Chapter 1303: Serious Handling

Our losses exceed two million.

At the mining company's board meeting, the president slammed the table twice, drawing everyone's attention.

His stern expression matched everyone's mood at the moment, like a cold winter.

Losing two million isn't just losing two million—it's losing four million.

The two million already lost in costs, plus the two million in future profits that need to be made up, makes four million in total.

To earn back this four million, we need at least forty million in revenue.

The mining industry's net profit margin isn't high; currently, mainstream metal resources are relatively abundant and being mined, so net profit is only about fifteen percent.

After taxes, around thirty-five million in revenue could roughly recover this loss.

And thirty-five million in revenue is nearly their entire quarterly income—this, even during the global industrial boom.

The victory in the war made all nations recognize the importance of industrial technology; Slate, Dentra, and other nations directly involved in the war are now vigorously developing industry.

Industrial development relies on various metals, so mining companies' benefits have improved significantly compared to previous years.

Yet even so, suddenly losing a quarter's profit makes the company feel uneasy.

"What did the insurance company say?" asked the vice-chairman of the board.

The president shook his head: "The insurance company says this isn't a natural disaster; their exemption clause mentions damages from irresistible human factors are not compensable. Legal says we can try suing them, but we might not win, and we must prepare for the possibility of losing the suit and getting no compensation—and possibly losing a large sum."

After hearing the president's explanation, the board chairman nodded with a solemn expression—this is basically the insurance company's usual tactic, whether for ordinary people or these large corporations; their attitude remains consistent.

They won't treat insured parties differently just because they're large companies or capitalists; if they can avoid paying, they will try not to compensate.

Moreover, this clause was written into the contract from the start; we can only say the mining company failed to consider these factors when drafting the contract.

Suing is unlikely to succeed, and the state where the insurance company is based will certainly support them judicially; to recover this money, we'd have to sue in other states.

But doing so would be costly, with court appearances increasing for both sides; each hearing and each evidence-gathering session incurs substantial costs.

Perhaps recovering these two million in losses would require paying three to four million in legal expenses, including bribing some judges and judicial personnel.

The vice-chairman flicked his pen, turned to the secretary taking minutes, and said: "Record this clause—require it to be added in future contracts with insurance companies, so it doesn't appear in the exemption section."

As for whether the insurance company will agree?

Of course they will—they can use this opportunity to demand higher premiums.

Actually, for large companies, dealing with insurance firms is more like a "bet"—betting whether the insured item will have issues during the agreed period.

And around the details of this betting, we keep adding various expenses until both sides are satisfied.

This is also why some enterprises refuse insurance—they're gambling that no accident will occur in the coming year; of course, many companies don't want to gamble and are willing to allocate three to five percent of total investment as insurance premiums to ensure project safety.

The secretary noted it quickly; the vice-chairman continued: "But this matter can't just end like this—if we bear the loss ourselves, we'll struggle to explain to shareholders, and this isn't our fault."

He jabbed two fingers on the table: "This is the Porter government's problem—he caused this terrible turmoil, making us suffer losses beyond our plans, so the Porter government must compensate us."

Other board members nodded in agreement; if it weren't for Little Porter's foolish actions causing such a commotion, the mines in Ludu wouldn't have had problems.

"We need to form a legal team to research whether we can get the Porter government to compensate us for some losses."

"Even if it can't compensate all of it, at least we should reduce our losses."

The president immediately agreed: "I'll get started right away."

The vice-chairman sighed: "I don't know when we'll resume operations—I now have second thoughts about choosing Porter initially."

"During the Social Party's rule, although our previous president wasn't exactly a good person, at least in this regard we never suffered extra losses."

"The Liberal Party has been out of power too long—they don't understand the art and methods of governance."

"If they can't give us a satisfactory compensation plan this time—", the vice-chairman leaned back, "—perhaps we should contact the Social Party; maybe they can offer us some help, some inspiration."

This scene nearly occurred for every company suffering losses in this turmoil; after the war ended, President Porter took office, and under his push began this "capital colonial" beginning.

The Secretary of State helped these Liberal Party members and Porter's supporters invest in the Azure Blue region, opening a window and platform—originally a good thing.

But because of Little Porter, they suffered heavy losses, which they cannot accept.

Capital has never been warm-hearted; its core is pursuing greater profits and reducing greater losses.

When they suffer losses, they think of shifting these losses onto others.

President Porter also has a headache—many domestic enterprises have contacted the presidential office, discussing losses from the turmoil caused by Little Porter, implicitly demanding the federal government should cover their losses and handle aftermath.

For small and medium enterprises, President Porter can ignore them, letting them be handled through proper procedures.

But for some major capitalists and conglomerates, their demands Porter cannot pretend not to hear.

These people are the Liberal Party and Porter government's most important supporters; once offended, their votes will go to others.

The Liberal Party isn't only President Porter as a presidential candidate; party presidential candidates are often composed of multiple individuals, and only those who win internal party elections become the final party nominee.

In the midterm election, President Porter isn't the sole Liberal Party candidate; there will also be some internal challengers, who can be seen as election pacemakers—though this doesn't mean they won't threaten his presidential seat.

Thinking about how he'd painstakingly maintained stability for three years, only to have his grandson nearly destroy it in this short month, President Porter slept poorly these past few nights.

He simply couldn't sleep.

As soon as he lay down, his mind filled with those people's hard attitudes and tones, plus the headache of dealing with these issues.

At least over a hundred million in losses need him to bear—he definitely can't afford this cost, so he can only adjust policies, using taxpayers' and national funds to compensate these capital forces' losses.

But this isn't easy; wanting to solve these problems this way means it's not something he can do alone—he also needs congressional approval.

These matters involving large funds and policy adjustments even require majority approval to pass—this is again a political game and trade within and without the Liberal Party, within and without Congress.

"Damn it!"

The President Porter, lying on his side tossing and turning unable to sleep, couldn't help but curse again; amid his fluctuating emotions, he gradually drifted off.

The next morning he woke up, simply handled overnight urgent duties, then left the presidential office and headed to the Liberal Party Committee office building.

Today there is an internal Liberal Party meeting here, which he needs to attend.

Also attending are party high-ups and senators from this side of the Senate, discussing the adverse consequences of this turmoil and countermeasures.

He arrived relatively early; previously, when attending similar meetings, he always arrived last, but this time he feels at fault, so he can only come a bit earlier.

The committee chair arrived even earlier than him; having reached this position, he no longer needs to demonstrate his status here by arrival time, meeting room order, or sequence.

"Good morning, Potter.", the committee chairman greeted him.

"Good morning to you too.", President Potter sighed, taking his seat in the exclusive presidential chair.

"You look a bit haggard; haven't you been resting well lately?", the committee chairman appeared concerned, but these words were not merely an expression of concern.

President Potter could not immediately discern what these words truly meant to convey, so he merely went along with their surface meaning, replying, "Yes, I've been somewhat insomnia lately, and the heating has dried out my nose."

The committee chairman chuckled twice with a "hehe", saying, "You should take some time to properly relax and rest; don't always keep yourself tense."

President Potter shook his head, offering no further reply.

Soon everyone had gathered, and after the meeting room door was closed, the committee chairman, as the highest-ranking party member here aside from the president, spoke first.

"The reason for convening this meeting should be clear to you all; we are now facing the first crisis of trust after taking office."

"In recent days, more than one of our important partners has called me, or written to me—", he said, producing several envelopes to display, "—they are all inquiring about the same issue."

"How do we compensate for their losses?"

"In fact, this turmoil has nothing to do with us; the problems within Ludli itself are already severe."

"Class contradictions, internal and external contradictions, long unresolved and unable to be effectively released, it is like a barrel of explosives that could detonate at any time and place; it just so happens that at this special time, a special person has lit this powder keg."

The committee chairman turned to President Potter, "Do you have any good solutions?"

President Potter fiddled with the ballpoint pen in his hand, a newly popular writing instrument that has only recently begun to trend.

Fountain pens always leak ink, even those high-end luxury brands face this issue, and carelessly they can stain those more expensive custom-made garments.

Thus it is rare to see members of the upper class carrying fountain pens at all times, not because they fear soiling their clothes, but because they fear that soiling their clothes afterward will make them look undignified.

The ballpoint pen was actually invented some time ago, but due to unresolved material issues, it has not achieved large-scale production and application.

Over these two years, the federal level of technology, including metallurgical techniques, has advanced rapidly, absorbing large numbers of talents from various countries, achieving major breakthroughs in every field.

The materials for the ballpoint pen have also been resolved, ensuring its writing smoothness and stability, and it is becoming a star in society.

No ink leakage, smooth writing, portability—these are important for some businesspeople and government officials.

Therefore, the ballpoint pen in President Potter's hand, which he flipped between his fingers, did not experience any ink leakage.

As he swung the ballpoint pen, he pondered the problem; after about ten or so seconds, he replied, "Actually, the solution we have in mind is already clear to us."

"It's nothing more than a few such options."

"One is to compensate them partially through taxation and subsidies, but this requires congressional approval."

"Another is to pacify the unrest in Ludli locally; I have already submitted an application to congress to deploy our army, but it failed the first time."

The committee chairman nodded and said, "Yes, I heard that the Social Party voted against it there, believing this is other countries' internal affairs and unrelated to us, and Djeddah also expressed strong opposition."

President Potter emphasized his tone, "They are causing us trouble; if Ludli's problem remains unresolved, it will be a major demerit for us."

Some people wore smiles of ill intent on their faces, clearly directed at President Potter, yet not entirely incorrect to say, for President Potter, that is, for the Liberal Party.

The Liberal Party and the president are one; if President Potter were truly "done in" by them, then the situation of next year's midterm election would undergo some unpredictable changes.

Any unforeseen changes are not allowed!

At this moment, a senator said, "Why don't you directly sign a presidential order?"

"Two or three months of time would be enough for our soldiers to clear Ludli from top to bottom."

"What are you worried about?"

President Potter overlooked the "thorns" in his words, "Of course I can sign a presidential order, but I need to consult the committee's opinion."

"After all, besides being the federal president, I am also a member of the Liberal Party; I submit to the party's decision, an attitude I declared upon joining the Liberal Party."

Everyone present here are seasoned politicians; standing at the pinnacle of Jin Zita, they certainly do not have merely a good ancestor, but also possess sufficient ability themselves.

President Potter intends to distribute this responsibility, so that if something unexpected happens in the future, it will not be his own "stubborn independence", but the unified result of the Liberal Party, the party's decision.

Everyone is considering whether to express their stance; expressing stance now seems simple—just raise a hand, or say something like "I think you can do that"—but once an incident occurs requiring responsibility, whoever speaks first will bear more responsibility.

It is like————an accidental killing from a brawl, where the first to strike often bears a heavier charge, for he is the fuse, the initiator of everything.

Like little Potter.

What he actually did was merely morally deficient, causing no direct harm to the federation or Ludli, yet people still attribute everything to him.

The meeting room fell into a strange calm; each person appeared to be thinking, immersed in their own world, but in fact they were all waiting, waiting for someone else to speak first.

President Potter was not in a hurry either, for he knew this matter would surely pass, just as he had expressed, he too is a member of the Liberal Party.

He lost face, and the Liberal Party will lose face; he can be shameless, but the Liberal Party cannot be shameless.

After a long while, the committee chairman finally spoke first, "The Social Party clearly will not support our military action against Ludli; behind this matter lies the shadow of the Social Party, they hope this affair becomes more chaotic, the better, ideally chaotic to the point we cannot resolve it."

"Therefore, I support your idea, Potter; quickly pacify it, then pursue responsibility where due, and compensate where due."

As soon as the committee chairman spoke, others immediately chimed in with support, as if they had suddenly attained great enlightenment at this moment!

Regarding these people's choices and decisions, the committee chairman said nothing, after all, his position is higher, so he must bear responsibilities others do not.

After everyone's expression of stance took effect, the committee chairman raised his hand to signal it was enough, then asked, "How do you plan to deal with your little guy?"

President Potter sat there with a blank expression, as if discussing someone with no blood relation to him.

"He has disappointed me utterly, and the trouble he has caused me is not limited to this; I have had enough of him damaging our dignity and advantage outside, so this time I decide to respect the judgment of the law."

The committee chairman's face showed a hint of satisfied smile, "Your idea is good; power is not our reason for favoritism, and what he did is truly too wicked, the impact too bad, too great."

"Just go through the legal process; after things pass, we can see whether he realizes his mistake and whether he is willing to make amends."

He left President Potter a "Piba", so that when people's attention is not on this place, he can still perform some operations to get him out.

But he clearly misjudged President Potter's intention; he truly does not want little Potter to come out at all.

He shook his lion head and said, "I would rather he stay inside and not harm us, than risk releasing him!"

This remark left the committee chairman and others stunned for a moment, then they felt a sudden understanding of President Potter's ruthlessness.

Indeed, it is time to make a cut and a transformation.

The committee chairman nodded, "It's best you think this way; have someone promote it, or perhaps this could also be part of your campaign content next year."

People like a just leader who can cut himself when necessary; in crucial times, for the next year's midterm election, if President Potter uses this as campaign content, he can gain people's support.

He would even have his own grandson thrown in jail if he committed a crime, let alone show leniency to other privileged classes who aren't on good terms with him.

Of course, this is what the public imagines, but in reality, those people considered to not have a particularly close relationship with him are the ones who receive preferential treatment and leniency.

At the pinnacle of power, blood relations are not the sole standard influencing their judgment and assessment; it is the power and interests they hold in their hands that matter.

Next, they discussed adjusting strategies to make up for issues with these enterprises, such as the mining and industrial companies that suffered the most severe damage this time.

At Lu Li's mines and factories, everything was destroyed, the equipment inside was ruined, and these pieces of equipment were very expensive.

The solution was to give higher policy subsidies to the ore imported from Lu Li, offering a few percent subsidy per yuan of ore.

These policy subsidies equate to pure profit; over the course of a year, they would not only allow those enterprises to compensate for their previous losses but also make a big profit—this would be the Liberal Party and the Porter government's compensation to them, and they should be satisfied.

Of course, these measures still require approval from the Social Party, after all, they involve national finances and national policy, so it depends on whether they can extract what they want from the Social Party to achieve these deals.

The meeting lasted over two hours, and after that, President Porter returned to the presidential palace and held a press conference.

As he stepped from outside into the press conference venue, countless flashbulbs nearly blinded him.

Fortunately, he had already somewhat adapted; he slightly squinted his eyes and walked to the center of the press conference stage.

"I invited everyone here today mainly to respond to some recent issues."

"We are not avoiding problems, but actively thinking of countermeasures to solve them."

"First, regarding my grandson, Xiao Porter's issue."

President Porter said, lion, stepping back a few steps, then bowed.

"I apologize to everyone for what he did in Lu Li."

Afterwards, he straightened up, returned to his position, placed both hands on either side of the lion lectern, "As president, I deeply feel my failure in educating family members; I was too focused on my work and neglected their discipline and education in this regard. This is not just his problem, but also mine. I apologize to the victims!"

"This matter has also made me reflect on some issues."

"Perhaps it's time for someone to step forward and ring the alarm bell for everyone."

"Let them, before committing those heinous acts, at least have this concern in their hearts, make them stop, think first, consider the consequences, and weigh whether doing so is worth it!"

"I have also heard many voices from society; as his grandfather, I am deeply pained, but I must follow the people's opinion."

"Punish Xiao Porter severely!"