Shadow Empire

Chapter 839: The Choice of the Smart Man and the Acting Mayor
A perfect finale!

The old mayor, sitting in a wheelchair, announced at the city hall that due to his health reasons, he was temporarily unable to continue serving the citizens and he would rest indefinitely.

Officials and staff at City Hall thanked him for some of the contributions he has made to Lake City over the years.

Some citizens also came spontaneously to thank the old mayor for his contribution to the city. Of course, they also took away some food that was about to expire when they left.

The only local news newspaper in Lake City used "Twenty Years" as its title to introduce the mayor's years of dedication to Lake City.

Of course, these twenty years do not refer to the twenty years he served as mayor, but to the time when he entered the local political arena as a city councilor, to introduce what he did in the following twenty years.

This is not an old man who has made any outstanding contribution to the city, actually.

In twenty years, the city's population has increased by less than 20%, which can be said to be a very slow growth rate.

The city’s economic development level has not improved much, and the development of the urban circle has not changed much. It will remain the same as it was twenty years ago.

The lifeless city is like the lake next to it. Even if there is a strong wind, it cannot create any waves.

The only thing worth praising is that this city does not prohibit dark-skinned people from living and working. Unlike some cities that explicitly oppose the entry of dark-skinned people, everyone is treated relatively fairly here.

So among the citizens who came today to receive food... or more precisely, to thank the mayor for his long-term dedication to the city, there are more people with dark skin.

Although he did not make any significant contribution to the city, he did not cause much trouble to the city either.

What followed was a simple farewell ceremony, and people spent a pleasant morning and noon on the lawn outside the old mayor's villa.

After the guests left, only the old mayor, his children, and his two students were left.

Looking at their eyes full of desire and expectation, the old mayor sighed, "I recommend William."

"William?"

His eldest son didn't react for a moment, and turned around to look at the people behind him, "Is there anyone named William among you?"

They were indeed not familiar with this name, but soon someone linked this name to the young man who had visited them twice.

"You mean the guy from Jingang City?"

The old mayor nodded, "That's him."

His sons, both students, looked at him in disbelief.

Compared to his student's awkward question, his son asked directly, "How well do you know him?"

"Why would you recommend someone like this who has never lived here to take over your job?"

"We all know that the next six months are only six months, but it's enough time for the whole city to know him!"

“We will be very passive!”

He looked at his father's expression which was full of dissatisfaction, sadness, annoyance, and many negative emotions. "Besides, this will have a huge impact on us!"

“People will wonder why, after the old mayor became ill, he did not recommend his son and students, but recommended an outsider instead!”

"What will they think of us?!"

his eldest son practically shouted.

This guy is already forty-six or forty-seven years old, but he is still just a city councilor.

There are a total of six districts in Lake City. Although the population here is small and the area is not large, because of the lake, the city can be said to be built right next to the lake.

Therefore, the city appears to be a bit "long and narrow", which forces it to be divided into several districts for management. Otherwise, it would take too long to walk from one end to the other, which is inconvenient for the city's daily work arrangements.

His eldest son had thought he would be the acting mayor, and he had even made private promises to his brothers and two of his father's students.

As long as they don't fight or take the initiative to fight, he will make proper arrangements for them after he takes office.

But now it seems that he is like a clown. After the ups and downs, he lost this opportunity. How can he be happy?

The old mayor knew what his son was thinking. He just looked at him quietly and said, "This city is too small."

He pursed his lips, leaned back in his wheelchair and looked at the blue sky. “You have never been outside. You have lived in this small city since you were born. Maybe some of you have gone to college and been outside.”

He looked at one of his students, "But soon you came back and have been here ever since, so you don't know how big the world is out there."

His son was a little impatient, "We don't want to hear your feelings about life now, we want to know the reasons!"

The old mayor raised his hand to signal him to shut up. Although he has retired, his authority remains.

“I’m telling you why I made the choices I did.”

"You have been living in Lake City, how much do you know about what is happening outside?"

“Do you know any high-ranking state government officials?”

Several people shook their heads. How could they know high-ranking officials of the state government?

The old mayor smiled, but it was a forced smile. "So... do you know any powerful chaebols?"

"The kind of tycoons who can provide you with hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for campaigning or realizing one of your ideas?"

Several people continued to shake their heads. They already vaguely knew what the old mayor was going to say, and their faces turned somewhat gloomy.

"Look!" the old mayor spread his hands. "You have neither connections with the upper class nor capital willing to support you. What right do you have to fight?"

He saw his student wanted to speak, so he raised his hand to stop him. “You must want to say that I became the mayor without the support of these people.”

"When was that?"

"What time is it now?"

"That's why you can only see the small area in front of you. You haven't gone out to see the bigger world and understand the real working mechanism of this world."

"If there hadn't been this war, perhaps you would have had a chance to step onto the stage."

"But the war broke out, and the last chance was gone."

His student finally couldn't help asking, "Why do you say that?"

At this time, his son stopped talking loudly and his face was full of curiosity.

The old mayor sighed and said, "If the Federation wins the war, the power in the hands of officials will be strengthened to a certain extent."

"They can gain more benefits, more interests, and more power. As the most solid link in the lower levels of the political environment, the mayor has unlimited potential."

"If the war fails and the Federation faces all kinds of external troubles, the mayor can seize power at this time and keep some of the fruits when someone needs to be sacrificed."

"Don't forget, William's last name is Lawrence."

They immediately thought of the two supermarkets that had recently appeared in Lake City, and also thought of the largest farm cluster in Likalai State, Lawrence Farm!
Seeing that they had gained something, the old mayor was somewhat relieved. At least they were not really stupid. They just had never seen big storms and could not react for a while.

A smile gradually appeared on his face. "Actually, you don't need to be too disappointed. Although none of you can take over my job, I have found new jobs for you."

The smart student had already thought of the answer, "You mean, let us work for William?"

The old mayor shook his head. “Not exactly. You have to serve the Lawrence family and the Lance family.”

"Lance Family?" His son said the word in confusion. "I have never heard of the Lance Family. What family is it?"

The old mayor looked helpless. "Look, you don't even know the people with the best market conditions right now, how can you successfully get the apple from them?" "The Lance Family refers to the power of 'Lance White', a gang... or a power similar to a group company."

"Don't underestimate this young man. He is only 24 years old, but he has already established connections with Congress and is running a huge business and gang."

"He is the real decisive factor. I hope you can work for him so that you can better access the truth of this world and the larger world."

As he was talking, a servant came running over, "Master, Mr. Lawrence is here."

The old mayor said quickly, "Push me over!"

Soon the group saw William getting out of the car outside the villa. William had just received a call. The old mayor recommended William to the state government organization commissioner.

Out of respect for local leaders, after a brief discussion, William received a call from the state government, asking him to prepare to begin managing the daily work of Lake City as acting mayor next week.

When William heard the news, he jumped up. After expressing his gratitude, he hung up the phone and then hurried over.

He knew that Lance must have played a key role, but as a politician and an actor, what he needed to take care of most now was not Lance's side, not the state government's side, but the old mayor's side.

The commissioner reminded him that it was the old mayor who nominated him, so he became the acting mayor. Otherwise, he would have to compete with several other people waiting, and he might not win.

When he saw the old mayor, William's face was filled with a big smile, revealing his teeth that cost him eight hundred dollars a year to take care of, and sometimes he had to pay extra money.

Very white, very healthy, and gives a good impression when smiling.

"Mr. Mayor, you don't need to come to greet me on such a cold day."

He walked to the wheelchair and shook hands with the old mayor, holding hands together, and then looked at the people next to him.

He knew these people, including local city councillors and officials in city hall.

He nodded and greeted them, then took the initiative to push the old mayor's wheelchair and returned to the room with him.

After they sat down, William talked about the news from the commissioner, "After discussion, the state government has decided that I will continue to take over your work as the acting mayor after you retire."

"This is my first time doing this kind of work. I am a little worried. I will definitely need your reminders and help when the time comes."

The mayor would definitely not refuse, “No problem, I will help you take over all the work and the city hall completely.”

“I’ve worked for this city for many years and I want it to be better.”

"But you see, I am an old man with limited abilities. The greatest wealth I can bring to this city is to prevent it from getting worse, not better!"

"You are a capable person, William. I can see that under your leadership, Lake City will blossom with a brilliance that no one has ever seen!"

The old mayor spoke highly of him and expressed himself directly, which surprised William a little, but he soon realized that any transaction is a two-way deal.

He first thanked the old mayor for his statement, then was silent for a while, "What can I do for you?"

The question was very direct, but the old mayor laughed and said, "My son and students want to see the outside world. They actually have good grassroots work abilities, but lack exposure to the outside world."

"I know, William, that you are an excellent and capable person."

"I don't expect them to become councillors or mayors right after they graduate, but as long as they can have a job, I'll be satisfied."

The requirements were very low, and William was reluctant to give him a starting point that was too low. He thought about it and finally agreed.

“Are they willing to do non-governmental but politically related work?”

The old mayor nodded repeatedly, "Of course!"

In fact, his statement, which asked the children and students to leave, was also an expression of "sincerity".

Look, I've transferred the people who have the greatest influence on this city away, allowing you to have complete control of the city. How can you not show some appreciation?

William could not refuse such a statement. Keeping these people would be a trouble instead. The best option was to send them away.

However, when sending them away, we cannot send them to see God. Instead, we should assign them a job, or at least make sure that no one can find fault with them in this regard.

He immediately thought of Lance. The Lance family was growing faster and faster and was in great need of some "high-end" talents.

Although these people may not be considered high-end, they are definitely much more capable than the cadres in the Lance family. They have always been involved in grassroots work and know how to deal with some problems.

All they lacked was a higher perspective, and that, Lance could provide.

It's like a girl in need and a loving man agreed on a price, and they hit it off and everyone is happy.

The news that William became the acting mayor soon spread back to Jingang City. After Lance learned the news, he called Attorney General Terry and asked who was behind this matter.

They contributed, whether it was because of Lance's reputation or the influence of Senator Cleveland's political group, they always did something to influence the final outcome.

So he has to do favors no matter what, otherwise people will think he is not up to the standard.

Attorney General Terry didn't say anything like you're welcome, he just mentioned several state officials, including the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State does not plan to run for governor. He seems to have other ideas. In addition, he cooperates very well with Lance on this matter, so Lance feels that his demands may actually be bigger than running for governor.

He might want to go to Congress!
According to the federal government system, the president is actually on the same level as the governor, and being a governor is equivalent to being a mini-president.

But from the perspective of setting the rules of the game, Congress clearly has higher power, and the current war situation is very favorable, which means that the possibility of federal victory is very high.

The Union's victory in the war seemed to strengthen the president's authority, but the president's fucking time had come!
As soon as the war is over, a general election will be held immediately, so the one that will receive the real epic strengthening is the Federal Congress.

Senator Cleveland has clearly gained an advantage in the congressional group. Lance has provided too much "ammunition" for him to continuously win over more members of Congress, and now he has become strong.

If the Secretary of State wants to enter Congress, he must have the approval of Congress. Obviously, the approval of Senator Cleveland's group is very important and can play a crucial role.

Of course, these are all Lance's own opinions. As to whether it is true or not, he is not sure, but he thinks it is.

After thanking Attorney General Terry, Lance asked someone to prepare some local specialties.

Because of the outbreak of war, local specialties have become more and more popular among people. A small piece of gold can do a lot of things, and the facts have once again proved that gold is more stable than any currency!
William called back later and talked to Lance about arranging matters for the old mayor's family.

"...The commissioner told me that the mayor's recommendation played a big role, so I talked to him and he was willing to withdraw all his people from Lake City."

Hearing William say this, Lance felt the decisiveness and courage of the old mayor.

If he didn't, as William's "invasion" of Lake City deepened, these stubborn local forces would surely become a barrier to their complete control of Lake City.

At that point, Lance would have no choice but to find a way to send them all away.

But now, the old mayor directly proposed to send these people away without leaving any chance for Lance. This is the political wisdom of a politician who has been here for more than 20 years!

"What does he want?", he asked.

William said with a smile, "He wants to find a home for these people, and I thought of you."

"The company's development is lacking some manpower, and these people may be able to provide you with some help."

"I'll arrange for them to go to your place first. If you think it's appropriate, you can stay."

"If you feel it's not suitable, try to arrange for them to go somewhere else, even if it's just to make them a manager or something, at least they have a job."

“The old mayor is a very transparent person. Even if they don’t give them jobs, he won’t say anything.”

Lance said "hmm", then asked with a smile, "Do you need to go back and hold a celebration ceremony or something?"

"If the farm knew you were the acting mayor, they would definitely hold an event!"

(End of this chapter)