Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 263 repealed

   "What should I do now?! I asked you to immediately mobilize the army to suppress it! You didn't listen! Now that it has caused such a big loss, who will bear it?!"

"Do these people from the Equality Association think that Dunman is the same as Bresci? They want to turn our old South Treaty upside down with a few guns? We must crack down on them and curb this idea of ​​equality that brings disaster! "

   "I think it's not the best way to deal with it by force. It's easy for people from the Equality Society to solve it, but so many of our own citizens can't be killed, right?"

"Your Excellency the President has not agreed to mobilize the army to help the guards control the situation. There are also his considerations. There are so many people recruited from civilians in the army. It is easy for them to go shopping with the enemy and let them point their guns at their own people. No one can guarantee what the consequences will be."

   "That's right, the new conscription law is an extremely sensitive matter between the people and the military. Your Excellency the President has never sent troops over because he is worried about expanding the conflict and the situation is going out of control."

   "Then why don't we do anything? The army can't be transferred, and we really let them run amok? Or..."

  The dignitaries who couldn't sit still in a hurry all looked at the gloomy-eyed President Jordan.

   "Temporarily abolish the new conscription law." On the way to the presidential palace, Jordan had already figured out the final solution.

  Equality will be braver and bolder than he imagined. After they started arresting people, the other party did not flee as expected, but attacked decisively and put pressure on the government.

   No wonder it was able to take down Bresci's government building.

   This group of people dare to do what ordinary people dare not do, and dare to break their cognition.

  To this day, the Dunman government has arrested many people to investigate the relevant information of the Equality Association overnight, but they still have a very limited understanding. This feeling of not knowing the whole picture of the other party made Jodon dare not act rashly.

  In addition, he couldn't move the army over and let his own people beat his own people. It would be a complete mess, and there was a greater possibility of losing control. There was only one choice left for him at the moment.

   "Abolish the new conscription law?! If they really achieve their goals, where should we put our face?"

   "I don't agree! If there is a first time, there will be a second time, and if there is a second time, there will be a third time! After these people have tasted the sweetness, they make trouble every day. Who can control it?!"

   "Can we still let a group of untouchables ride on our heads?! We must fight them to the end! Even if we suffer a little more losses now, it doesn't matter, we must not let them think that we can win!"

  The dignitaries panicked.

  They have a tough attitude and are even willing to give up some of their current interests in order to defend the new conscription law.

  Because they are extremely clear, it would be a terrible thing for civilians to realize that they are not invincible. From then on, they can no longer trample on their lives unscrupulously, because they don't know where the bottom line of the civilians is, and when they will unite to crush them.

  President Jordan knew all too well what the rich and powerful were worried about and feared, but he was even more aware of what a rare opportunity this was to realize his great political ambitions.

  A man of ordinary background, relying on his outstanding talent, he first ascended to the position of president, and then led the United States to defeat the Confederate States in the Civil War, realizing the unification of the country. No one questioned his ability.

   He can already be regarded as a competent and excellent president.

  But it doesn't mean that he has no obstacles in doing things, and he has no higher pursuit.

  Although he does not fully agree with what the Equality Society does, some of it is consistent with his ultimate pursuit, such as basic human rights, such as the distribution of wealth.

   "The new conscription law is only temporarily abolished. What we have to do is to maintain a stable situation." Jodon reassured the people here.

   "It's not a question of whether it's temporary or not. We shouldn't make any concessions on this matter. You don't know what the result will be." The representative of the chamber of commerce persuaded Qiao Dun.

  Jordon’s words are just placating lies for the time being. When the new conscription law is abolished, it will be almost impossible to restore it. Even if it is restored, it will need to bear a huge price: "We have no choice at the moment."

"How could the army not be able to use it? It is undeniable that there are a large number of civilians inside, but because of this, can they not be moved? Could it be that some civilians want to overthrow us in the future, and we can only watch?" Some people questioned the argument that the army could not be used. .

The fact that the army cannot be called is indeed an exaggeration. Jodon sent someone to speak for himself in advance just to test everyone's attitude. Because the new conscription law is equally sensitive in the military, it is a bit of a stretch to justify the possibility that military repression against civilians could get out of control."

   "Of course reluctantly!"

"The army cannot be moved, but it's not just because of the new conscription law." Some people thought that Jodon had changed his mind, and as soon as he showed a happy expression, Jodon consolidated the grounds that the army could not be moved, "It's also because it can't be done fundamentally." It is also because the Union Army still has remnants of defeated troops that will pose a threat, so we can play the best deterrent effect by standing still."

   "But once we—"

"You want to say that once we set this precedent, it will encourage people to behave like this. In the future, if they are dissatisfied, they can march and protest to force us to compromise, which makes us very passive and damages our interests, right?" Jodon didn't wait. The other party voiced his doubts, and he said the solution he thought of, "Actually, this is a wrong view, because the new conscription law is extremely special. It protects the interests of everyone, which is tantamount to trampling on the rights of all citizens. , That’s why we are so cautious in mobilizing the army. This situation will not happen again in the future, even if the people repeat their tricks, we can immediately mobilize the army to crush them severely and let them recognize the facts again.”

"This…"

   "Your Excellency, what do you mean, if there are demonstrations and protests in the future, they will be severely cracked down?"

Jordan nodded slightly: "There are too many external factors this time, which doesn't mean we will compromise every time in the future. Let's follow the people to stabilize the situation and find a suitable opportunity to recover later. If they really produce a government The idea of ​​being at their mercy, sooner or later we'll bring them to their senses."

   "The overall situation is the most important... The old South Treaty can't go on like this..."

   "Your Excellency President is also right. This concession does not mean that we have really lost the ability to influence them."

   "Actually, the new conscription law is nothing more than a tool to exempt everyone from military service on the surface and to collect money for the government. There was no bill before, so don't we still do it secretly? Just let the people think they have won a victory for the time being."

  After Jordan explained the situation again, everyone's tone changed.

   "That's it, I will give a speech in the central square at noon, officially announcing the abolition of the new conscription law."

  —

  After a night of attack, the Equality Association led the people to occupy hundreds of factories and mansions. If the government does not respond effectively, this number will quadruple before the end of today.

  In the morning, the rested Verac brought people together with Boyne, Keating and the others on Mandrin Avenue.

   "How is your side?"

"Are you guys OK?"

  When several parties meet, they care about each other's situation with one voice.

  Deliberately let go, Boss Xin, who followed Keating to attack the noble mansion, was relieved when he saw that Willow next to Veraker was not injured.

   "Seven people on our side were injured, but fortunately they were all properly settled." Verak explained the situation on his side, "How about you?"

"The resistance of the mansion is much weaker than that of the factory. The first few places were fought tenaciously, but after being captured, those who heard the news in other places escaped before we rushed there." Boyin replied .

"Didn't we catch a few? The government has arrested a lot of us. When we demand the abolition of the new conscription law, we have to ensure their safety. If we also have hostages in our hands, we should be more confident." Verak saw Boyin and Keating's side was much smoother than their own, thinking that they could win more chips to fight against the government.

Keating signaled to go into the tavern to talk about the matter: "No, if these actions of ours can really force the government to abolish the new conscription law, then the safety of the captured people should be guaranteed. If we capture some nobles, the conflict may be more likely It will intensify more seriously, so it doesn’t make much sense to do it until the end.”

   "Then what do we do next? Continue to occupy more factories?" Willow asked.

"The government will definitely take action today, either compromise, or continue to fight with us, or wait for their response before making new arrangements." The night of fighting made everyone very tired. Considering that their goal had been achieved, Boyin decided Rest for now.

  More than a dozen people returned to the tavern and sat down, and the members of the Equality Association in the tavern immediately arranged food and water for everyone.

  Verak, who had been playing all night, was sleepy and hungry. He drank all the water first, and then ate his meal.

   "Let's eat first." Boyin saw Verak gobbling, and called everyone to replenish energy first.

  Because today is the most critical day, no one is willing to go to rest. After finishing the meal, everyone sat around to analyze the situation and wait for the government to take action.

"Our people didn't see the government mobilizing the army, and some people noticed that the nobles and factory owners didn't know if they got some news, and they all gave up resistance and avoided us. Could it be that the government really doesn't plan to confront us head-on? "Someone was careful to bring up good possibilities.

  The reason why they are cautious is that they are still used to being oppressed. I can’t believe that they have fought everything in the past few days and can really change the government’s decision.

   "Maybe it's something bad, we made such a big commotion, and the rich and nobles suffered heavy losses. They won't let us go easily..." Someone was still a little scared after the fight.

"I think things are moving in a good direction. If the government is really determined to fight us and will not accept the people's demands to abolish the new conscription law no matter what the price is, then they should not waste their time so much. If you don’t hurry up to suppress us to reduce our losses, you’ll keep shrinking.” Monroe said optimistically.

  Verak thinks it's not that simple: "If they decide to abolish it, they should notify us as soon as possible to reduce losses..."

"Could it be that there are differences within the government and they haven't made a final decision? If so, we have to add more firewood to make the fire burn hotter and speed up their decision." Willow was cautious this time. After everyone put forward different views, they found that none of them could explain the government's behavior, so they expressed their own guesses.

"I always feel that it is impossible for the government to agree to the abolition of the new conscription law so easily." Verak looked at Keating, hoping that Keating could give him a better opinion, "They have been doing this from beginning to end in the past few days. In the end, we didn’t fight fiercely with us, but sent guards to protect the factories and noble mansions, and arrested a few of us, so it’s not enough for them to compromise.”

Keating noticed Veraker's gaze, and thought about it: "The government hasn't made any moves yet, but we have done what we should. It is a fact that the factory has been destroyed and the mansion has been occupied. Even if the government has some trump cards, It is far less effective against us now than it was at the beginning. That is to say, at least we have the upper hand in action, and now we have an advantage."

   "It's too abnormal for the government to stand still..." Boyne couldn't figure it out.

They didn't encounter this kind of situation when they were in Brexi. Although the Brexi government suffered a loss, it tried its best to fight against them. The Dunman government almost kept getting beaten and didn't fight back , as if the people were the real oppressors.

   "President!"

At this time, a member of the Equality Association who was stationed near the presidential palace to investigate the situation flew back, and before the people present at the meeting asked, he said ecstatically: "President Jordan of Dunman came to the central square. Make a speech formally announcing the repeal of the new conscription law!'

   "We succeeded?!" Willow's eyes widened in disbelief.

   "Are you sure? Jodon said the new conscription law is abolished?" Boss Xin confirmed.

   "I'm sure! Jodon said that the original conscription law will continue to be used, regardless of origin, he will serve in accordance with the regulations!"

  The news was confirmed, and Willow, Monroe, and several locals who came back with them all burst into cheers.

   They won, and they really did make the government listen to them!

   It’s just that Boyne, Keating, Veraker and others were not overwhelmed by joy. They looked at each other and told each other silently that this matter went too smoothly, too smoothly.

   "The Dunman government really didn't suppress us much, so they agreed?" Verak seemed to hear the shouts of the people outside the tavern.

   "Is Jodon still in the central square?" Boyne asked the person who came to report the news.

   "Still!"

   "Just go and see what the government is planning." Boyin got up and walked out of the tavern quickly.

  Verak and Keating followed closely behind.

   Monroe, who was yelling to get drunk, saw that several people from the Equality Association left the door with serious faces, and the smile on their faces faded: "Let's go and see..."

  (end of this chapter)