Empire of Shadows

At a little after nine 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. “The Senator would like to speak with you!”

Then he could hear some sounds of a receiver being picked up and put down, as well as footsteps and the sound of a whole person sitting down in a sofa, and the sounds of clothes rubbing against the sofa.

After about ten seconds, Senator Cleveland’s voice came from the receiver.

“I hear you’ve rejected the mediation?”

No pleasantries, straight to the point.

Lance nodded in agreement. “They kidnapped Mayor Williams’s youngest son, Arthur, and they plan to drive him out of the mayor’s office.”

“There is no room for reconciliation between the two sides, so mediation is impossible.”

“Mayor Williams and I have a very good relationship, and I also have a lot of friction with the Bay Area. If Mayor Williams steps down, and they push for a new mayor to take office, it will be very unfavorable for me.”Lance explained in one breath the role and position he was playing in this matter, and then left the thinking to Senator Cleveland.

The latter’s speed of receiving and analyzing information was very fast. After all, this was his specialty. “Do you have any new plans?”

“After the failure of the mediation, Congress can’t accept you two being in opposition for such a long time. Golden Port City is in a frontline position for the war. It must be stable!”

“Do you have any plans now?”

Lance did not hide his thoughts either and told the truth. “I have some evidence of their crimes in my hands. I have already used it, but this may involve a relatively large number of people. I am a little unsure whether I should do this.”

“What evidence?”

“Evidence of them soliciting prostitutes, with both witnesses and material evidence.”

Senator Cleveland couldn’t help but laugh twice. “Then have them arrested.”

“The laws of the Federation are supreme. No one can get away with a crime without being punished after the evidence has been obtained. What are your concerns?”

Lance said, “Some people are easy to deal with, but there are also some who have a political background. I’m worried that on the side of the state government and the party, there might be some waves, some unnecessary trouble.”

Senator Cleveland thought for a moment. “You don’t have to worry about this. I’ll handle it.”

“The dignity of the law cannot be desecrated. No matter who they are, as long as they have committed a crime, they should be sent to the dock!”

He himself didn’t even believe these words. In a political struggle, no one from one side of the political struggle is ever really tried for a crime.

What can get them, or rather, what can send them to the dock, is just because they have failed in the struggle!

When a higher-level force presses down, these people have no ability to resist at all. They are locked in the position of the loser, unable to struggle.

So to send them to the dock is naturally not a problem.

The evidence in Lance’s hands was not all valuable. Unless it was those professional politicians, otherwise it would not have much effect on others.

Just soliciting prostitutes. They could solve it with a little money. The public would not hate these rich people so much for soliciting prostitutes.

“And after these things are dealt with?”

“What are you planning to do?”

Senator Cleveland continued to ask. He wanted to know Lance’s subsequent handling method, to see if there was any place where he could give advice, so as not to be unstable all the time.

Lance did not hide his thoughts either. “I am in contact with another group of capitalists, the investors from the Sidney era. I will introduce them to Golden Port City to compete with the local capitalists, to make it easier for me to balance their relationship.”

“I will not let any one of them become so powerful as to affect the balance, nor will I let any of them become so weak as to lose their competitiveness.”

Senator Cleveland thought for a moment. “A very good idea. How much time do you need?”

“At most two to three weeks, Mr. Senator.”

There was a moment of silence on the receiver, about twenty or thirty seconds. Lance was not sure if Senator Cleveland had not spoken, or if he had covered the mouthpiece and had not let the sound from that side come through.

After twenty or thirty seconds, there was a sound in the receiver again. “I will say hello to the state government. You have two weeks to solve the problem, but you can’t cause any bigger trouble. You know what I’m talking about.”

“After you have solved these matters, come to Golden State. I hear from Admiral Miles that you have some small plans over there?”

He’s taken the bait!

No, it can’t be said that he’s taken the bait. It should be said that Senator Cleveland’s political group has been moved by Lance’s sincerity, and this is not just a small matter.

If a naval base can provide Congress with a potential contribution of at least a hundred million or more, how many military bases are there in the Federation?

How many troops will go to the front lines?

At least three million soldiers will be actually put into this war, or even more!

After this military expansion, the total number of people in the Federation will be maintained at over four million!

Assuming that three million of the four million soldiers will go to the front lines, and each person will consume two hundred dollars’ worth of liquor a month, then this number is 600 million, every month!

7.2 billion a year!

This is fucking military supplies, paid for by military expenditure. Just like canned tomato beans, canned luncheon meat, it’s a standard issue for soldiers!

Regardless of whether they drink it themselves or not, there will be this small bottle of liquor on the “menu.”

The key is that there is no need to worry about military expenditure, because starting from this month, the federal tax law has been reformed. Even ordinary people with an income of less than a hundred will have to face taxes.

And Congress has also passed some supplementary bills, for example, some extra surcharges will be added during wartime. Half of their income will be used to pay taxes.

However, Congress has also given them a choice. Buying war bonds can exempt them from this part of the extra surcharge, which can effectively make the people go to the bank to buy war bonds.

To put the money of the ordinary lower class people into their own pockets, for the members of Congress, for the top politicians, for the rulers, it is simply irresistible!

After all, power has an expiration date. If you don’t use your power within the expiration date, no one will praise you. They will only say, “That’s what you fucking should do.”

But if you use it, you will get wealth, status, greater power, more people’s respect, and a more stable family power.

Who can not be tempted?

In fact, Lance had no qualification to join this plan at all. He was just an initiator. On what basis could he sit with the senators, with the high-ranking generals of the Department of Defense, with the generals and marshals of the army, and even with the president to share the money?

But because he had provided this line of thought, and had even operated this method to let the gentlemen 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 for the Federation’s army, while Lance provides “placebos” for the Federation’s army.

The things they provide are different in appearance, but there is no difference in essence.

A defense supplier!

A lofty name, and countless benefits!

The “permission” that Senator Cleveland had promised Lance was also because of the huge benefits in it.

Miles only knew that Lance was going to do such a thing, but what the specific plan was, how to operate it, he still didn’t know.

It was not convenient for him to ask others. At this time when he himself was not clear, he had only communicated with a very key person, and then the news had reached Senator Cleveland’s ears.

After all, from everyone’s current understanding of Golden Port City, Mayor Williams and Lance were both his men. He was also very curious about this plan, and very curious about that huge sum of money!

So much so that he was now even considering whether, if he could get a portion of this huge sum of money, they could also consider competing for the next presidency?

He might still lack some qualifications, but there were old qualifications in his circle who met the conditions. What they lacked was just the tens of millions in campaign funds for the next presidential election.

With this money, plus the continued support of the capitalists, they still had a chance of winning the election.

If it weren’t for the fact that Lance still had some things to solve now, he would have had Lance come over now.

For the “help” provided by Senator Cleveland, Lance was sincerely grateful. “I will get things done here as soon as possible, and then go to Golden State.”

“Very good, Lance. You are a smart guy. Don’t do things that disappoint people, and don’t mess these things up.”

He paused for a moment. “I won’t disturb 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 came from the phone after it was hung up. Lance held the receiver and stood for a while before putting it back.

Senator Cleveland’s phone call was very simple, but behind it, there must have been many complex political compromises and deals that he couldn’t see.

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

The profits that Mr. Charles and the others obtained from Golden Port City every year were not all put into their own pockets.

They also had to transfer benefits to the state government, the State Socialist Party, and the Liberal Party.

It was even possible that a portion of them also had to transfer benefits to Congress.

But the benefits they could transfer, and the benefits that Lance’s side could transfer, were not on the same level at all.

So this behind-the-scenes “battle” ended with Lance’s victory!

Perhaps Senator Cleveland had given up some interests, perhaps he had just forcefully forced others to compromise, but in any case, Lance had already won.

He was not necessarily indispensable, not that it wouldn’t work without him, but he definitely had the value of being needed!

After putting down the phone, he also had a different feeling.

For these groups that could truly decide the fate of the country and individuals, they were the real “gods,” gods walking on earth!

He also wanted to be such a person!

Not long after the phone stopped, a call from Attorney General Terry came in.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said very politely, because just now, someone from the congressional side had called him and asked him to cooperate with Lance’s actions as much as possible.

They also hadn’t looked for any reason. For an official like Terry who had already come into contact with the higher-ups, he didn’t need any reason.

Lance replied with a light laugh, “Of course not. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Attorney General Terry’s voice was very cheerful. “No no no, it’s not you who will serve me, but I who will serve you, Lance.”

“I can give you the phone number of the Manteno police chief. He will assist you in doing anything.”

“If you need it.”

“Or if you need me to cooperate with you in doing other things, I hear you have some evidence of a criminal’s crime in your hands?”

“Do you need me to cooperate with you in doing something?”

Lance did not answer immediately, but fell into thought.

If Attorney General Terry directly intervened here, the effect would definitely be good. After all, he was one of the top figures in the state, but having him do it also presented a problem.

This was Manteno, the capital of Likalai State. Lance could not control all aspects of it.

What was here?

There was a Socialist Party committee, a Liberal Party committee, a Federalist Party committee, all kinds of large and small political organizations, and even subordinate branches of certain congressional committees.

Lance was not sure how many allies Mr. Charles and these people had here. He only knew that Mr. Charles had been in the limelight in Golden Port City for a long time.

Once he was willing to go all out, for example, to contribute all his assets, just to exchange for a way out, it would be very difficult for Lance to control him.

Maybe with a moment of carelessness, these people would disappear, which would be very unfavorable for him.

On the contrary, the Golden Port City side, although it might seem to be of a lower level, but Golden Port City was all his own people. As long as Attorney General Terry could give him enough support at any time, Lance could press them to death in Golden Port City.

So he quickly gave a positive, but not completely positive, answer. “I plan to go through the procedures in Golden Port City. After all, the situation here is very complicated, and I can’t control all of it.”

“But there will definitely be places where I need your help, for example, during an appeal, or when applying for bail. I hope you can help to block it.”

Attorney General Terry immediately replied with a smile, “No problem. Leave these small matters to me. Give me a call anytime!”

Although Lance said that he would not make a move in Manteno, Attorney General Terry still gave Lance the phone number of the local police chief, saying that it might come in handy sometime.

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

One instruction after another, one compromise after another, one behind-the-scenes exchange of interests…

Some people had not yet opened their eyes, and had already been abandoned by this society, by the times.

And some people were already standing on the crest of the wave of the times.

The next morning, Mayor Williams went to meet with his friends. He also had some friends here. To be nominated as a mayoral candidate by the Socialist Party committee and the party congress was definitely not just because he was “one of the few who could win.”

At a little after one in the afternoon, he came back from outside. After a short rest, he came to Lance’s room.

He and Lance had an appointment. In the afternoon, they were going to meet some friends. At the same time, Lance also talked to him about some of the things that had happened last night.

“No wonder they were so enthusiastic today, pulling me to talk about so many things!” He looked at Lance with a look of… gratitude.

Because the biggest beneficiary of this matter in the end was him, not Lance!

Golden Port City would be branded with the indelible mark of the Williams family. Perhaps Lance had also gained a lot of profit from it, but that was only for a time.

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

As long as their descendants were not stupid, with these, they could eat for a very long, long time.

At a little after two o’clock, someone knocked on the door. Elvin opened the door, and then the person from outside walked in.

At first, Mayor Williams did not react. It was not until the person in the front took off his hat and coat that he finally reacted.

“Owen?”

Lance stood up, supporting himself with the armrest of the sofa. Owen was very enthusiastic. He took the initiative to walk up to Lance and shook his hand, and then with Mayor Williams.

Then he began to introduce the gentlemen who had come with him to the two of them.

These people were basically all investors in the New Port District. At that time, Mayor Sidney had persuaded them to invest in Golden Port City as a part of the fight against the local capital.

From a macro perspective, Mayor Sidney’s choice was correct.

In the past, many of the mayors of Golden Port City had chosen to cooperate with the local capitalists, but in the end, they had not gotten the results they wanted. Or rather, if he had no great ambitions, then there was no problem for him to cooperate with the local capitalists and become a rich puppet.

But he had ideas, a purpose, and ambition. He had to fight.

With the support of these capitalists brought in from other places, no matter what ideas he had, there would be funds to support him, and he would not have to look at the faces of the local capitalists.

Whether a ruler can accomplish some things depends on whether he has money in his hands.

At first, he did succeed, but what he didn’t know was that it was just the local capitalists deliberately showing weakness.

In the end, they still lost in this struggle. A large amount of funds was trapped in the New Port District and the New Port Docks.

Not only did the expected huge profits not materialize, but so much money was tied up and had not been recovered yet. Some people had even gone bankrupt because of this!

These few gentlemen were one of the investors who had followed the former mayor to invest in the New Port District and the New Port Docks at that time. They were a little luckier, or rather, their family background was a little thicker, and their industries were a little more mature. They had not yet gone bankrupt because of this.

There were also many people who were not so lucky. Those crazy speculators had bet everything, and many of them had gone bankrupt because of this.

If there was anyone who hated the capitalists of the Bay Area the most, then it must be these people.

To introduce them to form a competitive and confrontational situation with the Bay Area was the best thing to do.

After the two sides had finished their self-introductions, they quickly sat down separately and devoted themselves to the subsequent consultations.

Mayor Williams and Lance were willing to restart the construction of the New Port District and the New Port Docks, but the condition was that they needed to give up a part of their interests, and a series of subsequent support for Mayor Williams’s development of the city.

In terms of funds, in terms of connections, in all aspects.

(End of a Chapter)