Shadow Empire

Chapter 671: Plan [666+18]
The moment the gunshots rang out in the Triangle area, Mr. Charles knew that there was a high probability that Richie and his men were finished.

Since the five major families were almost wiped out, Lance roughly integrated the entire underground world of Jingang City, and the gangs were cleaned up by him.

The remaining gangs basically revolve around bars and making money.

Lance did not allow them to collect protection fees at will, which made it difficult for some new gangs to get started.

They cannot do the most profitable liquor business, and they cannot make money by grabbing territory and relying on enough merchants to pay protection fees. Now there are not many profitable businesses they can do.

Of course, no matter how they survive, today's gangs no longer have a strict "territorial consciousness" like they did in the past. If other gang members invade their gang territory, there is a high probability that a fight will occur.

Now that there is no such firefighting environment, the reason why the pennant exchanged fire is obvious.

When Mr. Charles learned about this, he didn't think too much about it. He just felt that the Holy Bell Party, which had a bad reputation outside, was just like that.

He didn't care about the life or death of Richie and his men. The only thing he cared about now was whether something happened to Arthur.

This would be related to some of Mayor Williams' future actions and attitudes, but such things could be easily found out, so he was not in a hurry.

He is now on the phone with Mr. Mike. As a representative of the Likalai State Socialist Party, he has a relatively important position and reputation in the Likalai State Socialist Party Committee and the Socialist Party National Congress.

Maybe in the national context, he may not be that influential, but in Likale State, he is very influential.

If they want to shake the Williams family's dominance in Jingang City, it is not something that the capitalists can do on their own; they also need to use political power.

Mr. Mike was a person who was very keen on power and wealth. When the former mayor showed the potential to be able to control the overall situation, he took the initiative to come over and show his closeness to him.

In case he is really nominated as a candidate for governor, or lieutenant governor, it would be considered a friendship.

When the former mayor was knocked to the ground by a punch and couldn't get up, he pretended to know nothing and forgot how close he and Sidney had been!

If it were fifty years ago, Mr. Charles might not have been able to convince him.

At that time, the federal government's "capital politics" was just beginning. After so many years of confrontation and cooperation between capitalists and politicians, they finally found the right way to turn their wealth into power.

At that time, politicians were still very "aloof". Although they also liked money, most of them regarded businessmen and capitalists as hunting dogs that could bring them prey.

But as time goes by, capital has become more and more influential in politics, and politicians have begun to move from passive engagement to active engagement.

Mr. Charles called Mike and tried to convince him to help him take down Mayor Williams, but Mike was a little hesitant.

"Williams also has connections in state government, in the state party convention, and he has connections in Congress."

"It's not as easy to bring him down as you think, otherwise the state government wouldn't have ignored what happened in your area over the years!"

Jingang City has almost become a paradise for the "locals", with three forces firmly in place, opposing each other but also cooperating with each other.

It is simply impossible for the state government or other places to interfere.

They also tried to arrange some powerful mayors to come, but ultimately failed.

Now that Mr. Charles brought up the matter again, Mike wasn't too optimistic about his idea.

Mr. Charles continued to try to persuade him.

"Mike, my friend, we all know this!"

"In Jingang City, the Wade family and the Williams family used to have the final say. They controlled a lot of local political power. At least nine of the city councilors in the eleven districts were their people."

“The various government departments, law enforcement departments, and even the judicial department all have good relationships with them.”

"If it was at that time, I would tell you without you saying anything that it is impossible to do so!"

"But it's different now!"

"Councilman Wade left with his people, and although Mayor Williams succeeded in taking office, his control over the city is declining."

"And a very terrible thing happened today. I believe that the media will start to report and expose it on a large scale tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Even his friends in Congress will not be able to suppress it."

"Think about it, Mike. If you contribute to this matter, will you have a greater say than others when the time comes to choose a successor?"

"Besides that, can you also get the most lucrative share of the profits generated after the Williams family's fall?"

"There's not much chance, Mike!" Mike was somewhat moved by his words. He thought for a while and said, "Let's talk about the big news you mentioned first."

Mr. Charles sorted out his thoughts and said, "This afternoon and evening, there was a conflict between the refugee workers and the Williams' demolition company and the police. I think a lot of people died."

"Should?" Mr. Mike's voice rose slightly, and one could clearly feel his dissatisfaction with the uncertainty.

At this time, if you say "should", "maybe", or "probably", it will definitely not make people happy!
Mr. Charles also realized this, he said "wait a moment", then picked up another phone and dialed a number.

He also has his own "informants" in the police station. Being a police officer is just a "job", and there is no shortage of federal police who are proud of their identity.

But more often than not, I just see it as a job to support myself and my family.

If the salary is low and the benefits are not good, they will resign or change jobs.

So some people are willing to accept some extra "gifts" and then pass on some less important messages, which is also a way of life for them.

Just like Lance was able to bribe the police before, a more respectable big shot like Mr. Charles can naturally do it as well.

Soon he picked up the receiver of the phone call to Mr. Mike again, "More than 70 people died in total, and some were seriously injured and are being rescued."

As he finished speaking, Mr. Mike gasped and said, "So many?" His voice was slightly out of tune.

Mr. Charles smiled more. "The conflict was quite intense. They were trying to attack the police at the scene, and the police decisively opened fire."

After hearing these explanations, Mr. Mike quickly calmed down and said, "This is what happened on the scene, but you can't tell the public that."

He has begun to get into his role, just like the words Mr. Charles used to persuade him just now, if he really acted as the "main force" to overthrow the Williams family and "liberate" Jingang City from local factionalism.

Then he will definitely gain huge political capital!
"De-localization" has been promoted by the federal government and Congress, including in several states that are monopolized by political factions.

Both the presidential office and Congress are trying to find ways to take them back from a small group of people.

If he can really do it, reputation and wealth will not be a problem, and he may even be able to be promoted further.

These were the bait in the trap, he was convinced.

Mr. Charles also understood this when he heard him "correct" himself, "What do you think should be said?"

Mr. Mike reacted quickly. Being a politician, he could easily tell lies. "I remember that the Williams family used to be a large landowner. They were famous farmers near Jingang City and they had the habit of keeping slaves in the past."

"They treated and used the refugees like slaves. Under the cruel exploitation and oppression, the refugees began to resist."

"The Golden Harbor Police Department, at the behest of Mayor Williams, launched a brutal crackdown on these refugees who were resisting exploitation and oppression."

"It resulted in hundreds of casualties."

"And they are trying to cover up the truth and deceive the public with lies!"

After saying this, he couldn't help but laugh. "The cooperation negotiations between the Federation and Slade are still ongoing. If such a scandal breaks out at this time, in order to stabilize the situation, the federal government may consider dealing with him and give an explanation to the Slade people."

“Don’t skimp on the money, make it a big deal, something that everyone talks about.”

"You know, once something is linked to politics and has a huge impact, even a small mistake can cause someone to lose their job or even their life!"

Mr. Charles was very inspired after listening to this, and at the same time he flattered, "I can't think of so many things, Mike, this matter cannot be missing anyone except you."

"I'll make arrangements now. If there are any subsequent changes, I'll call you in time."

Mr. Mike also continued to express his willingness to get involved during the call, "I will also continue to let other people pay attention to this matter, and I must show the contrast."

"We need to find some award-winning journalists and photographers to help the tyrannical rulers and the refugees who are being brutally suppressed because they cannot bear the oppression and exploitation and are resisting. This money is nothing compared to what we are going to do!"

The two discussed the follow-up plans and hung up the phone. With the addition of Mike, the party representative, many people could be connected.

There are many people in Maintenon who are dissatisfied with the changes in the interest distribution chain in Jingang City. Those who were supposed to get a share of the money are no longer able to get it, and there is no good solution.

I didn't expect that they would hand the evidence to those people.

If they get rid of Mayor Williams and replace him with one of their own, then would the revenue from Lance and the casino, and even the huge size of the liquor market, also fall into their hands?
(End of this chapter)