back.

Two or three bread sticks dipped in egg, the remaining bread sticks spread with butter and wrapped in bacon, and finally eating a few pieces of fruit salad—this was his breakfast.

After cleaning his face with a napkin, he walked out of the dining room and came to the living room not far away.

There were quite a few people in the living room; his aides were almost all here, along with some people Lanse didn't recognize, who looked like capitalists.

Senator Cleveland, who had walked into the living room, raised his wrist to check the time on his watch, then sat on his sofa, "Five more minutes, gentlemen."

"In five minutes, you will witness history!"

When he said this, everyone had their own thoughts in their hearts; of course, they all knew what "witnessing history" referred to.

War.

Twenty-four hours had passed, and the President was about to declare war on the Republic of Dantela.

At 9:05 AM, the voice of the President issued from the Presidential Palace came over the radio stations in New Jincheng; in fact, not just here, but every radio station in the entire Federation was broadcasting the same voice at this moment—the President's voice.

"This is the Presidential Palace. I am... Good morning to the country I am loyal to and to every citizen of the Federation."

"Today is a serious and important day for us. The Republic of Dantela refuses to acknowledge, apologize for, or compensate for the fact that they sank our cargo ships and killed thousands of Federation citizens."

"They are trying to erase their evil deeds with silence!"

"We will remember this, and the world will remember this!"

"The Republic of Dantela and its series of ambitious people are full of greed for world hegemony and have long aimed at conquering the world."

"The Federation is a peaceful country, and the people of the Federation are peace-loving people, but this does not mean that we will choose to remain silent in the face of hegemony and persecution!"

"God has given us the courage to defeat all enemies; the international order of peace has been challenged, and the Federation has also been affected."

"The brave and upright people of the Federation do not fear any challenges, nor do they accept any compromises!"

"Today, January 11, 1024, at 9:20 AM, after an all-night discussion by the President's cabinet and Congress, we have finally decided..."

The President's words paused here. At this moment, it seemed as if the entire Federation had gone quiet; even the vehicles that were driving seemed to have stepped on the brakes at the same time.

Accompanied by the sound coming from the radio, "We formally declare war on the evil Dantela Military Alliance," the time in this country returned to normal.

The distant city seemed to become noisy at this moment, and many people rushed out of their homes to stand on the roadside, chatting loudly with passing pedestrians and neighbors.

Everyone was expressing their own views and talking about their thoughts on the war.

Long queues had already formed at bank entrances; starting from January 1st of this year, the Federal Tax Reform Act had been passed and implemented, and as long as one had income, one had to pay taxes.

An industry comparable to lawyers was rising rapidly, although people were not clear about exactly how much they had to pay.

But the news that buying war bonds could reduce taxes was crucial to the public; whether out of the idea of not paying taxes, the idea of wanting to support the national war, or for the 22% return rate over five years.

People were willing to buy some war bonds. In the mobilization order, the President's voice was passionate and firm, and people had only one thought in their minds, which was "The Federation will win!"

Speaking of which, Lanse also planned to buy some war bonds, not because he coveted the interest that wasn't worth much, but because this was a form of "patriotism."

Living in a country with old Federation people at its core, you can be a Federation person, an Imperial person, a Slader person, or a person of color.

But you must love the Federation.

In the past, loving the Federation might not have had any specific expression; after all, there was no need to pay taxes at that time, and there was no need for the people to do anything else, so everyone could pat their chests and say they loved this country.

But now, patriotism has a standard.

Paying taxes and buying war bonds!

He didn't want to get into trouble over a little bit of money. During wartime, "national consciousness" is very extreme, and Lanse didn't want to become a victim of national consciousness, although the true ethnic groups of the Federation were all required to live like savages in protected areas. When the President began to read the mobilization order, Senator Cleveland turned off the radio. He looked at these gentlemen sitting or standing in the room, lifting his chin slightly, "The war has begun, gentlemen!"

There was a reserved arrogance on his face; these two words seem like they shouldn't have any direct connection, but they were linked together so cleverly.

Reserved and arrogant—that is the truest portrayal of Senator Cleveland at this moment.

The education he received from childhood made him maintain a reserved attitude at all times, but manipulating the fate of this country, and even the world, behind the scenes made him instinctively develop an arrogant emotion.

For him, for the senators of Congress, for the President, for these big shots, except for themselves, everyone else in this world is just a chess piece on the chessboard.

Chess players also respect chess pieces, but they only talk about kings or queens, not pawns or any other chess pieces.

The people in the room all looked at Senator Cleveland, their eyes revealing some solemnity, but behind the solemnity was a kind of excitement they had hidden!

War represents centralization, and centralization represents legal monopoly!

As long as one can monopolize, one can earn huge profits!

For these capitalists, they are actually very patriotic, but what they love is the money in the pockets of the people in this country, not the country itself.

As long as the profit is large enough, selling out the country is like selling a commodity to them.

Negotiate the price, then pay the money and deliver the goods.

!

"Congress will not stop functioning for a period of time; we have already reached an agreement with the Presidential Palace."

"Internal issues will still be led by us, but externally, the Presidential Palace will gain more autonomous rights."

According to the Federation's constitution and laws, during wartime, the President automatically gains the highest power of the Federation, supreme power.

He only needs to sign a document to do anything, without going through Congress.

The founding fathers who formulated the laws—calling them founding fathers, in fact, some may have died less than a hundred years ago, but for everything they did for this country, calling them founding fathers doesn't seem to be a problem.

These founding fathers knew very well that during wartime, if power were dispersed in the hands of many people, it would bring terrible consequences to this country.

So they formulated this rule.

However, the President also knew very well that his current position was not obtained in a very upright way, so he did not ask Congress to stop functioning, but continued to respect Congress.

But as a condition of exchange, he would be in charge of external affairs, and unless it was something major that could affect the future development of the Federation, Congress would not ask questions.

One of the gentlemen asked, "Senator, after the war breaks out, will international shipping be affected?"

Lanse glanced at this guy. Tom didn't know when he had walked to his side and whispered an explanation for him, "This is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Hongsheng Transport."

"You know Hongsheng Transport, right?"

"One of the largest shipping companies in the Federation."

Lanse nodded and said, "I've heard of it."

Many of Hongsheng Transport's ships often appeared in Jincheng, so Lanse certainly had heard of it and knew the scale of this company.

But what he didn't know was that Hongsheng Transport Company was also involved in pushing for the war.

They only thought this was just an ordinary capitalist; after all, secrets of this level were known only to a very few people.

Senator Cleveland shook his head, "It won't be affected. On the contrary, because of the war, our domestic transport demand will increase significantly, and you ocean shipping companies will all get more government orders."

Others, seeing this, also hurriedly asked if their industries and businesses would be affected by the war; only Lanse and a very few others stood at the back of the crowd, not moving at all.

No matter how this country changes, the gang's business will not be affected.

Not only that, Lanse also let the Lawrence Manor increase its brewing efforts; it is in this period of nervous tension that the stimulation of alcohol is needed even more.

When the war is in a dominant position, people need to celebrate and need the stimulation of alcohol.

When the war is in a disadvantageous position, people feel uneasy and need a little alcohol to anesthetize themselves.

The soldiers on the front line also need it; in short, business is getting easier and easier to do!

After Senator Cleveland answered some questions, he raised his hand to press down, making the voices in the room quiet down.

"War will bring many new changes. If there is anything you are unsure about, you can call me anytime, anywhere."

"War brings destruction, but for you, it also brings brand-new opportunities!"

He paused as he spoke, "Only after experiencing destruction can one welcome a rebirth (reconstruction)!"

Subsequently, Senator Cleveland had others sent away, leaving only Lanse behind.

Last night, he talked with his political friend about the things Lanse mentioned. His friend was older than him, and the other party thought that this matter should be led by him, letting Lanse go and say it.

Because Lanse is a small person.

To them.

If the ideas Lanse proposed caused trouble, then they could abandon this small person anytime, anywhere, and wouldn't bring the trouble upon themselves.

But if Senator Cleveland personally said this, then if something went wrong, he would have to bear all the responsibility.

Although essentially the core purpose and content of the two operations were the same, Lanse saying it versus Senator Cleveland saying it would not have any other impact on the process of the whole thing.

But politics is sometimes just so unreasonable.

You saying it and me saying it are not the same thing.

Senator Cleveland considered it and agreed with his friend's view, and Lanse was just a gang leader; he was not a politician.

There was no need to worry about Lanse being able to strip those political resources away from Senator Cleveland; he didn't have that much ability yet, and this matter indeed had the possibility of going wrong, requiring someone to take responsibility when necessary.

Regardless of the considerations, Senator Cleveland finally decided to let Lanse say it.

After all, compared to him telling others these ideas and letting others say them, it was obviously more rounded for the person who designed this line of thought to explain it.

"This morning I met with several executive members of the Military Committee; you can talk to them about your ideas."

Senator Cleveland looked at Lanse, carefully observing the changes in Lanse's expression. Seeing that there was no emotional fluctuation on his face at all, while feeling satisfied, he was also a bit unclear about whether Lanse had understood or not.

He had to explain again, "These executive members of the Military Committee are responsible for the approval of military operations and are also a top-tier important department in Congress. You should try to be as skillful as possible when you speak; you should be able to understand what I mean."

Lanse nodded and said, "I know, appropriately exaggerate the benefits and minimize the possible difficulties."

Senator Cleveland looked at Lanse and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "You really are an interesting person, Lanse!"

He didn't care at all about what bad things Lanse did last night; to him, those were small matters. Making money and keeping the Federation great were the big things.

In the process of ensuring the big things, if some people were "accidentally injured," that should be their honor!

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at another manor in the suburbs.

From the car entering the private road to it stopping in front of the building, it took nearly ten minutes.

Although the speed was not particularly fast, this is the luxurious and low-key life of the rich.

The surroundings were a dense forest, and even in winter, some evergreen plants kept everything hidden behind layers of tree crowns.

There were patrolling bodyguards everywhere, and the security system here was even more exaggerated than Senator Cleveland's manor.

When the car stopped, Lanse got out, and two security guards immediately greeted him.

One of the security guards was holding a tray, and the other said, "Sorry, Mr. Lanse, weapons are not allowed here, so I need to check if you have complied with the rules here..."

(End of chapter)