President Pabre, who was the most eloquent when he was a lawyer, whose speech was the most touching after he participated in politics, and who was still able to speak calmly and clearly at such a moment, finally quieted down for the first time after Xu Le's question. Between his thick eyebrows, in his exceptionally firm eyes, there was a faint trace of sadness. Was it because he would occasionally think of the fireworks in the Night Scorpion Nebula and feel guilty?
Noticing the president's expression, Xu Le's lips moved slightly. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he could only helplessly and sadly spread out his hands.
He had heard the president mention that at the dinner at the official residence, the president and Zhong Sughu had a fierce argument at the dinner table. The two people had very different views on many things regarding the invasion of the Empire. Zhong Sughu was wary of the Federation government's attempt to weaken the local military forces in the West Woods, and did not agree that the Fourth Military Region should be the main force to attack the Empire under the current circumstances.
It was probably after this argument that President Pabre finally made up his mind. He officially put the conspiracy plan that had been in motion for a long time and was only waiting for approval on the stage with space as the backdrop.
It turned out that it was a Last Supper.
Xu Le stood alone on the other side of the transparent wall, his hands weakly spread out beside his body. When he killed Macklin and was locked up in the military prison of Qingcheng, the old man was still fishing in Philadelphia and had never seen him. The entire Federation was silent, and the leaders of the seven major families wanted him dead immediately. Only the president and the tiger in the West Woods clearly showed an attitude of protection, but in the end …
"Mr. President, do you still remember the speech at the Nebula Awards that year? After that, I specially came to look at it. " Xu Le raised his head and looked at President Pabre behind the wall. He said softly, "At that time, regarding the Macklin incident, you once said a few words: When a person dies, it is not as good as when the light is extinguished. The light has light, and the place that it cannot illuminate is darkness. If you do something wrong, you must pay the price."
"Then you said, 'Perhaps I'm not a mature politician, but I'm a devoted believer of the Federation's laws … If I die, you can dig up my grave and see what color it is. I have the same attitude toward certain dead people.'"
Silence reigned in the room. Xu Le paused for a moment before asking, "You're not dead yet, but it seems that we can ask you in advance. When you decided to sell the lives of Commander Zhong, his wife and the soldiers on the Antique Bell to the Imperial Fleet, where was the law of the Federation that you respected? What color will your future grave be? If you did something wrong, shouldn't you pay the price? "
President Pabre pursed his thick lips, his lower jaw showing a few deep hollows. After a long silence, he replied, "I admit that I have done some things that are beyond my limits. However, for the sake of this Federation, the price I will have to pay must be paid later. I have long been mentally prepared to be judged by history."
Xu Le looked at him and said sarcastically, "If we let history judge us, the Imperial expeditionary force can also say that we don't need to resist. Medellin can also say that we don't need to pay attention to him. Commander Zhong has more reason to say that. "
"Mr. President, don't you think that this statement is shameless and hypocritical? If only history is qualified to judge you, then how are you qualified to judge others? "
At this point in the conversation, Xu Le's words had finally succeeded in infuriating him. He slowly stood up from his chair and walked to the transparent wall. He looked at Xu Le, who was right in front of him but far away in the sky, and said word by word, "Xu Le, don't worry.
"Shameless? Hypocritical? Colonel Xu Le, please don't forget that you also used the pen that stabbed into your throat to judge Medellin without being convicted by the court! "
Separated by the transparent and cold wall, Xu Le and President Pabre stood face to face. They opened their eyes without blinking and looked into each other's eyes.
President Pabre pointed at Xu Le's face and said with a sullen face, "Your experience should let you know better than most people that the law of the Federation can't perfectly protect the weak. Most of the time, it can only protect the powerful to escape the punishment they deserve. That's why the Medellin case was stopped, and the Ministry of Justice is in a terrible state. That's why … you played the role of judge yourself!"
"The government of the Federation is an elected government. Facing the danger of the Empire's invasion, it has to be constantly vigilant against the warlords of the West Woods. Don't the Zhong family and the other families have broken the law? But which district attorney would be able to successfully send them to prison? The Federation has the glory of the Charter, but in front of these powerful people who have countless scapegoats and are even used to carrying scapegoats around with them and responding to the Charter at any time, what is the law? "
Xu Le looked at the president's angry accusation and narrowed his eyes. Because of the words "scapegoats" and "The Glory Of The Charter", he thought of the knife glinting on Tiger Mountain Road and the district procuratorate full of peach blossoms in spring many years ago. He silently admitted that what the president said was true.
"When you killed Medellin, you didn't need the law to prepare for you. What right do you have to ask the government to do so?" President Pabre looked at him with a solemn expression and said, "The reason why I admire you and Shi Qinghai is because of your attitude in doing things, and this is also the attitude that I will live with in my life."
"Evil must pay the price. In order to practice the ultimate fairness and justice, kind people should do whatever it takes, because morality is a fragile thing that needs to be carefully protected by strength."
"When I was expelled from the law firm because of a public interest lawsuit, and my wife and I were laughed at and chased out of our house, wandering the snowy streets with a broken box, looking for a small dark house to rent, I confirmed this. Even if I were to be buried in a grave in the future, I would have a clear conscience."
President Pabre's anger gradually calmed down because of these words. He put his broad palm on the transparent wall and looked at Xu Le with extreme calmness.
"We are not the Knights of Concern in Schiller's words, and we are not radical. We don't plan to use the army to madly sweep everything, but when the reform of the Federation encounters the desperate struggle of those families, the army will be the most powerful protection of the Federation government."
"We have a very long-term detailed plan. The current government has already pushed the Parliament to pass the Golden Fusion Algorithm. In the next five years, my companions and I will use the current situation of the war to push for the passage of more bills."
"In the plan, the government and I will introduce the Affirmative Action Act, the Double Ring Health Insurance Act, the Income Tax Amendment Act, and then the government will work hard to pass the Fund Share Exchange Act."
President Pabre slightly raised his chin, and his eyes were firm and deep. "The previous governments have never been able to figure out how much resources the seven families control through those foundations that are as numerous as fish in the sea. They can hide from the government's surveillance and can exert a fatal influence on the industries that are related to the safety of the Federation. These things must be done during my term."
"George Carlin said that information asymmetry is the root of the unfairness of the Federation society. What we want to do is to open up this information and let the ordinary citizens of the Federation carry out the most effective and direct supervision."
"Xu Le, don't worry that the Federation government will become a military government. We will welcome a brand-new, real elected government."
Pabre withdrew his gaze and looked calmly at the silent Xu Le. He said, "You have contributed to the Federation. I don't want to give you any unfair treatment. I only hope that you can calm down, stand on the highest level, and consider the interests of the people of the Federation."
"I know that this sounds like a utopia that only exists in people's fantasies, but … the ideal has never been so close to reality as it is today."
"This is the Federation's best chance."
"We are idealists? Liberals? Pragmatists? No, we are all people who insist on what is right and fight to the end. " President Pabre looked at Xu Le and said in a low voice, "We are all the same in our bones. We are just a stinky and hard rock from Donglin."
The president raised his right arm and pointed at Lee Jae-do and Du Shaoqing beside him. His calm and infectious gaze pierced through the invisible wall and fell on Xu Le's face.
"Join us, Xu Le."
…
…
Has that day really come? No, will that day really come? Xu Le listened in silence, and subconsciously thought about it. He did not voice his doubts. He suddenly felt that his brain could not wrap itself around it. So, the person who killed Macklin and the people he hated were the same kind of people deep down in their bones? But how could Macklin be equated with that tiger?
"On your path, many people who have died are innocent," he said with a frown and a slightly hoarse voice. "This is not right."
"There is never perfect justice in the world." President Pabre said quietly, "For a long-term goal, there will always be people who need to sacrifice."
Xu Le silently recalled Professor Shen's words in his heart. There was never any reason in the universe, so he asked, "Then why is it not you or me who sacrificed?"
President Pabre was silent for a moment and then said, "Schiller once wrote a legendary novel in his early years. The novel described a war that surrounded Xiangcheng. In his later years, he wrote another novel, The Story of the Soldier, which described the innocent people who were used as shields by the hero during the war. The soldier's death saved the hero of Xiangcheng and indirectly saved hundreds of thousands of people. However, to him, it was such a tragedy."
"I think this story can answer your previous question."
"I have read this story. In my opinion, the soldier's death was not a sacrifice because no one asked for his opinion. That is the source of the tragedy."
Xu Le narrowed his eyes and said, "Similarly, you did not ask the waitress in the Linhai State Gymnasium whether the soldiers of the West Woods on the Ancient Bell were willing to die for your grand plan."
"So, this is not a sacrifice. It is still murder."
…
…
"Then, in the Golden Foundation Building, those Special Task Force agents who died under the guns of you and Shi Qinghai, should they be considered as sacrifices, or were they murdered by you?"
President Pabre's eyes suddenly became extremely sharp, and the pressure was enough to stare into Xu Le's eyes. He asked in a deep voice, "If those innocent Special Task Force agents can be sacrificed in your eyes, then why can't Zhong Suohu and the others be sacrificed for the Federation?"
This was a very sharp and direct interrogation. Xu Le narrowed his eyes and suddenly contracted his pupils. After a long silence, he tightly pursed his lips and looked up. He said, "A few years ago, on the iron tower, I once said to a girl that the justice that needs to be obtained by sacrificing innocent people is not justice."
"Then what is the difference between us and you? The difference is that Shi Qinghai and I have never had the subjective intention to harm innocent people, including those Special Task Force agents in the Golden Foundation Building. "
"Maybe this sounds like sophistry to you. Because whether there is subjective intention or not, the result is the same death. But, just like what I thought in the Snow Queen Charter Square, I always insist that … the motive is more important than the result. "
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