Darkstone Code

Chapter 1329: Chapter 1328: The Evening Breeze We Shared

"Mr. Chairman..."

The speaker was a shareholder of the corporation, and in fact, there were no irrelevant people in today’s board meeting.

Everyone who could attend this meeting had been screened repeatedly.

Those who can adapt to harsh environments and survive are the true capital sharks, and this is exactly what Lynch wants.

Actually, there was internal strife among these shareholders too. They all hoped to obtain more shares from others; the weaker ones had already been eliminated, leaving only the very strong.

It is only by uniting strong individuals that a powerful dynasty can be created.

It was not incorrect for Lynch, as the chairman of the board, to be called "Mr. Chairman."

Lynch nodded slightly to show that he was ready to listen, and the shareholder began to talk about matters Lynch had not noticed.

"Peng Jieao has started large-scale military recruitment. According to some observers and information we’ve received from Peng Jieao and its allies, they are already, or have plans to start recruitment."

"The Strategic Command of the Ministry of Defense believes they are actively preparing for war, and it may take them about six months to a year to complete all the recruitment work."

"Then, after about one to two years of training and strategic deployment, the second war is likely to break out in about three years."

Everyone’s expressions were serious. Although everyone was prepared for a second world war, no one really wanted it to come so soon.

Three years later, almost ten years after the end of the first world war, the gaps that needed filling have been filled.

Waiting any longer for those that can’t be filled will only widen the gap, so indeed, now is a good time to start a war.

Lynch nodded to show he understood; he hesitated for a moment, "Are there any rumors, such as Peng Jieao having cracked some technology, because suddenly recruiting seems a little unreasonable."

The shareholder said they hadn’t heard such rumors.

Lynch thought that if Peng Jieao started recruiting suddenly and without warning, it was likely that they had made a breakthrough in some area of research.

These changes could give them a relative advantage on the battlefield, so they immediately started recruiting, and as soon as the research results are turned into tangible military power, war will immediately break out.

Unfortunately, all this is probably top-secret for Peng Jieao; not just anyone, not even top spies, may be able to easily find out.

"It seems the group’s strategy needs a slight adjustment; I am very optimistic in many cases, but when it comes to war, I am somewhat pessimistic."

As soon as Lynch spoke, everyone in the board meeting closed their mouths.

Some of these people were much older than him, but in front of Lynch, they could only sit obediently and listen carefully.

"If the war cannot end quickly...", he paused for a moment and then continued, "...it’s inevitable."

"Before we have the capability to end the war in one go, it won’t end quickly, just like the last world war."

"People actually knew the result from the beginning, but they always thought about holding on; this time will certainly be the same."

"The longer the war drags on, the more problems will be exposed in society."

"Food, raw materials, air route security, international trade security—these all need attention."

"In the next few years, we will focus on increasing our investment in food production and transportation, and of course, not fall behind in scientific research..."

Formulating periodic development strategies for large consortia is not an easy task, but it is not as difficult as people imagine because these people have a lot of money.

In the Federation, there is a little story related to capital, which says that in the middle ages, there was an herb commonly used by the Federation’s indigenous people for healing.

This herb, after chemical analysis, was found to have mild anti-inflammatory effects, and when used by people with other useless things pounded into a paste and applied to wounds, it had some therapeutic effect on external injuries.

Originally unknown and available in many places, a group of capitalists began to speculate on these things.

They increased their purchase of stock on the market and proposed new purchase requests—the plants had to be whole, with roots included.

Because it wasn’t worth much, this stuff was all wild, and no one went to plant it.

Once this purchase information was released, everyone in the Federation was "digging for wild herbs," and some even formed teams to dig outside.

It didn’t take long for these things to nearly disappear in the wild, and something not worth much initially, after some "scientific research", was said to have a strong growth-promoting effect on humans.

In other words, from infants to the elderly, this thing was deemed suitable for consumption.

Its price skyrocketed, but it was almost extinct in the wild.

Even if someone wanted to cultivate it, it would be difficult to scale up in a short period, so those capitalists who orchestrated it began to enjoy the fruits of victory.

This story taught people a lesson: if capitalists want to do something, there’s nothing they can’t achieve because they have money!

The price of silver can surpass that of gold, so what can’t money accomplish?

Lynch demanded that the group increase its investment in various food-producing areas, strengthen transportation capabilities, as these were the most important "resources" during wartime.

Having food means not having to worry about soldiers having nothing to eat and losing morale.

Transport capability allows for quick transportation and transfer of supplies, even soldiers, to buy time for tactics and strategy.

No one opposed Lynch’s decision; this is also the trend of the times.

As Peng Jieao’s recruitment news spread, Mr. Truman, the head of the Federation’s Ministry of International Affairs, harshly criticized Peng Jieao and its allies in public for their attempts to undermine world peace.

This is a shameless, despicable, vile, and brutal act. Emperor Peng Jieao once again unreservedly displayed his ambition to the world.

The people of the Federation need to shatter Emperor Peng Jieao’s ambition and restore peace to the world!

At the same time, Mr. Truman also called on the allies of the World Development Committee to do their part in this matter. Peace is not for one person; it belongs to the world. Maintaining world peace is a responsibility everyone must bear!

After this news came out, the Federation Ministry of Defense issued a draft order for the first time since the end of World War I.

Even in the streets of Bupen, there were many recruitment advertisements, the army recruiting, the navy recruiting.

"The atmosphere is getting a bit tense."

Sitting on the terrace, feeling the wind from the mountain, Lynch held a glass of strong liquor with ice, taking a small sip.

Mr. Truman sat opposite him, along with an officer from the Ministry of Defense.

The afterglow of the sun was reddish and golden, draping the entire Bupen in a dreamy cloak!

As the workday was about to end, Mr. Truman approved his own early vacation. He was not there for a chat but to talk business.

"You have heard the news too?" he asked, shaking the glass in his hand. The movement of the liquid around the ice cubes cools it faster.

The people of the Federation who enjoy drinking like strong liquor, but they don’t like the harshness of it going down.

So the best solution is to add ice cubes.

Lynch nodded slightly, "While in a meeting at the company, I was wondering if they made some breakthrough in technology; otherwise, they shouldn’t reveal their intentions so quickly."

Mr. Truman nodded, "I have the same thought as you. We are already working on something..."

The officer beside him coughed, interrupting Mr. Truman’s words.

The latter paused for a moment, then smiled and explained, "Mr. Lynch is a senior advisor to the Security Committee."

The officer then showed an apologetic smile, as he wasn’t aware of Lynch’s identity.

After all, what Mr. Truman said involved national security and secrets. If someone leaked it, it could become a major trouble.

He is a treasure for the military and holds the highest position and power in the government system; trouble may fall upon anyone, but not Mr. Truman.

This is why he can navigate and thrive in the complex political arena of the Federation.

After all, not every politician has the backing of the Federation’s military. When encountering some less thorny issues, a phone call from the military high command can resolve the problem.

With the officer’s interjection, Mr. Truman ended the topic.

"Some agency analyses indicate that the worst-case scenario is a war breaking out in two years. This time is too short; many things have not been adjusted."

"However, some believe that war will be delayed to four years later. Regardless of their views, we must prepare for the worst."

"Once war breaks out, planes will be the most needed. So, we need you to be prepared."

"You can start by producing some general and essential parts for planes that are easy to manufacture. Don’t worry about the money; the Ministry of Defense will apply for new budgets."

"Furthermore..." Mr. Truman glanced at the officer beside him, signaling that he can speak now.

The officer took over from Mr. Truman, "It’s like this, Mr. Lynch. This is a major order. Our psychological base number for Darkstone Airlines is two thousand planes!"

The officer slightly raised his head. Two thousand planes are quite a lot. At one million per plane, this is a twenty-billion order!

At this time in the Federation, besides the military, no one else could issue such a large order, not even the Federation Government!

And this also reflects the military’s status in the entire social system of the Federation!

He felt proud to be a Federation soldier!

Lynch nodded, twenty billion, a big business, and he wore a much broader smile.

"Do you have any specific needs? Maybe we can discuss further?"

Seeing Lynch’s sudden change in expression, Mr. Truman could only shake his head and sigh.

He turned to look at the golden city below the hill, enjoying the breeze, taking a sip of the cold strong liquor, sighing softly.

This...is the Federation he loves!