Chapter 691: The More You Adjust, the More Chaotic It Gets

While checking the list of visitors this time, the Speaker of the House saw a name he had heard of but wasn't very familiar with: Lanse White.

"Does this matter also have a connection to this person?" He put down the list in his hand and looked at his secretary.

The secretary glanced at the slightly abrupt name on the list, and while continuing his work, said, "Currently, the underground world of New Jincheng has been unified, and this person, Lanse White, has become the emperor of the underground world there."

"He has relatively close cooperation with the Williams family, and at the same time, he also has some connections with Senator Cleveland's side."

The Speaker of the House raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Casino."

The secretary smiled and bowed slightly. "Yes, casino."

The huge benefits brought by the casino made everyone jealous; he looked at Lanse's profile again and curled his lips. "A lucky guy."

In fact, he could also get a share of the benefits Lanse's casino sent to the state government; after all, he was the Speaker of the House, not some small character, about 200,000 or so annually.

To say this money is a lot, it actually only accounts for about one-sixth to one-seventh of the Speaker's annual income outside of his salary.

But to say it is very little and doesn't make people interested, that is 200,000 after all.

Many people, let alone 200,000, even 20,000 or 2,000, might not necessarily be able to earn it, might not necessarily be able to take it out, let alone 200,000.

After checking these materials, he sat there thinking; soon these people would arrive, and the news from Congress was to ask him to invite them over for a talk, to let them stop being antagonistic.

The stability of the city is very important; this kind of behavior is not conducive to the subsequent development of New Jincheng.

He was considering what strategy to use to communicate with them.

Honestly, the Speaker of the House and Mayor Williams, and Mr. Charles and those people, didn't have any direct connection, at most it was a relationship of human sentiment.

Everyone knew each other, and it could be considered a superficial acquaintance; if they met, they could say two sentences, but it was limited to two sentences, and one more sentence wouldn't work.

Other than that, there was no deeper exchange.

He had a headache; those people in Congress really found him a big trouble.

This kind of order pressed down layer by layer from top to bottom, he was really powerless!

At 12:05 PM, the luxurious motorcade stopped outside the hotel, and Lanse and Mayor Williams came out of the car.

The Speaker of the House shook hands with them very enthusiastically, introduced himself, and then invited them into the hotel.

A little later, Mr. Charles and others also arrived here; they also had a luxurious motorcade and a bodyguard team that looked very large in number.

They were a bit afraid, afraid that Lanse would suddenly give them a hit, so they made precautions.

The overall bulletproof car plus a bodyguard team of up to 50 people, as long as Lanse and the others didn't drive out tanks, even if they encountered an attack, Mr. Charles and the others could hold out until the Manton police arrived at the scene.

The Speaker of the House, who had just settled Lanse and the others, ran downstairs again in a hurry to shake hands with Mr. Charles and others, introduced himself, and then led them into the hotel.

The negotiation would take place after dinner, and before that, they could move freely.

Mayor Williams and Lanse prepared to return to their rooms to rest after lunch; their rooms were just on opposite sides of the corridor.

When coming out of the elevator, Lanse took the initiative to ask, "Are you free tomorrow?"

Mayor Williams glanced at James, who took out a small notebook, which recorded his itinerary for tomorrow.

"Yes, an hour and a half, after lunch."

The sound of his speaking was not small, not covered up, and Lanse could also hear it.

This made Mayor Williams look directly at Lanse, with a slightly probing look as if asking what he was going to do.

"There are some things that can be talked about, with Owen, and his friends."

"Owen?" Mayor Williams repeated this name. "A very familiar name, but suddenly you mention this name, I can't remember who it is."

James reminded him, "Is it that secretary of the former mayor?"

Lanse nodded. "That's him."

A smile appeared on Mayor Williams' face. "I heard people say that he is actually Sydney's son."

He originally wanted to tell a joke he had heard, but when he saw that Lanse didn't show a smile, he froze. "Really?"

Lanse pursed his lips and didn't answer, but it was enough for Mayor Williams to know the answer!

"Wang Defa, how could he..." He wanted to say how could that guy Sydney do such a thing, when he suddenly got stuck.

Because he thought of Arthur, thought of Sydney's illegitimate son who had already finished, and the current Owen!

As a qualified politician, he immediately understood many things!

Using an illegitimate son in name who is not his own son to attract external malicious firepower, while hiding his true son until the end, and successfully inheriting everything from him.

He also heard that Owen is now a member of the State Assembly, and Sydney, after leaving office, squeezed out the remaining political value he had left, just in time to get Owen a seat in this year's House of Representatives.

This start is absolutely the best for Owen; in the House of Representatives, he can meet many people and quickly have his own interpersonal network.

At the same time, he doesn't need to bear the evil consequences after Sydney's downfall; he is just a secretary, and even if he can't get rid of some causal relationships, what can fall on him won't be that heavy.

Whether it is his subsequent pursuit of re-election, or his pursuit of turning to local development or development within the party, this is a relatively perfect start.

It can't be compared to the start of directly interning in the Presidential Palace, but in the region, it is already a very powerful start.

Although some people in New Jincheng are unwilling to admit it, the city of New Jincheng, after all, left the traces of Sydney's tenure as mayor, traces that cannot be erased!

Mayor Williams agreed, and didn't ask what specifically to talk about; anyway, he would know tomorrow.

Lanse slept until dinner time in the afternoon; originally the Speaker of the House intended to let everyone sit together for dinner, but it was still rejected.

Lanse got some things to eat in the room, then took a bath, changed into a set of clothes, and then came to the conference room.

Mayor Williams and James were already here, looking like they had been here for a while; there were two cigarettes in the ashtray in front of him.

If they weren't all his, he had been here for at least ten minutes.

He took the initiative to raise his hand to greet Lanse, and Lanse sat beside him.

The unfriendly gazes of those people sitting opposite them swept across Lanse, and they gathered together to whisper.

After waiting for a while, the Speaker of the House came here.

"The road is a bit blocked, the evening rush hour in Manton is really life-threatening, sorry!"

He sat in his position, in the middle of the two groups, and took the documents out of his briefcase, put them on the table, and flipped through a few pages.

"How should I say it?" After watching for a while, he looked up, glanced at Mayor Williams and Lanse beside him, and looked at Mr. Charles and the others on the other side for a while.

"I don't understand why you two sides have to make such a big fuss over a small matter."

He hoped someone would continue his words; negotiation, communication, the most important thing is speaking.

If they are not even willing to speak, how can it be called communication?

However, this also made him realize the difficulty of this mediation work; he frowned and looked at Mayor Williams. "Mayor Williams, you speak first."

Mayor Williams touched his hair. "The planning of New Jincheng is limited by the times and can no longer keep up with the current development speed; I want to expand the city to lay a good foundation for faster urban development; they are obstructing the city's development, it's that simple."

The Speaker of the House was a bit puzzled; if it was really that simple, how did it get involved with the refugee group?

He turned to look at Mr. Charles. "What about you?"

"Regarding Mayor Williams' statement, what do you have to say?"

Mr. Charles shook his head. "I respect the Mayor's development plan for the new city, but, Mr. Speaker, just because the city needs to develop, it doesn't mean I have to suffer losses, right?"

He looked at the Speaker of the House and took out a few documents and handed them over. "This piece of land was originally on the outskirts of the city, but according to the Mayor's plan, it will soon become a new central area close to the city center."

"You should also know something about the land price in New Jincheng; after these plots are commercially developed, their value is far higher than the compensation plan the City Hall is giving us now."

"The city needs to develop, I support it, but I won't let myself lose a large sum of money for the city's development!"

The Speaker of the House looked at some of the documents he provided and suddenly had a headache. If it was just a dispute of spirit, it would be relatively easy to mediate, but if it was for money, purely for money, it was the most difficult.

This document explains the changes in land prices, development trends, and people's confidence in the value of these lands; from any point of view, it is no problem for the prices of these lands to double several times.

He turned to look at Mayor Williams, who frowned and said, "The city's planning is always changing; the nature of this land's use was industrial construction before, and later it will indeed change its nature to commercial use."

"According to the supplementary contracts and local laws we signed, the City Hall has the power to require the recovery of these lands with changed nature and rearrange them for you."

Mr. Charles raised his eyebrows. "But the price must be reasonable; the price you are giving now is clearly unreasonable!"

"You only intend to give me a few million for land worth tens of millions; why should I obey you?"

Mayor Williams squinted at him. "Others can accept the price, but you can't?"

"You just want to blackmail me; don't make your reasons sound so grand!"

Mr. Charles couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Aha, this is the funniest joke I've ever heard; I'm blackmailing you?"

"How much money do you have for me to blackmail?"

"Don't say how upright you are, Williams; I know you, and you know me; put away those tricks of yours."

!

"You want this land, okay, no problem, just give the money!"

"If you don't give the money and still want to get this land, I can only say there's no way!"

His voice was a bit louder than before; at this time, after saying these words, he turned to look at the Speaker of the House. "I'm not giving you no face, it's just that these people speak too angrily; they are only willing to give me one-tenth of something worth tens of millions, and they can't even give one-tenth of the price."

"It's not that I'm begging you, Mayor Williams!"

"It's you begging me!"

He emphasized the tone on the title "Mayor Williams," giving people a feeling of being aggressive.

The Speaker of the House watched them argue for a while, couldn't help but pat the tabletop with his hand, and the two groups quieted down.

He tapped the tabletop hard. "Quality, gentlemen!"

"You are civilized people, not those uneducated illiterates; maintain your demeanor and etiquette, don't make me feel like you are clowns!"

He paused. "I roughly understand your current problem; I think, can we do this!"

He looked at Mayor Williams. "Charles said nothing wrong; the City Hall is definitely making a steady profit in this business."

"Can you appropriately increase some amount, don't lock it so dead?"

He looked at Charles again. "The city's planning and development are also a good thing for local businessmen like you."

"The city becomes more prosperous, the population is larger, and the money you earn will be more."

"You can completely lower the price a little bit, don't bite so dead."

Mr. Charles immediately said, "I can lower it a little bit, for your face, Speaker!"

The Speaker of the House had a little more smile on his face, and then he turned to look at Mayor Williams, who closed his eyes, looking like he didn't want to talk.

This made the Speaker of the House feel a bit annoyed, but he was still trying his best to mediate. "Look, Charles is willing to lower the price a little, why can't you take two steps forward?"

"Mayor Williams?"

Of course he couldn't take two steps forward; if he took two steps forward, after he returned to New Jincheng, he would have to take many steps backward!

He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked at the Speaker of the House. "The price that others can accept, why can't they accept it?"

"Speaker, I don't want to make you feel like you've lost face, but if I did that, the one losing face would be me."

"How will those who have already signed the contract view me? Will they go back on their word? Will it trigger problems we can't predict?"

"This price has been evaluated; from a little over 1,000 to 2,000, I have already shown my sincerity!"

"Other problems are easy to talk about, but this price cannot change!"

If it changes, it is equivalent to a disguised compromise with the Bay Area; the authority and majesty he has established will be lost cleanly along with the concession.

Charles knew he couldn't retreat, so he expressed his willingness to lower the price a little; this treacherous bastard!

The Speaker of the House looked at Mayor Williams, who also looked at him without fear; the gazes of the two collided, sparking fire!

Lanse coughed twice, interrupting the confrontation that was constantly heating up.

The Speaker of the House turned to look at Lanse, his expression softened a little, for the sake of the 200,000 a year.

"Mr. Lanse, do you have any insights?"

Lanse shook his head. "No, I just think we should rest for a while; everyone's emotions are a bit too excited."

The Speaker of the House glanced at Mayor Williams again, still giving Lanse this face. "Okay, then let's rest for a while."

Arriving in the lounge, Mayor Williams sat on the sofa with a gloomy face, crossed his legs, and lit a cigarette. "His butt is completely crooked; maybe Charles and the others have already fed him full!"

This is actually his angry words; whether it is Lanse or Mayor Williams, they both know very clearly that they are definitely at a disadvantage in this kind of mediation.

And they will be the side that becomes an obstacle to mediation.

Whether Charles and the others make concessions, and how much they make, will not affect the actual effect—the Mayor says one, I say two, I win!

Mayor Williams' side, on the contrary, cannot make any concessions at all; even if it is just increasing from 2,000 to 3,000 or 4,000, that is a concession to the Bay Area.

Those who have already signed the agreement will feel regret; what if they insist a little more?

Those who are wavering will stand on the side of the Bay Area again, because the Bay Area has once again proven that they are the rulers of New Jincheng.

So no matter what, Mayor Williams cannot make concessions, not even a single step.

It seems like a war triggered by "price," but in reality, they are fighting for the highest power of the city!

"We can't continue to let this Speaker of the House mediate; he will only become more biased; is there any way... to end this terrible mediation in advance?"

"For example, let the prosecutor take the police to arrest those who have evidence?" He made a suggestion.

Lanse shook his head; what Mayor Williams said was to arrest those involved for "prostitution" through the account book of the Red High Heels, which has no meaning.

This kind of crime might be fatal for politicians, but for these capitalists, it doesn't have much lethality.

Lanse was silent for a while, walked to the phone, picked it up, and dialed the number of Mero, who was left behind there.

"Have someone kidnap Charles' family, and then let them find a way to contact Charles."

As he said this, he put the receiver down and walked back to the sofa to sit down. "I have always arranged for people to watch them, and news will come over soon."

Mayor Williams nodded slightly; James sat behind and wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and at the invitation of the staff, they returned to the negotiating table.

The Speaker of the House glanced at Mayor Williams with an ugly expression. "After considering for so long, how have you considered it?"

He also took the initiative to persuade. "These are all small matters, there is really no need to make such a fuss over these small matters, it's not worth it!"

Mr. Charles' face still carried a mocking and sarcastic expression; he just wanted to see, he was willing to cooperate, how Mayor Williams would deal with it!

Mayor Williams remained silent; the Speaker of the House became a bit impatient again; he rarely encountered such a small character of mayor level who was so difficult to handle; he was just about to get angry when suddenly someone knocked on the door, and the knocking was very urgent.

The Speaker of the House asked someone to open the door; his secretary whispered a few words to the hotel staff at the door, and his face changed drastically.

After the door closed, he returned to the Speaker of the House, not knowing what to do, and whispered what happened in his ear.

The expression on the Speaker of the House's face immediately became serious; he looked at Mr. Charles, who was still a bit puzzled; how did it have anything to do with him?

He hadn't figured out what happened yet, and the Speaker of the House said, "There was a call from New Jincheng just now; your family was kidnapped on the way home..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 692 =====