Shadow Empire

Chapter 583 Gifts and Negotiations

The distribution of benefits is a very important and rigorous matter.

There are regulations on how much money each person can get from the profit transfers of interest groups, and there cannot be any mistakes.

Once something is wrong, or someone takes money that he is not supposed to take, problems will arise, and it may even lead to the collapse of the entire interest group.

After all, the core of everything in this world is interest.

During this period, news from Jingang City kept reaching Maintenon, and the people in Maintenon also knew what was happening there.

For people of relatively low social status, they would find it somewhat unbelievable that a gangster could actually come to the fore like celebrities and politicians, and be widely reported by newspapers and media.

It is said that there is a magazine that plans to interview Lance and wants to make him the cover character. This is simply... incomprehensible.

But for those who have reached a certain level, they know very well that, strictly speaking, gangs are also a kind of force.

Political power.

The security and stability of a region cannot be solved by relying on the police. Given the current situation where the police forces in various regions are filled with corrupt police, whether the public security is good or not depends purely on whether the local gangs are willing to maintain stability.

This has led to gangs having more say in the area of ​​social stability.

When the people who are affected by these things think about certain issues, they will be more inclined to believe the information conveyed by the gangs.

Just like the current Empire District, they will choose whoever Lance says to choose, not just because Lance is the only gangster in the Empire District and the leader of the biggest gang in the city.

Because he represents the foundation for people to achieve a stable life. This is power, this is public opinion, this is political power!

Now this force is amplified by money, and many people have a ridiculous illusion that Bandy’s direction of whitewashing may be wrong!

Of course, they would only think about it, no one knows how to wash clean in this era.

The news that Congressmen Lance and Williams were about to "visit" Maintenon was released a few days in advance. During these few days, some high-end clubs and other occasions in Maintenon were immediately fully booked.

There are also golf courses in Maintenon, opera houses and the like, all of which are fully booked.

This was the first contact between the "new forces" in Jingang City and the state government forces, and it was also an important specific division of interests, so they had to be nervous.

Even if you don't use the club, court, or anything else you booked, it's always better than having nowhere to go when you need it.

Councillor Williams may be slightly familiar with them, but only slightly.

Previously, Councillor Williams was just a municipal councillor, although he and Councillor Wade controlled the internal political power of the entire Golden Port City.

But it did not extend to the state government level, so all he could say to the people here was "I know this person, I've met him twice," rather than becoming friends with them.

They were not friends, so it was not appropriate to hold the first meeting in their home, as this did not conform to the social rules of the Federation.

They need a non-private but private enough environment to talk about things. Golf courses and relatively closed clubs are good places.

Rich people who come to Maintenon for tourism these days will find that high-end venues are almost fully booked!

On Monday morning, the train slowly pulled into the station, with steam quickly spreading in all directions, and a large number of bodyguards got off the train.

They checked the station first, and then Lance and Congressman Williams came down from here.

At the steps leading to the exit of the car, Lance reached out and supported Congressman Williams, whose movements were a little distorted.

He is old after all. Although these steps are just steps for ordinary people, for a man in his sixties, they may be the scythe of the god of death.

"I'm fine, thank you!" Congressman Williams walked down the stairs holding Lance's hand and straightened his clothes.

He looked at the bodyguards around him and laughed, "Is such a big scene really necessary?"

Lance smiled and replied, "For safety reasons, Senator, any extra effort is worth it, as long as we can stay alive."

Congressman Williams curled his lips but did not refute Lance's words, although he did not particularly agree with them.

James and others who were carrying boxes behind also got out of the car, and the group quickly walked out of the station.

Lance's convoy had arrived here two days in advance. This time they came by train purely because the train was more comfortable.

The gentlemen of the Federation are a group that knows how to enjoy life. They have their own special train carriages with soft beds, huge sofa sets, billiard tables, and even an indoor golf course!

The ultimate luxury refers to the life of the rich, while ordinary people cannot even enjoy it, let alone hear about it!
It is much more comfortable to travel for nearly a day in such an environment than to sit in the cramped space of a car for a whole day.

Lance and Congressman Williams were in the same car. Their destination was the best hotel in the area, where they had booked two luxury suites.

They won't stay in Maintenon for too long, so there will be a lot of work to do during this period and it will be very busy.

"Let's visit the Lieutenant Governor first tonight." Congressman Williams looked at Lance and also glanced at his son.

"The reason for not visiting the governor directly is that we need an introducer. The deputy governor is a good candidate. Of course, the attorney general is also OK, but the deputy governor is better. He is very suitable as the governor's deputy."

Lance and James listened without saying anything. These matters were arranged by Congressman Williams himself.

Lance was very relieved about this. After all, this was related to the personal interests of Congressman Williams. Only when the interests were highly tied would he trust this old man.

"Are our gifts for the Deputy Governor ready?"

Congressman Williams asked James to take charge of this matter. James nodded and said, "It's ready. It's in the hotel. We can see him as soon as we get off the car."

He was very familiar with these gentlemen in the state government, and he knew what to give to whom without having to ask around.

Lance also participated in the collection of these gifts, which was related to the coordination issues between them and the state government for a long time in the future, and had to be taken seriously.

Some people think that since the federal government is a mayoral system, there is no need to pay too much attention to the state government. But in fact, the state government controls the state legislature, and the state legislature decides what laws a city must abide by.

The federation's seemingly makeshift ruling structure has become increasingly intertwined due to patches.

Therefore, these people must be made friends and be in place.

The lieutenant governor was an ultra-conservative and his ancestors had advocated and organized the removal of Aboriginal people.

In fact, up to now, almost all political families are those people. After all, they used bullets and explosives to snatch this land from the indigenous people, not for any other reason.

They were equally extreme in this regard, and their gift to him was a "leather kit".

It included a leather hat, a pair of leather gloves, a leather backpack, and a pair of leather boots.

Yes, from today's perspective, it seems like nothing special, but in fact, they are all works of art.

Lance bought them from a private museum in a remote area, and they symbolize the terrible things that the first generation of federal immigrants did to the local indigenous people.

The materials used to make them are all from indigenous people.

This sounds horrible and one might not associate this with the self-proclaimed civilized and polite people of the Federation, but this is exactly the truth.

These things are definitely good things for extreme conservatives. They represent not only history, but also a kind of "spirit of ancestors", a symbol of conquering this land!
Lance spent thirty-five hundred dollars on these things.

Three thousand five hundred yuan is not a huge expense. Giving gifts is not just about value, but more importantly, the thought and satisfaction.

The car soon stopped outside the hotel, and the group entered. At nine o'clock, after a brief rest, the phone kept ringing.

At six o'clock in the evening, they arrived at a very high-end club as agreed upon, and saw the deputy governor there.

The deputy governor looked very easy-going, especially with his white-blond hair and slightly chubby face. He always smiled when meeting people, and it was hard for people to have any bad feelings towards him.

He took the initiative to walk up to everyone, shook hands with Congressman Williams, then Lance, and then invited the two to the sofa.

"I don't know what you like, so I picked some random gifts. I hope they won't be offensive."

Congressman Williams' words seemed a little strange, and the Lieutenant Governor became slightly interested in these gifts. "What is it?" James walked up to him, pushing a cart.

These gifts are all placed in display boxes, so a small cart is needed to push them.

The moment the velvet cloth on it was lifted, the deputy governor couldn't help but reveal an expression of amazement!

He stroked the glass on the boxes. "They are simply perfect works of art!"

"These techniques have a history of at least two hundred years!"

"I love so much!"

You can see that he really likes her, and the "surprise" that burst out when they met is definitely something he can't fake!
Lance sat aside and found the scene very funny, but he also felt that there was nothing wrong with it because this was the Federation.

They chatted for a while and then the topic began to turn to the main topic.

"I heard that Lance has gained actual control and management rights over all casinos?" The deputy governor's eyes fell on Lance.

He was somewhat amazed at Lance's youth. He couldn't help asking about it just now, and he also knew that Lance was 22 years old this year, which made him feel emotional.

I feel emotion for the years and for everything.

Lance nodded, "Yes, it's all in my hands."

Councillor Williams continued the topic so as not to let it drop, which would make the atmosphere tense, "We came here this time just to talk about this issue with everyone."

The deputy governor thought for a while after listening to this, and glanced at James standing next to him, "Who is this?"

He didn't know James, and the only people left in the room were him, Lance, Senator Williams, and James.

What he was going to talk about next was very blunt. If James was not an important person, what he meant now was that he should leave first.

Councillor Williams smiled and said, "This is my eldest son. He has successfully run for city councillor and is performing his duties."

The deputy governor's eyes stayed on James' face for a moment, he took note of his appearance, and praised him, "Young people nowadays are really amazing. They can achieve outstanding results at a young age, unlike our time."

"While he might have been doing office work when he was their age, he had already begun to express his political will."

This is of course a humble statement and should not be taken seriously.

James also responded modestly with a few words, which brought the topic back to the main topic.

The deputy governor held a glass of wine and sat back on the sofa. "Let me be more direct. How do you plan to distribute these benefits?"

Congressman Williams said nothing. He picked up the coffee cup. He had to lower his head when drinking coffee, and took the opportunity to refuse the deputy governor's observation.

Lance said, "Forty-five percent of the profits will be sent to the upper levels, leaving thirty-five percent here."

"The remaining 20 percent of profits will remain in Jingang City and will not be transferred outside."

The deputy governor frowned. This was a little less than when the Bandi family managed these interests.

Even though it's only 5%, it still amounts to millions of dollars a year.

The higher the status, the more they get, so these losses are magnified against their larger base, and naturally they lose more.

Five percent of one hundred yuan and five percent of one million are both five percent, but they are definitely not in the same order of magnitude.

He just frowned and didn't say whether he agreed or disagreed, but this attitude itself was an attitude of disapproval.

Congressman Williams put down his coffee cup at this time, pursed his lips, and explained, "The navy is going to be stationed in Jingang City, and they must also get a share of the money."

When he heard the word "navy", the deputy governor's frown relaxed, but then he said something very interesting -

"Those people in the military are much richer than us!"

His tone was full of complaints, and he seemed very dissatisfied that the military also got a share of the money, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

Because the army is stationed in Jingang City, if those soldiers go to the casino to cause trouble, as long as they don't go too far, the military will definitely turn a blind eye.

The casino business has deteriorated, and they are the ones who suffer the losses. If they can give some to the military to satisfy their greedy appetite and ensure that they will not cause trouble, then this is acceptable.

Just something missing will always make people feel uncomfortable.

"In recent years, the military has exchanged a large amount of supplies every year. No one can tell which ones are genuine and which ones are fake."

"Congress should have passed a new bill to control their behavior long ago, so that they can't put taxpayers' money into their own pockets so easily."

There is indeed corruption in the federal military, and it is a very serious corruption problem. However, it is not just the military that has problems, the entire federal ruling class has problems.

Sometimes Lance was also confused. Why could this government and country, which was full of holes and problems from top to bottom, continue to exist and grow?

None of the three responded to the deputy governor's complaint. It is best not to respond to such things. For mature politicians who have a stance on such things, any response would be a wrong decision.

Maybe you just think you can say a few words that come to your mind or make the lieutenant governor happy, but you never know when he needs someone to support him and he will use your response as a bargaining chip.

On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, when XX and I were discussing this issue, he also expressed his agreement.

With just this one sentence, you have already chosen your side without even realizing it.

What’s even more annoying is that you are there when the team takes the risk, but when the team wins and the profits are divided, you are not included.

So none of the three of them said anything, and the deputy governor had no intention of forcing them to express their opinions. This was just a complaint.

He paused for a moment, then said, "In that case, I have no objection. Should the list be adjusted?"

Congressman Williams nodded and said, "You can give us your list and we can discuss it."

The transfer of benefits is definitely not as simple as depositing money into their accounts. These politicians don’t want money that cannot be spent, they want money that they can take out and enjoy openly.

Therefore, the money must be deposited into their accounts in an open and aboveboard manner, and the most federally appropriate way to do this is through investment returns.

Therefore, this money will become investment profits of certain funds and will be deposited into the capital accounts of these "investors" on a quarterly basis.

It can withstand scrutiny and can also be spent.

How the foundation will distribute the money has already been decided, and everyone will receive a share that matches their status.

It seems that there is nothing to discuss, but who can take it and who cannot take it is also a problem.

This is where we all need to discuss.

The deputy governor said a series of names of his own people, and James wrote down these names in detail.

If nothing unexpected happens, most of them will be included in the foundation's list.

But it is also possible that some of them will displease Congressman Lans or Williams and be eliminated.

After completing the most important task, they began to enjoy dinner.

The Deputy Governor was a very funny man, at least after talking about interests, he became very funny and told a lot of hellish jokes about the Aboriginals.

This also reflects that he really likes the gift chosen by Congressman Williams.

When the dinner was almost over, Congressman Williams asked him to introduce them to a meeting with the governor, and the lieutenant governor agreed immediately.

He even called the governor in front of everyone and set a time, which was two days later.

(End of this chapter)