Shadow Empire

Chapter 996 Confrontation
Lance's "arrogance" wasn't really arrogance.

That's how the federal system works. Governors do have a lot of power; they can decide a state's future development and direction, and formulate many of the state's policies.

However, they cannot manage local administrative orders.

Within the city limits, the mayor remains the most respected figure; this is the mayoral system.

They made all the decisions in the city when they were still mayors.

Does that mean a governor has absolutely no way to control a city?
That's not entirely true. They could find a way to get the state legislature to establish an investigation team into local officials, then remove the mayor through other means that comply with federal and local laws and policies, and then install a mayor who listens to the governor, thereby indirectly controlling the city.

However, doing so is not an easy task, as it involves a great deal of political maneuvering.

If a governor could dismiss anyone he wanted, then the country would be finished.

The maximum that Governor Wade could do to deal with mayors who had previously not supported him was to threaten to investigate them for criminal activity and force them to negotiate with him.

Every person in the Federation is burdened with various sins from the moment they are born, so no one can withstand investigation.

More or less, you can find some problems with them.

However, unless it's a very serious problem, it's difficult for a governor to get a mayor off work.

The governor of Indenor had previously disliked Wade, who was then the mayor. Even though the confrontation between Wade and the lieutenant governor had affected the state's order, he could only ask the two to stop their standoff rather than take any more radical measures, because he couldn't.

The idea that Governor Wade could gain more market share, or even monopolize the liquor smuggling market in Indenau, as he mentioned to Lance, did not mean that he could deal with or replace the mayors who were at odds with him.

They simply want the police, state troopers, and other law enforcement agencies to turn a blind eye to their sale and transportation of alcohol.

If he wanted to deal with Lance, he could at most have the state and local police keep a close eye on Lance and the liquor he sold.

As for the mayors in various places, he had no way to deal with them, so Lance wasn't very afraid of him.

“I remember we still have some ingredients.” Lance poked at the remaining beef with his knife and fork; the juices inside were pink, clearly indicating it wasn’t cooked through.

"Bake it a little longer, it's too raw."

Immediately, someone took the beef out to be grilled again. Lance picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. "If he behaves himself, we won't do anything. If he doesn't behave himself, then we'll teach him a lesson."

With Senator Cleveland backing him up and some incriminating material in his possession, Lance wasn't afraid of him at all.

Irwin, sitting to the side, asked softly, "So, shall we continue shipping?"

Lance lit a cigarette. After eating something to fill his stomach, he really wanted to light a cigarette.

As the smoke was inhaled into his lungs and then slowly exhaled, he felt much more relaxed. "Why not continue shipping?"

"We not only need to ship goods, but also prepare to increase our 'output' because we have more markets."

After a while, they brought in the reheated beef, and Lance ate some more before going back to sleep.

The next morning, he took the initiative to visit the mayor of New Birmingham.

The mayor of New Birmingham has a good relationship with Lance; otherwise, the Lance family wouldn't have settled in New Birmingham. This mayor is a friend of Governor Wade here, and their relationship is quite good.

Lance knew the mayor of New Birmingham, and it was through Governor Wade's introduction that he became acquainted with him.

The city used to be very quiet, but it began to liven up and had greater potential for development after the Lance family came here.

Upon seeing Lance, this truly radiant "angel" symbolizing wealth and power, the mayor personally greeted him at the entrance of the city hall.

This is the status of "capital" in this country. As long as you can bring more fiscal revenue and jobs to the area, even the mayor is just an ordinary person in your eyes.

Because there were many staff members in the city hall, the two did not have any substantial conversation on their way to the mayor's office, but just chatted about some ordinary things that had happened recently.

After entering the mayor's office, the two sat on either side of the desk. Lance took a small sip of his coffee before saying, "I met with Wade yesterday."

The mayor pursed his lips and nodded. "I've heard about it."

"We met and discussed some things, but the result wasn't good."

The mayor did not speak, but listened quietly.

Lance took another small sip of coffee. The coffee was really good; it was the kind of slightly dark roast coffee he liked. The aroma of the oils was fully released from the coffee beans, and the smooth texture was delightful.

He put the coffee back on the table. "He wants too much."

The mayor looked curious. "May I ask how many he wants?"

Lance curled his lip. "Twenty percent."

When the mayor heard the number, he couldn't help but disagree with Lance's point of view, "That is indeed a lot. I think five percent or ten percent would be a very appropriate number."

"I never expected him to ask for so much!"

This mayor is clearly good at math; he can calculate that a 5% share of the profits is significantly higher than what he used to receive. Governor Wade is a college graduate; even if his math grades aren't great, he should understand this principle.

So in the end, it all comes down to being too greedy.

Lance smiled and shook his head. "If he were at your level, we wouldn't have had such an unpleasant falling out."

A smile appeared on the mayor's face. Lance gave him a small compliment, but he enjoyed the subtle flattery, which made him feel happy.

“If I were him, I would definitely agree, but I am not him, Lance.”

"If you hope I can help you persuade him, I think it's completely unlikely, because I certainly can't persuade him."

"To put it more bluntly, he's not a native of Indenau, and our relationship isn't close enough for me to influence his decisions involving millions of dollars." "So I'm sorry, I can't help you with that."

Lance explained with a smile, "I came to see you not to ask for your help in this matter, but just to tell you that no matter how things change between Wade and me, our deal will not be terminated."

"The profit sharing for sales in the city will not change at all. You will still receive the same amount as before."

The mayor of New Birmingham wore a more genuine smile. "This is indeed good news!"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Lance, don't worry, as long as I'm in this position, I can ensure that no other law enforcement agency in this city, besides the Contraband Bureau, will cause you any trouble."

He added shortly after he finished speaking, "The IRS doesn't count either."

The federal government originally set the tax threshold at an annual income of one thousand dollars, which meant that ninety percent of people did not receive that income. Although the tax authorities existed, their scale was not very large.

In a city, there is only a small group of people who can afford to pay taxes, and they don't need many staff members to take care of them.

However, with the tax threshold now lowered to the level of "having income," meaning even a penny must be reported, the situation facing the tax authorities will only become more complex. Therefore, Congress has passed some bills that are continuously strengthening the actual collection capabilities of local tax authorities.

After all, a significant portion of the taxes they collect goes into the federal government's coffers, and only then into local coffers.

They were also given a great deal of power, and even the mayor was reluctant to deal with them.

The mayor was confident in his control of the city. Whether Wade was there or not, the only voice in the city was that of the mayor, not the governor or anyone else.

He also understood Lance's meaning: to bypass Governor Wade and contact these mayors alone, since they were the "frontline commanders."

The mayor could only say that Lance's response was indeed very sharp, as he immediately found the key to solving the problem.

The governor cannot directly interfere in the city's administrative affairs.

The mayor was very surprised by some of Lance's decisions; it was rare for such a young man to find a "balance" in such a short time.

He also made a statement, saying, "I just got a new car and I'm planning to buy a new villa, so you don't need to worry at all, Lance, I'll be on your side!"

Although he didn't specify what kind of car he wanted to buy, and that he wanted to exchange it for a villa like this, these things are definitely not cheap.

He couldn't possibly save up this money on his own, so he had to get it from other sources, and he didn't feel bad about spending it.

If Lance quits, it will cost him a lot of money, shatter his dream of owning a mansion, and render all his beautiful plans for the future useless!
He will not allow this to happen!
This was also his true thought, because the money that could be made from these illegal businesses was just too much!
Lance astutely caught a word he had used during his speech—"locals."

The term "local" still carries significant weight in this era, meaning that even though Governor Wade is now governor, some cities and mayors can completely ignore him.

As long as you ignore him, the governor is nothing more than a figurehead.

"Some of you don't like Wade?" Lance asked proactively.

This looks like a question, but it's actually an affirmative statement. Lance is almost certain that there are many people who dislike Wade, and perhaps these people can become his allies.

The mayor nodded, making no attempt to hide the matter. "Many people in the state government and the state legislature don't like outsiders, unless you're from Golden State."

Lance chuckled twice; it was clearly a little joke with a touch of dark irony.

Regional discrimination also exists in the federal government. For example, those in finance look down on those in manufacturing, or northerners look down on southerners, and more developed areas look down on less developed areas.

Almost every country has something similar. As the core of the Federation, the people living in Golden State all feel that they are superior, even if they are beggars.

This is perhaps another characteristic of the Federation—the local population.

Perhaps because they are not "locals" in the true sense, they are more fervently attached to the idea of ​​being "locals" than people from other countries.

Visiting the mayor of New Birmingham was just the first step. Lance and Irwin then split up to visit mayors of other cities and discuss the matter with them.

The gubernatorial election is over, and Governor Wade's victory has made some mayors who were previously in the "opposing camp" somewhat worried. They are concerned that because of their previous "unfriendly" attitude, they and their cities will be treated differently.

Two years later, the mayor will be re-elected, so these mayors, who were not originally on the same side as Lance, are also willing to accept Lance's offer.

Regardless of whether they can be re-elected in two years or whether they go elsewhere, having money in their pockets is ultimately the right thing to do.

For several days in a row, Lance did not contact Governor Wade, which made Governor Wade somewhat impatient.

He began to inquire about Lance's whereabouts, and after his cousin's advisors made some inquiries, they told Governor Wade the truth—

Lance fled overnight, and it's rumored that he's contacting mayors in various places.

Hearing this result was both beyond Governor Wade's expectations and yet within his reasoning. After all, the money he was asking for was a large sum of money, a sum that even he himself would be reluctant to part with.

He just hadn't expected Lance's reaction to be so quick, so rapid, and so... intense!
"Please contact Jinbiao Winery for me and have someone from their team who can make decisions talk to me."

Governor Wade wasn't too disappointed. Since Lance was unwilling to "strengthen cooperation" with him, he would do it himself.

He soon received a call from the new president of Jinbiao Liquor Industry, "Your Excellency, they said you want to talk to me?"

Governor Wade didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "I heard that Gold Label Winery was destroyed by a fire some time ago."

The newly appointed president seemed unsure how to answer the question and remained silent.

Governor Wade didn't try to stall him for time; he just said whatever came to mind.

Do you have any plans to accept investment?

Before the president of Golden Label Winery could refuse, Governor Wade added, "It's my personal investment."

(End of this chapter)