Chapter 1015: What is Lost and What is Gained

As the wedding march began to play, Lanse turned his head toward the entrance of the church. A man dressed appropriately was holding his daughter's hand, walking in along the red carpet.

Arthur was married.

Lanse was invited to attend this wedding, and he sat beside Mayor Williams.

Mayor Williams had arrived in New Jincheng by train early in the morning and then rushed over to attend this wedding. He would probably stay in New Jincheng for two days, visit some middle and high-level party members, and then return to Jincheng.

This was a good opportunity for him to officially step into the middle level of the Social Party. Arthur's wife's father was himself a middle-to-high-level Social Party member. With his help, Mayor Williams' "promotion" would be very smooth.

And no one would think he was unsuitable. The tax revenue that Jincheng could submit to the Federation every year was still a considerable figure, and as the mayor of Jincheng, it was naturally a very important position.

Firmly grasping this money-making machine in the hands of the Social Party is a long-term political goal of the Social Party.

Moreover, some of the recent practices of Mayor Williams and Lanse were quietly spreading in the way of "I have a secret." They all knew that the Lianbang You Bao might be about to form a new interest group.

Spanning capital, politics, and gangs, Lanse played a very critical role in this new interest group. He connected all the key factors, allowing them to form a whole.

This is the most interesting thing. People who did this kind of work in the past were often those capitalists, but this time it was Lanse.

Mayor Williams also played a relatively important role in this. After all, the Lianbang You Bao is not like those industrial states where every city can bring huge tax revenue.

In the Lianbang You Bao, only the coastal cities have higher tax revenue, and Xigu City is now very close to Jincheng. They only need to control a few large tax-paying cities, which is equivalent to controlling the key to the state's tax revenue.

Coupled with the large number of votes controlled by Lanse and the Lawrence family, they can be said to have initially mastered the ability to appoint and remove governors.

This is the purpose of federal politicians tirelessly pursuing votes and voters. Although these people are all mud-legged, they can really use the votes in their hands to create miracles in their eyes one after another!

Now that the miracle is in one's own hands, it is only natural to form a local interest group with Lanse as the core.

Senator Cleveland had not discussed this issue with Lanse either. Now the entire Federation is seeking stability, and the federal government and Congress have no good way to restrain the local areas.

Before they find a good way, as long as the Lianbang You Bao at least superficially obeys the federal government and Congress, they will not interfere too much.

After all, the federal government and Congress cannot truly manipulate the "internal affairs" of a state; the word "internal affairs" is used here.

So as long as they respect the rights and status of the federal government and do not deduct the federal tax handed over to the federal government, turning a blind eye is not impossible.

Eliminating localism and eliminating mountain-topism is a long-term political task. Before there is any plan that can be taken out, compromise is more appropriate than anger.

Actually, they are not without ideas, but all of this must wait until the authority of the federal government reaches its peak due to the victory of the war before it can be done.

When the federal government only wants to be a "big housekeeper," even if they want to do it, they may not be able to succeed.

The masters of New Jincheng are also willing to get to know Mayor Williams, this newly promoted local dignitary; perhaps everyone will have something to cooperate on in the future.

Since he arrived here, his face has been full of smiles, and he hasn't stopped for a moment.

He also watched the young lady who was about to become his daughter-in-law slowly arrive at the front of the church under the guidance of her father, and handed his daughter's hand to Arthur.

Mrs. Williams was sitting one seat away from Lanse. She was wiping her tears with a handkerchief. As a young mother, seeing her son truly married and an adult, she had an indescribable emotion and sigh.

Actually, she is still very young. She was only eighteen or nineteen when she gave birth to Arthur. She might only be thirty-nine or forty years old this year.

Because she takes good care of herself, she might only look like she is in her early thirties.

After she and Mayor Williams came to New Jincheng, some people even thought she was Mayor Williams' daughter, although from a certain perspective, saying so is not wrong.

Feeling his wife's crying, Mayor Williams held her hand, "You should be happy. This bastard has already become a man. He needs to become mature and become the way we hope he will become."

Lanse, sitting on the side, listening to Mayor Williams' rhetoric, also felt some emotion. He certainly hadn't seen Arthur's appearance when he blackmailed Mr. Qiaobafu (the banker).

That arrogant and domineering expression, that appearance of "If you don't give me money, I'll make it so you can't stay here"—is that just "mature"?

But this is also a common problem of big families. These people seem to never know how bad the young people they still see as children are outside.

Actually, they may not know, but to them, this kind of badness is just a kind of playfulness unique to children.

So what if he blackmailed a banker?

So what if he toyed with some civilian women?

This is the biggest problem between classes.

However, as a member of the era's vested interest group, Lanse wouldn't say it either, just keeping a smile.

After Mayor Williams comforted his wife for a while, he let go. At this time, Arthur was swearing to God in front of the priest that he would love his wife forever.

And his wife also indicated that she would never leave Arthur.

God is sometimes not easy to be, because both of them are fucking lying, but God cannot send down miracles to tell people they are lying and will not bless their marriage.

He must remain silent and pretend to bless their marriage.

God is really not easy to be!

Watching the two exchange rings and start kissing, people stood up and applauded one after another—a political marriage that met everyone's wishes.

The dignitaries at the center connected with the local dignitaries, giving them a way out and also gaining local support.

And the dignitaries at the local level opened up the road to the center, having the possibility of going further, laying a foundation for the future development of the family.

As for the two young people on the stage who actually hadn't met many times, whether they really loved each other and how long this marriage could last, actually no one cared.

Lanse also stood up and applauded, doing what a guest invited should do.

The wedding ceremony ended at this moment. If it were a civilian wedding, it is highly probable that everyone would return to where they came from.

But this is not a civilian wedding. Outside the church, there were buses sending the visiting guests to a large hotel nearby. There was also a party about the wedding here, which could be considered a kind of high-level social interaction.

"I heard you have been very busy lately. I hope it didn't take up too much of your time. If you have something to do this afternoon, you don't have to attend the later activities."

On the bus, Mayor Williams expressed his goodwill. He knew that Lanse had indeed been very busy lately.

Before coming to New Jincheng, he had heard some things about the trouble Lanse caused in New Jincheng. As for why he could be sure it was Lanse, it was because such things had never happened before Lanse came.

After he came, these things happened. If someone said it had nothing to do with him, who would believe it?

Beating a direct member of the Perez family on the street, and even killing a few, with one becoming a vegetable—in the end, the Perez family had to give up the idea of immediate revenge and negotiate with Lanse again.

Then there was the matter of Senator Potter being attacked. Ordinary people had many guesses, guessing anyone, but anyone with a little political sensitivity knew that the war hawks led by Senator Cleveland were the most suspicious.

And Lanse was someone around Senator Cleveland. Others might just be suspicious, but Mayor Williams was already certain.

However, he didn't bring up this matter, nor did he have the idea of verifying the truth of this rumor with Lanse.

Some things you can think about, just like you have a very good friend, you always feel he smells good, you can think so in your heart, and even try to explore it.

But you can't ask, because if you really ask, your relationship with him will become bad.

Such a busy person must have a lot of things to do.

Lanse shook his head slightly, "There won't be too many things these few days. I'll still go over later. After all, this is Arthur's wedding. Leaving halfway might cause damage to his young heart." Mayor Williams couldn't help laughing after hearing Lanse's explanation, "What damage could he have?"

The tone was full of disdain, but in the deepest part, it was full of doting.

James also came this time. He sat in another car. Although he would inherit all of Mayor Williams' political legacy, it is highly probable that he would not inherit much "fatherly love."

When he got married, the wedding was not so grand. Mayor Williams just made a simple appearance and left quickly.

When it was Arthur's turn, not only did their whole family come from the Lianbang You Bao, but they also had to participate until the very end.

It is hard to say whether this is what he really wanted—having power, but losing other things.

And Arthur, this younger brother of his from a different mother, besides only possessing a small amount of power, he almost possessed everything.

Including the care from his parents.

The motorcade soon arrived at the hotel. Lanse and Mayor Williams arrived at the floor where the wedding party was held. A joyful atmosphere filled the entire room.

Lanse noticed that quite a few people from Jincheng also came, including Governor Terry's sister, and some others.

The Lawrence family also sent a few people to participate. In the eyes of ordinary people, this was just a party after a wedding, but in the eyes of those good at discovering, this was a vanity fair.

Soon someone took the initiative to walk over to chat with Lanse and get to know him. During this period, Lanse had indeed done quite a few things in New Jincheng, and his popularity was constantly opening up here.

The first to find Lanse was Arthur's wife's father, a Social Party member in his fifties.

He looked full of healthy red light, had platinum-white hair combed neatly backward, wore a slightly loose formal suit, and laughed loudly as he stretched out his hand and walked over when he saw Lanse from afar.

"Mr. White, I have always heard of your rumors. This is our first meeting!"

Lanse shook hands with him, "Indeed..."

Regarding Lanse White, Arthur's father-in-law already had enough understanding.

The more he understood, the more he marveled at his leap-frog growth. In the past history of the Federation and even the world, one could not find anyone whose development speed could be as fast as his.

Actually, it wasn't just him; in the entire Federation, many people had begun to pay attention to Lanse, and some people tried to find some replicable success from his past development trajectory.

But unfortunately, they couldn't find any bit of anything that could be replicated. Every step he took unexpectedly landed in places people didn't expect, but were just right.

Whether it was the ability to discover opportunities or the ability to seize opportunities, they were all top-notch, and he also possessed the courage that ordinary people couldn't possess.

He fell out with the Admiral as soon as he said so before. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid that even if they gritted their teeth and endured it, they would have to maintain this relationship.

But he cut it off as soon as he said so. This had nothing to do with courage; it was his absolute confidence in his own decisions!

This kind of person is very scary. As long as they are allowed to step on the crest of the wave, as long as the tide of the era doesn't stop, they won't stop.

So many people are willing to get to know Lanse. His gang background actually doesn't count as a negative label in many people's eyes.

If it were at normal times, people like Arthur's father-in-law would have to spend some effort to make friends with Lanse. After all, Lanse only associated with people at the level of congressmen in New Jincheng.

For middle-level politicians, he didn't have much contact.

The two said some very appropriate scene words. Today they were just getting to know each other initially. If they wanted to understand each other deeply, it certainly wouldn't be here. This was not a suitable occasion; they would choose another place.

Watching the two talking eagerly, some people had already begun to line up and wait, waiting for Lanse to be free, stretching out their hands to greet him!

Mayor Williams stood by, his face full of smiles. He looked around; these socialites from the Lianbang You Bao and from the local area were gathered together.

Perhaps there were no congressmen or federal cabinet members here today, but he believed that one day, there would always be a young person with the blood of the Williams family flowing in his body who could stand in the most dazzling place and talk and laugh with those who were out of reach for him now.

He glanced at James. This matter was highly likely to fall on James. Only if his wife could give birth to a daughter could they bind themselves more thoroughly with Lanse.

James, who was glanced at by Mayor Williams for no reason, suddenly shivered. He didn't know why he was somewhat afraid of Mayor Williams' gaze at this time. He had never seen such a gaze with strong emotions and aggression on his father, and he was a little panicked.

When Mayor Williams was glowing to welcome the most glorious moment in the history of the Williams family, Diego, the president of Lapa, was falling into the bottom of his life.

The continuous failure of the war had made him lose a lot of weight recently. He had dreamed of losing weight all his life, but he had never succeeded.

Now he had accidentally succeeded, but he couldn't be happy at all.

Since August, the intensity of the fighting had been constantly rising. The 200,000 soldiers were quickly beaten until only half remained, and the anti-government armed forces were also constantly replenishing their troops.

The scale and intensity of the war had escalated, and the money in his hands was not enough again.

So he quickly set his sights on the Republic of Jiede. Anyway, they had been aiding him, so it was natural that he thought of the Republic of Jiede first, not the Federation.

Lanse, the Federation—the aid of those people was not easy to take!

The President of the Republic of Jiede already had some predictions when Diego took the initiative to call, but he still underestimated Diego's appetite.

"Fifty million?"

"Diego, do you know what fifty million federal Sol means?"

Obviously, the President of the Republic of Jiede didn't want to pay this money, and he was also a bit tired now.

Obviously, Diego was not a qualified president. Before, he hoped Diego could hold on and become a banner against the federal people, but now it seems he couldn't do this at all.

And the Jiede President and his officials and aides had also gradually given up their fantasies.

Dealing with a small country with a world-class big country, even if they don't directly invade militarily, it is very difficult for a small country to resist.

Just like the current Lapa, with the support of the federal government, the strength of those anti-government armed forces is getting stronger and stronger. From being chased everywhere by the government army at the beginning, they have now begun to actively squeeze the living space of the government army.

The collapse of the Diego government is just a matter of time. The President of the Republic of Jiede, who has fully recognized this result, is no longer willing to invest.

Anyway, investing is meaningless, so why waste this money?

As for what will happen after the Diego government collapses, they have roughly had some premonitions.

Sometimes you can't resist, so you can only bite the bullet and enjoy it.

Diego hung up the phone somewhat desperately. He sat blankly in his chair, looking at the nice weather outside the window.

The current Lapa is still around twenty degrees. It is not yet the coldest time. The coldest time will be in February. At that time, Zhuolan might only have a temperature of ten degrees.

So from the current temperature, weather, and all aspects, these are the most comfortable months of the year.

Not hot, cool, gusts of sea breeze blowing through the open windows—the wind that only made people feel cool before now hid knives, constantly stimulating Diego's joints.

Gusts of wind blew, and his joints ached. In the end, he had to put on a coat to feel a little better.

The deep winter chill in the wind made people feel uneasy, but human power simply couldn't stop the arrival of winter; they could only welcome it. ===== CHAPTER 1016 =====