Darkstone Code

Chapter 672 - 0669 Script, Director, and the Real Purpose

"What’s this got to do with the military?"

Five minutes ago, the President was looking forward to the new day, but now he already had a headache, "If the ship is gone, send someone to find it. I really don’t understand what this has to do with the military."

He refrained from swearing; early in the morning, a military representative submitted a "Navy Expansion Plan" to the President’s Cabinet and the Ministry of Defense, causing the President’s head to buzz.

Until now, during the great disarmament, all we heard was troop reduction, not expansion.

Moreover, the Federation also has no need for expansion. There is no possibility of war breaking out worldwide in the short term, and even if it did, it has nothing to do with the Federation. The military’s sudden appearance seems rather mysterious.

The Minister of Defense stood in front of the President’s desk, looked at the report in his hand, then spread his hands, "Yesterday, a Federation cargo ship bound for Amelia went missing..."

The President nodded impatiently, "I know, but what’s the military got to do with it?"

The Minister of Defense was a bit embarrassed, "The military..." He quickly changed his wording, "The Navy thinks this could very well be some countries’ tricks. They want to make us a laughingstock. If our cargo ship goes missing right at the Federation’s doorstep, the whole world will think our Navy is nothing special."

"Even if we can defeat the Gafura fleet!"

After saying that, the Minister of Defense’s tone softened, not as passionate as before, "Moreover, the Navy’s current structure is still from the escapism period, a defensive formation that’s a bit restrictive."

Hearing this, the President casually flipped through the expansion plan on the desk, and the room fell into a short silence.

The Navy’s perspective is that it is currently the golden period for Federation Navy development. In the past, to avoid misunderstanding, the Federation has only maintained one and a half complete naval formations.

One regular formation, one reserve formation. After the naval battles, to prevent other countries from considering the Federation a primary defensive enemy, the Federation did not expand the Navy, meaning the Navy’s structure has remained at the escapism period’s scale.

The escapism period is a thing of the past; back then, the military and soldiers were not valued by society, which was unavoidable. But now, the Navy is obviously strong, and Federation policies have shifted from conservative to aggressive, so some things must change.

For example, expansion. After expansion, there will be more captains, and more officers, even generals. That’s the key!

In the end, it’s still about power.

In a full formation, having three to five generals is already a hell of a lot. With so many officers waiting to be promoted to generals, without expansion, how can they rise?

Moreover, the Navy’s Commander with only one formation versus one with multiple clusters is not the same in any aspect.

So the Navy’s proposal for expansion is naturally not surprising.

More than half an hour later, the President had almost finished reading. He closed the report and rested his chin on his clenched fists, thinking seriously.

The military indeed helped him to stand firm, of course, thanks to Truman as well, who is the bridge connecting him to the military.

The military helped him, so he should reciprocate. This is the Federation President’s way of governance – those who help me will be rewarded doubly.

If one does not abide by this rule, no one will vote for him next time.

The President still aspired for re-election, so he couldn’t abandon the military. But the expansion now seemed a bit... too aggressive.

This is not something as simple as approving and sending it to Congress for discussion. It requires considering the attitude of the entire international community.

Navy expansion implies strengthening maritime military, meaning greater offensive power can traverse the Great Eastern Ocean, creating a terrifying military deterrent for all countries along its shores.

What if these countries unite?

What if they form a military alliance?

These things need some serious thinking, it’s not that simple.

The President looked up at the Minister of Defense, "What do you think?"

The Minister of Defense pressed his lips, not commenting, but at this moment, not commenting was indeed a comment, indicating that the Ministry of Defense’s stance had leaned toward the military.

"You’re really giving me trouble!", the President complained bluntly. He couldn’t directly refuse since military support was crucial, nor could he directly agree as it could bring extra political risk.

After contemplating for a moment, he said, "Let Congress discuss it!"

A smile crept onto the Minister of Defense’s face. The Federation’s Ministry of Defense and military are two separate entities but overlap. Approving the Navy’s expansion means the Federation will have more generals, and some of the existing generals will have the opportunity to move further.

People in the Ministry of Defense can jump back into the military and wait for a promotion, while those in the military can join the Ministry of Defense for some administrative experience, laying a foundation for future promotions to senior officer positions. This benefits everyone.

Seeing the Minister of Defense off, the President downed his originally slow-sipped coffee in one gulp. He needed something to wake him up or calm him down.

Agreeing, but not pushing, might seem a bit foolish, but this is a sensitive time.

He not only wanted to solidify the support of the voters he already had but also didn’t want to lose the support of conservative voters. Any rash decision before the results are clear would be foolish. He had to be careful.

With the President’s approval, the matter of Navy expansion was put into process. Simultaneously, numerous Federation newspapers began promoting a topic – does the Federation need to show its strength to the world?

From the "Federation Daily" to the "Daily Entertainment", whether serious political and current affairs publications or gossip tabloids focusing on scandals and pin-up girls, all began asking this question.

We are already so strong, so shouldn’t we let others know?

One of the core events driving this issue was the cargo ship disappearance incident.

Honestly, without media influence, 99% of Federation Society would not care about the disappearance of a cargo ship because it has nothing to do with their lives at all.

The ship didn’t carry their families, nor their property; they wouldn’t be moved by the news.

But when this matter is elevated to a level involving national honor and whether the country should display its power, touching upon the national dignity and citizen pride, it sparks a public frenzy.

One must know, people were already disgraced enough in the escapism years, and it was proven that escapism held no value. Hence, a retaliatory aggressive movement began to prevail, people became more aggressive than ever.

"63.1% of people believe we should stop disarmament and expand the current Navy, deploying more ships to protect the Federation’s merchant ships from pirate harassment."

"22% believe we should maintain the current situation and shouldn’t excessively flaunt military power, causing neighboring misunderstandings..."

Lynch, reading the newspaper’s poll results, had an uncontrollable smile on his face, "The inherent strength of Federation people is manifesting. The future will be a better future."

Surrounding him were high-ranking officers in naval uniforms, including two generals.

Everyone’s face was full of smiles, clearly satisfied with the whole endeavor.

The flight device company Lynch managed was actually just a link, a node. Its value was to provide more opportunities for the Navy and Members of Parliament to interact.

What truly earned Lynch the Navy’s friendship was his hosting of the naval expansion plan.

When he proposed the plan, Mr. Truman knew the Navy couldn’t refuse.

Surrounded by junior officers, in the middle sat a Vice Admiral who had held the position for almost twenty years with only a few years left.

He thought he’d retire as a Vice Admiral, living out the rest of his days with regrets, not expecting such an opportunity to arise!

Once expanded, there would be some reshuffling among the Navy’s leaders. Colonels become Brigadier Generals, Brigadier Generals become Major Generals, Major Generals become Vice Admirals, and Vice Admirals become... Admirals!

Of course, to push this matter, it requires consent from 60% of the Congress Military Committee members and more than 50% of Members of Parliament in a Congress vote. Achieving this is no easy feat.

Due to historical and political issues, the military wasn’t liked in the past, somewhat like "neither capable of defending the nation nor achieving merit," under twisted political propaganda, people didn’t like soldiers and didn’t want family members to join the military.

This was something the Navy never considered initially, until Lynch proposed his thoughts and plan, which had a high success rate, and this entire thing wouldn’t cost anyone else a penny, Lynch would personally lobby Congress for Navy expansion approval.

Faced with such a wealthy friend willing to build a relationship with the military and exert a vast influence, how could the Navy refuse him?

Not to mention Mr. Truman also played a crucial role, being a Political Spokesperson launched by the Navy, his stance significantly influenced naval choices.

"Mr. Lynch, do you think we have a chance of success?" The Vice Admiral made no effort to hide his desire, his question plain and direct.

The smiling Major General and other officers around him eagerly looked at Lynch, it was their most anticipated moment in over a decade.

Lynch nodded without hesitation, "As long as we follow my script, the Navy can expand before the presidential election."

"Gentlemen, if we can secure an expansion opportunity before the presidential election, it would also mean another expansion during the President’s term, pushing the Navy’s scale beyond any time since the Federation was founded."

"This will be the Navy’s most glorious era!"