Chapter 940: Gentle Bribery

Regarding the report Lanse submitted to the Congress, many people had actually already read it.

It was just that most people found it hard to imagine that this report had actually come from a gang leader.

In their traditional impression, gang leaders should be the type who perhaps hadn't even finished high school, dropped out in the third or fourth grade of elementary school, and then entered society to engage in some criminal work at the very bottom of society.

That was why people were shocked that such a report, which had huge implications for federal expansion, had actually come from someone who fit their stereotype.

When they met Lanse in person, Lanse could clearly feel their disbelief.

This time, Senator Cleveland introduced him to everyone here very formally, unlike before when it was just a casual mention.

This also allowed them to observe Lanse with a brand-new attitude and perspective.

And no longer just treat him as a gang leader.

How could a gang leader be introduced so solemnly by a "dignitary" in the true sense, like Senator Cleveland?

People's gazes were all focused over, including Senator Cleveland's; there was scrutiny in their gazes, which was actually also a test.

The friends of smart people are mostly smart people themselves, just as the friends of rich people are often rich people.

It wasn't that they weren't willing to get to know poor or stupid people, it was just that these two types of people couldn't contribute anything to their own advancement.

If Lanse couldn't demonstrate something that would convince them all, even with Senator Cleveland's introduction, it would be very difficult for him to truly integrate into this circle.

Lanse didn't answer immediately; after some simple thinking and clearing his thoughts, he said in a tone that carried a hint of deliberation—

"Annexing Xiang Yalan is not a complicated matter; the simplest and most direct way is to use force, or use the plan I am currently working on, and let them hold a general referendum."

"Annexation by force might be faster and more convenient, but for long-term rule, it is not the best choice."

The person who asked the question couldn't help but ask, "Then what is the best?"

Lanse gave him an answer almost without needing to think, "Just as I said, let them join us more actively, rather than being annexed by us."

This answer caused quite a few people to fall into deep thought; they couldn't think of any reason to let such a situation and possibility happen over in Xiang Yalan.

Senator Cleveland also looked at Lanse.

Lanse continued to explain, "In the process of 'comparing' ourselves with Xiang Yalan, we occupy a comprehensive advantage."

"Whether it is culture, economy, military, politics, social system..."

"No matter what it is, we are far ahead!"

"We know that the most basic unit that constitutes a country is people. As long as we control these people, the majority of people, separate them from their ruling group, and then win them over, let them compare their current life with their past life."

"As long as there is nothing too wrong with their brains, no one is willing to be a slave for others forever, then they will be more inclined to join us actively."

"To achieve this, we need to start from multiple aspects."

"Economy, culture, military, every aspect."

Senator Cleveland nodded slightly, "Explain in detail, economy, and culture and such."

Lanse didn't have the slightest stage fright; he raised his wine glass and took a sip of wine. The gentlemen around him could usually only be seen in newspapers, yet he didn't have the slightest nervousness.

Just achieving this point was enough to make some people look at him with higher regard.

"Let's talk about the economy first," he explained in order.

"As one of the few economic powers in the world, the radiation of our economic effect on the surrounding areas is very extensive and important."

"Whether it is the north or the Xiang Yalan region, they are actually within the scope of our economic radiation and influence, and to a certain extent, they rely on our economy and production capacity."

"Domestic economic changes will also affect the surrounding areas, which shows our value and influence in the economic aspect."

"What we need is to mobilize these."

"I'll take Lapa as an example; I plan to promote high-value crops for the Federation locally, for example..."

He mentioned some agricultural raw materials that required fine processing, "These things cannot be processed locally and must be sent to the Federation."

"In other words, these things are waste to them, they are useless, so their planting and output rely entirely on us."

"Those responsible for planting are often the underclass of society, and this relates to their livelihood. The more income they gain from the process of planting these cash crops, the more serious their reliance on us will be!"

"Once we adjust the local cash crop structure, for them, it is the difference between heaven and hell." "Besides this, we can also use cultural means to continuously infiltrate the local area at a deeper level."

"Help them with literacy, let their children read the textbooks we write, let the young Xiang Yalan children believe from the bottom of their hearts that they are Federation people, not Xiang Yalan people."

"Cultural invasion is silent, but it is also the most important."

"Cultural identity will make them ignore what the region brings them, and make them closer to us in thought."

"The military aspect is the same; we need to let them see our 'muscles', and let them understand that armed conquest is not a difficult thing for us."

"We need to formulate a series of rules favorable to us, and then under our rules and framework, defeat their ruling class and win over their social lower-middle class."

"Under the coordination of multiple aspects and multiple fields such as economy, culture, and military, the people in the Xiang Yalan region will lean closer to us, and eventually, they will actively want to merge into the Federation and become Federation people."

The people around fell into serious thought after a while; this was not a particularly complicated matter. Explaining from the three most superficial but also most effective aspects indeed gave people a very special feeling.

After Lanse finished speaking for a period of time, they started to applaud Lanse's speech, and soon the applause connected into one!

Senator Cleveland even took the initiative to say, "What you said is very enlightening to me; in fact, we have also discussed some problems in Xiang Yalan."

"If we want to practically occupy the entire Xiang Yalan region, we must establish a new ruling class locally."

"If their society is full of resistance to our rule, this is very likely to be a confrontation that will last for a long time."

"We don't have that much energy to invest in this confrontation without a standard of victory, which is also the reason why some people resist the Xiang Yalan plan."

"But what you said gave me some new ideas, and also gave me some new lines of thought."

"Sometimes we don't necessarily need to use force to obtain rule."

"Peace, sometimes, is also a means of obtaining rule!"

Lanse quite agreed with his point of view, "Yes, people all yearn for a stable and prosperous life, then we will give them stability and prosperity."

"Whoever destroys this stability, destroys their prosperous life, is their enemy, but it is definitely not us!"

These remarks indeed played some role, and the atmosphere at the scene also became more enthusiastic. They started to accept Lanse, rather than continuing to treat him as a "symbol", or just a "name".

Although he might only be at the very edge of this circle now, this was already an achievement that many people couldn't achieve in their whole lives.

For example... Bandi (the head of one of the five major families in New Jincheng), he wanted to complete his whitewashing and mix into the true upper class his whole life.

But after experiencing so much, he couldn't even become a peripheral member; in many people's eyes, he was just an ATM, not a person.

If he were still alive and knew Lanse's current achievements, perhaps he would die again in shame!

Next was some casual chatting; it was no longer just Lanse talking and others listening, but everyone chatting together, discussing together, and the atmosphere was very relaxed.

At this time, Lanse mainly focused on listening; they talked about some things regarding the Jiede Republic.

The sudden appearance of the Ya Alliance indeed disrupted some of the federal government's layout and arrangements for the future, and the purpose of the Jiede Republic was not considered a secret in their eyes.

They started a new discussion centered on whether it was possible that one day in the future, the Federation would have to go to war with the Jiede Republic.

However, these had nothing to do with Lanse anymore; he was chatting with Edward about some things regarding Lapa.

This was his first time meeting Lanse; he could see that Senator Cleveland showed an extraordinary level of importance to Lanse, so he didn't mind getting on good terms with someone from the social underclass.

"You picked a very correct project, and it was also at a very correct time node!"

"You have the sense of smell of a financial practitioner, Lanse."

After Edward and Lanse clinked glasses, they each took a sip of wine, and he started a relatively deeper topic.

"Now the economy is on the rise, people have money in their hands, and some people are more willing to invest at this time."

"If the economy is on the decline, people can't earn money, they will cherish the wealth in their hands more and will not invest."

"So you chose a very good time; you only need the stock economy to help us promote it, and people will buy our stocks until they explode!"

His face seemed to be shining!

Lanse observed carefully; there was a layer of grease on his face, perhaps because he was a bit fat?

It could also be because it was a bit hot; these greases reflected a bling-bling luster.

Lanse agreed with his point of view, "You said it very correctly, I can imagine people's madness."

"The Senator said you are professional, so next, I will leave all these works to you."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 941 =====