Shadow Empire

Chapter 690: High-level pressure and introduction of competition

At around nine o'clock in the evening, the phone in Lance's room suddenly rang.

"This is Lance White."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tom's voice came from the receiver, "Mr. Senator wants to talk to you!"

Then he could hear the sounds of receivers being picked up and put down, as well as footsteps and the sound of clothes rubbing against the sofa when someone sat down on it.

After about ten seconds, Senator Cleveland's voice sounded in the receiver.

"I heard you refused mediation?"

Without any pleasantries, we got straight to the point.

Lance nodded, "They kidnapped Mayor Williams' youngest son, Arthur, and are planning to remove him from his position as mayor."

"There is no room for easing the conflict between the two parties, so mediation is not possible."

"Mayor Williams and I have a very good relationship, and there have been a lot of frictions between me and the Bay Area. If Mayor Williams steps down and they push for a new mayor to take office, it will be very disadvantageous to me."

Lance explained in one breath his role and position in the matter, and then handed the thinking over to Senator Cleveland.

The latter is very fast in receiving and analyzing information. After all, this is his specialty. "Do you have any new plans?"

"After the mediation failed, Congress cannot accept your long-term confrontation. Jingang City is at the front line of the war, it must be stable!"

"Do you have any plans now?"

Lance did not hide his thoughts and said it truthfully, "I have some evidence of their crimes and have already used it, but this may involve a lot of people. I am not sure whether to do this."

"What evidence?"

"There is both human and physical evidence to prove that they solicited prostitution."

Senator Cleveland couldn't help laughing twice, "Then let someone arrest them."

"Federal law is above all else. No one can commit a crime and refuse to be punished even if evidence is in their possession. What are you worried about?"

Lance said, "Some people are easy to deal with, but some people have political backgrounds. I am worried that the state government and the party may cause some waves and unnecessary trouble."

Senator Cleveland thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry about this matter. I'll take care of it."

"The dignity of the law must not be violated. No matter who they are, as long as they have committed a crime, they should be brought to justice!"

He himself did not believe what he said. In a political struggle, no party has ever been tried for a crime.

The only thing that could bring them to trial, or rather, could bring them to justice, is that they failed in the struggle!

Under the pressure of higher-level power, these people had no ability to resist at all. They were locked in the position of losers and could not struggle.

Then there will be no problem in sending them to the trial seat.

Not all the evidence in Lance's hands is valuable, and it won't be of much use to others unless they are professional politicians.

It's just being called in, they can solve it by spending some money, and the people will not hate these rich people's being called in so much.

"What happens after we finish dealing with these things?"

"What are you going to do?"

Senator Cleveland continued to ask questions. He wanted to know how Lance would handle the situation and whether there was any suggestion he could make to avoid continued instability.

Lance did not hide his thoughts. "I am contacting another group of capitalists, the investors from Sidney's era, and bringing them to Jingang City to compete with the local capitalists, so that I can check and balance their relationship."

“We won’t allow any one of them to become so powerful that it affects the balance, nor will we allow any of them to become so weak that they lose their competitiveness.”

Senator Cleveland thought for a moment, "Great idea, how long will it take you?"

"Two to three weeks at most, Senator."

There was silence in the receiver for a while, perhaps twenty or thirty seconds. Lance was not sure whether Senator Cleveland did not speak or he covered the microphone to prevent the sound from coming through.

Twenty or thirty seconds later, the receiver heard another voice, "I'll call the state government. You have two weeks to resolve the issue, but don't cause any more trouble. You know what I mean."

"After you have dealt with these matters, come to Golden State. I heard from Admiral Miles that you have some small plans?"

Hooked!
No, it cannot be said that they took the bait. It should be said that Senator Cleveland's political group was moved by Lance's sincerity, and this was not just a small fight.

If a naval base can provide Congress with a potential contribution of at least $100 million, how many military bases does the federation have?
How many teams will rush to the front line?

At least three million soldiers will actually be involved in this war, or even more!
After this expansion of the Federation’s military, the total number of personnel will remain above four million!

Assuming that three million of the four million soldiers will go to the front line, and each of them consumes two hundred yuan of wine every month, then the number is six hundred million, every month!
Seven hundred and two billion a year!
This is fucking military supplies, funded by military spending, just like those cans of tomatoes and beans and cans of luncheon meat, it's standard equipment for soldiers!
Whether they drink it themselves or not, there will always be a small bottle of wine on the "menu".

The key is that there is no need to worry about the issue of military spending, because starting from this month, the federal tax law has been reformed, and even ordinary people with an income of less than $100 will have to face taxes.

Congress also passed some supplementary bills, such as adding additional taxes during the war, and half of their income would be used to pay taxes.

However, Congress also gave them an option: purchasing war bonds could exempt them from this additional tax, which would effectively encourage people to go to banks and buy war bonds.

Putting the money of ordinary people into their own pockets is simply irresistible for congressmen, top politicians and rulers!
After all, power has a shelf life. If you don't use your power within the shelf life, no one will praise you. They will just say that's what you should do.

But if you use it, you will gain wealth, status, greater power, more respect from others, and a more stable family power.

Who can be unmoved?
In fact, Lance is not qualified to join this plan. He is just an initiator. Why should he sit together with senators, senior generals of the Department of Defense, generals and marshals of the army and even the president to share the money?
But because he provided this idea and even used this method to allow the masters to profit from it, then he could be the supplier of these military supplies.

Just like those super military-industrial groups, they provide weapons and ammunition to the federal army, while Lance provides "placebo" to the federal army.

What everyone provides is different in appearance, but there is no difference in essence.

Defense Supplier!
A high-sounding name and countless benefits!

Senator Cleveland promised Lance "permission" because of the huge benefits involved.

Miles only knew that Lance would do this, but he didn't know what the specific plan was or how to do it.

It was not convenient for him to ask others. At a time when he himself was not clear about the situation, he only communicated with very key people, and then the news reached the ears of Senator Cleveland.

After all, judging from everyone’s current understanding of Jingang City, Mayor Williams and Lance are both his people. He is also very curious about this plan and the huge amount of funds!

He is even now considering that if he can get a part of this huge amount of funds, can they also consider competing for the next president?

He may still lack some qualifications, but there are qualified veterans in his circle. All they lack is tens of millions of campaign funds for the next presidential election.

With this money, and the continued support of capitalists, they still have a chance of winning.

If Lance didn't have some things to deal with right now, he would have asked Lance to come over now.

Lance was sincerely grateful for the "help" provided by Senator Cleave, "I will finish things here as soon as possible and then go to the Golden State."

"Very good, Lance, you're a smart guy, don't do anything disappointing, and don't mess this up."

He paused, "I won't bother you anymore, solve your troubles as soon as possible, I'll wait for your good news."

"Remember, two weeks."

"I understand."

Soon, a busy tone sounded from the phone. Lance stood for a while holding the receiver before putting it back. Senator Cleveland's call was simple, but there must be a lot of complicated political compromises and deals behind it that he couldn't see.

Behind these people in the Bay Area is a complex network of interests.

Not all of the profits that Mr. Charles and his colleagues earn from Jingang City every year go into their own pockets.

They also have to transfer benefits to the state government, state socialist party and liberal party.

It is even possible that some of them will also transfer benefits to Congress.

However, the benefits they can deliver and those that Lance can deliver are not at the same level at all.

So this "battle" behind the scenes ended with Lance's victory!
Maybe Senator Cleveland gave up some interests, maybe he just forced others to compromise, but in any case, Lance has won.

He is not necessarily indispensable, and we cannot live without him, but he must be valuable and needed!

After hanging up the phone, he also had a different feeling.

For these groups that can truly decide the fate of the country and individuals, they are the real "God", the God walking on earth!

He also wants to be that kind of person!
Not long after the call stopped, Attorney General Terry called.

"I hope I didn't disturb you." He spoke very politely, because just now, someone from Congress called him and asked him to try his best to cooperate with Lance's actions.

They didn't give any reasons, and for an official like Terry who had already come into contact with high-level officials, there was no need to give him any reasons.

Lance chuckled and replied, "Of course not, is there anything I can do for you?"

Attorney General Terry's voice was brisk, "Nonono, it's not you who serve me, it's me who serve you, Lance."

"I can give you the phone number of the chief of police in Maintenon, and he will assist you with anything."

"if you need."

"Or maybe you need me to cooperate with you in doing something else. I heard that you have some evidence of criminals' crimes?"

"Do you need me to do something with you?"

Lance didn't answer immediately, but fell into thought.

If Attorney General Terry intervenes directly here, the effect will definitely be good. After all, he is one of the top officials in the state, but there is also a problem in asking him to do it.

This is Maintenon, the capital of Licare State. Lance cannot control every aspect of this place.

What's here?
There are Socialist Party committees, Liberal Party committees, Federal Party committees, various political organizations large and small, and even subordinate branches of certain congressional committees.

Lance was not sure how many allies Mr. Charles and his people had here. He only knew that Mr. Charles had been in power in Jingang City for a long time.

Once he is willing to risk everything, such as contributing all his assets just to exchange for a new way of life, it is difficult for Lance to control him.

If he wasn't careful, these people might disappear, which would be very disadvantageous to him.

On the contrary, although Jingang City may seem to be of a lower level, all the people in Jingang City are his own people. As long as Attorney General Terry can give him enough support anytime and anywhere, Lance can crush them to death in Jingang City.

So he quickly gave a positive, but not completely certain answer, "I plan to go through the procedures in Jingang City. After all, the situation here is very complicated and I can't control it all."

"But there will definitely be times when I need your help, such as when I appeal or apply for bail. I hope you can help me stop it."

Attorney General Terry immediately replied with a smile, "No problem, I'll take care of these small matters. Call me anytime!"

Although Lance said he would not take action in Maintenon, Attorney General Terry still gave Lance the phone number of the local police chief, which might come in handy someday.

The night just after the New Year was very quiet, but behind the quiet city, there were many people who were frantically contacting each other through the phone.

One explanation after another, one compromise after another, one exchange of interests after another behind the scenes...

Some people have been abandoned by this society and the times before they even open their eyes.

But some people have already stood on the crest of the times.

The next morning, Mayor Williams went to meet his friends. He also had some friends here. Being nominated as a mayoral candidate by the Socialist Party Committee and the Party Congress was definitely not just about him being "one of the few choices who can win."

At around one o'clock in the afternoon, he came back from outside, rested for a while, and then came to Lance's room.

He made an appointment with Lance to meet some friends in the afternoon, and Lance also talked to him about some things that happened last night.

"No wonder they were so enthusiastic today and talked to me about so many things!" He looked at Lance with eyes full of... gratitude.

Because the biggest beneficiary of this incident in the end is him, not Lance!
The city of Jingang will bear an indelible mark of the Williams family, and perhaps Lance has also gained a lot of profit from it, but that is only temporary.

For him and his family, it was a long time.

As long as their offspring don't do anything stupid, they will be able to eat forever with these.

A little after two o'clock, someone knocked on the door. Erwin opened the door and the person outside walked in.

Mayor Williams didn't react at first, but he did after the person standing in the front took off his hat and coat.

"Owen?"

Lance stood up by holding the armrest of the sofa. Owen was very enthusiastic. He took the initiative to walk up to Lance and shook hands with him, and then with Mayor Williams.

He then began to introduce the two men to the gentlemen who had followed him here.

These people are basically investors in the New Port District. Mayor Sidney persuaded them to invest in Jingang City as a way to counter local capital.

In general, Mayor Sidney's choice was correct.

Previously, many mayors of Jingang City chose to cooperate with local capitalists, but in the end they did not get the results they wanted. Or, if he did not have any ambitions, then there would be no problem for him to cooperate with local capitalists and become a rich puppet.

But he has his own ideas, goals, and ambitions, so he must fight back.

With the support of these capitalists from other places, no matter what ideas he has, there is money to support him, and he does not need to look at the faces of local capitalists.

Whether a leader can accomplish something depends on whether he has money.

He was indeed successful at the beginning, but what he didn't know was that the local capitalists were just showing weakness on purpose.

In the end, they lost the struggle and a large amount of funds were trapped in the Xingang District and Xingang Terminal.

Not only did they lose the expected huge profits, but they also invested so much money that they still haven’t gotten it back. Some people even went bankrupt because of it!
These gentlemen were among the investors who followed the former mayor to invest in the New Port District and New Port Terminal. They were luckier, or had deeper financial resources and more mature industries, and thus have not gone bankrupt.

There are also many people who are not so lucky. Those crazy speculators gambled everything and many of them went bankrupt.

If there is anyone who hates the capitalists in the Bay Area the most, it must be these people.

The best thing to do would be to bring them in to form a competitive confrontation with the Bay Area.

After both parties finished introducing themselves, they quickly sat down and engaged in the subsequent consultations.

Mayor Williams and Lance are willing to restart the construction of the New Port District and the New Port Terminal, but the condition is that they need to give up part of their interests and provide a series of subsequent support to Mayor Williams in developing the city.

In terms of funding, connections, and all aspects.

(End of this chapter)