The location where Mr. Herbs was interviewed by the magazine isn't far from the Imperial Palace in Gafura. Through the window, one can see the golden dome of the Imperial Palace shimmering in the sunlight.

Throughout the history of Gafura, the emperors have spent most of their money making their palace look more magnificent. There's a saying among the people of Gafura that the Imperial Family will never go bankrupt.

If the Imperial Family were to run out of money one day, they would just need to tear down a roof to sustain for a very long time. It's said the rooftops of the palace complex are made of pure gold, which is meant to reflect the wealth and nobility of the Imperial Family.

Looking at the glittering buildings over there, Mr. Herbs immediately thought of his own country, where his elder brother was dressed in clothes costing less than five dollars, eating meals worth less than ten dollars, living humbly in a palace inferior to some ministers' homes.

In contrast to the Emperor of Gafura, they are on completely different levels!

While he was feeling that the Emperor of Gafura was the true emperor, this Emperor, who was envied, jealous, and hated by him, his brother, and many other emperors and kings, was also troubled.

The situation in the Amelia Region has completely deteriorated. Now, those rebel groups... No, it should be called anti-government armed forces, have completely withdrawn from the urban areas and moved to the vast wilderness.

Originally, their resistance took place within the cities, occasionally assassinating a few patrol members, destroying certain facilities, or even assassinating a military officer or politician.

This method of resistance was foolish. As soon as such assassinations occurred, the entire city would immediately conduct a widespread search, making it very difficult for the assassins to escape.

Not only could they not escape, but they also implicated their families, who would be captured along with them. This was the reason why the initial rebel organizations found it difficult to effectively resist the Gafura people; they were always at a disadvantage and always resisted within the control zones of the Gafura people, making it challenging to truly contend with them.

But now it's different; they directly withdrew from urban areas to engage in prolonged battles with the Gafura people in the endless wilderness.

They destroy lines, pipes, railways; they will destroy anything they can.

By the time their destruction is discovered, a long time has passed, and the culprits are gone without a trace.

This also forces the Gafura people to shift a substantial amount of their attention from the city to the wilderness. They began to constantly engage in firefights with the anti-government armed forces in the wilderness, but if they relaxed their control over the cities, those armed forces would raid their military warehouses inside the cities.

In short, it's never-ending, and what exacerbates all of this, besides the reasons the Emperor of Gafura is willing to admit, there's a reason he can't admit—Gafura's army is as ineffective as dog shit!

They're even inferior to a bunch of commoners who just picked up weapons, and in the battles in the wilderness, they are beaten like a scared rat, only able to rely on some defense structures for defense or follow armed trains in fixed routes for armed patrols.

It's been more than two years, and in the Amelia Region, Gafura not only hasn't achieved any results they planned, but they've also invested a lot.

Time, energy, wealth...

This is also why the Emperor of Gafura has been troubled recently. People are discontented with Gafura shifting its development center from domestic to the Amelia Region, yet the Amelia Region hasn't provided domestic positive feedback.

Moreover, some societal groups have begun questioning whether the Emperor's decisions are correct, and a dangerous atmosphere is brewing.

Any monarchial country, once the authority of the ruler is questioned, signals the start of something slipping out of control.

To prevent potential internal strife or political battles within the Imperial Family, the Emperor of Gafura must swiftly resolve the Amelia Region issue.

Either completely abandon it, leave it as it is, and nobody fares well.

Or continue sending troops, launch an actual war, and completely eradicate those anti-government forces.

The former is a choice the Emperor of Gafura is unwilling to make, and the reason is straightforward; they have invested so much there, and to say give up at this point is already too late.

And for the latter, they do not have the confidence to win this war. With the help of some foreign forces, these people have already built a combat system, which will only make things more troublesome.

The only good news now is that the Federation people are willing to help stabilize the Amelia Region situation for the Gafura people. Of course, this was not requested by the Gafura people but by the Federation people, it was their initiative.

As for the price, it's merely allowing the Federation people to fairly participate in some engineering projects, seeking to secure some post-war reconstruction and new projects.

"Is this the list of the Federation's diplomatic corps?" Emperor Gafura has been taking headache pills recently, and the doctor says his blood pressure has become abnormal. The best way is to try not to think about issues that raise his blood pressure.

But... he couldn't escape them, so he had to process affairs while taking medicine.

In his hands, there's a list sent over by the Federation, because it's a diplomatic visit, a more comprehensive list must be submitted prior to the visiting group's departure. Doing this also considers both parties' prestige.

In case there are people Emperor Gafura doesn't like, it can be notified in advance, and the Federation then would revise the list, also maximally considering cooperation between the two sides.

Just like when Gafura's delegation goes to the Federation, they would also submit such a list.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs sat in his chair and nodded slightly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

There isn't a strictly opposing posture between the Emperor and the ministers in Gafura, nor is there a situation where only the Emperor can sit while making ministers stand just to display authority.

Whether it's in the Ruler's Hall or the Emperor's study, during discussions with ministers about national affairs, it's like an afternoon tea at a theme salon held outside, everyone sits.

"Who is Lynch? I've heard of this name, but I don't have any impressions." The Emperor pointed to a name and asked.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs immediately began to explain, "Lynch is a somewhat famous young entrepreneur in the Federation recently. It's said he has quite some ideas in business and is quite successful. He's good friends with the Federation high-level officials, especially with Truman. Our experts believe he can influence Truman and the President's decisions to a certain extent."

Emperor Gafura nodded while listening, "So it's normal for him to be on this list. Does he have any relationship with Truman or the Federation President or other politicians?"

He's a bit curious now, "The dossier says he comes from a normal family. Have our intelligence personnel been bribed?"

The Minister of the Army hurriedly stood up, "Your Majesty, according to the information from our intelligence personnel, Lynch's background is indeed like this. Just two years ago, he was still an unemployed person without a job..."

Others could sit and respond to the Emperor's questions, but the Minister of the Army couldn't, because the army's overall performance was too poor.

It was bad even during the World War; after all, Gafura didn't have vast territory, and failing to cultivate excellent armies was understandable. But now they can't even compete against commoners lacking rigorous military training, which truly is disappointing.

Fortunately, the intelligence department belongs to the army's domain. If it weren't for some achievements in intelligence work, the Minister of the Army would have long been kicked out by the Emperor.

But now, the Emperor is also dissatisfied with the army's intelligence work, "I think you're talking nonsense, an ordinary person without any background could...," he glanced at Lynch's personal data, "own assets worth tens of millions of Federation Sol in just two years?"

"Do you think he is some third-rate story's protagonist? Such illogical delusions are more absurd and ridiculous than stories from indecent novels!"

"Don't use excuses for your dereliction of duty!" The Emperor roared in dissatisfaction; other ministers were accustomed to it. While drinking fragrant coffee and tasting the tea snacks prepared by palace chefs, nobody cared about the Emperor's roar.

The Minister of the Army wasn't bothered either; if he were, the Empire's army wouldn't be in its current state. Other ministers also held some displeasure but didn't express it out of collegiality.

After being scolded by the Emperor for a while, the Emperor was satisfied and withdrew, while the Minister of the Army sat down as if nothing happened.

Only then did the Minister of Foreign Affairs speak, "Your Majesty, do you need Lynch removed from the diplomatic corps?"

The Emperor hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "We don't know what he represents. Hastily removing him might affect our subsequent plans. Let him come..."

The Minister of Finance was engrossed in thoughts. If Mr. Herbs hadn't concealed his true intentions, saying nothing to the Minister of Finance, he could have made the Emperor change his mind with just one remark.

The Empire's finances and the Minister of Finance's work are highly crucial; many times this position is concurrently held by the Prime Minister, even though he's not the Prime Minister now, but in civil terms, he's essentially the Shadow Prime Minister.

Anything the Prime Minister wants to do requires financial support; if finance doesn't support it, the Prime Minister can't proceed with his work.

Now, the one who could change it all is unaware of Lynch's significance, lost in thoughts about the things in Mr. Herbs' appreciation letters.

These international bankers are generous enough to impress someone accustomed to dealing with numbers.

Of course, his interactions with Mr. Herbs and others aren't for those appreciation letters; he simply likes making friends. Making friends is his biggest hobby!

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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