Shadow Empire

Chapter 1051 Trial
“Pedro, hello. I hope I haven’t affected anything else you’ve been doing.”

“I could have waited a bit before calling you, but I’m a little anxious. You know, the current situation and future development of Lapa is not just a local issue for Lapa, but also relates to the overall deployment of the Asian Union.”

"We need to have a frank talk."

The Grand President of the Republic of Germany spoke with a serious tone, indicating that this was indeed no small matter and would have a huge impact on all the countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Pedro continued, "I agree with you, Your Excellency."

"Alan is currently at a critical crossroads. If we choose the wrong direction, we will only reach the wrong destination."

“Every choice requires extra caution. I will stand with you in safeguarding the interests of the Asian Union.”

Pedro's frank statement pleased the president somewhat. "Very well, then I won't waste my breath with those meaningless platitudes."

"You need to select a president or prime minister as soon as possible, or at least the supreme ruler of the country."

"This person must acknowledge as soon as possible that Lapa remains a member state of the Asian Union, pledge not to withdraw from the Asian Union, and maintain a high degree of unity with the Asian Union in military, economic, political, and cultural matters."

“We need everyone to unite to ensure our sovereignty, independence, and integrity, and I think that's what you want too, isn't it?”

He didn't say directly that his purpose was to fight against the Federation, but he believed Pedro would understand his meaning.

Pedro nodded and said, "Yes, I completely agree with those views."

“Very good, it seems we have the possibility of discussing this more in depth. I know you have been very busy lately, and the formation of the new government will take up a lot of your energy.”

"Once the new government is formed, I will invite you to the Republic of Germany for a state visit, and we can sit down and talk."

"Some things can't be explained in detail over the phone; they can only be explained clearly in person."

Pedro did not refuse and thanked President Jede for the invitation. The president would convey the message through the Asian Union later, and Pedro would then bring the new key officials of the Rapa government with him.

The phone call was brief. The Grand President of the Czech Republic promised that they would provide some funding as soon as the new government was established, and that there was no need to worry about the weapons and equipment issue, as they had already begun to address it.

The production of bullets and the purchase of equipment have been agreed upon, and they will soon be able to be self-sufficient.

He also believes that Rapa can completely abandon the federal standard weapons and use the JED standard weapons. They also plan to promote their own designed weapons as the standard weapons of the Asian Union.

Of course, it's all too far in the future to talk about these things now. Right now, the most important thing is the public trial of Diego.

Diego's trial was originally scheduled for four days later, but due to a series of changes, Pedro decided to move it forward by two days.

The public trial lasted three days, and the day originally scheduled for his trial was chosen as the day of his execution, without any objection.

They now realize the urgency and necessity of establishing a new government in Rapa as soon as possible.

The following morning, while Pedro was handling some work, Ross entered his office.

This forced Pedro to temporarily stop what he was doing and look at this "classmate," comrade-in-arms, and partner.

“Do you want to talk to me?” he asked.

Ross casually sat down on the sofa, picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite. It was sweet and juicy, a rare find in winter. Only a very few orchards that supplied goods to high-ranking officials of the Lapa government had the ability to provide fresh fruit in winter.

In response to Pedro's question, he replied directly, "I want to talk to you."

"A question about the president."

Pedro frowned. "We've talked about this..."

Ross interrupted him abruptly, "We need a president!"

Neither of them looked away from the other, staring at each other for more than ten seconds without avoiding each other's gaze.

“You’ve changed, Ross.”

Ross scoffed. "I've just become less simple, Pedro."

"A country will inevitably have a president or an emperor; this is an inevitable outcome."

“We overthrew the rule of the Lavila family, and we have the opportunity and the prestige to sit in this position.”

“I know you probably think I want it, but I can let you go first, and then I can…”

Pedro suddenly interrupted him, "Enough!" His voice was so loud that Ross trembled slightly.

"What do you take the president, this country, and the new government we're trying to establish as?"

"Your personal toy?"

"You can do whatever you want?"

"Ross, we overthrew the rule of the Lavila family, not created another, or even several, new Lavila families!"

"This country does not belong to you, nor to me; it belongs to the people!"

Ross's expression turned grim. "So, what are you trying to say?"

Pedro pursed his lips. "Elections, democratic decisions, fair and just."

Pedro truly meant it when he said those words, but Ross couldn't help but laugh, a mocking laugh.

"You know better than anyone how high your prestige is in their eyes right now, so you knew from the beginning that if it were an election, it would definitely be you, and it could only be you!"

"I already said I'm willing to give you the first presidency, but all you want is everything!"

"You're saying I want to create a new Lavila family?"

"No, I think it's you. You want to be the next Diego!"

With that, Ross stood up and walked outside without looking back. "You'd better think this through, Pedro. Overthrowing Diego wasn't just your achievement; it was the work of others!"

"If you can't give us an explanation..."

"Then we might as well give you an explanation!"

Watching Ross's departing figure and hearing his threatening words, Pedro felt a headache coming on.

He had actually anticipated these things would happen from the beginning, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

With almost no room for maneuver, internal conflicts erupted immediately after Diego was overthrown. He couldn't help but light a cigarette, hoping the nicotine might soothe his current agitation.

He's now wondering who exactly "we" Ross was referring to.

The country has only just stabilized after more than a year of civil war. We can't let a new civil war destroy everything just as we've seen a glimmer of hope!
He had lost all interest in working and, leaning back in his chair, began to think of a solution.

Another day passed, and starting in the morning, the radio announced that Diego would be publicly tried in Zhuolan, and anyone who wished to participate could go to the designated location to watch the trial.

Starting around 8 a.m., the area outside the venue for Diego's public trial was already crowded with citizens from Zhuolan, as well as some people from the concession area, who also came to watch the trial.

The subject of the public trial was predetermined from the beginning, selecting things that could arouse people's anger from Diego's atrocities, brutality against the people, cowardice towards the federalists, as well as his corruption, treason, and other things that had already happened and were known to the people.

Pedro, one of the judges, was also present at the trial. He sat in the presiding judge's seat and, at the end of the trial, he would deliver the final verdict and decide Diego's ultimate fate.

They originally planned to hire some lawyers to handle this matter, but the lawyers they invited all declined, so they had no choice but to arrange for someone to conduct the trial themselves.

As the trial began, the entire public trial was very quiet, with hardly any sound audible.

The prosecutor stood beside Diego and began reading the first charge—brutality. The entire trial would be broadcast to the whole of Lapa and even the entire Alam region, so the audience for this trial was not only those present in person, but also many others listening via radio.

Lance was also listening in, via radio.

After listening for a while, he shook his head. Of the evidence of “brutality” read out by the prosecutor, only a few might be based on real evidence; most of it was collected from other sources, and some of it might be hearsay.

For example, the prosecutor said that the Lavila family had killed tens of thousands of people in order to seize a piece of land.

Juan was right next to Lance, who looked at him and asked, "Is this true?"

Juan is becoming more and more mature. Although he is still young and an inexperienced teenager, he has begun to exude a special aura that only adults possess.

The position of sheriff is a very challenging one, and he has been able to persevere and do a good job, which shows how much effort he has put in.

He shook his head. "It's just a rumor. In reality, that land has belonged to the Lavila family since its inception."

“I’ve heard another version, that a group of people cultivated this land and the Lavila family didn’t charge them any fees at first.”

"After some time, I don't know what happened, but the Lavila family wanted to take back these lands, but they refused and a confrontation ensued."

“Some people were injured and some died, but it wasn’t as exaggerated as they’re making it out to be. Everyone else was just driven out, that’s all.”

The Lavila family owns vast tracts of land, which are essentially just sitting there. They would rent some of the land to ordinary people for farming or other purposes, charging them a small fee, or simply not charging them at all.

Furthermore, this land does not belong to Diego; it belongs to members of the Lavila family and has absolutely no connection to Diego.

Regardless of the disputes that arose later, the Lavila family was in the right at least on this issue.

Lance nodded after hearing Juan's explanation. He could tell that Pedro was very impatient, and since he wasn't a local, neither were the people he brought.

They couldn't gather much real information and evidence about the Lavila family's atrocities in a short time, so they could only take some hearsay and attribute it to him as his actions.

After the prosecutor finished speaking, he asked Diego, "Do you admit to the charges and crimes I have stated?"

Pedro looked strangely thinner, and he didn't seem to be in very good health.

From the moment he was imprisoned by the housekeeper, he had hardly eaten his fill. Coupled with anxiety and other psychological factors, he was in a very poor physical condition and was constantly losing weight.

And he now has some gray hair, the very obvious kind.

His dramatic weight loss made him look much older than his actual age, and his loose, sagging skin was covered with wrinkles, which may explain why some people suddenly look much older.

Because of his thinness, his physical condition, and his skin condition.

However, his spirit seemed to be a different story; he no longer showed much cowardice.

There was still fear, but it was much better than before, and there was a hint of mockery on his face.

When questioned by the prosecutor, he replied dismissively, "Whatever you think it is!"

"Now you are the victors, you can say whatever you want. Do you think you can let me go just because I say no?"

"Actually, we all know that what you care about is not what I did."

Diego's words made the prosecutor turn to look at Pedro. Pedro cursed under his breath, then took the microphone and asked, "You only need to answer whether you plead guilty or not guilty. You don't need to answer anything else."

Diego looked at Pedro from a distance of about forty or fifty meters. His eyesight was actually a little blurry, and he couldn't see Pedro's face clearly.

His body had actually developed problems long ago due to being in a state of high blood sugar and high stress, but he just didn't realize it.

For example, he is prone to dizziness, drowsiness after meals, blurred vision, and floaters.

He could only vaguely make out a general outline, unable to see the other person's specific appearance and eyes, but he knew that it was Pedro.

Diego stared at the blurry figure for a while, seemingly trying to make it clear, but in the end he gave up. "I plead not guilty."

The crowd suddenly became noisy, which puzzled Pedro and the other judges, but the noise was quickly suppressed.

The public trial is still ongoing.

As Lance said, there was very little solid evidence; most of it was hearsay and rumors, and some of it was even fabricated by them. These things could not convince people to obey.

The public trial that Pedro had envisioned did not take place.

People didn't angrily wave their fists or join in accusing Diego and the Lavila family of crimes and offenses, nor did anyone throw anything at Diego. They simply watched the public trial with some unease.

They weren't really involved; they were just bystanders, which Pedro found somewhat unreasonable and strange, and he couldn't understand it.

Since people hate Diego and the Lavila family so much, why don't they stand up now that they have the opportunity?

The public trial, which was originally planned to last all day, was abruptly ended around 3 p.m.

After returning, Pedro called over the prosecutor and others, saying, "Today's trial went very poorly. If it continues like this tomorrow and the day after, this trial may become a joke."

"Arrange for some of our people to blend into the crowd tomorrow, and if necessary, have them stand up and accuse Diego as a victim."

“We must completely defeat Diego in terms of process, justice, and law. Only in this way can we gain people’s support and ensure that executing him will not have adverse consequences for us.”

He probably wouldn't have done this before; this is fraud.

But now, this is all he can do, because he is no longer a high school teacher and doesn't need to teach others knowledge and morality.

He's a politician now; lying and acting are his main jobs.

The situation at the public trial on the second day was indeed much better. Some people began to cooperate with the prosecutor's interrogation and stood up to accuse Diego of doing some heinous things.

Perhaps because of the participation of these people, the atmosphere at the public trial improved a little, but it only lasted for a day.

In fact, the improvement in the atmosphere was due to the change in the emotions of those from other places.

As for the locals?
They didn't actually hate Diego that much, because there was no direct conflict of interest or relationship between them and Diego.

Whatever Diego did would have no impact on the poor in the slums. Since there was no stake in it, they didn't harbor any deep-seated hatred.

The entire public trial was like watching a movie or a performance for them. As mere spectators, they had no sense of involvement whatsoever, and naturally, they didn't feel any emotional resonance.

On the third day, the final day of the public trial, Diego was already "laden with sins," and he had many charges against him.

Examples include "murder" for murdering civilians, "genocide" for massacring a small ethnic group, and "war crime" for starting a civil war.

It could be said that he had already committed heinous crimes, and was only one step away from being killed.

When the prosecutor finished reading the last charge, accusing Diego of embezzling and illegally selling grain, which led to the deaths of over a million people during the famine, and demanding that he bear the guilt for the deaths of those million souls, there was finally some noticeable emotional response in the courtroom.

After all, everyone was indeed hungry and couldn't afford to eat, and that was Diego's fault.

Just then, a soldier, hunched over and with an unusual expression, jogged up to Pedro and whispered, "Five Federation warships have appeared near the port. They haven't docked, and their guns are pointed at the city..."

Pedro suddenly realized something and almost instinctively looked at Diego, thinking it was Diego's backup plan, but then thought it was impossible.

He first dismissed the soldiers, then requested a temporary rest and discussion, and immediately called Lance.

"You, or rather the Federation, what are you trying to do?!"

(End of this chapter)