The next day, the West Semlia Trade Conference was held as scheduled.
After the meeting began, what no one expected was that the first person to initiate the attack was the Imperial Chancellor Osborne.
"I have also heard about what happened in Crossbell in recent days. The actions of the Crossbell councillors are truly heartbreaking."
"That's right."
Then Prime Minister Osborne, who looked serious and meticulous, and President Locksmith also spoke.
"It's not just a problem within the Crossbell Council. Even the commander of the guard was imprisoned because of this. It seems that although Crossbell is prosperous on the surface, it does have many internal problems. Based on the current situation, we doubt whether our previous idea of Crossbell's autonomy was a bit too naive."
At this point, President Lockesmith chuckled.
"The political environment in Crossbell is prone to corruption. Under such circumstances, we cannot rely on one or two people to make changes. Although Crossbell is determined to increase its efforts to punish corruption, considering the situation this time, we are really worried."
“…”
After hearing the speeches of Prime Minister Osborne and Grand Duke Locksmith, Speaker McDowell's face turned pale and he said nothing. In fact, he had expected this. Why did Crossbell rarely punish these crimes before? On the one hand, it was because officials protected each other. On the other hand, they all knew that if many things were exposed, the Empire and the Republic would probably use this as an excuse to interfere in Crossbell's autonomy. So many times, they would rather conceal it than make a judgment.
But Fang Zheng didn't care about that. He cleared out the entire Crossbell Parliament and informed all citizens about the crimes and punishments of the Crossbell parliamentarians. This certainly stabilized the people's hearts to a certain extent, but on the other hand, it also gave the Empire and the Republic a reason to intervene.
“Indeed, corruption cannot be eradicated in politics.”
At this time, Princess Clotia also spoke hurriedly.
"But as long as a sound system is established, the problem can be solved. I believe that as long as it is given enough time..."
"…Please forgive my impoliteness."
Chancellor Osborne spoke again.
"Your Highness is still young, and I understand your desire to believe in hope. However, Crossbell is different from Liberl, which is led by an ancient royal family. In a place without reliable authority, the government is very easy to weaken. History has proven this very clearly."
“…”
Hearing what Prime Minister Osborne said, Clotia fell into silence, and at the same time, a light laugh emerged.
"As Chancellor Osborne said."
Everyone looked up and saw Fang Zheng sitting up, looking at them with a smile on his face.
"Without authority, the regime is meaningless, and it is an eternal truth that power comes from the barrel of a gun. Therefore, I hereby announce that, considering the incompetence of the Crossbell Council and the problems it has caused, I hereby dissolve the Crossbell Council. From today on, Crossbell will be managed by Starlight Technology."
"this……"
"What……?!"
Although everyone present was mentally prepared, they did not expect Fang Zheng to say it so bluntly at this time!
"I am really surprised. As a mere business company, what qualifications do you have to manage Crossbell?"
"This is not in accordance with the terms and conditions..."
For a moment, Prime Minister Osborne and President Locksmith also began to refute loudly, but Fang Zheng just sat there, sneering and saying nothing, until both of them finished speaking, he spoke again.
"Okay, both of you, stop pretending here. We all know that the bigger the fist, the more truth there is. Your so-called political principles and rules are meaningless to me. If you don't understand, then I will explain it in more straightforward language here... Crossbell is now our Starlight Technology. If you don't accept it, just come and fight."
“…”
Faced with Fang Zheng's statement that made everything clear, everyone present fell silent for a moment.
How can we respond to your words that are so decisive?
"Besides, I'll play a game with you guys here."
Completely ignoring everyone's gazes, Fang Zheng sat leisurely on the chair, narrowed his eyes, and looked at everyone with a sneer.
"The status of Crossbell has always been a complicated historical issue, so I plan to play a game with everyone present. Whether you are an empire or a republic, you can use all your abilities. Whoever's soldiers and legions can reach Crossbell City first will immediately incorporate the entire Crossbell into its territory. How about that? In this way, we don't need this troublesome and headache-inducing political system."
After saying this, Fang Zheng kept silent, while Prime Minister Osborne laughed loudly and stood up.
"What an interesting game. I thought you were going to take us hostage."
"Only the weak need to play tricks in private. The reason I am sitting here and proposing this game to you is because I am sure that I am stronger than all of you."
"interesting."
After hearing Fang Zheng's answer, Prime Minister Osborne stared at him.
"From your words, I can sense a strong will. But what will happen when two people with strong wills clash? The weak will will be devoured by the strong will, making the fire even more fierce. When the karmic fire generated by this continues to burn everywhere on the earth, all justice and ethics will melt in the heat, and the world will be shrouded in a sea of fire... Are you mentally prepared for this?"
"Of course... no."
"……?"
Hearing Fang Zheng's panting answer, not only did Prime Minister Osborne's face freeze, but even Clotia almost spit out water.
"Oh? Why?"
"It's simple, because this is a problem that only the weak need to consider."
Fang Zheng looked at Prime Minister Osborne with a smile.
"For a lion, it doesn't need to consider whether the ants invading its territory will cause harm to it, and it doesn't care whether a rabbit will threaten its existence. Oh, I forgot to tell you that not long ago, we annihilated a hunting regiment that sneaked into Crossbell - the Red Constellation. Its leader and ninety-nine subordinates have been executed. They claimed that they were hired by the chancellor of the empire to come here... Well, I personally think this is just nonsense. What do you think, Prime Minister Osborn?"
“…”
In response to Fang Zheng's question, Prime Minister Osborne remained silent for a moment.
"I know nothing about it."
"Haha, I guess so."
Having said this, Fang Zheng chuckled.
"Well, thank you for your hard work. I think you have already discovered that I have called you here this time for only one topic, which is to officially announce that Crossbell will be independent from the Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard and become a new independent political entity. In the next two weeks, I will announce new laws and regulations for Crossbell. As for the commercial activities of various countries in Crossbell, they will be protected as always. However, if the citizens of the two countries dare to violate the laws of Crossbell again, they will not be acquitted as before, but will be severely punished. I also hope that you two can inform your citizens of this matter."
Fang Zheng stared at President Lockesmith and Prime Minister Osborne.
"From today on, Crossbell will no longer be the Crossbell that the Empire and the Republic can do whatever they want to you."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng stood up.
"Then I declare this Western Samria Trade Conference closed."
The West Semlia Trade Conference ended completely in just two days, but the storm of Crossbell's independence did not stop.
After that, Starlight Technology issued a series of detection and policies.
The first step was to formulate a national constitution, abolish the governance rights of the former sovereign states, the Empire and the Republic, and completely cancel the requirement to pay 10% tax to both.
Secondly, the Crossbell Parliament was completely dissolved, and the governance of the entire Crossbell will continue as before, with Starlight Technology responsible for coordination and control, and President Fang Zheng having the highest power. At the same time, he also announced that the new Crossbell will have a brand new political promotion system. Unlike the Empire's aristocratic family and the Republic's democratic governance system, Crossbell will adopt a system similar to the company's promotion system in the appointment and removal of officials, regardless of their background or relying on sweet talk to deceive the public's trust, but relying entirely on their own performance and talents for selection and removal.
"Dear audience, please think carefully. Crossbell pays 10% tax to the Empire and the Republic every year. What is this money used for? To put it bluntly, isn't this protection money? We kneel on the ground, pay taxes, and pray for the grace and protection of both. What's the difference between this and paying protection money to the gangs in the market in exchange for the safety of our own shops? What's more, after receiving the money, the gangs will protect the shops from threats. But everyone, think carefully, even if Crossbell pays taxes, do we get protection from both sides? The Empire and the Republic do whatever they want here, and we can only shiver and curl up in a corner, hoping that they can show mercy. Is this the fate of the people of Crossbell?"
Fang Zheng stood in front of the stage, staring at the screen in front of him, and continued speaking.
"So, what about democracy? You should remember clearly that the members of the Crossbell Parliament, except for the representatives of the Republic and the Empire, were all elected by you. But you have seen what they did. They betrayed your trust. The promises they made to you were just lies to keep themselves in power. The so-called rules and order are just a fig leaf to cover up their criminal behavior. Times are changing, rules are changing, and there is no supreme sacred provision. And all of this is just a lie used by politicians to deceive the people. They claim that democracy can allow everyone to participate, but isn't this using the people as a cover to weaken their own responsibilities? The people trust them and let them be their representatives, and these representatives use this to do whatever they want, and when there is a problem, they blame the people..."
“…That’s amazing.”
Sitting in a corner of the bar, looking at the crowd surrounding not far away and Fang Zheng who was talking on the wall, Wuxiang couldn't help but sigh.
This is a kind of Orthodox technology product called "TV" that Starlight Technology installed in various public places after the Starlight Tower was completely completed. It looks like a large screen, but unlike the Orthodox technology products that Wuxiang remembered were simply used for communication, this product called "TV" can broadcast various programs 24 hours a day, including Fang Zheng's speech to the public.
As a spy of Calvard, Wuxiang certainly understood what kind of changes the emergence of this kind of guided technology would bring to the world. The media has always been monopolized by newspapers and weekly magazines, but not everyone can understand what is written on them. And if they were to speak for themselves, no one would be able to split themselves into two, and it would be impossible to tell every citizen clearly.
But the advent of television changed all that. It has a communication power that is difficult to match with simple text and images. Even children and illiterate people can participate in it.
This is just the technology itself. What scares Kirika the most is what Fang Zheng said.
During the conversation, Fang Zheng severely criticized both democracy and aristocracy, but it was not just a superficial rebuke, but a naked tearing off of the bright and beautiful appearance of the two systems, completely exposing everything hidden inside to the public.
This is simply terrifying.
You know, these are the secret techniques of the ruling class, and ordinary people will not think about these things, let alone discuss them. It seems that they have nothing to do with them.
But Fang Zheng revealed the dark side of it and told everyone the secret.
For example, democratic elections are a fair system on the surface, but Fang Zheng directly pointed out the dark side of it - first of all, to have an election, you must let the voters know that you exist. However, to do this, you need a lot of money, but most people can't afford it. Also, people who are good at doing things may not be good at communicating with the public, but the public can only evaluate and judge a person based on his appearance and conversation - isn't that how all scammers cheat?
It must be said that compared to Crossbell's independence, the storms caused by the latter in the Empire and the Republic were even more intense. Kirika was not very clear about the situation in the Empire, but she was very clear that in the Republic, some people had begun to discuss whether democracy could really solve the problem, and the feasibility of the third system proposed by Fang Zheng in addition to aristocracy and democracy.
As for the academic community, they seem to care more about the shortcomings of the political system and the direction of reform.
However, this was an intolerable act for both the Republic and the Empire.
If Crossbell's independence was just a provocation to the two countries, then Fang Zheng's speech directly shook the political foundations of the two countries. The Republic didn't need to say much, just what Fang Zheng said was enough to shake the people's fundamental trust in their country. The Empire was even more furious, furious at Fang Zheng's blasphemy and slander of the aristocracy.
Both countries held press conferences at the first opportunity to announce that Crossbell's independence was invalid - of course, it was useless to just talk about it, so the two sides quickly reached a consensus.
That is to send troops to attack Crossbell! !