Chapter 957: Awakening Plan

In the congressional chamber, Senator Cleveland sat in his seat, smoking a cigarette while reviewing intelligence gathered from the Yalan region.

Since they had decided to act against the Yalan region, they could not possibly launch an attack without any prior investigation.

Since last year, Congress had authorized the Defense Force and the Lianbang Intelligence Bureau to infiltrate the Yalan region, and several intelligence operatives had already entered.

As Yalan is a poor, backward, and extremely chaotic region on the planet, with diverse ethnic groups, it was no surprise that Lianbang operatives had slipped in unnoticed.

According to unofficial statistics, some nations in the Yalan region were still considered by tourists from developed countries as places one must visit at least once in their lifetime.

Not because the scenery was beautiful, but because the girls there were cheap—no money needed, just a simple approach could get you one or several back to a hotel.

They called it the “Land of Chance Encounters,” but some dubbed it the “Capital of Lust” or “Nature’s Womb.”

So it was no surprise that foreign men frequented the place.

Senator Cleveland frowned slightly as he studied the documents in his hands.

From parts of the content, it appeared that since the New Year, signs of coordination had emerged among these nations—but so far, the intelligence department had delivered no substantive reports.

This might be due to Lianbang’s operatives finding it difficult to reach Yalan’s high-ranking officials.

The ruling groups in Yalan all originated from tribal chieftains and operated under hereditary systems; they trusted only their own.

Across all eleven Yalan nations, foreign faces were virtually nonexistent, and power remained firmly in the hands of local aristocratic families.

It was nearly impossible for an outsider to enter the ruling elite.

As he reviewed the documents, several government officials began entering the room.

The last to arrive was the President’s Chief of Staff; the President himself was deeply concerned about this issue.

If he could expand Lianbang’s territory during his term, perhaps his face might even appear on Lianbang’s banknotes!

Occasionally, after satisfying their greed, Lianbang’s top politicians still harbored the ambition befitting a statesman—to change the world!

So he sent his Chief of Staff here; if he weren’t too busy and unsuitable to appear personally, he would have come himself.

After everyone sat down, all eyes turned to Senator Cleveland, as he had called the meeting.

“The documents are before you. We’ve just received word: the eleven Yalan nations plan to form a ‘Yalan National United Alliance’ to counter our upcoming actions.”

“First, review the documents.”

He gave only a brief introduction; others then began reading the files before them.

Each person had one copy, and all contents were identical.

Key sections were highlighted in different colored pens to aid efficient reading.

Green indicated minor value, yellow some value, orange required reading, and red—mandatory reading.

With these annotations, irrelevant content could be ignored.

Reading all documents fully would take over half an hour, but with this system, seven to eight minutes sufficed—deeply and effectively, extracting exactly what they needed.

Once everyone set down their files, Senator Cleveland spoke: “The Yalan National United Alliance will greatly impact our strategy in Yalan. Before its formal establishment, we must clarify several matters.”

The President’s Chief of Staff nodded, flipping a few pages idly—not searching for anything specific, just a casual gesture.

“Is there any way to prevent the formation of the Yalan National United Alliance?”

“For example…”—he let the papers fall back into a stack—“through human intervention, can we prevent them from reaching consensus?”

Senator Cleveland shook his head. “I’m unsure if it’s possible, or how to do it.”

“The documents mention that, except for a few nations, most Yalan governments are controlled by ruling groups, not individual rulers.”

“This means that even if we eliminate one ruler, a second, a third will emerge, sabotaging our plans.”

He turned to a specific page, cited the page number, and everyone flipped to it, seeing the list of ruling groups from the eleven nations.

As Senator Cleveland said, in nations like Lamen, the official ruler was the President—but in reality, four families controlled it, not the President alone.

“I’ve considered this: striking these names off the list. But there’s another problem.”

“If we can’t eliminate them all in a short time, nations with four or five, five or six rulers will see the remaining ones gain immense power.”

“They’ll oppose us more fiercely, defending their own interests with greater resolve!”

“It’s not a good idea to simply eliminate them by force—it won’t solve everything, and it will only enrage the Yalan people.”

“Even if we dislike our President, I believe no one wants to see someone else come and kill him!”

In the room, including the President’s Chief of Staff, people couldn’t help laughing—Senator Cleveland spoke a truth.

The President was indeed unpopular; his first term was a political compromise.

During the Shehui Party’s rule, Lianbang’s economy steadily declined, conditions worsened across the board, and his approval rating remained low.

He clung to power through various means; many in Congress disliked him—some called him a lucky clown, others a pretentious fool.

But if someone from another country now said, “Let me help you kill this fool,” that person—and the nation backing them—would instantly become Lianbang’s enemy.

Just as many Yalan citizens may not like their ruling groups, if Lianbang forcibly invaded their homeland, seized their land, and killed their rulers,

They would still hate Lianbang, forging a long-standing enmity.

That’s not what Lianbang wants. It seeks a stable Yalan, rich mineral resources, and obedient human resources.

These gentlemen in the room weren’t factory workers earning $43.50 a day, obsessing over Congress like amateur politicians—they could read between the lines.

So Senator Cleveland’s words found some agreement.

As people murmured among themselves, the Speaker of the House made a subtle motion—he tilted his head, raised his shoulders slightly—to draw attention.

“If we avoid direct force, could we use our methods to install pro-Lianbang politicians into key roles?”

“By placing them as high-ranking officials—or even chairmen—in the Yalan National United Alliance, could we create internal divisions within Yalan?”

“Some dislike us; others must like us. I believe those who favor Lianbang outnumber those who don’t.”

“We have a solid foundation—we simply need people to guide them, to channel their emotions and energy!”

“It’s terrible if we fight them directly. Let them fight each other. What do you think?”

This proposal was constructive. Senator Cleveland discussed it briefly with the Senate President; both saw potential.

The main reason: they’d learned of this too late.

If we’d used force the moment a ruler first conceived the idea of a united Yalan,

Before such “dangerous” ideas spread, there’d be no problem.

Now the idea has spread and gained support; acting against any one person means acting against all of Yalan.

The cost would be too high, the gains too small.

Lianbang’s primary focus remains the war on Tanfet Continent and the struggle for dominance over the Slard Military Alliance.

They lack the bandwidth to manage Yalan too; compared to global strategy, this small patch near home can’t yet demand their main attention.

Moreover, Lianbang’s government doesn’t want its ugly face exposed to the world—they must find other ways.

Senator Cleveland endorsed the Speaker’s idea: “The person who gave me this information is the Lamen ambassador to Lianbang.”

They found this source unbelievable—ambassadors were typically loyal to their nations.

At least, in recent years, they carried national duty and responsibility.

An ambassador voluntarily approaching them was unexpected.

He turned to the Chief of Staff. “You’ll need to help him and his family gain citizenship as soon as possible.”

The Chief of Staff paused, then nodded. “That’s easy.”

The Senator continued: “The Speaker’s idea is good. Building on it, I’ve developed new thoughts.”

Everyone fell silent, watching him.

“Our focus remains on Tanfet Continent and control of the Slard Military Alliance.”

“Even if we decide to deal with Yalan, we’ll wait until after the war, after we’ve secured our gains, before shifting focus.”

“Moreover, Yalan is too close to our homeland—reachable in a day. If tensions escalate, they may harass our shipping and coastal regions.”

“So my current proposal: allow them to form the Yalan National United Alliance.”

“Then we seek more individuals like Ambassador Kasiya, and elevate them.”

“Once they hold high positions within the ruling groups and the Yalan Alliance, when we decide to act, they can provide us with classified intelligence and help calm public sentiment.”

“Ultimately, we want to turn them into new Lianbang states, not enemies.”

“What do you think?”

Others discussed quietly and agreed: Senator Cleveland’s plan posed no issues.

Yalan forming an alliance had indeed exceeded Lianbang’s expectations, complicating annexation.

Since we can’t swallow it now, don’t rush—grow stronger first, then swallow.

The plan originated with the Speaker, refined by Senator Cleveland—he wouldn’t oppose it.

The Senate President had no objections either; the method was indeed sound.

The Chief of Staff agreed; no one else would object.

“Then let’s finalize this for now. You’ll draft a written document for me to present to the President.”

This national strategy involves major resource and personnel shifts—it requires the President’s signature.

Though Congress could execute it without him, that would be unwise.

As long as no irreconcilable conflict exists, mutual respect is necessary.

The discussion ended quickly; after all, no effective intervention method existed—and restraint now would prevent an anti-Lianbang backlash in Yalan.

After the meeting, back at his estate, Senator Cleveland pondered briefly, then decided to call Lans.

The original plan had been to send Lans there—but circumstances may have changed; he needed Lans to know.

Lans’s phone was easy to reach—only two rings before it was answered.

Lans’s voice came through the receiver, steady and strong: “This is Lans.”

“It’s me.”

“Senator?”

“Yes, you didn’t mistake me—my voice isn’t easily forgotten!”

He paused, “Have you contacted Cassia?”

“Your friend Lapa.”

Lans didn’t know what had happened, “We haven’t been in contact lately—what’s going on?”

The senator recounted what had occurred, “So some of our plans may change. Originally, I intended for you to go over and build some ‘business,’ but now it seems that plan won’t work.”

Without the Alliance, they would remain chaotic; Lans might truly have overthrown a nation’s government and handed it to the Federation.

But now the Alliance’s emergence has changed everything—even if Lapa’s ruling clique collapses, as long as the Alliance remains, they can interfere in Lapa’s internal affairs through their own means to maintain stability.

Lans, and others’ choices, now matter far less in these matters.

Lans listened carefully to his words, analyzed them for a moment, and showed no sign of disappointment.

“Senator, I actually think this isn’t any different from the past—we simply need to upgrade what we’re doing.”

“Before, my idea was to make Gomes into an ambitious coup leader, but clearly that plan no longer fits.”

“Once Gomes shows ambition, the Eleven Nations will crush him.”

“The Alliance of Yalan can crush any ambitious tyrant, Senator—but it cannot crush the people.”

A lighter clicked in the receiver, followed by the faint crackling of dry tobacco igniting, then after a long exhale, the senator’s voice came through—

“Explain in detail.”

Senator Cleveland faintly realized: Lans had once again grasped the “correct answer!”

To be honest, it was astonishing.

He often refused to admit the existence of geniuses, mainly because he’d never met anyone who consistently amazed him—until he saw Lans.

“Senator, the people are like the ocean—vast and boundless. Rulers are ships sailing upon its surface.”

“When the ruling cliques of the eleven Yalan nations form a fleet, any single small vessel—enemy or otherwise—appearing near them meets only silence.”

“But they are no match for the ocean itself. The sea supports them—but it can also swallow them whole!”

“Those who oppose them are ambitious men like Gomes—they have clear goals.”

“But what if those who oppose them are the people themselves?”

“When the people desperately want to overthrow them, the more they kill, the higher the people’s fury rises—and the stronger their desire to destroy them becomes!”

“Do not resist, and you will be overthrown.”

“Resist, and you will perish faster—that is my thought, Senator.”

Senator Cleveland took another deep drag, held the smoke in, and fell into thought.

After a moment, he exhaled smoke and asked, “So what exactly do you plan to do?”

Lans thought for a moment, “When people are hungry, cold, jobless, hopeless, yet their rulers live lives they dare not even dream of through oppression and exploitation, the people will grow to despise them.”

“Then, just one final push—to cast the ruling clique squarely against the people—and the people will rise and overturn them!”

“Of course, this won’t happen in a day or two—it’s a long-term effort and strategy. One or two years?”

“Or longer.”

“But I believe its effect will be powerful.”

The senator took another drag, “Sounds impressive. Does it have a name?”

“When I introduce it to others, I need a label.”

“Yes, Senator—it has a name—”

“The Awakening Plan!”

(End of Chapter)