On Choices for the Future

Under Lin Qi's influence, some of Mr. Truman's ideas also underwent significant changes.

He had previously attached great importance to establishing diplomatic relations with Nagaril. Besides what Lin Qi mentioned—resources and other things—he probably hoped to have a group of allies surrounding the Bayer Federation.

Everyone is very confused about the future. They don't know whether the next step will be to walk on the right road or sink into the mud. If the Federal has more allies, it will have more opportunities to share the pressure and more confidence to refuse.

However, his thinking has changed. He doesn't want to admit that he, an adult, was persuaded by a young man, but that's the truth—he was persuaded.

Lin Qi's words miraculously cut into his most "vulnerable" spot, reaching his central nervous system and making him tremble and feel his blood boil.

All soldiers are willing to write their own medals with glorious wars, are willing to defend the dignity of the country with iron will and heroism, and are willing to shed blood and sacrifice for the prosperity of the country.

Lin Qi's words were very much to the liking of Mr. Truman, a former soldier. After being persuaded, he went to persuade the president. This time, he not only went by himself, but also invited others.

One was the head of operations for the National Security Committee, and the other was the Second Vice Minister of Defense; the three of them appeared together in the President's office.

In the last couple of days, everyone has come to understand that the Preton Pirate Group' next opponent is likely a pawn supported by the Gefra Royal Navy.

As we all know, there are some things that are not easy for a country to do, such as attacking merchant ships, Fishing Boat, or even cruise ships of hostile countries.

If any country were to send its troops to do such a thing, it would definitely cause a public outcry.

Gefra was a monarchical state where the emperor was very concerned about his reputation, so supporting someone who did the dirty work became his best option, which is also the preferred method of most politicians.

Once this naval battle to eradicate pirates begins, it could very well push the Federal into an unknown territory.

The Conservative Party, which had been silent for a long time, has also stepped forward in the past few days, launching a fierce attack on some of the Progressive Party's ideas in the media, arguing that blindly launching a military strike on Nagaril, which has no connection to the country, would have terrible consequences for the positive image that the Federal has just established internationally.

They did not tell the public that the Preton Pirate Group might be imposters from the Gefra Royal Navy, which would cause panic and unease throughout the Federal, and was not in their interest.

What they needed was to end this diplomatic activity that they considered worthless, rather than cause social unrest and public panic. So they simply told the public that doing so did not align with the Federal's current interests.

Of course, they also created some issues to attack the establishment of diplomatic relations with Nagaril, raising some seemingly probing questions, such as "Why help others develop instead of keeping opportunities at home?"

During periods of confusion, all sorts of ideas will emerge, and people will be firmly attracted by these different ideas, with some people indeed taking their side.

In recent days, some spontaneous demonstrations have been disrupting the progress of the diplomatic ties, with some people even marching outside the Presidential Palace with the slogan "Take care of ourselves first," which is very much in line with the Conservative Party's style.

They used largely similar slogans to urge the Federal Government to keep the resources and wealth originally intended for Nagaril within the country.

In short, the president's condition is improving, but he is also facing some new problems. Just when he himself was somewhat undecided, Mr. Truman came to him with two lobbyists.

"Are you aware of what happened yesterday?" Truman asked the president after introducing the two people accompanying him.

The president nodded. "Yes, I already know. You told me about it last night!"

After the incident Truman told the president about some of the things that happened during the negotiations, as well as his tacit performance with Lin Qi, so that the president could be prepared. However, he did not reveal the deeper details. He would wait until he found two people he felt could help him persuade the president before meeting with him.

Mr. Truman glanced at the two men beside him, then looked at the President. "We signed a confidentiality agreement before we came here. What I'm about to say is known only to the three of us, besides you."

The president was somewhat surprised, his expression revealing appropriate astonishment. Federal officials are rarely required to sign confidentiality agreements; they are only required to sign such agreements for matters that could have unpredictable and significant consequences. His attitude immediately became serious, and his expression turned grave.

"Actually, I didn't finish my report to you yesterday. I talked to Lin Qi later, and he believes that what we really need right now is not someone to stand with us, but someone who can defeat our opponents!"

The president's expression remained grave, and now his brow furrowed. "Our adversary?"

This is a standard interrogative sentence, and the sentence ends with a slightly indifferent tone, preserving its original meaning.

"Our adversary!" Mr. Truman repeated, his tone now unwavering. "We will create an adversary, and then defeat it. We can obtain everything the Federal needs for development from the war, while simultaneously building the confidence of the Federal's people and uniting us closely as one. Let us then defeat the next adversary!"

The president shook his head slightly. "This is what you've been talking about? It's terrible!"

He didn't say why it was terrible, but everyone in the room knew that this was imperial hegemony, plundering and expanding everywhere to strengthen its own power, which stood in stark contrast to the spirit of a free and peaceful Federal.

It's not that anyone would actually think these things aren't good enough. Every country's leader and ruling class hopes that their country can expand to every corner of the world.

Only when their sphere of influence expands will the power in their hands become more lucrative. However, sometimes things are not as simple as just talking about them; they also require corresponding strength.

Imperial hegemony is no longer very popular internationally. This World War has changed many things, including the form of some Ruling Class.

Plunder does not necessarily mean taking over the territory of another country; it can be done through other means. However, this does not mean that hegemony will completely disappear. It will simply change its form and continue to exist in another way, but its essence will remain unchanged.

Did Mr. Truman not show the remorse he should have? Perhaps he should feel guilty for his thoughts, but at this moment his face shone with a different kind of luster, a... luster as if he had been favored by something.

"Mr. President, our war with the pirate group stems from our need for victory. We need a great victory to revitalize the Federal. By defeating the Preton Pirate Group, we can secure a long-term and stable source of raw materials."

"But now it seems that those people in Nagaril and Preton have reached some agreement, and they intend to give up establishing diplomatic relations with us. Once they do that, we will face some huge trouble."

"First of all, the Conservative Party may take advantage of the situation. They have recently started attacking some of your new policies in the media. Our inability to quickly gain international recognition has also had some negative impact on you."

In fact, the president and his cabinet have done a very good job, but the problem is that the Bayer Federation is here to take a slice of the pie, and that alone makes people dislike him, and naturally, he is unlikely to bring much benefit or orders to the Bayer Federation.

Conversely, with the limited opening of some free markets, some foreign goods have begun to be dumped into the Federal government, most severely in the three southern Free Trade Zone.

A large number of high-quality and inexpensive foreign goods have completely crushed domestic products. Many small merchants pack these goods and ship them to various places, squeezing the market share of similar products and dealing a heavy blow to some domestic enterprises that are still barely surviving.

These are all problems, but they are not obvious yet, but some wavering people have already sided with the Conservative Party.

In their words, there are no benefits now; on the contrary, more factories are closing down. If the more countries that establish diplomatic relations lead to more factories closing down, then it's better to continue with "escapism."

"Secondly, the sense of defeat brought about by the failure to establish diplomatic relations will make the people feel a deep sense of disappointment, which will make us more insecure, and social problems and conflicts will increase as a result, and may even erupt."

"Third, if a Small Country like the Nagaril United Kingdom can embarrass us or even make fun of us in diplomatic relations, then if we cannot wash away this humiliation, our international image and status will only continue to decline."

"People don't respect peace-loving fools; they only revere butchers with sickles."

"Gefra's current status is not due to their love of peace, nor to the number of Small Country they have helped develop their industries and economies, but rather because their warships are all over the world!"

"Mr. President, this is also why I am here today. If this diplomatic activity does not achieve our expectations, I hope you will authorize us to launch this war!"

The president's brows furrowed almost together. He waved his hand. "Let me sort this out. Are you sure you just used the word 'war'?" he said, his expression serious. "I thought we were just fighting a bunch of pirates."