Empire of Shadows

The events that had erupted in Golden Port City had already alarmed Congress. This kind of conflict between two groups, and one that involved diplomacy, would certainly not be handled so simply.

Mayor Williams’s stance was very firm. The Slad ambassador had contacted the Secretary of State early in the morning, discussing that some issues could not be handled so crudely.

The friendly relationship between the Federation and Slad should not be broken by some public opinion, but these matters would indeed affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries. At this relatively important juncture—

When the Federation was already prepared to send troops, if a conflict were to arise between the two countries, it was very likely to trigger a series of unpredictable disasters.

What if a soldier’s family member in the Federation made the news, and he, in a fit of rage, sold intelligence to the enemy?

The Slad ambassador had said a lot of things. It couldn’t be said that it was useless; it was somewhat useful.

Because of the Federation’s special system, with a high degree of regional autonomy, even if the Secretary of State or the President wanted to interfere in “state internal affairs,” they would have to find people and connections.

Sometimes, when a disagreement arose between the President and the local rulers, the governor could completely defy the federal government’s resolution and do what he wanted. This was also the reason why a few of the states controlled by political families could be so… independent.

As long as their internal finances were healthy and could be maintained, and the federal finances couldn’t strangle them, then to solve this trouble, the President could only do so by holding a hearing with the governor in Congress or by suing in the Supreme Court.

He was the “supreme ruler” in every sense of the word, but in fact, being the president was also very difficult.If even the president had a hard time, how could the Secretary of State possibly ask Likalai State to cooperate with his work, or directly ask Mayor Williams to cooperate with his work?

If he had made a direct phone call and the matter was settled, no one would think he was particularly glorious.

A politician who ranked high in the federal government, what was there to brag about for dealing with a mayor?

But what if Mayor Williams ignored his request?

Then the face he would lose would not be just a little.

So after inquiring for a while, the Secretary of State had Congress find a way to handle it. For this problem, Congress did indeed have a corresponding committee that could intervene.

When the matter reached Congress, it was like something entering a “coin sorter.” In the process of it constantly rolling and falling, it finally arrived at the most suitable place for it—in the hands of Senator Cleveland.

So there was this phone call.

Lance rubbed his forehead. “You should call Mayor Williams. He’s the mayor, not me.”

“Come on!”

“Lance, don’t play tricks with me!”

“Williams respects your opinion on many things!”

His words made Lance unable to help but laugh softly. He seemed to be complaining, and even exposing Lance’s “lie,” but wasn’t this also a more advanced form of “flattery”?

How many people could influence a mayor’s decision, and such a major decision at that?

Sometimes, flattery, sucking up, is a very profound art. The higher a person’s position, the more they need to know how to achieve the effect they want in a subtle, not-so-blatant way.

After all, the more upper-class a person is, the more they pay attention to decorum.

If you don’t do it well, the effect of a hard sell might even be worse than not doing it at all.

Tom had always worked with Senator Cleveland. He had been in contact with the high-level rulers of this country, so he also had some of his own insights in this aspect.

“Your words leave me speechless, Tom!” He first emphasized, indicating that he was very receptive to this, and then he said, “For the sake of us being friends.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Not me, the senator,” Tom’s tone also became serious.

“Although I don’t want to admit it, I have to admit that these refugees are very difficult to deal with.”

“Many cities have a big problem with them, but for reasons you know now, diplomatic and international strategic ones, we can’t make them too unhappy for the time being, so Congress has been suppressing various places to handle it with a cold shoulder.”

“If Williams takes the lead in expelling these refugees, it is very likely to trigger a chain reaction, and other cities will follow suit at that time.”

“It might even trigger a nationwide confrontation, and could even affect key strategic plans.”

If the whole country, because of opposition to refugees entering their cities, had a fierce confrontation and conflict with the refugee groups, then this emotion would also spread to the army.

The soldiers were very likely to complain about this matter in the letters written from home. They would become unwilling to participate in the war.

And if most of the people of the Federation opposed this “just war,” under the interference and incitement of external forces, it might really be possible to press the stop button for this war.

The things that Congress had to consider were very many. In the face of the big picture, everyone had to make way.

The will of the state is sometimes not necessarily the will of the people, but the will of those who can represent the people, the will of the rulers.

Tom had made it so clear, also in the hope that Lance would not make a wrong judgment on this matter.

Lance scratched his head. “Actually, the creators of this conflict are the capitalists of the Bay Area. We ourselves have no discrimination against the refugees. You can investigate. I have been continuously providing relief to the refugees for the past two years.”

“I have also donated a lot of money.”

In the warm-up activities for the war, the federal government had also held a small donation event, a social one, calling on everyone to oppose the aggressors and help the invaded.

This was not an important political activity, but more like a disguised social propaganda, to let people know how brutal the army of the Dantra Republic was, and how much the Slad people needed help.

Tom was a little curious. “How much did you donate, by the way?”

“Ten dollars.”

“Shit!”

“Next time, don’t tell me this kind of thing alone. I fucking thought you had donated tens of thousands!”

Lance’s laughter let him know that he had been tricked, but behind this harmless little joke, it also showed Lance’s attitude and stance.

After the two had laughed for a while, Tom continued, “I will report the specific situation to the senator, but I am very curious, why can’t you handle those rich people?”

“Is there any special reason?”

This was an opportunity!

Lance keenly grasped this point!

“They are very rich. I don’t need to say more about this.”

“Secondly, you know, the rich have a wide range of social connections. They have very close relationships with some people in the state government.”

“Behind this conflict, there are also people from the State Socialist Party Committee supporting them from behind.”

When Tom heard this, he roughly understood. Because of some irresistible force, if Mayor Williams did nothing, then he could only resign in disgrace.

Otherwise, the Likalai State Socialist Party could hold a special congress, and in conjunction with the state government and the legislature, they had a way to directly remove him.

He had now created such a big commotion, announced that he planned to expel the refugees, and had obtained a protective talisman for himself.

This was all fucking political wisdom, seeking life from death.

Tom, after a sigh, couldn’t help but ask, “Is his popularity that bad?”

“Is there no one in the state government or the state committee who is willing to help him?”

This was also just a side note. Lance also explained, “He sees Golden Port City as his own home.”

Alright, completely understood!

No one likes others to meddle in their family’s affairs, let alone interfere. This has destined that the political ecology of Golden Port City is separate from the higher-level state’s political ecology.

Even if they are not united against Williams, they can also be bystanders, choose to shut up. Then those who hate him will dominate the entire direction.

“I will talk to the senator about it. You should also talk to Williams. What we need now is stability. He can’t set a bad example.”

“If you can persuade him, we will find a way to mediate on our side.”

He did not promise that he could definitely get it done. After all, Senator Cleveland also could not directly ask those people what to do. At most, he could also communicate with the Socialist Party internally to intervene.

But the party committees in each state are also relatively independent. This kind of internal communication is not necessarily effective.

Lance refused this time. “I will talk to him.”

Then the two of them hung up their respective phones.

Tom organized what Lance had said in his mind, and then quickly went to see Senator Cleveland.

As the war approached, he had more and more documents to deal with. He asked without looking up, “How did the communication go?”

“The situation is like this…” Tom began to repeat what Lance had said, and then also added his own judgment.

When Senator Cleveland heard the second half, he put down his fountain pen, looked up at Tom, as if he were listening to an exciting opera, so focused.

After Tom finished speaking, he said with a half-smile, “This is the reason why Congress is determined to get rid of all factionalism. They treat the land and people of the federal government as their own!”

He added some emphasis to his tone. They were already doing it. This war was, in part, also being launched for this matter.

But now he, Congress, the country, all needed a stable lower class of society, and this was just a Golden Port City. He had not taken it to heart yet.

What really made Congress wary and wanted to solve were the local emperors of those few states.

“Arrange for someone to mediate,” he gave the same solution suggestion as Tom.

Tom did not immediately agree and leave, but instead proposed another possibility. “What if the mediation fails?”

“Lance has only been around for a short time. He doesn’t have much influence on the state government’s side.”

“The Williams family used to be just a local prestigious family in Golden Port City. Although they had people in the state government, they were not key.”

“Williams’s side is easy to talk to. Lance has already agreed, which means he can make Mayor Williams change his mind.”

“But if the Bay Area continues to force him, in order to protect himself, he can only continue to grit his teeth and hold on.”

Senator Cleveland frowned. “What are you trying to say?”

Tom pursed his lips. For the sake of a friend, he had already done his best!

“We need to make an emergency plan for a result that does not meet expectations.”

(End of a Chapter)