“He’s… losing a lot of money by doing this.”
Hunter and Charlie sat together, holding a simple explanatory document about the “Umbrella Plan.”
It had been sent back by their men in the Empire District Sub-bureau.
They weren’t exactly moles, just people on their side. After all, Charlie was ultimately part of the “Golden Port establishment,” backed by the Bay Area. There would always be some people who wanted to leapfrog ahead, and there was nothing wrong with them siding with him.
Looking at the document in his hand, Hunter was a bit confused. His political acumen was clearly a level below Charlie’s.
He only saw the superficial things, not the actual core. But Charlie was developing into a politician; he could more or less see some of the things hidden beneath the surface.
“This is what makes him so formidable!” Charlie sighed with some emotion.
“Everyone knows he’s lowering the police’s fees and needs to spend a lot of money. He will definitely lose money.”
“Your gazes are only fixed on the surface of him losing money, thus you ignore his irreplaceability!”
“Those small merchants and vendors pay less, so they will always support Lance.”
“The police get a clean and stable income, without any legal or moral risks. They will also become more dependent on Lance.”
“Everyone is relying on him. He has tightly united the police, the people, and the gang he represents!”
“If someone wants to deal with him, the ones who will resist more fiercely than he himself are those people, those police officers!”
“This is what makes him so formidable!”
Hunter was a bit incredulous. “Is he really that formidable?”
Charlie nodded grimly. “Very formidable. And his methods are very… crude, but also very clever. He’s just throwing money at it.”
When Hunter heard this, his expression relaxed slightly. “If it’s just throwing money, can he be richer than those old masters in the Bay Area?”
The Bay Area was the symbol of wealth in Golden Port, but Charlie’s expression did not noticeably relax; it remained just as serious.
“They are not willing to part with this money!” His wise gaze had already seen through everything.
The dock management company had caused the great dock strike just to save about three hundred thousand a year in wage expenses.
Now, to have them take out millions a year to line the pockets of the police, they would be even more unwilling!
They would rather do nothing than take out their own profits and distribute them to the lower class!
This was the core of Lance’s method, and the reason why it was so difficult for him to replicate.
Lance had various criminal incomes, he had many bars, but Charlie had nothing. In this matter, he was completely helpless.
Hunter’s gaze was somewhat hard to understand, both on the matter of the Bay Area people being unwilling to part with their money, and on the threat of Lance.
“He…” he looked at the paper, “I don’t quite understand, Charlie. Will he shake our power?”
Charlie nodded and said, “When everyone benefits from this plan, the entire police system of Golden Port will have to listen to him!”
He held his forehead, looking like he had a headache. “You have to understand, the reason the Bay Area values us is not because we are obedient.”
“There are plenty of obedient dogs in Golden Port. We have value because we control the police system!”
“Once we lose it, we lose our value.”
Hunter also seemed to realize the seriousness of the problem. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Then can we cooperate with Lance?”
Charlie continued to shake his head. “Are you willing to put everything you have in someone else’s hands?”
This determined the potential opposition between the two sides, a conflict that was very difficult to reconcile.
To have Lance spend so much money for Charlie, to pave the way for him, Lance would certainly not agree.
To have Charlie and Hunter give up their basic interests in Golden Port, they would certainly not be willing either.
So unless someone took the initiative to give up, they would inevitably be on opposing sides.
In fact, both sides knew this. Their “conflict” had already escalated the moment the Umbrella Plan appeared.
Just after noon, Mador returned with Griggs and Abel. Besides them, there was another person, Martin.
Martin Griffith was a core member of the Griffith family. After Earl Griffith was secretly executed, the young Griffith (the Earl’s eldest son) inherited everything of the family and began a new round of confrontation against the royal power.
From the current point of view, the Griffith family was in an absolutely weak position.
The royal family had stripped the Griffith family of their noble title, deprived them of their territory, reclaimed everything, and branded them as “rebels.”
This surname was actually no longer an officially recognized nobility.
However, they themselves did not recognize this. The young Griffith sold all the assets that could be converted to cash and was still maneuvering against the royal family with more than four or five thousand soldiers.
The people in the family believed that now they needed to escape the royal family’s pursuit on one hand, and on the other, continue to accumulate strength, recruiting more of the defeated parties in this political game to fight against the royal family together.
In addition, obtaining external support was also very important.
Martin, as a core member of the family, was dispatched to the Federation by the young Griffith to see if he could find some people willing to support them.
Whether it was money, supplies, food, or support in terms of international political stance, it was all acceptable.
At least it was better than nothing.
In the end, there were only a few Empire immigrants who were doing well in the Federation. Most of them were not doing well. So when Martin heard that something had happened on Lance’s side, he rushed over.
Martin was a guy who looked very well-bred as a nobleman. All aspects of his demeanor showed a very noble temperament, but Lance didn’t like this very much.
“Please sit.”
Martin said a “thank you” and sat down in the chair.
Griggs and Abel stood outside the room. In the room, there were only Lance’s men and Mador.
“Mr. Lance, if I may be so bold as to ask, why did you leave the Empire and come here?” Martin tried to seize the initiative. After a simple exchange of pleasantries, he purposefully raised his question.
Lance pondered for a moment. “To avoid being sent to the battlefield for no reason.”
Martin nodded in considerable agreement. “Yes, many people left their hometowns for this reason.”
“The royal family has become corrupt, and even the Empire’s system has become corrupt.”
“The will of the royal family is above the will of the people. They trample on the dignity of the people, do not care about the lives and sacrifices of the people, solely for their own selfish interests.”
“The whole world is undergoing great changes, whether it’s the Federation or the war that is breaking out on the Tanfit continent.”
“A new world pattern is approaching us, and the Empire has also reached a time when it must be reformed. If we cannot change the current situation of the Empire, it will fall behind.”
“Falling behind means becoming food on the plate of the strong.”
“Mr. Lance, we all love our motherland. None of us want it to become food on the plate of the strong. The Empire is in urgent need of a revolution to break the shackles that the royal family and the nobility have imposed on it for so many years.”
“Only by breaking the shackles will the Empire be reborn and have our own living environment in the coming tide of the times.”
“I believe you are very clear on this point.”
Lance nodded slightly. “I agree with your point of view.”
In fact, many Federation people did not yet feel a sense of crisis. They even felt that the vast ocean separated the Tanfit continent and the Federation, and that no matter how lively the fighting was over there, it had nothing to do with the Federation.
But in fact, a small number of people were very worried now. The reason they were worried was that once the national forces on the Tanfit continent were integrated through war…
Then the next time their development encountered a bottleneck, when they chose to continue to expand, it would inevitably affect the world pattern.
A monster integrated through war would be a disaster for the whole world.
But this view did not have many buyers now. They felt it was unlikely.
Hearing that Lance was willing to accept this point of view, Martin was slightly relieved. “The Empire needs your help, the people of the Empire need your help, Mr. Lance!”
Martin’s final words made Lance laugh out loud. “Mr. Martin, you are a very eloquent person, but have you considered one question?”
He showed a listening expression. “What?”
“If the Griffith family completes their revenge, will the young Earl ascend the throne and become the new emperor?”
“If today you ask us to help him move the great mountain of the royal family from the heads of the people, and then he himself sits on the heads of the people, why should we waste so much wealth and resources just to change one mountain for another?”
“Anyway, we, the people, have always been pressed under the great mountain. Who this great mountain is actually doesn’t make much of a difference to the people.”
“A mountain is a mountain!”
Martin was taken aback. For a moment, he didn’t know how to answer this question.
Although they were all very pessimistic and believed that the Griffith family might not be able to complete their revenge, they could only go down this one path now.
So, what if they really completed their revenge and defeated the royal family? Would the young Griffith ascend the throne?
Wasn’t that a matter of course?
Weren’t they risking their lives for this very moment?
Could it be that after defeating the royal family, they would let someone else be the emperor?
Seeing that Martin was either in deep thought or didn’t know how to answer, Lance said in a slightly teasing tone, “Mr. Martin, we are not as noble as we imagine ourselves to be.”
“For profit is for profit. Don’t always use the people as a bargaining chip.”
“You want to overthrow the royal family. Whether it’s for revenge or to become the royal family, that’s your business, and it has nothing to do with me.”
“I only care about what benefits I can get if I support you.”
Originally, Martin had almost given up hope. Lance had spoken too frankly. But suddenly, there was a turn of events, and he felt that there might still be hope.
“If we can really succeed in our revenge, Mr. Lance, you will be enfeoffed as a noble!”
Lance shook his head and said, “I will most likely not return to the Empire in my lifetime. Even if you enfeoff me with the title of a prince, it won’t make much of a difference to me.”
“Give me something practical.”
When a new emperor ascends the throne, he will definitely enfeoff a large number of nobles. It seems that being a noble is very valuable, but in fact, it’s not so valuable, because there are too many of them.
It’s impossible for the Griffith family to give every noble real power. Most of them are symbolic.
Not only do you need to maintain your noble dignity at your own expense, but you are also under the surveillance and vigilance of the royal family. It’s better not to have this kind of nobility.
Martin didn’t expect that even the status of a noble couldn’t attract Lance. You have to know that for a real Empire immigrant, if they could become a noble, even the lowest-ranking one, it was something they were very passionate about and longed for.
It could be said that becoming a noble was the “ancestors’ last wish” of every Empire immigrant.
So in his eyes, Lance had been “Federation-ized,” but that was also good.
He thought for a moment. “I’m not sure what you want, but it seems you already have your own ideas. Why don’t you say them?”
“We can discuss it. Maybe we can all accept it?”
Lance was not polite either. “I want trade monopoly.”
“I don’t care about other places. The trade monopoly on liquor, tobacco, furs, spices, wood, etc., in these states on the east coast of the Federation must be in my hands.”
After hearing this, Martin shook his head repeatedly. “That’s impossible!”
“Your demands are too many, and this involves the issue of international trade. I can’t agree to your demands.”
Lance could only show a regretful expression. “Then there’s no way. What I want, you can’t give. It’s hard for us to reach an agreement.”
Martin frowned. It was indeed not easy to raise funds on the Federation side. There were many people who donated five or ten dollars, but there was no one who could solve their real problems.
He was even considering, if it really didn’t work out, to talk to the federal government.
He was not sure now whether the federal government was interested in their resistance force. After all, their numbers were too small, only four or five thousand.
But they were fighting against the orthodox ruling group of the Empire, which nominally had hundreds of thousands of troops. Of course, if you broke it down and returned the nobles’ troops to the nobles, the royal family, having been hammered so far, had already been greatly weakened.
Even if they were still forcibly conscripting, the number of troops directly under the royal family was probably less than a hundred thousand.
This was not an insurmountable gap, and those nobles, before the situation was completely stable, were unlikely to help the royal family block the knife.
So in fact, there was still a great chance.
But talking with the federal government, their demands would definitely be even more outrageous.
Martin made a final effort and attempt. “I… if it’s just one of those specific items, I can consider it.”
A smile appeared on Lance’s face. “Mr. Martin, you are a wise man. I am glad that you can see the reality of the situation.”
“We have to have an apple tree first, Mr. Martin. This is a pragmatic expression from you.”
The apple tree and the apple is a small, fable-like story from the Empire. It tells of two brothers who were chatting on a haystack after finishing their farm work.
They talked about planting an apple tree, and then when the apple tree bore fruit, they could eat the apples.
The elder brother said he wanted a few more, because this idea was his.
The younger brother said he should get a few more, because most of the farm work was done by him, and taking care of the apple tree would definitely be his job.
The two brothers argued endlessly, and in the end, they even fought over who could get a few more apples, beating each other black and blue.
When they brought their dispute to the village chief, the village chief had them take everyone to the apple tree to help them distribute the apples fairly. But the two brothers said that the apple tree had not yet been planted…
The core of this story is to tell people not to fight for some illusory benefits, because in the end, the fight is meaningless.
Lance used this little story to tell Martin not to bargain for things they didn’t even have yet.
“Mr. Lance, you are absolutely right. Everything must start with an apple tree. So now let’s discuss how to plant the apple tree.”
He paused. “We need money, ammunition, weapons, food, and even medicine.”
Lance’s eyes flickered slightly. “I can provide you with one hundred thousand Federation Sols in cash every month.”
One hundred thousand Federation Sols in cash could indeed alleviate some of the current difficulties. Although it was not the strongest currency, it was indeed useful, especially on the Yalan side.
Yalan and the Federation are very close. Their recognition of the Federation Sol is higher. They are rich in grain there, and with this money, a lot of food can be purchased.
However, Martin still wanted to fight for more benefits. “Don’t you think one hundred thousand a month is very little?”
“It’s not that I’m too greedy, Mr. Lance. You have to know that what you want is a trade monopoly. I think it should get more aid?”
Lance did not deny it. “That’s true. But Mr. Martin, you haven’t actually obtained these rights yet, nor have you transferred them to me.”
“If you can perform better in your confrontation with the royal family, for example, by having a piece of territory, no longer being chased around, and letting us see the hope of your successful revenge…”
“Then this aid will be increased.”
“How much money I can give you each month depends entirely on your performance in the Empire.”
Martin considered for a long time. He had to admit that what Lance said made a lot of sense. “You have convinced me, Mr. Lance. Then this aid…”
He was a little embarrassed. The family was indeed in urgent need of these things now.
Lance did not delay either. “We need to sign an agreement. It would be best to have the personal signature and seal of the young Earl Griffith to ensure its validity.”
“I believe you know better than I do how to write it…”
Then Martin said he would immediately arrange for someone to go back to the Empire to bring this agreement, but he hoped that Lance could pay him at least one month’s aid in advance. He needed to send some ammunition back.
Right now, the most lacking things were ammunition and food. Without these, the soldiers would have no combat effectiveness. With these, they could continue to maneuver against the royal army.
It was only a hundred thousand. Lance could still afford it.
“Please convey my respects to the young Earl Griffith. I believe your revenge will definitely be successful.”
(End of chapter)