In the presidential palace in the Moreton district, some distance away from Lynch and the others, the president sat awkwardly at the conference table.
He tore off his tie and tore open his collar, leaving his collar open. One could even see some of his chest hair hidden inside.
His left arm was pressed on the table, and his sleeves were rolled up high. His entire head was on his left forearm, which was covered with thick body hair. He tilted his head and frowned. The cigarette in his other hand was almost burnt out, leaving a long trail of ash.
He had been in this position for a long time. He felt that his brain had turned into a paste, and he had lost the ability to think.
At the side of the conference table, there were also some people sitting. These people were all his aides, including some members of the cabinet.
Suddenly, Mr. President, who looked like he was about to fall asleep, shivered. He looked at his right hand and the cigarette butt that was slowly rolling from the table to the ground, emitting a few sparks. He burned his hand.
The pain woke him up. He wiped his face and looked at the others. "Gentlemen, we are now in a very dangerous situation. Congress has accepted the impeachment. What should we do next?"
When the rumor that someone was going to impeach the president began to circulate, the process had already begun. Otherwise, there would not have been such news on the market. It was tantamount to reminding the president that someone was going to deal with him.
Only when things started to happen and there was a need for momentum would this secret news spread.
The news from Congress was that the Progressive Party and the Socialist Party had colluded, and they had pulled many members of the House of Representatives to their side.
Canvassing for votes in the House of Lords and House of Commons had always existed, and people were used to it. At the same time, it also made some things more uncertain, because even the Conservative Party could stand on the Progressive Party's side.
The reason was simple. If the impeachment of the president could ensure the positive image of the Conservative Party in the eyes of the people, they would not hesitate to abandon the incumbent president and choose to stand on the opposite side of the president.
This sounded very funny, but it was the truth. There could be many presidents, but there were only so many states and votes. Losing a vote today meant that the opponent had a two-vote lead. The gap would only get bigger and bigger, and there was no need to tie it to one president.
The president's aides were also very depressed at this time. In fact, their policy had really worked. The international community, including the defeated countries, stood on their side and attacked the shameless behavior of the victorious alliance.
At the very least, it allowed the Federation to speak up on the international stage. As for the follow-up issues, they still needed to be pushed further.
However, the Progressive Party may not give them this opportunity. They directly launched an impeachment motion. They want the president to lose face and leave his position!
The silence continued. Mr. President suddenly picked up the cup and threw it to the side.
The glass bounced on the thick carpet, spilling the drink inside, but it didn't shatter. It only stained the carpet. He was angry, but he also felt innocent.
At this time, the chief of staff knew that he had to say something. He was the core figure of this group, so he had to make a stand.
He looked at the expressionless faces of his colleagues around him and coughed softly. "Mr. President, we'd better act now. We need more supporters..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the president. The president asked in a somewhat cynical tone, "Do we still have supporters now?"
After this sentence, the room returned to silence again. No one spoke because everyone knew that they had no supporters.
Whether it was political allies or those capitalists, they had all left them.
In politics, it had been proven that isolationism had obvious value at a certain time, but it had caused a huge drawback to the overall development. At this time, it was obviously a very stupid move to surround the president. It couldn't even be considered speculation.
Because he had already lost, the outcome was already obvious.
Economically, the unprecedented financial disaster caused many of the president's supporters to suffer heavy losses. These people would not continue to support the president.
They donated the money not to bankrupt themselves, but to get more returns. The current president obviously couldn't give them that, and they wouldn't waste even a penny on the president.
Perhaps there were still some people who supported the president, but as the impeachment bill entered the process, this small number of people would also become part of the mainstream argument under the influence of public opinion. They would also walk on the streets like many people, holding banners against the president and protesting.
They were already isolated and helpless, just like the policies they implemented.
In fact, this was foreseeable. When they couldn't quickly change the current situation of the Federation, they were destined to be abandoned.
The president sighed and waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to leave except for the chief of staff.
After the door was closed again, the president held a glass of wine and gulped it down. This was the first time in years that he had indulged his desires. "If I submit my resignation to Congress, would it be more dignified?"
After all, being ousted from the position and leaving on his own initiative could even garner some sympathy from the people and leave a part of the political legacy. Resigning seemed to be a better choice.
At this moment, the chief of staff had already understood the president's meaning. He could leave the position, not resist, and leave on his own initiative, but he had to use his departure in exchange for some value. This was what a politician was.
The next day, the president's chief of staff appeared at the farm of the chairman of the Progressive Party Committee.
Everyone had their own hobbies. Some people liked to play golf on the lawn, although the ball never went into the hole.
Some people liked to grow things in the countryside and raise some livestock.
The chairman of the Progressive Party was such an old man, a politician who used to be a farmer.
Standing on the edge of the cowshed, the chief of staff almost vomited when he saw the old man in his sixties, who was almost standing at the peak of politics, personally holding a large pile of dried green materials and stepping on the cow dung to send those things into the trough.
In fact, cow dung wasn't as smelly as human feces. Of course, it didn't taste that good either. But no matter what, it was still dung, and the old man ignored it and stepped on it. The chief of staff felt a little nauseous when he thought of the soft texture.
After watching the old man do the farm work for more than ten minutes, the old man washed his rubber overalls and led the chief of staff to an old-fashioned small house on the edge of the farm.
"If you can give us a hand, we can actually get to the point faster!"
The old man mocked the chief of staff for not knowing how to respect the old and love the young. Some people had such a habit. As soon as they opened their mouths, they would mock the old man, even if they didn't have much malice.
The chief of staff smiled. "I'm allergic to cow dung."
This sentence directly stunned the old man. He pointed at the chief of staff and said, "That's not a good excuse. It's very funny."
The chief of staff didn't continue to refute. The old man said, "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
"The president is willing to submit his resignation!"
The straightforward question and answer didn't surprise the old man too much. This kind of thing had happened countless times in history. And as the chairman of the Progressive Party Committee, his status was second only to the leader of the Progressive Party. He was the second most powerful person in the Progressive Party.
Sometimes, his status even surpassed the leader of the Progressive Party. After all, there were often leaders, but there was only one chairman.
There was no expression on the old man's face. He just looked at the chief of staff and said, "You've never experienced a struggle. You'll never know how touching and precious that kind of success is.
"It can unite people and make no distinction between you and me. Do you understand what I mean?"
The chief of staff listened and nodded. "I understand what you mean..."
Before he could finish his words, the old man interrupted him. "If you understand what I mean, you should tell him that between dignity and benefits, he can only choose one. He can't choose both.
"Now the Federation is facing an unprecedented amount of trouble, but this is also a huge opportunity. He may become a sinner now, but many years later, people will realize some of his contributions."
The old man's words suddenly made the chief of staff feel like the dark clouds had parted and he had seen the bright moonlight.
The reason why success was precious was because it was very difficult to obtain, and there might be many failures. That was why people cherished it.
Now, if the Federation wanted to be reborn, the simplest way was to establish an enemy and then unite everyone to defeat this enemy. This way, they would have an excuse and reason.
If the president wanted some benefits, then not only could he not submit his resignation, but he also had to continue fighting the Progressive Party and the opposition. The fiercer the fight, the closer the unity of the Federation would be, and the easier it would be for them to be reborn in the future.
But if he wanted dignity, not only would he not get anything, he might even become the biggest stain and scandal in history.
The old man was not surprised by the chief of staff's quick understanding. This was what they did for a living. "If you understand, then go tell that guy. Don't waste your time on me!"
That night, after the chief of staff and the president talked for more than an hour, the president issued a presidential order in the middle of the night. He decided to mobilize the National Security Council to arrest some "rumor-mongers". In an instant, the Federation was in an uproar.
Some people even thought that the president had gone crazy. Just because there was a rumor about impeachment, he actually mobilized the National Security Council. This was persecution!
This was terror politics!
The National Security Council's secret police were mobilized overnight, and many people were secretly arrested. The entire Federation was in a state of panic!
It was also that night that the son of the Federation president, a member of the Conservative Party who was not very famous, was sent abroad as a diplomat.
Everything played out in an orderly manner according to the script, and the audience was very invested in it!