[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-shadow-empire":3,"chapter-the-shadow-empire-the-shadow-empire-chapter-944":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Shadow Empire",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2268564,4428,"Chapter 944: Tying Ropes and Anonymous Letters","the-shadow-empire-chapter-944",944,"\u003Cp>History has always asked later generations a serious yet absurd question—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why do some people willingly serve as dogs to outsiders while harming their own countrymen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>History frequently shows this: when national security is threatened, groups rise under the banner of patriotism yet commit acts of treason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why does this history repeat, repeat, and repeat again, as if it will never stop?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why can later rulers never avoid the birth of such situations, forcing history to replay itself again and again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason is simple: class rigidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Class rigidity drains all momentum from society, forcing everyone to submit to the identity labels imposed by rulers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some are content to be beasts of burden; others crave greater freedom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Practice teaches people that when one path is blocked, try another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serving invaders as dogs is, for them, another path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The collar around their necks is chained to invaders who can shatter class barriers and easily accomplish what most of them could never dream of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For those whose hearts are filled only with greed and lust for power, this is another path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Gomes right now, absent external interference, his life has already plateaued—he won’t rise much further, but the risks are great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his sister grows old, her skin sags with wrinkles, and she can no longer please the rulers of Lapa, will he still be the chamber president?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very likely not—he might not even remain a person at all; they won’t let him keep darting around Diego’s side, but will crush him utterly, never to rise again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes is actually clever, but not clever enough—he’s just an ordinary poor Lapa man, uneducated, with a beautiful sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never received elite education; he doesn’t know when to make the right choices. Everything he does stems from instinct and occasional reminders from those around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wants to make up for his mistakes, but he doesn’t even know if Lans can sense his sincerity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, his slightly restrained utterance of “I wish to serve Lans and Senator Cleveland” already signals his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He will be a dog—a barking dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled, “We are friends!” he emphasized, “Friends don’t talk about service—they care for each other, help each other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t agree with some of your actions, but it’s your choice—I won’t blame you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You lack exposure, come from a poor, backward place—I can’t expect you to think like someone from a political family in New Jin City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll overlook this once, but that doesn’t mean I’ll overlook it again, and again, and again—you understand, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes exhaled heavily, “Thank you, Mr. Lans—I don’t know how to express my gratitude!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly seemed to remember something, “By the way, I know of a silver mine within Lapa…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans said nothing—neither yes nor no—only smiled politely, leaving Gomes unsure how to proceed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about twenty to thirty seconds, Lans emerged from thought, “In the coming period, we will establish an import-export trading company. We’ll return to Lapa together and engage in import-export business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans suddenly bringing up these matters left Gomes stunned—he paused, “Mr. Lans, if you want anything, just tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not boasting, but aside from Diego himself, right now in Lapa, anything you want—I can get it for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly he was bluffing, though he refused to admit it. Lans smiled and waved his hand twice, “What I want isn’t for you to get me things—I want to get my people inside. Do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes froze, then his expression shifted uncontrollably—every emotion flashed across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unease, anger, fear, delight…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, “I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans nodded, “This is your specialty—arrange it as you see fit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gomes, I don’t mind telling you more—you’ve seen it yourself, the Federation’s annexation of Yalan is inevitable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Making this decision early is absolutely not a bad thing for you or your family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as you serve the Federation and Senator Cleveland well, whatever you desire will come to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gomes immediately stood, bowing low, “Mr. Lans, I will fully cooperate with your work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans was satisfied with his attitude—but whether he’d ever fulfill Gomes’s wish?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not necessary!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Federation government wants total annexation of Yalan, not to prop up a string of new puppets. Gomes misunderstood from the start—he has no clue what the Federation’s ultimate goal truly is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans told him to prepare, preferably return to Lapa first and find people willing to support him, so he wouldn’t appear too “thin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This won’t be quick—it may take a long time. Contradictions won’t easily escalate; they too require time and opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Gomes left, Lans called Senator Cleveland. This time, Cleveland had no meetings pending and gave Lans plenty of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleveland wasn’t clueless—he knew some things about Lans and Gomes—but chose to pretend ignorance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Lans called, he casually asked, “That Gomes—I remember you mentioned him. How did your talk go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About the same—he wants Federation support to become Lapa’s new leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Cleveland was momentarily stunned, “You… how did he get such an idea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans found it perfectly normal, “They still don’t understand why we’ve stationed troops in Yalan. Many think we’re just posting soldiers, unaware our true goal is to annex all of Yalan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gomes believes we’ll likely install new profit proxies in Yalan—he wants to be that puppet, so he’ll cooperate fully with our work in Lapa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to Lans, Cleveland already had a rough framework forming—no wonder Gomes wanted to bypass Lans and contact him directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, appointing a puppet leader of a nation isn’t something a gang boss can decide. In that sense, he’s not entirely stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you agree to him?” the senator asked, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans chuckled, “I didn’t agree…”, he paused two or three seconds, “but I didn’t refuse him either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleveland’s mood seemed excellent—he laughed and scolded, “You’re a real scoundrel, Mr. Lans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You flatter me too much!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans’s words and actions felt fresh and novel to Cleveland; under this novelty, he found it hard to harbor ill will toward Lans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could dislike a humorous, witty man?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you planning to do?” the senator asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I plan to go to Lapa under the guise of a Federation civilian trade association, strengthening economic ties, then dumping Federation goods there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And buy Lapa’s agricultural products at higher prices, even help them find jobs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Along the way, I’ll bring them Federation freedom and democracy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lapa lacks any mature industrial infrastructure—they even need to import needles from the Federation, let alone other industrial goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These imported goods are expensive, costlier even than in the Federation itself—this is one way the ruling class exploits laborers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost all daily goods’ import or production is controlled by these people; they hold absolute pricing power, forcing the people to pay for their greed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can skip brushing your teeth, skip washing your face—but you can’t go without soap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, even if you skip soap and laundry detergent, use nothing at all—you still need electric lights, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No electric lights?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then candles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burn fire inside your house too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about clothing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone else wears clothes—even if not new, faded or patched—you can’t go out wrapped in leaves, can you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lapa has no textile capability. Even if some can hand-spin cloth, it can’t match the Federation’s durable, attractive fabrics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When power and capital fully merge into a monster, dictatorship emerges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans’s goal is to crack open a fissure in Lapa’s dictatorship, artificially creating contradictions and conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spark can start a prairie fire. When Lapa’s ruling group realizes their control is being shaken, they’ll begin reevaluating their relationships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they tolerate Lans’s actions undermining their rule, Lans will intensify pressure, deepening the destabilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if they can’t tolerate it and act against Lans—whether civilized or not—it will provide the Federation with the necessary justification for further action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Federation is a reasonable giant—it always makes sure you know why it’s going to hit you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they can’t tolerate it, and they can’t not tolerate it—that’s the pressure: force them onto the opposite side, giving Lans a legitimate reason to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Federation is a peace-loving righteous warrior—how could it possibly be an invader?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleveland now treated Lans as a political equal, not merely a gang leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Federation government cannot act rashly without justification. You understand this well—we love peace and do not interfere in other nations' internal affairs. That is the bottom line.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must provoke the contradictions. Once they strike first, the rest becomes easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lapa will be a trial. There are other places like this. I’m not saying you must be the first to complete our mission quickly and efficiently—but if you can, do it faster than the others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t elaborate—he trusted Lans understood his meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is, in fact, a competition—a contest—a race!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fastest runner doesn’t necessarily gain rewards, but the last one gains nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. I’ll make them feel angry and uneasy about my presence. And we have Cassia and Gomes—they can assist us from the sidelines.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, when the time comes, Mr. Gomes has repeatedly stressed his love for the Federation and his willingness to serve us—for the Federation’s future, I’m sure he’s willing to make a small sacrifice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleveland knew exactly what Lans meant—he smiled, “I’ve noticed, Lans—you’re sometimes truly wicked!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But who could dislike a wicked kid?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do well—let them see your value!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation on this matter ended. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans immediately added, “I have one more question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans lit a cigarette, “What’s the upper echelon’s stance on General Myers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they protecting him, or handling it strictly by the book?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s next to take over—the Navy faction or the Army faction?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or someone from Congress?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A string of questions left Senator Cleveland lost in thought for a moment before he snapped back, “This isn’t just one question!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He emphasized it, then asked, “If you have any thoughts, tell me directly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled, his thoughts exposed. “The Joint Investigation Team has been working for days now, but they haven’t made any major progress. If Congress wants to bring down Admiral Miles, I can offer some assistance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This topic sparked Senator Cleveland’s interest. Congress deeply despised this kind of military factionalism, yet had no good way to stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The military was an absolutely authoritarian, closed environment—“obey superior orders” ensured this group would inevitably develop factionalism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lianbangzheng Prefecture wanted to control it, but it was difficult; currently, they could only exert relative control by tightening the Defense Force’s budget.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Solving the problem of factionalism entirely was practically impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senator Cleveland was curious. “I thought you two got along well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Lans had given Admiral Miles plenty of money, and he’d never heard of any conflict between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans smiled. “We have some minor disagreements. But in the end, I’ll follow your advice on how to proceed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He briefly explained the situation—it wasn’t really a matter of right or wrong, since everyone had their own position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans knew he had to protect his own men; Admiral Miles certainly understood he had to protect his soldiers too. From their respective standpoints, neither was wrong. The problem was that, while satisfying their own attitudes and positions, they had ended up directly opposing each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a moment, Senator Cleveland asked, “What kind of assistance do you have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evidence of corruption.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since 981, the Lianbangzheng Prefecture had enforced the Anti-Corruption Act, which carried severe penalties—corruption was a grave crime, punishable by up to fifteen to twenty years in prison and multiple times the amount in fines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why, with such a strict Anti-Corruption Act, did corruption still run rampant in the Lianbangzheng Prefecture?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Act defined corruption as accepting money or valuable items to use one’s position to assist bribe-givers in their official duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This seemed clear enough, but Lianbangzheng Prefecture’s lawyers were no mere ornaments—they easily found loopholes in the legal interpretation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How do you prove an official received money as a bribe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounds unbelievable—do you really have to prove that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Lianbangzheng Prefecture, you absolutely do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because “honorariums,” “extra salary income,” “investment returns,” and “windfall gains” are not covered under this legal interpretation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes Lianbangzheng Prefecture’s justice system was flexible—if an ordinary person broke the law, they couldn’t escape punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But sometimes it was rigid: unless there was a direct exchange of benefits or money handed directly into an official’s hand, it wasn’t bribery or corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was why the Lianbangzheng Prefecture still had a full industry chain for illicit financial transfers—Senator Cleveland received astonishing amounts of “investment returns” every year from various channels!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So these were legal income. No one had the right to claim his earnings were illegal, no one could call it bribery, no one could say his receipt of these funds constituted corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost all officials knew how to make such funds appear legitimate and lawful when flowing into their accounts—but sometimes, there were still… inconvenient moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans had many collaborations with Admiral Miles, across all areas, and in every one, he made sure Admiral Miles was thoroughly fed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why Lans was furious—Admiral Miles had taken so much money from him and still didn’t show him any respect. Fine, then let’s both walk away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a moment, Senator Cleveland said, “I’ll give you a phone number and address. I’ll notify them in advance—just send the materials there when you’re ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any other matters this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. Contact me if anything comes up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans knew well that evidence of corruption alone wouldn’t be enough to charge Admiral Miles, but it might be the final straw that broke the camel’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Lans’s arrangement, an anonymous letter was quickly delivered to the Investigation Team and discovered by its members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letter’s contents might not directly send Admiral Miles to prison, but it gave the team a highly effective investigative direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes solving a case isn’t hard—it’s just hard to find the direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they had a direction, everything would become simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2344,"2026-06-19T21:10:31.886Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","117898caa1f75b3617a12876cc58897cb6a13c7118223bdb89c1c251778fa04a","the-shadow-empire-chapter-945","the-shadow-empire-chapter-943",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-shadow-empire-cover.jpg"]