Eagle Sauce: The 055 destroyer was launched into the sea just after the founding of the country?

"Hongmen Banquet?"

Everyone present looked at each other in confusion. This unfamiliar oriental word made them feel confused.

Spencer seemed to enjoy the feeling of being the only one sober while everyone else was drunk.

He cleared his throat and began to tell his story.

"That was a very famous story in the history of the Dragon Kingdom more than two thousand years ago."

"At that time, there were two heroes vying for supremacy: Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Xiang Yu was powerful and prepared to wipe out the weaker Liu Bang in one fell swoop."

"But his advisors advised him not to go to war directly, but to hold a banquet and invite Liu Bang to the feast. At the banquet, they would have ambushed assassins who, with a single command from Xiang Yu, could easily take off Liu Bang's head during the feast."

"In this way, we can eliminate the opponent while avoiding the losses of a large-scale war."

At this point in the story, the eyes of the political veterans present began to gleam with a strange light. They instantly understood the profound meaning behind Congressman Spencer's words.

"You mean..." The new president's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"That's right, Mr. President," Spencer's smile grew even colder. "We can also prepare a grand 'Hongmen Banquet' for those 'friends' in Texas and California."

He turned to face the group and began to elaborate on his vicious and ingenious plan.

"First, we must immediately change our current tough stance and send them a signal of 'reconciliation' and 'compromise,'" Spencer said. "Mr. President, you can deliver a national televised address with a sincere and apologetic tone."

"You can admit that the federal government made mistakes in handling the 'White House Massacre' incident and promise to set up an 'independent investigation committee' composed of representatives from each state to thoroughly investigate the truth of the incident and give an explanation to the people of the country."

"At the same time," he looked at several members of Congress, "Congress can temporarily put aside the discussion of national martial law and announce that it will hold a historic 'National Governors' Conference' on the issue of 'the boundary between state power and federal power.' All governors must attend."

"The meeting will be held at Camp David."

Camp David, the vacation spot of the American president, has beautiful scenery, but more importantly, it is located in Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland. Its remote location makes it easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it a natural trap.

"We must present this meeting as a sincere negotiation of the century aimed at healing national divisions and rebuilding trust in the federation."

There was a calculating glint in Spencer's eyes.

"We must promise them that at the conference, all states can speak freely and put forward their demands, including discussing sensitive issues such as amending the Constitution and redefining states' rights."

"In short, we need to paint a big enough pie for them so that they believe they have a chance to achieve their political goals through peaceful negotiations."

"Will they be fooled?" one MP questioned. "Those are cunning politicians. Will they trust us so easily?"

"Yes." Spencer answered confidently, "Because the conditions we offer are attractive enough."

"Furthermore, deep down they fear a real civil war. If they can achieve 'quasi-independence' without bloodshed through negotiations, why not do it?"

"More importantly, if they refuse to attend this conference aimed at 'maintaining national unity,' they will be at an absolute disadvantage morally."

"We will have the media portray them as a group of ambitious people who have no regard for the overall interests of the country and are only interested in dividing the country. They will lose the support of the people."

"As long as they arrive at Camp David," Spencer said with a cruel smile, "they're walking into the cage we carefully prepared for them."

"When the time comes, whether to kill or cut, won't we have the final say?"

The insidiousness and viciousness of this "Hongmen Banquet" plan made everyone present shudder.

But at the same time, they have to admit that this seems to be the only feasible solution to the crisis at present.

The new president pondered for a long time, and finally nodded slowly.

"Just as you say, Spencer. Draft my televised speech immediately. Make sure it's sincere and moving."

"At the same time, we have extended invitations to all governors across the country to make sure they feel that we are sincere in wanting to solve the problem this time."

"Yes, Mr. President," Spencer replied respectfully, a glint of pride in his eyes.

He knew that his political career would be rapidly promoted because of this wisdom from the ancient East.

In the next few days, a carefully planned political drama unfolded throughout the United States.

The new president delivered an emotional televised speech, expressing his "deepest condolences" to the families of all the victims "on a personal basis" and expressing his "deepest condolences" to the families of all the victims.

He promised to thoroughly investigate the truth and severely punish the murderer, and called on the people of the country to remain calm and restrained and participate in the great cause of "bridging the national rift."

Immediately afterwards, Congress also announced that it would suspend all controversial bills and, unprecedentedly, invited governors from all 50 states to gather at Camp David to discuss the future of the country.

Major mainstream media outlets also began to publicize the "historic significance" of this conference, portraying it as a grand event comparable to the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention that would determine the fate of the country.

Faced with the sudden goodwill released by Washington, the independence leaders in Texas and California were indeed hesitant.

A heated debate is underway in Texas Governor Abbott's official residence.

"This is definitely a trap!" said oil tycoon Harrison vigilantly. "When did those bastards in Washington become so easy to talk to? They must be trying to trick us into coming and then catch us all in one fell swoop!"

But Senator John Smith Sr. disagreed: "I think this might be our chance. Washington is now beset with internal and external troubles. They no longer have the capacity to start another civil war."

"Now that they have taken the initiative to compromise, it is the perfect time for us to make more demands."

"We can demand greater autonomy at the conference, such as independent taxation rights, trade rights, and even diplomatic rights. Isn't this equivalent to de facto independence?"

Finally, after several days of heated discussions, a sense of luck and the desire to "win without fighting" overcame caution and doubt.

Independence leaders in Texas and California decided to accept Washington's invitation and go to Camp David to attend this "Hongmen Banquet."

They believe that they can use their strong public opinion and independent demands to force the federal government to make greater concessions at the negotiating table.

They even secretly formed an advisory group consisting of top lawyers and constitutional experts to prepare for a verbal battle with the Washington elites at the conference.

They thought they were attending a fateful negotiation, but they didn't know that they were stepping into a death trap that had been prepared for them...