Darkstone Code
Chapter 270 - 0268 The Relationship Between War and Money

Chapter 270: 0268 The Relationship Between War and Money

The Federation people’s war-weariness stemmed from the initial phase of this World War through some documentary films about the battlefield. Some Federation reporters, taking their lives into their hands, went to the front lines of the conflict, interviewed, and shot a large amount of material to send back to the Federation.

These war correspondents quickly became household names throughout the entire Federation, but they did not realize, nor did the entire Federation populace realize, that these real battlefield records were causing Federation people to fear war.

Considering the difficulties in filming on the battlefield, these films were made in silent form, from the first frame to the last second, without a single bit of sound.

On television, in movie theaters, people might initially laugh, expecting scenes from the front lines, after all, no wars had erupted here for a long time, not even any frictions with other countries.

People had long forgotten the cruelty of war, remembering only the romance that didn’t exist in warfare. In the years leading up to the outbreak of war, someone had produced a film that won an award, called "Beauty Under Fire," romanticizing love and war, which left a possibly erroneous impression on two generations of Federation citizens who had not experienced war.

It wasn’t until these real images began to impact people’s hearts that they realized war was not romantic nor something to anticipate.

Bullets, invisible bullets, like the scythe of the Death God, randomly and freely reaped lives on the battlefield. In the footage, soldiers would suddenly jolt backwards, or their heads would jerk up, and their whole body would quickly fall, twitching a few times before becoming corpses.

Without any sound of bullets whistling, without any final screams, watching some soldiers who hadn’t died completely showing terrifyingly grim faces under the camera, silently howling, every Federation person turned from excitement and anticipation to silence.

Every broadcast was like this, people began to become silent, the harsh reality of war shattering all impractical fantasies; here was no love, no contests of bravery or wits, only executions of death and those executed.

One after another, people died, some were compatriots, some others, with one scene particularly memorable: an artillery shell landed next to the war correspondent, the camera toppled over as it shook quickly, and then some black liquid covered the lens partially.

Then the camera seemed to be picked up by someone, but fell back on the ground amidst shaking, followed by a war correspondent falling in front of the lens, with some shrapnel directly piercing through his body.

He knelt on the ground with his rear raised, his upper body weakly laying on the ground, creating a scene that seemed amusing yet bringing no laughter, because a vibrant life was fading away.

He was coughing up blood in large mouthfuls, somewhat resembling the sensation of vomiting, as his chest raised and fell, then blood flowed profusely from his mouth and nose, followed by some foam.

At this time, he hadn’t completely died yet, he attempted to straighten himself, but he no longer had the strength, his arms tried several times to prop up his body from the ground unsuccessfully, his chest heaved more and more violently, until finally his body trembled violently a few times, and everything came to a calm.

Until the end, his eyes were fixated on the lens, as though he already predicted his final outcome, he left the Federation not with the fearlessness or courage he might have wanted to convey facing death, nor any warning; he only left the Federation with endless fear.

Everyone fears death. When people watch a Federation person die so horrifically on the battlefield, right in front of the lens, witnessing his last half-minute of life full of pain, struggle, and helplessness, the war-weariness erupted instantly.

It should be known that before this, the Federation didn’t actually consider adopting an isolationist policy; even the then President and President’s Cabinet were still deliberating on which side to take, intending to actively participate.

But this sudden tide of war-weariness instantaneously gave the Conservative Party a platform to perform, adherent to public sentiment, they proposed isolationism, gaining all the people’s support.

Everyone fears death, not only do they fear their own death, but also fear their beloved ones dying on the battlefield, just like the reporter in the lens.

Thus, when Lynch mentioned the word "war" in such a venue, the entire hall fell into silence.

Actually, it isn’t just the lower social strata that have war-weariness, this sentiment seems contagious, infecting even the middle and upper social strata.

Of course, war-weariness does not mean they don’t wish to interact with the international community; these are two separate matters.

Everyone was watching Lynch. Lynch exhibited exceptional composure, seemingly unaffected by the countless gazes from influential figures.

He smiled calmly and modestly, standing slightly outside the crowd, Rella gazed at Lynch absent-mindedly, not knowing why, at this moment, she saw some shadow of her father in Lynch.

She didn’t know if this description was correct, but that’s how she felt right now, only Lynch was younger, but his temperament, bearing, composure, confidence, and even his smile gave people a very special feeling.

Making people trust his words and what he does, feel safe, and think he is a person one can rely on.

"Economic warfare?", the gentleman who had earlier brought up a question repeated, "This viewpoint is novel and interesting, seems we have a good theme for tonight. Mr. Lynch, could you please elaborate?"

Lynch nodded courteously to the gentleman, indicating he was willing to share.

Meanwhile, he noticed a minor detail, people were giving way to this gentleman, which also hinted at his significant stature, at least his respected identity.

"Certainly, sir."

"You can call me Truman..."

At this point, Mr. Wardrick, coming from somewhere, approached Lynch not far away, softly reminding, "Mr. Truman is currently the special advisor to the President’s Cabinet, primarily responsible for discussing and formulating international policies."

Lynch expressed his gratitude to Mr. Wardrick with a nod; an international policy special advisor is certainly not an ordinary position.

Actually, for the past couple of days before the event commenced, Lynch had already gathered from others a tidbit of insider information. It was said that the President decided to add a new office to the Cabinet, named "International Policy Research Office."

This office’s job is to research international trends and formulate policies addressing international trends, including politics and military. In other words, it might not be as attention-catching, but it certainly is a crucial department.

Truman is currently the highest official of this yet-to-be-established office, and the most relied-upon international affairs/policy advisor by the President.

Lynch felt a sense of familiarity in Truman’s voice; he had watched a segment on a political talk show where Truman was cooperating in a performance.

Throughout the process of toppling the "Demon King" old President and promoting the new President to power, many people worked hard, Truman included.

This small intermission only lasted less than thirty seconds before Lynch continued to elaborate his viewpoint.

"I am a merchant, sometimes my perspectives differ from others."

"In surveying all the participating countries in this World War, I don’t know if others noticed, but I discovered an aspect worth attention, which is the role and status of money in warfare."

"Wealth plays a much bigger role in war than we imagined, many believe wars only require soldiers, but indeed, there must be money, lots of money."

"I inquired with some arms dealers, they told me, even a small-scale skirmish, even if a great victory, might consume hundreds of thousands of ammunition, and meanwhile, there could be thousands or tens of thousands in battle loss."

"The end of this war, affecting more than half the world, was not because anyone admitted being on the wrong side, it was simply because some people ran out of money and couldn’t continue fighting, so they had to surrender!"

"I believe war is not just a contest of military strength; it is actually a contest of the comprehensive national power and wealth!"

Lynch slightly emphasized his tone, "Especially cash, money’s significance in war is immense."

"We may be without people, but if we have money, we can hire those willing to take risks for money to fight for us!"

"However, if we lack money, even if our young men are all fearless, put together, they wouldn’t overcome a fortified position’s firepower company!"

"So, could we perhaps slightly change our mind, that war is not fought by people, but by money?!"

"If our goal is only to let some forces fall as in defeat, is it possible to achieve this through economic warfare without experiencing bombardments?"

This viewpoint was easily accepted, even though many here might be fools, even foolish people know a small-scale victorious skirmish costs hundreds of thousands; a large-scale campaign would cost even more.

Many displayed thoughtful expressions; they might have noticed the issue before but hadn’t delved into research or thoroughly contemplated it.

Now Lynch suddenly brought these points out, it seemed to enlighten them instantly regarding things they previously had not grasped well.

Especially Lynch’s final remarks directly pointed to the core of his previous statements, that war is about spending money. If skipping the specific people aspect and directly confronting money, can it work?

If discussing war, Federation people might not feel certain, and certainly, they might be competent; Federation hasn’t participated in large-scale coalition wars, so nobody knows the Federation’s military strength.

However, if talking about handling money, Federation’s capability is undoubtedly world-leading!

In a short time, Lynch’s ideas had embedded into some people’s minds, deeply implanted, beginning to accept new ideological irrigation, starting to root and sprout!