Empire of Shadows

The sea is so big. The surface of the water looks very calm, but in fact, the water surface you see, it is very likely that in a few minutes, you will not know where it has drifted to.

The fluidity of water is difficult for the naked eye to detect, not to mention that under the calm sea surface is a turbulent undercurrent. Once you are swept in, you will soon sink to the bottom of the sea.

The four bodies, thrown into the sea, disappeared in less than a moment. Someone told Francisco this news. It might have been Christopher who had done it on purpose, just to provoke him, to make him lose his mind and go to Summuri Island.

Francisco, who had completely calmed down, did not do so. He just told Lance about this.

Because of the war, the current situation on the Tanfit side was very complicated. Only when the situation had stabilized a little would Lance go back.

But before that, he could collect a little interest.

The outbreak of war had brought many changes, whether in the Federation, or in other places, the Empire, other countries, and also including Summuri Island.

Summuri was not a large country. It was just a coastal island nation with a population of over twenty million, yet it had a continental dream.

This war was their chance to realize their continental dream, although some people thought that this was actually very stupid—

If they could not obtain the land adjacent to Summuri Island, but instead obtained an enclave, the value of this enclave was actually not great.Because they could not really rule that land, unless a large number of immigrants were sent, and the people who originally lived on the land were expelled.

But the pro-war faction did not consider these. They were considering how to achieve their demands through war, even if the final result was not good.

It was just that this matter was more complicated than imagined.

“We have encountered a little trouble.” In the Prime Minister’s office, the four major families of Summuri Island and some businessmen were gathered here.

The Prime Minister’s hair was a little sparse, and he didn’t look like an easy person to get along with.

Compared to being a prime minister, he was more like a butcher who worked in a slaughterhouse!

He had a good family background. Summuri Island was very small and could not accommodate so many people, which also meant that power was always inherited.

At this time, he looked at every gentleman in the room with a look of helplessness on his face.

The businessmen did not speak. They were waiting, waiting for the big shots to speak.

As a pro-war faction, Mr. Leonardo would certainly not sit by and watch the others remain silent. He frowned. “What trouble?”

The Prime Minister spread his hands. “We have no more money.”

This sentence was like a joke. The gentlemen in the room were stunned for a moment, and then they all laughed, including Mr. Leonardo, and the heads of the other three families.

Everyone was laughing. Perhaps they really showed that they found it funny. Some of the businessmen were particularly exaggerated, like the kind of laughter that was about to take their last breath.

Ah hahahaha uh uh hahaha uh…

And the sound was very loud. It could be seen that they were using the strength of both suckling and shitting at the same time.

But the Prime Minister did not laugh. He just calmly, with his hands on the table, looked at these people, waiting, waiting for their laughter to gradually stop, and then disappear.

Mr. Leonardo took out a cigarette. The businessmen behind him all took out their lighters, wanting to light his cigarette.

But he raised his hand and took out a lighter inlaid with gems himself, and lit it for himself.

He was not used to the fire lit by lighters of other materials. He was only used to the fire lit by a pure gold lighter.

If this sentence had been spoken by an ordinary person, then he would most likely have encountered some trouble. The gangs of this era, no matter where they were, which country’s gangs, they were not very reasonable, and they were particularly “attentive” to those who were arrogant.

But he was the head of one of the four major families. On this island, it meant that he had privileges.

“Are you sure you’re not joking?” he blew a puff of smoke at the Prime Minister, very rudely.

The Prime Minister nodded slightly. “I don’t joke on serious business.”

At this, people’s expressions became much more serious.

The Prime Minister did not wait for them to guess and took the initiative to solve the riddle. “Almost all of our equipment is bought from the allied forces.”

He stretched out his hand and began to count on his fingers. “Steel helmets, weapons, bullets, and even boots, and every single thing on the soldiers, except for their clothes, underwear, and socks, were all bought with our money.”

“We need to pay about 1,500 (equivalent to a little over 200 federal sols) for each soldier, and as they get injured on the front lines and need supplies, we have to continue to pay more.”

“This battle was very cruel, and also very tragic, because… for some reason, we were responsible for a part of the battlefield.”

“In short, so far we have paid a total of about 300 million reyas in military expenses, and we will have to continue to spend more in the future.”

“Now there is still money in the national treasury. We have to keep a part of it as a normal budget and expenditure for the island. If we have another one or two wars of this intensity, we may have no more money.”

Summuri Island was, after all, a small place. A country of twenty million people, and many of them did not pay taxes.

Like the four major families, they had never paid taxes, and at the same time, they controlled some of the most profitable businesses on the island.

The capitalists behind them would pay taxes, but the taxes they paid were not that much. On Summuri Island, because of the family and social environment, corruption was relatively serious.

They would rather use the money that should be paid in taxes to bribe officials than to pay taxes.

By bribing officials, they would get some new friends, while paying taxes would only make people think they were extremely stupid.

As for taxing the ordinary people, it wasn’t that it couldn’t be done, but the possibility was not great. Summuri had a tradition of resistance. They would pay if they were willing. If they were not willing, and you forced them to take out the money, they would turn hostile.

In short, this was a very difficult place to handle. If the problem of the four major families and the government’s corruption was not solved, the government’s annual tax revenue would only be about 2 billion reyas.

Then the part used for the island’s construction and to maintain government expenditure would occupy one-third. If the Prime Minister did something unconventional, there would be nothing left.

When every Prime Minister of Summuri stepped down, if there was still money in the national treasury, then it could be said that this Prime Minister was a good one.

Most Prime Ministers would leave a mess when they stepped down. This might be one of the reasons why the government’s power could be smoothly passed on.

No one wanted to accept these broken things.

If they were put together, if the government had no money, then it had no money. But now it was different. They were actively participating in the war. If the government had no money, it would not be able to continue to invest in the war, which would make their initial investment a joke.

The Prime Minister explained the matter simply but in detail, told the people where the money had gone, and then reiterated his purpose in inviting everyone.

“So, the problem we are facing now is this: we have no more money,” he spread his hands and threw the problem to the others in the room.

Someone asked, “Is it possible to levy a tax once now?”

At this moment, they had not yet considered cutting their own flesh, but instead cutting the ordinary people’s first.

The Prime Minister smiled and nodded. “It’s possible, but while we are forcibly conscripting them to go to the front lines, we are now also forcibly taking their wealth. Do you think they will resist?”

“Conscription has already caused some social problems. If we also have to take away all the money in their pockets, there is a high probability that you will see me on the guillotine again.”

He told a cold joke, and no one laughed.

Another businessman frowned and asked, “Then what is your purpose in gathering us here to talk about this matter?”

“Are you expecting us to bear the expenses of the war?”

“We’re afraid we can’t support it either!”

He was lying, but everyone nodded like this, so it was not a lie.

The Prime Minister now appeared very indifferent. “That’s why I have invited you here, to discuss with you. In short, we will soon have no more money.”

“This year has only passed four months, and there are still eight months. This war is clearly not going to be over in eight months.”

“We don’t have to wait until the end of the year. In September or October, the finances will be exhausted, and then we can only withdraw from the battlefield.”

“After all, we can’t let the soldiers pay for their own equipment, supplement their own ammunition, and then also have to pay for their own pensions, right?”

“Of course, if you are not afraid of them messing around again, I can also do as you think.”

Mr. Leonardo couldn’t help it anymore. If the war stopped, his interests would be the greatest loss. He would not let the war stop.

“Issue national bonds, war bonds, raise taxes, and if necessary, you can take a loan from the allied countries.”

When he said these words, the Prime Minister couldn’t help but laugh. To take a loan from an allied country and then fight for the allied country, even if he couldn’t be considered a qualified politician, at this time he couldn’t help but laugh.

Noticing his smile, Mr. Leonardo’s expression was very unhappy. “Do you find it ridiculous?”

The President pursed his lips and shook his head. “No, I just think it’s a good idea.”

He said so, but everyone actually knew that this was not a good idea.

The Prime Minister clapped his hands. “Anyway, I just want to tell you about this matter. If the subsequent war requires another conscription, or if the casualties are too heavy, we may have to stop midway.”

“As for the loan you mentioned, I will consider it. It’s just that now all the countries around us are participating in the war, and we don’t have many resources to sell. They may not give us much of a loan.”

“Unless we sign some terrible clauses. In short… let’s leave it at that for now. We will all think about it seriously again, and then think of a countermeasure.”

“If any of you have a good idea, you can give me a call.”

Soon the gentlemen in the room had all left, but they had gathered again in another place.

Christopher was also called over. He didn’t know why Mr. Leonardo had asked him to come. He found a corner and sat down.

In fact, the Summurian people didn’t care too much about marrying into another family, but he himself actually cared a little.

Fortunately, his wife was finished. Now his whole person was much more comfortable.

He had just sat down when he heard another family head’s unhappy tone. “He was actually just saying that he wants us to take out the money and give it to him to continue to push the war.”

“If he had talked to us nicely, this matter might have been negotiable, but the way he did it made me feel uncomfortable!”

“I don’t want to give him this money.”

This was a non-pro-war family head. Mr. Leonardo sneered. “To put it bluntly, you just don’t want to take out the money, so you found an excuse for yourself.”

The person he had refuted glared at him. “Are you willing to give it?”

“This is not three or five million, Leon!”

“And if we pay this money, what can it bring us?”

“A medal of honor?”

“I can use the money to buy a swimming pool full of medals of honor!”

This sentence was the reason why these people were unwilling to speak up.

It wasn’t that they were not willing to take out the money, but it depended on what this money could be exchanged for.

The Prime Minister had not taken a stand all along. They were supporting the country with their money to go to war, and then?

After the war was over, what could they get?

If it was just a medal, they would rather remain silent.

Mr. Leonardo considered for a moment. “I will go and talk to him about this and try to get the benefits to be tangible.”

“However, if you want him to give in, you need something that can be used as a bargaining chip.”

“If you are willing to pay this money, how much can you pay?”

“I’ll take the lead. I can take out 200 million (about 30 million federal sols).”

The others also began to state their positions. Soon, their side had raised more than 5 billion.

Whether this money could last until the end of the war was uncertain, but at least it could last until the war was halfway through.

So the most crucial thing was still the question they had raised. The money could be taken out, but what could they get?

If what they got made them feel that it was a super value, then they wouldn’t mind taking out some more money to double the happiness.

But if the Prime Minister, the Summuri government, couldn’t give them any tangible benefits, they were absolutely unwilling to take out the money.

After they had discussed enough, everyone went their separate ways. They still had to talk in groups of three or five in private.

Christopher and Mr. Leonardo returned to the manor together and went to his study.

He had the butler get some wine and some snacks to go with the wine. Mr. Leonardo, while eating snacks, was drinking wine. “What have you gained?”

“From our conversation, what have you gotten?”

Christopher did not know what Mr. Leonardo meant. He could only say honestly, “The government has no money, but we do. It’s just that this money can’t be given for free!”

Mr. Leonardo nodded. “A very good summary.”

He paused here, picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The topic suddenly shifted to other places.

“I hear that the Federation over there is implementing a Prohibition, and the price of grapes has skyrocketed because of it.”

It wasn’t just the price of grapes in the Federation that had skyrocketed. Almost all the countries that had trade with the Federation had their grape prices skyrocketing!

A forty-fold increase made everyone’s eyes red. Summuri was also considered a grape-producing area, and the grapes here were also constantly rising because of the soaring price in the Federation.

Christopher seemed to have tasted something. “You want to sell the grapes to the Federation?”

“Please forgive me for being direct. The agricultural trade in the Federation is monopolized by the three major channel providers. Even if our grapes enter the Federation market, it will be very difficult to sell them, and we may even encounter difficulties.”

In these years in the Federation, as a second-generation immigrant who was born and raised in the Federation, he knew very well the control of the three major channel providers over agriculture.

They just needed to find a random reason, and the grapes transported from Summuri would become unqualified grapes. Unless they were sold to them at a low price, they could only be brought back.

Mr. Leonardo shook his head. “No, what I mean is, their liquor is also very expensive now.”

How could it be just expensive?

Christopher sighed and said nothing.

Mr. Leonardo continued, “You know more about the Federation’s side than we do. If we smuggle liquor to the Federation, is the profit high?”

The liquor on Summuri Island, converted into federal sols, was basically on par with the production cost of the Federation’s liquor, a little lower, because the labor here was low, and the price of some of the agricultural products for brewing would also be lower.

But if you add the shipping fee, then it would be about the same.

“To sell a fifty-dollar bottle of wine for four hundred should not be a problem, but it is limited to whiskey, brandy, and these kinds of wine.”

“As for wine, fruit wine, beer, the profit is also very high, but the unit price is very low.”

Mr. Leonardo nodded. “If this matter were left to you…”

Christopher was first surprised and then happy, but soon he was a little hesitant, because he had just thrown those few bodies into the sea.

To go to the Federation at this time, wasn’t that tantamount to turning himself in?

He hesitated for a while, and then shook his head. “Mr. Leonardo, please forgive me for not being able to agree with this plan, because there are some other things involved in this.”

He briefly explained the conflict between him and Francisco, and also Lance. Mr. Leonardo, although he was frowning, did not blame him.

He changed his line of thought. “If we can supply liquor to the gangs of the Summurian people who have not yet returned to their country, what do you think?”

“We can also have them donate some money back. After all, if we become stronger, they can live more comfortably in the Federation.”

After Christopher had seriously considered it, he nodded with considerable approval. “I think it’s feasible!”

Mr. Leonardo was a man of action. “You go and contact the leaders of the Summurian gangs in the Federation and have them arrange for representatives to come back and discuss the supply and sales issues with us, and also to have them show their patriotic attitude.”

As he spoke, he supported himself with the armrests of his chair and stood up. “I’ll go and have a chat with the Prime Minister. He will be interested in this.”

As for what he wanted, he had already thought about it—to let his son become the next prime minister!

He wanted to transform the Bianchi family from a single gangster family into a super family that spanned both the underworld and the political world!

So much so that in the future, if there was a chance, a possibility, he could even be a royal family!

For a person of Mr. Leonardo’s age, this was full of temptation!

(End of a Chapter)