Why Not Eat Meat?
"Have you packed everything?"
In the hall, Drag looked at his family who were about to leave, feeling somewhat reluctant, but that was the situation, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The Federal's victory over the Gefra made him realize that, for a Small Country, Mr. Preton and Mr. Lin Qi were essentially no different. At that moment, he even had a fleeting thought that seemed ridiculous to himself.
Preton Merchant House and Mr. Preton are far better than the Bayer Federation and Mr. Lin Qi, and a whole bunch of "Mr. Lin Qi".
Although the Preton Merchant House manipulated the import and export trade of the entire Nagaril United Kingdom to some extent, and customs were practically non-existent, with everything having to be done according to the Preton Merchant House's rules and regulations, at least they were only greedy for the profits from trade.
Now, under Lin Qi's influence and tempted by certain benefits, they have fallen into the Federal's trap. The Federal helped them "drive away" a dog, but instead sent them a pack of hungry wolves, or even a pack of lions starving to the extreme.
At least Mr. Preton wouldn't point his finger at the rulers of Nagaril at the annual year-end money-sharing meeting and tell them that if they didn't open the door and let him in, he would let the war burn everything.
The Federal did that, Lin Qi clamored to march on Nagaril, and with their defeat of the Gefra fleet, Drag regretted it.
He wasn't the only one who regretted it; others also felt some regret, wondering why they hadn't been able to resist their greedy desires, which led to the establishment of diplomatic relations at his suggestion.
Of course, it's pointless to say all this now. Given the circumstances at the time, the Provincial Governor Drag's choice might not have been a mistake. He and the other rulers hoped to use Lin Qi and the Federal to counter Preton Merchant House and gain more trade autonomy, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Lin Qi did not show any overt aggression; he simply wanted to invest in building a factory in Nagaril, but unfortunately, his investment could not be transported over because Nagaril was not within the Allied Powers.
In order to achieve industrial self-sufficiency and gain more industrial processing capacity, the decisions made by each person at every point in time are actually correct.
The mistake was simply connecting them together, and somehow they deviated slightly from their original path, drifting further and further away until they reached an endless distance.
The children in the family looked on with some reluctance at the house that represented their status and position. Only the Third Son of the Provincial Governor Drag was all smiles. No one expected that this "struggle for the throne" would end so quickly.
The Provincial Governor Drag did not give them more time to test their abilities, but instead chose his Third Son as his future heir, while the other children were sent to the Federal along with their families.
This was also one of the agreements he and Lin Qi had reached privately: the Federal Government would provide the entire family with a reliable "guarantee" and grant each of them Federal citizenship!
No one expected that the Provincial Governor Drag was now a full-fledged Federal citizen. The Social Security Bureau even allowed him to pay all the highest-level Social Insurance for himself and his family in one go. The Governor of Drag would be able to start receiving his pension in a few years! He did this in order to protect himself.
Lin Qi and Lin Qi discussed these things in private.
The Federal developers and local rulers will enjoy a honeymoon period, as the abundance of work will drive a thriving social dynamic, giving both the Federal and Nagaril society a sense that tomorrow will be better.
However, as development progresses, contradictions will gradually emerge, society as a whole will be fragmented, and power and capital will begin to confront each other in this backward land.
Undoubtedly, the power of capital is terrifying. It can propel Gefra across the world and make the Federal a new maritime superpower. It can make virtuous women take off their pants and promiscuous women put on church robes.
Money, besides being called money, has another, more terrifying name: desire.
The unequal power struggle will not bring anything good to the ruling class of Nagaril, only bad. In the end, the capitalists, in order to greedily extract more resources from this land, will not hesitate to overthrow the disobedient rulers.
Lin Qi bluntly told the Provincial Governor Drag that the flames had been lit, and all that was left was to wait for them to stand in the way of Federal interests.
So he signed a very special contract with Lin Qi, ignoring some loopholes in it in exchange for an opportunity.
Whether it's to put their own minds at ease or to put Lin Qi's minds at ease, these family members must be sent to the Federal.
Standing on the steps, the Provincial Governor Drag looked at the faces of these young people and sighed softly. "Go, set off as soon as possible. Write to me when you get there. After a while, once the cable is laid, we can talk directly."
The Third Son beside him couldn't stop smiling. What should have been a sad moment of family separation was instead filled with a strong sense of joy. He wanted to laugh out loud and sing wildly. Watching his two older brothers, who were still at odds with each other and looked depressed and confused, get into the car and disappear from sight, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lin Qi will be here in a couple of days. Did you remember what I told you?" Gazing at his family's departing figures, the Provincial Governor Drag seemed to have aged several years in that instant. He coughed and, instead of immediately returning to his room, walked toward the door. "Come with me for a walk."
The Provincial Governor's departure immediately alerted the butler who was on duty. The butler was just about to call the police to clear the way for the Provincial Governor, but Provincial Governor Drag refused.
Not only did he refuse, he also had people dress him, his son, and some of their protectors in civilian clothes, because he wanted to actually see the place.
He found it strange and curious why a place that he considered worthless would attract Lin Qi and the capitalists of the Federal, making them willing to fight a life-or-death naval battle with Gefra just to come here.
He wanted to figure these things out; he didn't want to lose without understanding why.
"I will respect Mr. Lin Qi as much as I respect you..." the third brother replied humbly, though he didn't really care.
After the group changed their clothes, the bodyguards, following the instructions of the butler, moved a little distance away from the Provincial Governor. At this moment, the Provincial Governor and his child walked out of the gate, Provincial Governor seemed somewhat dazed.
This seemed to be the first time he had appeared on the land outside the house without being in a vehicle. It was only a step away, but it gave him a very special feeling.
He stopped and looked back at the house behind him, which resembled a small palace, feeling a surge of emotions he had never experienced before.
He turned around and continued walking. "You are smarter than your two older brothers. You know how to avoid their weaknesses and learn from their strengths, so I chose you."
"But this position is not easy to hold, especially from now on, we are facing a future that is more terrible than the worst you can imagine."
As they spoke, they walked out of the path and stood on the main road.
Behind them was a meticulously maintained garden, but the moment they stepped out of the path, a pungent smell of earth, accompanied by flying dust, hit them in the face.
The Provincial Governor coughed several times before he could stop the violent coughing, but his breathing was still somewhat rapid.
"Now there's a problem. You know the Federal people are coming soon. They've got their eyes on something here, but do you know what they've got their eyes on?"
The Provincial Governor Drag pointed around. "Those things are hidden here. Can you find them?"
This is a question that even the Provincial Governor himself doesn't know the answer to. He wants to know if his Third Son can help him find the answer.
The young heir did not speak immediately, but began to observe carefully. Neither father nor son was in the mood to speak at the moment; they were both observing everything around them.
It must be said that this observation was very different from their previous experiences when they passed by. In the past, every time their vehicle had not even arrived, the police would wave their batons and drive people away, so they could not actually see anything.
But this time, without police to help them disperse the civilians, the more authentic side of society was exposed to them.
Several emaciated old men lay in a stinking ditch by the roadside, surrounded by flies. A pack of stray dogs watched them, and every now and then one or two would come up and lick one of the old men's faces.
As soon as the old man waved his arm, the stray dogs would quickly dodge away, and then after a while they would run over again to lick the old man's face.
Perhaps noticing the Provincial Governor's gaze, the butler quietly offered an explanation from the side.
The weather is too hot, and these elderly people are not in good health. Every summer, many elderly people die from the heat.
To avoid dying from the heat, especially for elderly people without family, they would lie down in places where water gathered and use the sewage to cool down.
The Provincial Governor Drag knew that the lower classes lived in poverty and sometimes showed concern for them, but he had never seen anything like this before, a side that made him feel horrified.
"Don't these people know to cool themselves down with well water or go to the river?"
The butler was silent for a moment. "Master, you may not know this, but these people can't afford to dig wells. There are very few public wells in the city now, and even if there are, the water in them is not necessarily much cleaner than this one."
"All the rivers in this area are your private property, and they are not allowed to approach within one kilometer of the riverbank without your permission."
Drag paused for a moment, then said, "Then why don't they buy water? I remember we discussed water prices last year."
The butler sighed softly, "Master, they have no money..."