After sending away the unknown lobbyist from the Duncan family, Langdon smiled bitterly and shook his head.
It was a very unpleasant experience of being lobbied. It was as if someone had stuck a finger in his nostrils and asked him if he was happy.
He did not know if he was happy or not, but it was painful and sour. He was about to cry, but he could not refuse.
It was not easy for him to get this position. He had not even warmed up his seat yet. How could he refuse the Duncan family's lobbying at the risk of being "adjusted"?
Representatives and senators were all members of Congress, but there was still a big difference.
The difference in numbers was actually a reflection of the status of both sides. The number of senators was much smaller than the number of representatives. At the same time, in some heavyweight committees, there were more senators, although they always said that both sides were equal.
The main reason was that members of the House of Representatives could be adjusted quickly. When a party decided to change the strategy of Congress, they could easily replace members of the House of Representatives who did not have a strong political background.
Those who cooperated could be changed to a state senator or something.
Those who did not cooperate could be kicked out completely with a simple reason.
Furthermore, even someone like Langdon, who did not have a strong political background, could become a member of the House of Representatives, although he paid the price of being a mayor.
Therefore, if someone wanted to get rid of him, the price would not be more than being a mayor of a small city. It might be much lower.
This was just like how the defensive side would always invest more than the offensive side. Whether it was financial resources, material resources, or energy, he had to ensure that his position was stable. As for other personal glory, it didn't matter too much.
He tilted his head and looked at the bright sunshine outside the window. His mood was far from as bright as the sun at this moment.
In the same bright sunshine, Mr. Geruno was playing golf with Mr. Fitch.
The temperature at the end of January was still a little cold. The thing that older people were most afraid of was the cold wind blowing outside.
The cold wind would turn into invisible blades that could pierce through people's clothes, their bodies, their bones, and leave behind a deep chill.
Therefore, they chose to play golf indoors. Indoor golf. Large pieces of special glass above their heads allowed them to bask in the sun.
There was not a long fairway here. In fact, it was just a green.
People would start from the starting point and hit the green, then putt into the hole. Although there was less of a vigorous swing, it was still a great way to pass the time for people who liked golf.
Mr. Geronimo was standing in front of his ball. He kept adjusting the angle of the putt and experimenting with different strengths. All his attention was focused on the ball and he did not even have time to speak.
Twenty seconds later, he gently swung the club and pushed the ball forward. He watched as the ball quickly rolled across the undulating lawn and finally fell steadily into the hole. He waved his fist and casually threw the club worth tens of thousands of dollars to the caddie without a care.
"Good shot!"
Mr. Fitch clapped his hands.
Mr. Fitch didn't look very tall. His hair was a little thin and white, and he looked like a very serious, but also very ordinary person.
Ninety-nine percent of the people walking on the streets wouldn't know that they had brushed shoulders with the most powerful person in the Federation. He was just that inconspicuous.
But in the political arena of the Federation, no one dared not pay attention to him. No one could not.
Mr. Geronimo took off his non-slip gloves and walked to the side. "I had this feeling. It will definitely go in!"
He also had a smile on his face. Scoring a goal was definitely a very enjoyable achievement for people who liked to play golf.
The caddie placed a golf ball on the mark and then gently and carefully moved the mark away.
Mr. Fitch tightened the gloves on his hands and took the equally expensive club. He adjusted the position and angle.
He was more decisive than Mr. Geronimo when he swung the club. He did not take too long to aim and predict. After about ten seconds, he swung the club. The ball twisted and turned on the green, but it still rolled in the direction of the hole.
Both of them held their breaths. The moment the ball fell into the hole, Mr. Fitch's face had a little more smile. "Looks like it's a tie again."
The caddie immediately brought him the scorebook. He casually glanced at it. "I remember correctly!"
He smiled and handed the club to the caddie. He did not take off his gloves and walked to another green with Mr. Geronimo.
There were many indoor greens here. Every once in a while, the terrain would change, so there could be more designs.
Complicated, simple, bumpy, smooth.
The two of them chatted as they walked.
"You took a big step this time. We still have some questions about the security law …"
When Mr. Geronimo brought up this matter, the two parties had already started to study this proposal. As for the Socialist Party … sometimes there was not much difference whether they were there or not.
In the Federation, there was a very strict attitude, a concept.
The capitalists controlled the wealth, the politicians controlled the power, and the military controlled the armed forces.
The Federation had developed from the past to the present. Although the capitalists had been infiltrating the political arena and the military, when it came to matters of principle, no one would back down.
The security law was obviously testing whether everyone's bottom line was the same as before. This was not a good sign, but they had a good excuse.
The Federation government currently had to take care of the country's image in the international community. It was not convenient for them to send troops everywhere. Even the "troops" sent to Najaril were "spontaneously" formed by retired soldiers.
They were not asked by the Federation government, nor were they asked by the Federation military to be stationed in Najaril to form an armed deterrent to Najaril and the surrounding areas. They were spontaneously hired by the local government to help them maintain the local peace.
The Federation government had nothing to do with this, but it definitely had nothing to do with the capitalists.
At the same time, this situation could only happen in Najaril. It could not happen in other places. The Federation would not provoke enemies with the name of "invaders."
Although there were warships escorting them, warships could only guarantee that there would be no problems on the sea under the protection of the warships. In the process of the capitalists' specific operations, they often encountered some problems.
"From the standpoint of the government, you can restrain other countries from respecting and protecting the legal rights and interests of our merchants, but you can't solve some things outside the law."
"Hooligans, gangs, scoundrels, such people exist everywhere. They themselves are outside the supervision of law and morality. Even their own government can't restrain their behavior, let alone the government of a country they may have never been to before."
The two of them walked to the top of the stairs. About a hundred meters away from them was another basketball court.
The ball boy followed them some distance away. The big shots who came here did not like to have someone around them when they were chatting.
Mr. Fitch was thoughtful after listening, and Mr. Geruno continued, "The concept of the Federation being rich has now become a worldwide consensus. In some places where our influence is weak, kidnappings, hijacking, and robberies against the Federation have occurred from time to time."
"The local government's inaction and even protective behavior left our merchants with no good options at all. They could only leave after losing a sum of money and goods. Some even paid with their lives."
"You can't protect us, but now we want to protect ourselves. Can't we?"
Standing by the door, Mr. Geruno gestured for Mr. Fitch to go through the door first.
Mr. Fitch frowned. "You can hire some bodyguards or people who can protect you. You can even buy weapons for yourself."
"We have already allowed private individuals to purchase various standard weapons from the military conglomerates of the Federation. You can actually do that, but you shouldn't talk about it in public."
"This is not an easy problem to talk about!"
The two walked down the slope, and the ball boy followed them at the right time.
The green was about a thousand square meters. In the middle of winter, there was still a tender green lawn, and the temperature was very suitable.
The tee point was at the back of a slope about thirty degrees. Teeing on this uneven surface was a test of the player's skills.
Mr. Fitch took the club from the ball boy and asked him to put the ball in place. He did not wait for long before he swung the club with force.
The ball was hit into the air, up and down, and it landed on the green with good luck.
Another ball boy ran to the spot where his ball landed, put a marker on it, and picked it up.
This was to prevent the two balls from colliding. Although this kind of thing did not happen that often, it had happened before, which was why such a measure was put in place.
Mr. Geruno took aim and continued, "But just because this proposal might hurt some people's sensitive nerves, we businessmen shouldn't have to bear the consequences."
"If the security law is passed, at least those who have malicious intentions against us won't have an easy time dealing with us."
He took a long time to prepare before he hit the ball. Then, he shook his arm, and with a bang, the turf flew up.
With just a swing, the cost of repairing the turf was around thirty to twenty dollars.
The two men stopped talking again. They looked at the ball flying in the air, watched it fall into the green, and watched it roll toward the hole.
Although it did not successfully enter the hole in the end, compared to Mr. Fitch's ball at the edge of the green, Mr. Geruno's shot was clearly more skillful.
"Nice shot!"
Mr. Fitch made a sound of praise.
Mr. Geruno smiled, and the two of them walked towards the green. "No one can stop the needs of the people."
"It's just a stream now, but if it's blocked for too long, it will become a flood that will destroy everything!"
Mr. Fitch was deep in thought. He stood in front of the ball and thought for a while, then he hit the ball without hesitation. Although the ball was a little far from the hole, it still fell into the hole in the end.
"I'll think about it carefully!"
Mr. Geruno heard this and clenched his fist. He knew he had convinced Mr. Fitch.