"Director Li, is it possible to share this information externally? If so, our United Front Department is ready to use it as promotional material for the descendants of the Panhua tribe across the universe, to strengthen internal unity within our 'Panhua Descendants Union'," asked Zhang Lian, the Director of the United Front Department.
The United Front Department is the external liaison arm of the "Yinglong Pirate Group." Its role is to unite the Panhua ethnic groups scattered across various countries in the universe, particularly focusing on interstellar merchants, scientists, retired soldiers, and young students. Each year, the United Front Department is able to raise significant funds from the Panhua merchants it unites. This is an important source of funding for the "Yinglong Pirate Group." In addition, it also recruits scientists, retired soldiers, and young students from the Panhua ethnic groups, which helps address the "Yinglong Pirate Group's" issues with research capabilities and a shortage of reserve personnel.
"Director Zhang, this depends on the Captain's decision. It's not something for our Intelligence Bureau to consider," Li Zifeng responded politely with a smile.
Zhang Lian chuckled to cover his awkwardness and turned to Lei Hengbang. "Captain, please don't mind me, I'm just a bit too impatient and forgot about our rules for a moment."
Lei Hengbang waved his hand. "Old Zhang, no need to say that! I know your nature, you're quick-tempered. You're just thinking about the future of the 'Yinglong Pirate Group,' it's well-meaning," he said, though in his heart, he resented Zhang Lian.
This is the normal situation in the "Yinglong Pirate Group." The Captain can't make decisions like the heads of other pirate groups, where a single word holds power and decisions can be enforced by punishing department heads. The first Captain, Lei Hao, was originally the captain of the Chi You battleship of the Panhua Empire. When he could no longer survive in the Ross Empire, he recalled his old subordinates and turned to interstellar piracy. Everyone was originally from the Panhua Empire, comrades on the same battleship, colleagues. Now they were pirates together, and while Lei Hao had once been the captain, they weren't his subordinates. They wouldn't simply obey him as they had before.
This early formation issue meant that Lei Hao never fully controlled the absolute power in the "Yinglong Pirate Group." After many rounds of negotiation, the "Yinglong Pirate Group" evolved into a power structure shared by 9 people. Major decisions within the group are made through votes by these 9 members.
Zhang Lian was one of the 9 people with shared power. He was known for being high-handed and domineering, so sometimes he would overlook the Captain, Lei Hengbang, which caused the awkward incident where he bypassed the Captain to directly inquire with the Intelligence Bureau Chief, Li Zifeng.
Lei Hengbang could only swallow his frustration. He knew that attempting to punish Zhang Lian would not receive support from the other 7. Since the formation of the 9-person leadership structure, the "Yinglong Pirate Group" had never punished any of the 9 leaders. Power within the group was passed down through generations within these 9 families.
"Alright, Zhang Lian, just calm down for a while!" a burly man in a crisp red military uniform, standing straight, scolded Zhang Lian. He was Qi Mu, the Vice Captain of the "Yinglong Pirate Group" and the commander of its main military force, the Chi You Fleet.
"Captain, I think Director Zhang's suggestion has some merit. While we may not follow his exact plan, we could consider taking steps in that direction," said Han Li, the Director of the Dark Dragon Bureau, in a hoarse voice.
The Dark Dragon Bureau is a subsidiary organization of the "Yinglong Pirate Group." It organizes Panhua descendants scattered across different countries who are dissatisfied with their current nations but are too afraid to openly rebel or join the "Yinglong Pirate Group." The "Yinglong Pirate Group" capitalizes on this by organizing these individuals locally into the "Dark Dragon Society." The Dark Dragon Society helps discontented Panhua descendants solve their everyday problems using unconventional means. If we had to give it an analogy, the Dark Dragon Society is like the mafia on Earth. Over the years, the Dark Dragon Society has spread across various nations in the universe, with its numbers too large to count. It is directly controlled by the Dark Dragon Bureau.
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Captain Lei Hengbang pondered for a moment and asked, "Director Han, are you referring to the dispute between the Fuluo Federation and the Kabas Empire?"
Han Li pressed a red button in front of him. Instantly, a holographic map of the universe appeared above the rectangular conference table where the 9 were seated. The map was dazzling, glittering with light. Han Li quickly zoomed in on one bright spot in the map, which covered the entire area of the universe and transformed into a star system labeled "Pirate Nebula." Two other star systems were marked in red and blue, indicating the territories of the Kabas Empire and the Fuluo Federation. The size of the red and blue areas were roughly equal. Han Li clicked on the red and blue areas again, which quickly expanded into two separate star systems, marked as "Tyrannosaurus Star System" (red) and "Nedawa Star System" (blue). The "Pirate Nebula" appeared as an elliptical structure, with the Tyrannosaurus Star System and the Nedawa Star System positioned closely at the ends of the ellipse. Han Li continued to zoom in on another bright spot, which turned into a star system marked "Muhu Star System" in red.
"Everyone, please look here. The red areas represent the Kabas Empire, and the blue represents the Fuluo Federation. These two countries are roughly equal in strength. They both border the Pirate Nebula, but the Kabas Empire has more contact with it. As you can see, the Kabas Empire's Muhu Star System nearly covers one-fifth of the Pirate Nebula’s elliptical surface. The Kabas Empire and the Fuluo Federation are currently facing off in the Tyrannosaurus and Nedawa star systems. According to reliable reports, the two sides have engaged in several small-scale space battles with victories on both sides. Both countries are facing serious political and economic issues," Han Li explained with confidence.
"President Bayer of the Fuluo Federation is old and senile, incapable of managing state affairs. It's rumored that he has been mentally unstable for a long time and that major decisions are made by Vice President Harris. The Emperor of the Kabas Empire, Louis XIII, is also very old and nearing the end of his life. His three sons are fighting fiercely for the throne. Economically, both countries are facing severe fiscal deficits, and unemployment is rising sharply. This is unavoidable; the entire universe is currently in an economic crisis," added Director of the Publicity Department, Lan Yiting.
"Yes, Director Lan is well-informed, as always," Han Li casually complimented her before continuing, "The political power of both countries is about to be reshuffled, and neither side dares to back down in the conflict in the Tyrannosaurus and Nedawa star systems. If either side surrenders, they will risk losing power. Especially since the ordinary people in both countries are dissatisfied due to the economic downturn, their incomes have drastically decreased, creating a mass of resentment and conflict that needs an outlet. The side that surrenders will face the full brunt of that anger, which could completely destroy their leadership. The situation is tricky, and I personally suspect that there’s a risk of direct warfare breaking out."
"Are you suggesting that we stoke the fire and incite direct war between them?" Captain Lei Hengbang asked.
"That's generally the idea. But directly provoking their war is difficult; we don’t have enough influence at the top levels of either country. My suggestion is to focus on the lower-level conflicts, inciting the common people in both nations to put pressure on their governments. If this doesn't succeed, those discontented citizens could be brought into the 'Yinglong Pirate Group,' or directly recruited into the Dark Dragon Society, expanding our influence," Han Li proposed.
"Expand your own power, Han Li! Many of our Panhua descendants don't want to join the 'Yinglong Pirate Group' directly, let alone other ethnic groups. This will only lead most people to join your Dark Dragon Society," Zhang Lian interjected.
Zhang Lian, the Director of the United Front Department, had some overlapping responsibilities with the Dark Dragon Bureau, which led him to try and interfere in their affairs. He had long coveted Han Li's armed task forces within the Dark Dragon Society. These task force members were highly capable, and if equipped with warships, they could join space battles right away.
"Zhang Lian, don’t make up lies. I'm doing this for the good of the 'Yinglong Pirate Group,' doing my job diligently. Unlike you, who have secret wives hidden away across different countries, addicted to luxury. If it weren’t for this important meeting, I bet you wouldn’t even have shown up at the headquarters!" Han Li mocked.
"Enough! Both of you, be quiet!" Han Li shouted, stopping their argument.
Zhang Lian had privately diverted donations from the "Panhua Descendants Union," and all 9 leaders of the "Yinglong Pirate Group" knew about it. However, due to a tradition of one or two hundred thousand years, they couldn't take action against him. If they did, it would mean the end of the 9-person leadership structure, and such a power shift could easily lead to internal conflict within the group