After eight at night, the Governor returned home from outside, and Adelaide had been waiting for him.
Adelaide's house was right next to the Governor's; they were relatives from the same political family.
Whether the Governor could be re-elected affected the future direction of this family. If possible, they not only wanted to secure this re-election but also find ways to eventually send the Governor to the President's seat.
But all these future ambitions hinge upon this re-election proceeding without any issues.
The Governor took off his coat and casually threw it on the stool in the cloakroom; the maid would handle everything here.
Currently, only he and a few servants were at home; his wife and children had gone to the countryside mansion for a retreat and were unlikely to return before September.
Adelaide sat on the sofa, chewing on something.
As people age, they always like to find a little something to do, whether it's a personal hobby or simply to avoid idleness.
The ever-diminishing time made them feel an unprecedented fear, urgency, and crisis, so they sought out things to keep themselves busy, to avoid wasting what little time they had left on boring idle thoughts.
Chewing something was Adelaide's way.
A plant's root, chewed to a pulp, was thrown into the trash bin once he saw the Governor return.
"How did the talks go?" he turned to look at the Governor; due to their relationship, the Governor was his nephew.
In public settings, as the Governor's chief of staff, Adelaide had to demonstrate his dedication to business; he was the Governor's staff officer, not an uncle.
But in private settings like this, their relationship was much more relaxed.
The Governor sat on the other side of the sofa; he asked the maid to bring some drinks and nodded, saying, "Very enlightening; Lynch's ideas are more specific than yours and those experts'."
He reached out to accept a glass of sparkling wine with ice from the maid's tray and took a sip, "You know what I mean; you and the experts speak in vague terms. I know we need to revive the economy, but how to do it, step by step, nobody tells me. Lynch did."
Adelaide was not offended by what he said; elderly individuals like him are more stubborn or persistent in their pursuit of political paths than young people.
He was well aware that only if the Governor wins could they go further; now, the entire family's resources were tilted toward the Governor; they had never been so united before.
Because everyone knew who the "critical man" was!
"What did he say?"
The Governor placed his glass on the table, "Amelia, turbulence, and rebuilding!"
His eyes sparkled, "Lynch is right; this might be the best way to solve our current predicament!"
At the same time, the night in the Amelia Region did not become peaceful due to Gafura's Army's fluctuations. Instead, it became the forefront of resistance against tyranny.
International opportunists, bankers, arms dealers, and mercenary teams all roamed here seeking opportunities, whether cooperating with Gafura's Governor or the resistance. As long as it could bring them profit, they would even ally with devils.
The tense martial law atmosphere during the day gradually faded after nightfall. A night that should have filled people with fear brought a touch of tranquility to Amelia Region's people.
Those vicious Gafura soldiers would not suddenly break into people's homes, demanding everyone leave the house and lie down on the ground. The night seemed like nature's protection, shielding people.
In the Governor's Mansion, the Governor stood by the window, gazing at the pitch-black night outside, looking somewhat worried.
No one had expected Gafura's invincible fleet to lose to the Federation. Even fewer had foreseen the Federation quietly developing submarines capable of practical warfare and capable of launching new torpedoes from submarines that threatened battleships.
A vast change occurred in the maritime landscape; before solving the Federation's submarine and torpedo attacks, Gafura's homeland had sent cryptic messages indicating they did not intend to dispatch any fleet to Inner Bay of Amelia Region for military deterrence.
It was too dangerous; should the Federation shamelessly continue surprise attacks, Gafura's homeland would lose its last barrier, leaving the Governor with only a portion of Army reinforcements without any Naval support.
Without a Navy, they could not blockade the bay or intercept those smuggler boats on the waters.
From the first outbreak to now, he had roughly outlined the resistance organization's contours and their source of supplies—those damn international opportunists!
The Governor even knew now that the armed rebellion against the Empire's rule in Amelie Province was no longer merely a confrontation between the ruled people and Gafura; it had turned into business!
Yes, armed rebellion had become business, and that is the most terrifying aspect.
If it were merely ideological confrontation, both sides could find a point of reconciliation in the constant struggle, a point everyone could accept, and stabilize.
Under this form, the essence of the resistance organization's pursuit is simply to gain respect.
Respect in social status, respect in politics, but those who treat armed resistance as a business are entirely different. They pursue profit!
The strength of Gafura has indeed influenced many countries, including some allied nations. They have been victims since the rise of Gafura's power. When Gafura's fleet can no longer sail the seas, those disgusting parasites start making dirty moves.
They bribed some resistance organizations, set up personal overseas accounts for their leaders, deposited money into these accounts, granted them foreign residency, and provided them with everything they wanted and things they didn't expect but needed.
And the price for these efforts was that these resistance organizations resisted Gafura's rule more actively; they were here causing destruction solely for money.
Such profit-driven resistance organizations are unable to coexist with the Governor; their purpose is clear, and it's for money.
In fact, before the naval warfare broke out, the Governor had some understanding of these things but didn't care much. This was because once Gafura's naval fleet blocked the sea outside Amelia, be it goods trying to come in or people trying to leave, nothing could get in or out.
In a short period, the resistance organizations might still have some savings to counteract, but these resources would eventually run out. Ultimately, they would return to that initial state, waging a mere ideological battle.
Ideological confrontation poses no significant harm. As the younger generation grows up, the older generation's resistance seems worthless and even foolish and rigid in their eyes.
Compared to the developed Gafura, the "homeland" spoken of by the older generations is so backward and uncaring; why should they remember the goodness of those people?
If one generation doesn't work, then two, three generations; one day, the Province of Amelia will become the true Province of Amelia.
But all of this turned into bubbles with the failure of the naval battle.
"Your Excellency, Governor, the Kobar Hydroelectric Power Station was attacked..." the sudden voice in the room disrupted the Governor's thoughts, pulling his attention back from the distant dark sky. He took a sip of his coffee and turned to look at the officer standing by the door.
He walked to the desk and sat down, rubbing his temples, "What are the losses?"
"We repelled the enemy's attack, killed nine armed resistance fighters, but seized no firearms or ammunition. The other side retreated quickly, and our men didn't rashly enter the dense forest."
Speaking is an art; fearing ambushes hence didn't chase turned into vigilance and caution. The word 'rashly' is interesting; it instantly turns cowardice into a form of prudence.
Of course, the Governor wouldn't say anything, avoiding unnecessary casualties is what they must do now.
The Governor sighed, "What's the damage to the power station?"
The officer hesitated for a moment, after about three to five seconds, he lowered his head slightly and said, "The power station is under emergency repair. They rigged some driftwood with stones and explosives, and in the short term, it might not be able to continue delivering power to nearby areas."
After hearing this, the Governor didn't even bother to sigh. He didn't know when these resistance organizations, without clear goals, seemed to have a meeting, agreeing on certain issues unanimously.
They've already given up on less valuable targets and crazily attacked those infrastructures instead.
The Governor wanted to ask those resistance organizations, they bombed the thermal power station, hydroelectric power station, water plant, destroyed railways, roads, as well as city communication and power networks, what good does this do them?
Yes, the Gafura people suffer greatly because of this, but the ones who suffer even more are the locals.
Without electricity, the Gafura people have generators.
Without water, they make the locals fetch it.
Without communication, they can send telegrams.
Instead, it's the locals who live in such an environment that suffer immensely. What's the point of doing this?
Looking at the somewhat apprehensive subordinate, the Governor didn't end up scolding. He understood very clearly that the officer in front of him and those frontline officers were more careful and nervous than he was, and even more unwilling to let such things happen.
He shouldn't apply any more pressure. Now, he could only wait, wait for the army to bring in new equipment, and maybe the current situation will change.
Gafura concluded that aside from gaining temporary sovereignty over the Amelia region, they didn't achieve any substantial progress in this world war because their army was inadequate, lacking advancement power.
If they could destroy a country, even a small one, they wouldn't be so passive and terrible now.
Therefore, as the world war was about to end, their military enterprises began researching some army equipment. After all, their navy was invincible. If the army could also stand out, gaining enough benefits in the next war would be a sure thing.
Hoping those new army equipements can change the situation here.
No, not hope, it's certainty!
The Governor clenched his fist.
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