For the social system of the Federation, five years was a complete cycle. This was the political environment decided by the election. As for the dark-skinned president sitting behind the desk, with his outstanding governing ability and wisdom, his increasingly mature and natural political methods, as well as his deeply rooted resume, he had now obtained unprecedented support from the federal citizens. He didn't need to worry about the results of this year's presidential election. The so-called five years was just a normal occurrence.
The silver frost in his eyes and hair could only prove that President Pabre had put in a lot of effort and care in order for the Federation to go further and obtain the final victory in the war with the Empire.
Five years ago, Tai Zhiyuan arranged a scene for Xu Le at the Double Moon Festival ball in Ewha University. Without knowing, Xu Le arranged for the legendary Cao Qiudao from Green Dragon Mountain to meet with Tai Zhiyuan. Together with Shi Qinghai, they indirectly facilitated the visit of Pabre, who was still a member of parliament at that time, to Green Dragon Mountain. This set a firm tone for that extremely intense presidential election.
In the blink of an eye, five years had passed. Looking at the President behind the desk, deep in thought, Xu Le's heart was still as calm and filled with joy and satisfaction as before.
He was the first President of the Federation who was truly from the poor class. He came from an ordinary family of miners in Donglin. He used to be the most famous public interest lawyer in the Federation. For the sake of justice and victory for the common people, he fought to the end against those terrifying enterprises and families in the Federation. After winning the election, he chose a path that was completely different from the dark political manipulations of the past. He was more direct and passionate, with a clear and calm style. He never made ugly compromises for the sake of the overall situation. He had already proven that he was a real politician, not a politician.
Just like what Shi Qinghai said when he raised his glass to celebrate in the bar, "Pabre, he is our President. The" we "here refers to ordinary Federation people like you and me."
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"The headquarters of the First Military Region requested to discipline you, but the proposal was suppressed by the Ministry of National Defense. Speaking of which, when are you going to marry Minister Zou's daughter, or are you really going to marry that national girl?"
When President Pabre saw Xu Le standing out from the shadows, he didn't show any surprise on his face. He stood up with a gentle smile, turned off the platform in front of him, and took out two cups.
"Colonel Xu Le, you are a young hero of the Federation. I don't want your messy love life to be imitated by those male students in Linhai who are obviously oversecreting hormones. What do you want to drink? Coffee, tea, or wine? "
"Tea, thank you," Xu Le replied.
Although he had already confirmed that Mr. President's safety was not a problem through the old man, when he saw the dark and steady face behind the desk, Xu Le really relaxed. If the military radicals really took crazy measures under pressure and hurt Mr. President, he really didn't know what the Federation would be like tomorrow.
President Pabre always seemed very casual when interacting with the staff in his official residence. He looked like an ordinary leader of a work group, without a trace of the president's self-awareness. But in front of Xu Le, this kind of casual expression was very natural and full. It seemed that in the depths of his heart, he had always regarded this outstanding young man as his own nephew.
Probably because of the inherent thinking habits of his childhood, Xu Le couldn't really be calm and natural when facing Mr. President. No matter how strong he became, the middle-aged man in front of him from Donglin was after all the president of the Federation, and he was the kind of president that deserved to be respected and followed.
Holding a slightly hot cup of ordinary jasmine tea that was brewed by Mr. President himself, Xu Le didn't waste too much time. After confirming that the monitoring equipment in the study was turned off, he used the fastest speed to describe the problems found in the case of the Antique Bell.
President Pabre listened in silence. His thick lips were tightly closed, and his thick straight eyebrows were slightly wrinkled. Whether it was when he heard that the Bureau of Proclamation indirectly provided the Charter Network to the Imperial Military Headquarters, or when he heard that Colonel Laker secretly destroyed the escape system of the Antique Bell, there was no expression on his dark face.
There were so many people in the Federation government who cooperated with the radicals in the military, and even his partner, the Vice President of the Federation, was involved. Perhaps this kind of terrible and sad impact made Mr. President forcibly suppress his anger into intense pain under his calm face.
Xu Le took out the chip and put it on the table in front of Mr. President. He said in a low voice, "This is the relevant evidence, mainly found by Shi Qinghai. It should be enough to accuse those people."
President Pabre didn't take the chip. He casually leaned against the big wooden bookshelf, held the teacup, and said with a heavy expression, "The official residence has received this evidence on the day of the Parliament Hill incident."
He put the teacup on the table, and his deep voice was full of undisguised admiration. "Shi Qinghai is a very excellent man. I pardoned him at your request and appointed him as the liaison officer despite everyone's opposition. Now it seems that I made the right choice. He didn't let me down."
Xu Le just realized that Mr. President had already received the evidence. He was more and more convinced that his judgment was correct. Under the strong pressure of the radicals in the Federal military, the official residence really needed the impact from the outside world, or the pressure of public opinion.
"From the concert in Linhai five years ago, to the assassination of Zhong Huoyan, Commander Zhong's daughter, and then to the explosion of the Antique Bell, the whole thing is very clear. The radicals in the military have been planning for a long time. They are very powerful, but this is not worrying. However, General Lee Jae-do actually played such an important role in the radicals, which really makes me feel shocked and uneasy."
Xu Le looked at the solemn Mr. President and said, "When General Miller retired, Minister Zou, and even many people, including the Army God, thought that it was the best choice for him to take over the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Because everyone knows that he is famous for being a moderate in the academic faction. I really didn't expect …"
President Pabre frowned and walked to the window, with a bitter smile on his lips. "I was the one who proposed this motion."
"There is one more thing that I have been thinking about. When did Teacher Du Shaoqing join forces with the radicals? Or was he in this organization from the beginning? I really find it hard to believe that he was involved in the explosion of the Antique Bell. "
Xu Le followed Mr. President's footsteps and walked to the window. Looking at his thick back, he said with deep confusion, "Everyone in the army knows that he and Commander Zhong are lifelong enemies. He and his Iron Seven Division were even forcibly suppressed by Commander Zhong for more than ten years. But … according to my understanding on the battlefield over the years, although Shaoqing's temperament is very bastardly and indifferent in some aspects, he really doesn't look like a guy who would shoot in the back."
"Young man, don't you think what we need to do now is to solve the problem, instead of thinking about the root cause of the problem?" President Pabre stood by the window, looked at him and said with a smile, "I believe you already have your own plan. What do you need me to do?"
Xu Le shrugged clumsily, trying to look relaxed and natural. He replied, "I am your subordinate, so of course I will cooperate with you. Tomorrow, there will be some news on the civilian network, and then the Capital Special District Daily will publish a related report. "
"I will use this report to ask for an explanation from the First Military Region, and also ask the court to continue the investigation of Colonel Lake's treason case." President Pabre continued calmly, "As the report goes deeper and the evidence is gradually released, I can ask the Ministry of Justice to officially start an investigation. There is nothing that can stop this."
"Except for guns and ammunition, nothing can stop the investigation." Xu Le said, "And now this is what I am most worried about."
"In fact, these days, some of the staff in the official residence are worried about me like you. And I think these seemingly powerful threats are actually just snow stains in the early spring night. They can't see the sun the next day. No matter how cold the snow is, it can only melt under the sun."
President Pabre's voice was low and powerful. "The army is the army of the Federation. Its duty is to obey orders. When any soldier joins the army, they have to swear allegiance to the elected government and the President of the Federation, who is the specific representative of this right … which is me."
The most powerful man in the Federation looked calmly into Xu Le's eyes and said, "I don't believe that the entire Federal forces are made up of ambitious people. Even if some officers are blinded by profit, ordinary soldiers will not stand on their side. Without my order, no army can enter within 80 kilometers of the Capital Special District."
"I agree with your point of view. General Lee Jae-do may be able to convince many troops, but he can't convince every specific person, so he can only use other names to carry out hidden operations." Xu Le nodded and replied, "Mr. President, I promise you, as long as they begin to mobilize troops, I may be able to find a way to slow down the advancement of the mechanized troops."
Thinking of that damn Federal Central Computer that stubbornly analyzed the specific situation every time, Xu Le silently cursed a few times in his heart. Then he scratched his head and said, "Even if I can't, I can directly arrest or kill General Lee Jae-do before the situation escalates."
Hearing this, President Pabre's eyebrows slightly raised. He looked at him seriously and asked, "This is not the time for jokes. Are you sure you can do it?"
At least a 50% success rate. Xu Le silently calculated in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud. With a sincere smile that easily made people feel a sense of trust, he looked at President Pabre and said, "Please rest assured."
President Pabre was silent for a long time. Then he shook his head with a smile and patted him on the shoulder.
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"At that time, Parliament Hill was preparing to hold a special hearing on the matter of you being the student of that traitor. Now that I think about it, it should have been Byron's plan. Byron … I've known him for many years. He was very good at these kinds of political tactics on the surface. I have to admit that he was excellent. In many important moments, I even relied on his maturity and a little cunning to deal with the situation. Now that he's dead, I feel very complicated when I think about it occasionally. "
President Pabre and Xu Le both held teacups and stood side by side in front of the window on the second floor of the official residence. In front of them was the lawn, and further away was the street. At the end of the street was Charter Square. The view was incomparably wide, and there was no danger of being sniped.
The president laughed self-deprecatingly. He picked up the teacup and took a sip without knowing the taste. He continued, "It was because of that incident that they uncovered your secret, or rather your background. Only then did I know that you were also from Donglin."
"Actually, I was very happy to know that you were also a rock from Donglin. I was gratified, and even a little happy." President Pabre glanced at him and laughed loudly.
Xu Le looked at him and replied with a smile, "When I found out that you were from Donglin, I believe that many Donglin people felt the same as me when I thought that an Donglin person would become the president of the Federation. We all felt very proud."
The Donglin region was extremely remote. Since the crystal mines had dried up, it had become even more desolate. It had gradually become a corner forgotten by the Federation. The citizens of Donglin all looked forward to leaving that planet with no obvious changes in the seasons and no clear view of the beautiful starry sky. However, it was very difficult to enter the capital ring through immigration or examinations. The quota provided by the Federation was extremely limited.
However, with Pabre being elected as the president of the Federation and Xu Le's identity being exposed, there was an extremely subtle change. This pair of Donglin men, who were quite a few years apart in age, had already become the two most famous men in the Federation. The citizens of the capital ring naturally remembered the Donglin region again, as well as the especially famous Donglin rock saying. The Federation government, on the other hand, increased their support and immigration to the Donglin region.
"My wife returned to Donglin on my behalf at the beginning of the year." President Pabre said, "You probably don't know how proud the people back home are of us."
Xu Le smiled.
He suddenly sank into silence. He looked at the starry sky outside the window and said faintly, "My hometown can't see such a beautiful starry sky. I can't change this, even if I'm the president of the Federation.
"It's said that the president of the Federation is the most powerful man in this galaxy, but no one knows that even if the president of the Federation wants to do something sometimes, it's very difficult to make even the slightest change in this galaxy."
President Pabre looked at Xu Le with an unusually solemn expression. He said, "It's really difficult to do things."
There were countless agents of the Special Task Force hiding in the corners of the lawn outside the French windows. After the incident on Parliament Hill, the major organizations of the Federation increased their security levels. The security measures in places like the president's official residence were naturally extremely tight.
In the rooms downstairs, the staff of the official residence were busy with their daily work. The rooms at the end of the left and right corridors were a different scene. There were many special forces soldiers with cold expressions. They silently lined up together like statues. They were fully armed to the teeth, and the guns in their hands glowed with a cold light.
In Xu Le's left eye, the armed forces inside and outside the official residence were like countless dense dots of light. Through these soldiers who belonged to the security forces directly under the capital garrison, he could clearly feel the pressure that the president had been under these days.
"Mr. President, the people will understand you," he said comfortingly.
President Pabre looked at him. After a moment, he said, "It's good that you can understand."
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Xu Le sat silently on the sofa in the study on the second floor of the official residence. His hands held the cup of tea that had already become slightly cold. He waited for the president next door to come over with the secret authorization document that was going to be given to him.
He was a very patient person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have liked mechanical repair work that was extremely boring in the eyes of ordinary people. However, he didn't know if it was because the taste of the undrunk jasmine tea evaporated too quickly, or because the leather sofa, a cultural relic left behind by the previous dynasty, was too soft. It was only a moment, but it felt like an eternity to him.
He continued to sit. He sat alone. He sat more and more alone, and it was getting colder and colder.
Xu Le narrowed his eyes. He looked at the dots of light that were scattered in various areas of the official residence in his left eye. He looked at the changes in the situation in the buildings around Charter Square further away. He suddenly remembered something that the president had just said.
"Without my order, no troops can enter within an 80-kilometer radius of the capital special district."
The troops that suddenly appeared in the streets and alleys were definitely less than 80 kilometers away from the president's official residence. The closest one was not even 800 meters away.
He raised his head and silently looked at the heavy wooden door between the study and the confidential room next door. He confirmed that the president was on the other side of the door and didn't leave.
He frowned and licked his dry lips. Through the communication system next to his collar, he sent the latest order to the members of Group 7 who were waiting outside the official residence.
"All of you."
After pausing for two seconds, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. He continued in a soft voice, "Retreat immediately. If you encounter an abnormal situation, don't resist. I repeat, don't resist, and then … this is an order. "
After finishing what he had to do immediately, Xu Le stood up and put the cup of jasmine tea back on the desk. He quickly walked to the window and narrowed his eyes to observe the situation in the lawn and the dark night. Then, with a whoosh, he forcefully closed all the thick curtains.
The starry sky outside the window was covered, but the light in the study was brighter. The truth and falsehood of the light didn't affect the lighting effect.
He quickly walked to the door of the study near the corridor. He narrowed his eyes and saw the scene behind the door. He couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly. He turned around and pulled off the belt on the bookcase. He forcefully locked the door and then subconsciously shook his head.
After doing all this, Xu Le sat back on the uncomfortable leather sofa again. He rested his elbows on his thighs and thoughtfully stared at the wooden door that didn't open for a long time.
It really didn't take long, but it felt very long, he said to himself in his heart. Feeling was really a terrible thing, because feelings were the best at deceiving people.
Xu Le shook his head and took out a 37 brand cigarette from his jacket pocket. He tiredly leaned against the back of the sofa. The fingers of his right hand holding the lighter were slightly trembling. Just like the extremely complicated feelings at this moment.
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