Shadow Empire

Chapter 306 Information and Coast Guard
The wine that was originally planned to be delivered to the Federation a few days ago was delayed a few days due to the storm, but Luigi didn't care much about it.

He doesn't care if it comes a few days earlier or later, the money will eventually be in his pocket anyway.

He knew that he had offended Lance and Alberto, but he didn't care either.

This is Yalan, the Republic of Aldera. This is not the Federation. Whether it is the Sumurians of the Federation or Lance, this is not the place for them to run wild.

The wine he sold to Lance could only fetch 300,000 or 400,000 yuan at most, but now when he sold it to other people, he could fetch at least 600,000 or 700,000 yuan. This was almost double the profit, and it was pure profit!

When Lance had spoken to him on the phone before, he had also expressed his willingness to continue doing business with Lance, but they could not just pay him a small amount of money as they had agreed before.

He has to pay the current price.

Luigi could give him a friendly price because they "knew" each other, but the number would not be too low. He thought 580,000 was appropriate. Lance's face was worth 20,000.

No matter how much more, not even one cent more will do.

He hadn't spoken to Lance since then, and he didn't want to talk to the mean young man anymore.

At this time, the cargo ship loaded with wine had already set off. He picked up the receiver and dialed the federal number.

When the phone was picked up, he immediately smiled and laughed out loud, "...Sir, good morning. I want to say that the storm in Alan is over now, and I have watched those little cuties being loaded onto the ship."

"You'll be able to see them in about two days... Yes, I promise, so you'd better be ready to pay for them."

"We accept both cash and wire transfers."

"...Okay, no problem. I look forward to our next cooperation."

He put down the phone, put his feet up on the edge of the table, took the huge cigar from the ashtray and put it in his mouth.

Yalan is also rich in various types of tobacco and cigars, especially the tobacco leaves of Yasuna are famous all over the world.

They would hire sixteen year old girls to pick tobacco leaves and make cigars... ok that's a lie, in fact most cigars are made by adult men and women, and they don't look very good.

Far from the slender and fair hands that people imagine, the plant substances in tobacco leaves make their hands look old, cracked, and dark in color.

But it is undeniable that Yasuna's cigars are indeed excellent.

In the past, Luigi could only afford cigars that cost thirty or fifty cents a stick, but now, he can easily eat cigars that cost a few dollars or even more than ten dollars a stick!
Each shipload of wine represents a profit of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, while a cigar costs only a dozen dollars!

When he thought of this, he couldn't help but reveal a faint smile full of satisfaction on his face. Who the hell could have thought that after being transferred to the Republic of Aldera by his family as if he were exiled, there would be such a day?
Before the federal government issued Prohibition, local liquor was worthless.

Only the more famous brandies and red wines can be sold at a slightly higher price.

The worthless wines in his hands are even less valuable and have no market at all.

But who could have thought that just a prohibition order would change everything.

He squinted his eyes and thought of those guys who were still on Sumurri Island. They must be so jealous that their eyes are about to turn red, right?
Out of his sight, a young man from Sumul who was a little over 20 years old wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, smiled and said hello to others before leaving the dock.

He found a small restaurant and ordered some food. Before the food came, he asked, "Boss, can I call the federal government from here?"

There was a phone on the counter. The boss nodded and said, "One dollar a minute."

The young man walked to the phone with a cigarette in his mouth. He dialed a number and said after the other end picked up, "The item I sent to you is on its way. It will arrive tomorrow night or the day after tomorrow morning..."

After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone, paid one federal sol, and returned to his seat.

Soon, the delicious food was served. After working for a whole morning, he could finally enjoy a good meal!

Alberto, who received the call at this time, passed the news to Lance. Although there was some unpleasant incident between Lance and the Pasletto family, the "target" of this incident was Dover, not him or Paul.

Alberto didn't like Dover either. In fact, no one likes those who are privileged. He didn't think Lance did anything wrong.

Perhaps because of this matter, the two did not talk much on the phone. They just exchanged a few simple greetings and then hung up.

After Lance got the news, he recruited people and said, "Between midnight tomorrow and the morning after tomorrow, Luigi's wine will be brought in by sea."

Erwin, who had hurriedly returned from outside, was slightly stunned when he heard the news. He didn't react and asked directly, "He is willing to sell wine to us again?"

Lance shook his head. "No, I didn't talk to him. This batch of wine should have been reserved by someone else. I plan to drink it."

"Even if you can't eat it, you have to find a way to destroy it."

"If he doesn't make me happy, I won't make him happy!"

"Maybe he has the final say in Aldera, but this is the Federation, this is Jingang City. Between him and me, I have the final say!"

Jingangcheng is definitely one of the places with the highest liquor sales. Maybe the prices may not be the highest, but they are definitely relatively high.

For example, in small cities with only tens of thousands of people, even if there are many alcoholics, how much alcohol can be consumed in a month?
On the other hand, Jingang City has a population of more than 1.5 million and is still expanding. Most people here need alcohol, especially the sailors.

Not only did they need to drink by the glass, they also needed to bring the wine on board their boat.

The surrounding cities and even the surrounding states are also trying to purchase goods from Jingang City. For example, Galio from Fides City bought a large amount of wine from Lans.

There are too many businesses related to wine here, and not everyone who has the wine has the right to make decisions. The wine must be able to come in!

Everyone already knew that this place was filled with untold wealth, and if Luigi's wine could never get in, the wine of other people in the Aldra Republic could.

Then even if Luigi's power is great, as the strength of the other increases, he will soon be caught up, surpassed, and then left far behind.

He tore up the agreement with Lance, so he must bear the corresponding consequences.

Lawn stood by the door and asked, "Shall we wait for the ship to dock and grab it?"

Lance shook his head. "The docking of the ship means that the wine has been handed over. No matter who ordered this batch of wine, we cannot have a direct conflict."

"I mean we have to find a way to get rid of it before they take delivery!"

Erwin thought about it seriously for a while and raised his question, "We can get some speedboats, but no transport ships."

"And we have never fought on the sea. I'm not doubting you, or ourselves. I just think we might not be good at this."

"I don't hold out much hope of hitting him if I fire my gun on a shaky deck!"

The battle on the sea is indeed different from the battle on land, and this time we not only have to get rid of those who are escorting the goods, but also find a way to get the wine back on the ship.

He thought correctly that if the people escorting the goods were old sailors, Lance and his companions would be in danger.

Don't fight with others in unfamiliar areas. This is a wise summary!

Lance thought for a moment and said, "I'll find a solution. You guys should also be prepared."

It was still early, so he drove (with several other cars following him) directly to the port to have a chat with Jack.

Jack works at customs, and is responsible for random inspections of containers entering and leaving the port. Although the work is not easy, he does have some special power.

When we saw Jack, he was leading his men to inspect countless containers. They would open some containers and check whether the goods inside met federal import and export standards.

If there are any non-compliant items or those not declared for customs, they will be detained.

It's a hard job that looks ordinary, but it's just an appearance.

Lance and his group stood aside, so Jack had to see it even if he wanted to.

He arranged some follow-up work and took the initiative to come over. The two of them walked to the shore away from the crowd.

"What's up?" he asked, handing Lance a cigarette.

Lance looked him up and down, "That uniform looks great!"

Jack smiled. The coast patrol has begun to be strengthened. As the largest port in the Federation and the busiest port in the Northern Hemisphere, the coast patrol here in Jingang City was the first to change its equipment.

They have started using gunboats for patrols, which means that smugglers can no longer bring in goods at will.

Or, face the Coast Guard and their bullets and artillery fire.

Otherwise, you can follow the regular procedures at the port and face the random inspection by customs.

In the past, they were reluctant to go through the docks because there was a risk of being inspected and confiscated, but now it is less risky to go through the docks than to have a whole ship of goods destroyed. This has also led to a huge change in Jack's current status. The smugglers and merchants who used to look down on him are now contacting him and the people in their department.

I hope that some containers can be missed during random inspections.

These people are also generous and willing to give anything as long as they ask.

But now, neither Jack nor his department have adapted to these changes yet, and they are also worried about whether there will be any trouble in collecting money to do things.

This is a very contradictory process. On the one hand, Jack does... want to make some money.

Whether in this era or in the future, the importance of money ranks first.

On the other hand, he was worried that Congress or higher-ups might pay attention to the changes at the dock, putting him in a passive position.

"Don't say such nice things. Do you have some goods to bring in?" He exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at the people around him who were moving away from them.

This gave him a very subtle feeling of nervousness, as if he was doing something bad in front of everyone.

Even if some people are not looking at him, he will wonder if they are looking at him.

Lance shook his head slightly, "Do you know anyone from the Coast Patrol?"

Jack didn't react at first, but soon nodded and said, "Yes, what's the matter?"

"Are you on good terms?" Lance asked again, "It would be best if he could be a captain or something like that."

Jack frowned and thought for a while. "I know him, but we don't have a very deep relationship. What are you going to do?"

Lance said quietly, "A ship full of smuggled liquor will be coming into Golden Harbor tomorrow night or the early morning of the day after tomorrow."

"The owner of this batch of goods has offended me."

Jack confirmed again and again, "Smuggling ship?"

"Yes, a smuggling ship."

Jack smiled with relief, "Do you want this shipment to be seized?"

"I don't just want to take it off, I want to buy it."

Seeing Jack's confused look, he added, "From the Coast Patrol."

Jack was stunned for a while before he jokingly asked, "Is this how you always negotiate business with others?"

"Honestly, I can't keep up with your words. If you continue to buy illegal smuggled goods confiscated by law enforcement officers, I have no idea what to say to you!"

Lance smiled with ease, "Come on, Jack, don't make this sound so disturbing."

"If you have anything the police have confiscated, or if you want something they've confiscated, give me a call."

"I promise that I can deliver these things to you at a very low price, and the police will deliver them to you in a police car!"

"Please ask your friend to come to me. I will persuade him and ask him if he has time at noon."

Jack was still a little hesitant, but after thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "No problem, I'll call him."

There were many public telephone booths on the pier. Lance asked curiously, "Don't you have your own office?"

Jack shook his head. "Not even close."

Lance pressed, "How close is this?"

“Can it be solved with money?”

Jack wanted to say it was a long way off, but suddenly he thought of something. He stood there for a while before saying, "Not sure."

Lance took this little change of his into account and would ask about it later.

The call was connected quickly. Customs and Coast Guard have a lot of business cooperation. For example, they cover and cooperate with each other in anti-smuggling.

The person on the other side happily accepted the appointment and agreed on a time.

It was still some time before noon, and Lance didn't want to continue disturbing Jack's work, so he left first.

More and more people at the dock recognized Lance, and many of them came over to say hello to him.

"Mr. Lance, I heard... the price of drinks is going to go up?"

The club recently mentioned this matter and said that they would increase the price by a few cents, but compared to the increase outside, this is almost the same as no increase.

But for the workers, spending an extra five cents a day means an extra dollar and fifty cents a month. Maybe they drink more than one cup a day?

Lance could only comfort them, "The price of wine is rising too fast now. I lose thousands every month. If we don't raise the price, it may be difficult for us to survive for too long."

"But you don't have to worry too much. I will talk to Vice President Vaughn."

Although the Longshoremen's Games are somewhat imperfect due to the shooting, they have begun to attract attention in the entire labor system.

In particular, the "Lance White Rating System" has been recognized by the AFL-CIO as an excellent system for effectively dividing occupational skill levels, and they are actively discussing and formulating grading schemes for various types of work.

If nothing unexpected happens, Lance will soon become famous, and workers across the federation and even the world will be classified according to the classification method compiled based on his suggestions.

He gained great popularity among the working class.

President Scott has organized such an event that is enough to change the working class. He has been noticed by the General Labor Union and will be transferred to the General Dockworkers' Union around October.

Vice President Vaughn will naturally become the next president.

After appeasing several groups of workers, Lance finally had time to make a phone call, and he called William.

"How do you have time to call me?" William was busy in the office, responding to Mr. Jobaf's publicity strategy.

So he was curious about Lance's sudden call.

"I'm at the dock, with Jack, and I want to know if he wants to get another level up, I don't know what position that is, but if he wants to get another level up, or two, what does it take?"

"I don't quite understand this, so I want to ask you."

William put down the work in his hands and thought for a while. He had worked in the federal government for so many years, and he couldn't say that he knew every department very well, but at least he knew how to operate.

"Customs is relatively independent, and we don't know anyone at the top, but I have a suggestion."

"After I run for city council, I'll have the opportunity to get in touch with them. Wouldn't that be more appropriate?"

After the two talked for a while, Lance hung up the phone and went to the labor office, but it was still crowded.

The prosperity of Jingang City has attracted more illegal immigrants here. They are eager for a job, and only this place can give them one.

Now the firm can earn more than 20,000 to 30,000 yuan from these people every month, which is actually a very remarkable income!

But compared with Lance's other income, it seems a little less impressive.

At 12:30 noon, Lance arrived at the restaurant where they had agreed to meet ten minutes early. About four or five minutes later, Jack and a middle-aged man walked in.

Lance took the initiative to stand up, pushed the chair away and walked over.

"This is Captain McCock, he is in charge of patrol, towing, management and rescue work for a period of time."

"This is Lance, Lance White, he's my sister's boyfriend."

Captain McCock was also a typical Federal. He had a beard, looked a bit rough, and wore a pair of brown sunglasses.

His skin was a little rough and dull, which was a common problem for people who often drifted on the sea.

He shook hands with Lance and said with a smile, "Lance from the Lance family?"

(End of this chapter)