Empire of Shadows

Chapter 586: Prelude to War [666+28]

In the conference room of the Presidential Palace in Jinzhou, the President and several senators sat together.

Actually, the President didn't particularly enjoy sitting with these people, because he felt abandoned after the last election.

If he hadn't come up with a way to solve those problems in the end, he might have already retired.

He disliked these senators who didn't support him, but he had no choice but to sit with them, because the decision of whether or not to participate in a war ultimately rested with Congress.

The Federal President has war prerogatives.

Many people believe that the President is qualified to launch a war against a country, or to enter a state of war in response to a country's declaration of war.

But that's not actually the case.

The Federal President only has the right to military action, and even then, it's only for a short period.

Three months, half a year at most. If the military action cycle exceeds half a year, he must submit it to Congress for approval before it can be implemented.

The declaration of war threat from the Danterra Republic Military Alliance was something he couldn't handle on his own. It had to be discussed by Congress, and then he, as the highest ruler of the country in name and appearance, would announce the results to the people.

It was precisely because he was the one announcing it that the vast majority of people believed the Federal President had great power.

Senator Cleveland was also present. Everyone here represented a political interest group, and their discussion process was not like "stirring a pot of mushroom cream soup," but more like a second-hand market in a poor, backward neighborhood.

They would argue for a long time over even the smallest benefit.

"Gentlemen!"

"Let's hear what you all have to say!"

"Sitting here in silence won't solve this problem."

"The Danterran envoy (whose diplomatic rank has been lowered after the last incident) is protesting. If we insist on stationing troops in Jinhang City, they will sever diplomatic relations with us directly."

The Secretary of State sat next to the President, his expression solemn as he looked at each gentleman's face around the table. "I believe you understand what this means."

Of course, everyone understood that the purpose of severing diplomatic relations was to declare war.

It's just that such blatant language couldn't be used in diplomatic terms, as emotional issues could make a problem that could potentially be resolved peacefully, become unsolvable.

It's like... someone taking something from someone else.

The person whose things were taken says: If you don't return my things, I will attack you!

If the person who took the other person's things says at this time: How do you plan to attack?

Then they may still be able to continue communicating. As long as there is a channel for communication, the problem will eventually be solved.

But if this person says at this time: You try touching me, you motherfucker?

Then what follows will definitely be escalation and intensification!

They didn't say declare war, but the meaning was implicitly stated. They would not compromise, that was fundamental.

Of course, this matter cannot be entirely attributed to the Danterra Republic. Jinhang City is located on the southern coast of the Federation and is not only the largest port in the Northern Hemisphere.

Going directly south from here is the coastal area of the Danterra Republic. The Federal government has recently been in close contact with another military alliance, and the two sides have negotiated a lot of cooperation, which has made the Danterra Republic feel nervous.

Now, they want to station troops in this location. If they collude in private and formulate some kind of strategic plan, and suddenly launch a joint sea and land attack, they would be really difficult to deal with.

From their own perspective, from the perspective of national interests, no one is wrong.

It's just that now they have made their demands. Whether to agree or not will have serious consequences. The President doesn't want to bear this responsibility himself.

It would be fine if a war broke out and they won, but what if they lost?

So he plans to let Congress decide through a vote, to minimize his responsibility.

Senator Cleveland's gaze fell on the Speaker and the Majority Leader. The two big figures didn't seem to intend to set the tone from the start.

His gaze swept around. At this time, the Executive Member of the Military Committee spoke, "We are not afraid of any challenges. Our navy and army are ready to deal with all kinds of threats."

"I'm not saying I support us going to war. I'm just considering the issue from the perspective of 'what if a war breaks out'."

"Whether it's offense or defense, we can assert our interests!"

It seemed like he said something and also like he didn't say anything, but Senator Cleveland figured out some of the meaning.

What he expressed was not "We are not afraid of them," but rather "We can fight them."

The Military Committee is a very important standing committee of the Senate. Its job is to coordinate issues between the Federal military and the government, while also taking into account the development of the military.

Anyway, they have the right to intervene in anything related to the military, including military actions.

For such an important committee's executive member to say such a thing at this time, he didn't believe that there wasn't remote control and command from the Speaker or the Majority Leader behind the scenes.

If the tone of Congress has already been set, then the rest of us are just adding bricks and tiles.

However, he was not in a hurry to express his position. Politics is not about rushing headlong, but about savoring!

The Executive Member of the Congressional Budget Committee also took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Currently, our reserve funds are still very sufficient, and the stock of materials is also enough. We can ensure at any time that we have enough funds and materials to protect our national interests."

Okay, understood, everyone understood.

The fists are ready, the money bags are also ready, why don't you just say 'fuck them up'!

Senator Cleveland, as well as the other senators and people participating in the meeting, felt a sense of heavy mission and history in their hearts.

They realized that they, like their ancestors sitting together and reading the declaration, were pushing new history forward!

The President's face also had some smiles, the power of the president during wartime would be infinitely amplified, but he quickly restrained his smile.

The other senators also figured out the decisions of the big figures, and they all expressed their support for the war.

Of course, there were also people who opposed it, but there were very few who opposed it, and more of them seemed to be expressing that the Federation was an open and free country that allowed anyone to have any opinion.

After another senator finished expressing his views, Senator Cleveland nodded, "The Danterra Republic has repeatedly used threats and intimidation in the international arena to try to force us to make decisions that are detrimental to our current national development direction."

"This has already caused us to lose points internationally."

"We can make concessions once, that is humility."

"We can make concessions twice, that is love of peace."

"But if we make concessions a third time, it can only be weakness!"

His voice was a little louder, "The Federation is not a country of cowards. We have the courage and bloodiness to sacrifice for the country. If they think our policies are conveying some kind of message to them, and therefore want to declare war..."

His right hand clenched into a fist and tapped the table twice, "Then bring it on!"

The Speaker and the Majority Leader nodded slightly. Although they didn't notify Senator Cleveland in advance, everyone sitting here was not a fool.

When two key figures spoke one after another, they knew which way the wind was blowing.

Just like now, the "small Congress" has unified its opinions, then the rest is for Congress to formally vote and pass it, and then for the President to announce the results.

After the other few people supplemented a little bit of opinion, the Speaker opened his mouth, "War is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity."

"The Federal economy has been in severe recession in recent years, and we are at a critical juncture."

"We recruited some experts to discuss the problem of the depression with us. It appears every once in a while, and it's getting longer and longer each time."

"This time we are not sure how many years it will last, but if possible, it is best to interrupt this process."

"War may be a direction."

The Majority Leader nodded, "We need more territory, more resources, more population, more wealth."

He paused for about two or three seconds after speaking, and added, "For the people."

The Secretary of State didn't speak this time. The President knew it was his turn.

"I have always believed that making military arrangements on our own territory is our country's internal affair."

"They are trying to interfere in our country's internal affairs by means of threats and intimidation. This is unforgivable."

"Many people's eyes are on us. If we show cowardice this time, then the international situation we face will become worse and more severe."

"Since everyone believes that we should not avoid it, then let Congress vote on it."

"I will unconditionally support the decision of Congress!"

The Secretary of State then continued, "I will follow up on the development in this regard, and will forward any news to you separately."

Next were a series of detailed issues, such as transporting a large number of naval forces to the south, and dealing with possible "attacks."

If the Danterra Republic really went crazy and suddenly launched a surprise attack on the Federal port, it would also be a huge loss!

They need to be prepared. The core reason why Congress and the top brass support the war this time is that the internal contradictions caused by the Great Depression are escalating, and the people are going on strike and demonstrations at every turn, and they are beginning to affect the middle class.

This is a very dangerous signal. Some experts believe that this Great Depression will be more violent and last longer than in previous years!

War is a good opportunity to change a nation's destiny, plundering to gain all the benefits needed to resolve domestic conflicts, while simultaneously exporting pressure.

If the Republic of Dentera hadn't done this, they really wouldn't have known what to do.

Rashly and actively joining a war is not what the people of the Federation desire.

The last time the Imperial Emperor said he wanted to launch a war, their fierce protests showed that they didn't like war.

If they actively launched a war, they would lose the support of the people.

But passively…