Shadow Empire

Chapter 584 Stadium
The next day, Congressman Williams and James stayed in the hotel all day. They were not very fit to run around before visiting the governor.

Although Lance was also in the hotel, he met the leader of the local Imperial gang, a middle-aged man named Rod.

The discrimination situation in Maintenon is not better than in other places just because it is the capital. On the contrary, it is worse because there are many conservatives in the state government.

For example, some people have even said in private that "all immigrants should be sent to farms", which has led to discrimination against immigrants among locals.

They are at the bottom of the contempt chain, and other gangs discriminate against them just because they are immigrant groups, which sounds a bit incredible.

Even if it is just a small gang, they will look down on those immigrant gangs, and the police will be more inclined to favor local gangs rather than immigrant gangs when dealing with related issues.

Before Lance showed up, Rod and his gang were barely able to survive and were small in size.

But with Lance's strong rise in Jingang City, the situation of Rhodes and his gang is getting better and better, mainly because of the unlimited supply of alcohol, which allows him to obtain more funds to arm himself.

The competition among gangs is quite different from politics and business competition.

As long as they have money, people and weapons, they have the power to fight.

When a gang has money and its leader is willing to spend money on the gang, it can expand very quickly.

Rhodes' gang now has about two hundred core members. If the peripheral members are taken into account, there may be five to six hundred, or seven to eight hundred people. It is considered a medium-sized gang in Maintenon.

It’s not that they don’t want to continue to grow and develop, but the special environment here doesn’t allow them to have many good opportunities.

This time, when he heard that Lance was coming, he took the initiative to visit for this reason.

They need protection.

"Mr. Lance!" As soon as Rhodes entered the door, he strode towards Lance, then slightly bent over and stretched out his hands, tightly held Lance's hands, and shook them vigorously.

Lance patted his back and shoulder, "Sit down and talk."

After they sat down, Rhode said enthusiastically, "I've been looking forward to your coming. I've arranged some activities..."

Lance raised his hand to stop him, "No need for these, I'm not here to play."

In fact, Rhodes also knew that Lance was unlikely to run out to play with him, but whether others played or not was one thing, and whether he did it or not was another.

He had no choice but to give up the idea, "Then I won't persuade you anymore. You must have something very important to do."

He paused, "Lance, we're having some issues with our current development."

Lance nodded and motioned for him to continue. Rod took out a cigarette and scratched his sideburns. "The chief of police in Maintenon is somewhat prejudiced against us. He has been looking for trouble with us. Our development is almost at a standstill now."

He spoke of this matter with gritted teeth. In this environment, there might be nothing wrong with a little fighting.

If they want to continue to expand and develop, they must have an umbrella of protection and someone to support them in their continued development.

Rhodes was powerless in this regard. If it weren't for Lance supporting him with wine and weapons behind the scenes, he would still be the leader of a small gang.

Lance knew what he was here for, "You want me to help you with this problem."

Rhode showed an embarrassed expression and nodded. "Although it's a bit embarrassing, this is indeed what I think."

He added, “If we can solve this problem, we can continue to expand.”

He saw the power of the Lance family in Jingang City and was very excited. He also hoped that he could become a big man like Lance and become the underground emperor of a city.

But he lacked the network of relationships that Lance had. In Rhodes' opinion, it was a miracle that Lance could climb to this position so quickly!
The word miracle is not enough to describe it!
He came here with nothing, but became the most special one in everyone's eyes!
At the same time, his heart was burning with enthusiasm. Like many others, he was studying the path to Lance's rise. He felt that as long as he moved the stone in front of him, he might be able to succeed!
Lance thought about it for a while, and neither agreed nor refused. "I'm not very familiar with the local police chief, but I will ask about this for you, but it will take a few days."

Rhodes quickly said that he was willing to wait, no matter how long it took.

It was just a minor incident and he left in less than half an hour.

The next afternoon, Congressmen Lance and Williams went to a golf course on the outskirts of Maintenon, where they met the governor in person.

The governor is in his fifties, with gray hair. He looks very healthy, neither fat nor thin, but with a slender figure and an easy-going smile on his face.

A successful politician must be able to show himself or herself easy-going to the audience. After all, votes come from the people. Even if it is acting, he or she must act like it is real!
He smiled and shook hands with Lance and Congressman Williams. "The weather has been nice these past few days. I haven't done much exercise all winter. It's a good opportunity for you to come so I can sneak out of the office!"

He also speaks in a humorous way. If you ignore other things, just these things he shows will make people feel that he is not difficult to approach.

Before arriving, Congressman Lance and Williams knew the meeting place and what to do, so they both changed into their uniforms.

The three of them stood on the lawn and did not start immediately.

"I heard you talked to the lieutenant governor."

This is nonsense, but many formal conversations often start with nonsense.

Congressman Williams nodded and said, "We met the day before yesterday." "He also told us about those details. I wonder if you know that our trip has brought some new, but not surprising, changes?"

The governor nodded. "I heard what he said to me. Your considerations are reasonable."

James came over pushing a golf cart—

There were no such small golf carts at that time. They used a small cart that could hold about five or six golf club bags and other things.

It cannot be positioned and needs someone to push it. Usually this job is done by the caddy, but today's meeting is obviously not ordinary, so James plays the role of the caddy.

He plays golf himself often, so he doesn't have to worry about his performance being bad.

People walked towards the batting spot. As they walked, the governor said, "The military stationing in Jingang City has both good and bad effects on us. Now it is difficult for us to understand whether it is good or bad, but it will not be wrong to be cautious and careful with them."

"I personally agree with the new distribution plan you proposed."

He looked at Lance and said, "The way and means you used to defeat the Kodak family are amazing. What's even more rare is that you don't have any other means. This left a deep impression on me."

"You are a very capable young man, smart, strong and determined. You deserve a brighter future, rather than being limited to being a gang leader."

This is obvious appreciation. Councilman Williams explained, "Lance is engaged to the girl from the Lawrence family in the summer."

"The Lawrence family?" The governor was a little confused. Is there such a family in his "territory"?

Councilman Williams added, “Lawrence Farm.”

"It's them!" The governor nodded. Lawrence Farm is well-known throughout the southern part of Likale State.

They led the farms to resist the atrocities of the distributors, making the Lawrence family very influential among the farmers in Likalai State.

These farmers produce food for the state and sell it abroad.

It's nonsense to say that he has no impact on people's lives.

If they tighten their grip on food a little, the food supply in their state will soon be in trouble and they will have to buy from other states.

But to say that they have any huge impact on the lives of people in this state is not entirely true!

Because not many people in the entire state knew about them except farmers and people who lived near them.

Just like in Maintenon, if you ask anyone on the street if they know the Lawrence family or Lawrence Farm, they will most likely look confused.

The governor couldn't help but look at Lance again, "You made a very good choice!"

The Lawrence family has strength, but they lack the channels to transform that strength into political power.

Lance has the channels, but he lacks the background of the traditional landowner class. Now he is making up for this shortcoming, which makes the governor very optimistic about his future.

"What are your plans for the future?"

Lance smiled and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. After I finish dealing with the things I have on hand, I might go around and have a look. I still have a lot of shortcomings, and I need to learn new things."

The governor nodded without comment, giving a very general answer without any practical content.

When they arrived at the hitting point, James quickly took out a golf ball and placed it on the ball holder.

"Young people, come first!" The governor solved the problem of them pushing each other around with just one sentence.

Lance came to the batting spot and hit the ball hard, doing pretty well.

Then came Congressman Williams and the governor, who were also OK.

They came to discuss business, not to play ball, so the group moved forward again.

The governor did not immediately discuss the issue of profit distribution, but instead talked to Lance about the operation of the casinos, "How are you going to run those casinos?"

This is also a consideration. After all, Lance is too young. Even with Congressman Williams cooperating with him, the governor still has some concerns.

Lance seemed calm. "The Kodak family has done a good job in this regard, but it is not good enough. We can expand into more areas, such as the gambling ship business."

"Or maybe hold a national poker tournament or something."

"We can see a significant increase in traffic to our casinos by attracting a large number of gamblers and tourists."

"And I also plan to introduce some of the business characteristics of Estrilla (Paradise City). Of course, this may require the assistance of Mayor Williams..."

(End of this chapter)