Shadow Empire

Chapter 421: The Embryo of a New Interest Group
"Three of the five major families have already made arrangements, so what about the remaining two?"

Congressman Williams looked at Lance with some anticipation.

The arrangements of these three families were very appropriate, and Lance didn't even need to do anything himself to make everything go to the degree he wanted.

So he was more curious about what to do with the remaining two families.

Lance also glanced at the pastries on the table. He also broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth.

The sweetness of the pastries and the bitterness of the coffee seem to form an interesting positive cycle; they complement each other, but just in the right way.

A sip of coffee, a small bite of pastry. If there are too many pastries, it will be too sweet.

If you drink too much coffee, you will always have a bitter taste in your mouth.

"I will solve the Keane family's problems during my term as mayor, and the Kodak family's problems will have to wait until after you take office as mayor."

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and held it in his hand, but without taking the cigarettes out, he looked at Councillor Williams, asking if he could smoke.

"Oh, damn, I forgot about that!"

"Of course, of course, Lance, we don't mind that, you can give me and James one too."

He said this with a chuckle. He had indeed forgotten about this matter. He was supposed to distribute the cigarettes, but he was so absorbed in his conversation that he forgot about it.

Lance handed them cigarettes, and after a brief pause in conversation, the gentlemen lit up their cigarettes.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The feeling of satisfaction was like that of a person who had been lost in the desert for a long time and suddenly broke into an oasis. Not only did it solve his thirst problem, but the vibrant environment also made him feel hopeful!

"What are you going to do about Feigal?"

Lance seemed relaxed and not stumped by the question. "I will keep giving him trouble. Non-stop."

"The soil for the growth of gangs is the connivance of the police and city managers. Only connivance can provide soil for the survival of gangs and their crimes. Once law enforcement agencies no longer turn a blind eye to their criminal behavior,

"Then, the Keane family's business will suffer a severe setback. In other words, almost all gangs follow this rule."

"The strength of the five major families is based on their great power. If you pull out their teeth and break their bones, they will never have a chance to stand up again."

"As long as they lose their current status, those who depend on them will soon disappear. We don't even need to do anything. As long as we send a signal, they will no longer be protected by the rules."

Lance turned his wrist holding the cigarette outward, "Then someone will help us bite them hard until they fall completely."

After listening to this, James had a new experience. He always believed that the five major families were also the rule makers of Jingang City, but from what Lance said just now, the five major families were actually just obeyers within the rules of the game.

This made James look at Congressman Williams, who frowned slightly and looked thoughtful.

The five major families have never been the rule makers; they are just a privileged minority.

This is difficult to describe accurately, but to put it simply, the higher-level forces have established a set of rules to constrain the five major families.

Within this rule, they created some new, smaller rules.

It's like the relationship between superior laws and inferior laws.

Congressman Williams said softly, "If you plan to do this, you will face great resistance. Will Charlie help you?"

Lance smiled and said, "Charlie?"

"Charlie may be a city councillor, but I don't know that a city councillor can interfere in the affairs of the police department."

"And, Congressman Williams, I believe we can reach a consensus on this issue."

Councilman Williams sighed softly, "You've given me a difficult problem."

Lance shook his head and said, "I don't think that's a difficult question."

James didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but he had a vague intuition that they must be discussing something very important.

So he tried his best to remember every word they said and then analyzed it.

Gradually, he seemed to realize something, but he couldn't believe that these things were true, or he was not sure that what he analyzed was what the two people were discussing.

He looked at Lance as if he had seen a ghost. Lance was so young, had no prominent background, and didn't have someone like "Senator White" to teach him to understand these things. How did he master these things?

Congressman Williams thought about it for a long time this time, and his expression became more serious. "I have to admit that you are a person who is good at persuasion."

Lance smiled and responded, "I just presented the facts. I didn't convince you. You convinced yourself, Congressman Williams."

Congressman Williams couldn't help laughing when he heard these words, "You are very good at talking!"

He paused, "If this fails, we still have a way out, but you, there is no way out. Have you thought about it?"

Lance took another puff of his cigarette. At this moment, he gave people the feeling of a man who had strong confidence that he could solve everything, and this confidence was still infecting Congressman Williams.

"I am still young and I have the opportunity to make mistakes. At the same time, I believe that we will not lose this time!"

Congressman Williams nodded slightly, "Indeed, we have no reason to lose."

He was silent for a while, "I won't ask you how to do it specifically. If you need my help, just tell me and I will do my best to help you!"

"Would you like to stay and have dinner together tonight?"

This is the family dinner, Lance thought about it, "Can I bring my girlfriend and her family?"

Councilman Williams' smile began to become more obvious, not the kind of reserved and reserved one. "Of course, when people get older, they will like to be lively. You can go and prepare, and we can prepare too."

As he spoke, he picked up about three fifths of the pastry that was left, put his other hand under the pastry, and took a big bite.

The food residue fell into his palm and was then put into his mouth.

"Although it's a bit greasy, honey always tastes so good!"

Lance stood up to say goodbye, and Congressman Williams asked James to see him off. When James sent Lance away and returned to the study, he looked at his father with some confusion.

"I see confusion on your face. Tell me, what's bothering you?" He saw through James's doubts at a glance. At the same time, he thought this was a suitable "teaching" opportunity, so he didn't show impatientness or let him guess on his own.

Congressman Williams's opinion of Lance continues to rise. He even has some doubts as to whether there are some other problems with Lance's identity and background.

Because he directly saw through some of the joints in Jingang City's ruling structure and saw the contradictions and conflicts hidden here, deep contradictions and deep conflicts!

He wanted to use these contradictions and conflicts to profit for himself, and Congressman Williams could not refuse, because what Lance was going to do would also bring him huge benefits!
He didn't understand whether someone had taught him these things or he had discovered them through his own observations.

If there is someone who is advising him, he hopes to meet and talk with this person, or hire this person to be his staff.

If Lance discovered this himself, then he would let James maintain a good relationship with him, and this was the purpose of this family dinner.

James is worthy of being the heir he has always recognized. If it were Arthur, he would just let Arthur go out and play with the girls.

"Father, are you discussing...the Bay Area issue?"

Congressman Williams opened his drooping eyes, glanced at his son, and showed a satisfied look. "It's good that you can see this. Do you have any other questions?"

James expressed his biggest doubts, "Shouldn't we and the Bay Area be one?"

Congressman Williams was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter, "James, James!"

"You see, this is where you are inferior to him."

"I..." He was suddenly stuck, mainly because he didn't know how to explain these things.

The lack of language system sometimes cannot accurately explain some meanings, but fortunately he is old enough and he knows how to describe it. "Look at this city, the rulers, capitalists, gangs, and everything else in this city. They have been closely united in a way that we think is reasonable in the past, and they have continued without contradiction. This is the most unreasonable part."

"It's like the relationship between gangs and the police, they are never on the same page. The police catch thieves, that's their job, and the thieves break the law, that's how they make a living."

"There are irreconcilable contradictions and conflicts between them, but don't you find it strange?"

“Why can they coexist peacefully?”

"Have you ever thought about this question?"

This sentence stumped James. He subconsciously wanted to say that this was the social rule of Jingang City and even the Federation, but he knew that this was not the correct answer.

He began to think seriously and consider these things, but he couldn't find the balance point to reconcile these obviously irreconcilable contradictions and conflicts.

Finally he could only look at his father.

Being a teacher is always a very happy feeling and experience. Congressman Williams now has this experience, and this student is his son, so his sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is even stronger.

"It's actually very simple, because of interests."

“Benefits can explain everything that happens in this world. When there are enough benefits, cats and mice can live in the same nest.”

"Golden Port City can maintain such peace because the interests of the Bay Area, the interests of the gangs, and our interests can reach a balance point."

“When everything is balanced, it’s like before, before anything happened, everything is peaceful, just as we expected.”

"But when the mayor decides to do something, he upsets these balances, and problems arise for this group that is tied together by interests."

His hands were holding up the air, floating up and down, as if something was being weighed in his hands.

"If I don't become mayor, and someone else becomes mayor and doesn't interfere with the development and operation of the city, then this peace can continue."

"But I'm going to be mayor, James."

"The scales are unbalanced!"

"In the past, we and the Bay Area fought together against the mayor and some decisions made by the state government. We were the closest comrades-in-arms."

"But now, because I am going to be the mayor, the contradictions and conflicts that have been hidden between us are going to surface."

He laughed and said, "I can't be the mayor and have to listen to the Bay Area's orders, right?"

"Do you think I can accept this result?"

James finally understood the problem, or in other words, for Congressman Williams, which is more important, the flowers and glittering things, or the power that he actually has.

If he and the Bay Area "share the world" and give most of the power in his hands to the Bay Area, then Lance's plans will be of no value.

But as long as he can't do this, or as long as the Bay Area becomes more greedy, then his plan will definitely come into play!

If he was willing to be a puppet, or if he did not have such a strong demand for interests, he would not run for mayor.

The title of alderman would be enough to sustain him and the Williams family for a long time.

But he stood up, and Lance saw through this. He would not compromise on interests with the Bay Area, and he would not hand over power, so there would be no peaceful resolution.

Since contradictions and conflicts are bound to arise in the future, it is obviously reasonable to prepare to deal with them now.

Lance is the best person to solve this problem. He and the Lance family will become a new interest group. The Lance family and the James family will reach an agreement on the issue of pursuing interests, and then a new order will be born.

When James heard this, he couldn't help but show some surprise. "Are we...going to go to war with the Bay Area?"

“Go to war…” Senator Williams shook his head. “I don’t like this word. It doesn’t have to be a war, because politics is not that crude!”

"With our cooperation, we will disintegrate the Bay Area and reunite the city in a sense!"

There was a gleam in Congressman Williams' eyes that James had never seen before, but he did not express his strong emotions and thoughts through words.

He intends to "sell" Jingang City to the Likalai State Government or even the federal government.

Didn’t they say before that Jingang City was too factional?

Every mayor who came here was just a puppet, and most of the benefits were kept in the pockets of the locals. So now he can sell Jingang City in exchange for the opportunity to let his son move to the next level!

If he wasn't too old, he wouldn't even want to give up this opportunity. Maybe this would allow the Williams family to have a senator!

Once senators appear, they will no longer be small local families. They can be called "political families" and have a broader stage!
There was a change in the way he looked at James, which made James nervous. He was even a little restless because the look was a little scary!

"After the city councillor's term is over, these tasks will be your responsibility. Unless there are special circumstances, I will not give you too much guidance."

James knew that this was his father training him, but he was still a little nervous. "I'm worried that I won't be able to do it well."

Councilman Williams said, "Then try your best and don't say such discouraging words. Whether the family's future can go further depends on you."

At this time, James did not understand that Senator Williams had already trained him to be a senator. Although he was a little older, he was just the right person.

He still has twenty years to prepare and become a senator, and he still has time to grow.

Lance went directly to William's house, where Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence were, and Patricia was there too.

Such a big thing happened today, and none of them went outside. This is the worst side of the Federation.

It always happens that something unexpected happens, making people worry about their safety.

After greeting the Lawrence couple and kissing Patricia, Lance explained his purpose.

"Congressman Williams invited me to dinner tonight. This is a very formal family dinner, and it's not appropriate for me to go alone, so I invited you as well."

"William, you will be a councillor, Councillor Williams will soon be promoted to 'Mayor', so this is a good opportunity for you to meet and chat."

William was a little bit incredulous when he heard these words. He glanced at Emily who was getting a little excited and was a little confused.

"How...did you know him?"

Lance sat on the sofa, hugging Patricia, "We have a partnership, a very close partnership, and it will continue."

William still didn't quite understand what a partnership was. What kind of partnership was it? But it was definitely not just about doing dirty work.

Those who do the dirty work are not qualified to sit at the same table and have dinner with the master, so this must be a true partnership.

He suddenly thought of the gunfight not long ago, and his mouth opened slightly, "Don't tell me that what happened this afternoon had anything to do with you."

Lance directly denied it, "No, it has nothing to do with me. We are working together on other projects."

William looked at Lance in disbelief, but was soon dragged by Emily to change clothes.

"There's not much time left until dinner, we can't be rude!"

Patricia also went to change her clothes, this was a very special occasion.

We need to show our importance and solemnity to this family dinner, but we can't be too solemn, which would be inappropriate.

It is necessary to show a sense of closeness just right, rather than a sense of strangeness or distance.

Lance sat on the sofa, flipping through a magazine, his mind full of subsequent solutions...

(End of this chapter)