Chapter 614 Warning to Italy
"It's not just this reason. You have to know that the slave trade in the world has long been stopped. The United Company's business has never been interrupted. It is essentially a violation of international law. If the Italians expose this matter." Konstantinovich looked at Sheffield deeply, "You should know the consequences. The stocks in your hands alone will drop to toilet paper."
"This is a threat to others, but not to me. I never care about the stock price. Besides, this is a question of the strength of international law enforcement. How does the British Empire, as a law enforcer, do it?" Sheffield said with a cold smile, "I have kept countless evidence of how to open up various routes. I don't care. If they still want to arrest me for trial, I will scare them to death."
"Let's not talk about this issue for now. We need to prepare for the congressional questioning. We cannot not go. If you can give a reasonable explanation, it will be fine as long as you go through the motions." Konstantinovich stopped talking about the slave trade and instead reminded people how to deal with congressional questioning.
Sheffield has plenty of experience in this area, so he doesn't take it too seriously. "I just hope it won't waste time. Evelyn is expecting a baby soon, and she's always wanted a boy. I'll go and accompany her regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl. So I hope Congress will cooperate and not keep nagging about it. It's not good for anyone."
After saying that, Sheffield stood up, patted his trouser legs, tilted his head and said, "What about me? I'll go wait for news first. I still have some things to do."
"Okay, I'll take care of the rest." Konstantinovich nodded.
Walking out of the FBI headquarters, Jesla responded directly and asked, "Boss, how do we solve this problem?"
"Let Gail talk to friends who have been to Puerto Rico." Sheffield paused and continued, "The itinerary to Los Angeles remains unchanged. Let Edith and Louisa wait for me, and we will go together then. Tell David Griffith to hold the celebration party as usual. Don't do everything in New York. It has become a business card of Los Angeles. Make some contribution to the local area."
It was a slightly chilly morning. Edith Rockefeller and Louisa Morgan followed Sheffield all the way to Congress. Under the gaze of many reporters, they watched Sheffield go in and said with some concern, "Don't get angry and start a quarrel with the congressmen inside."
"Don't worry, ladies!" Gale got out of another car and assured confidently, "There is no law that prevents private companies from accepting foreign military orders. In fact, this is all the Italians making a fuss over nothing. It's the bullying of the United States by European imperialism. The Sheffield United Company and some Pashas of the Ottoman Empire are on good terms. This is a fact that started a long time ago. Many people know about it. Just explain it clearly."
"Our most objective and neutral journalists, I believe you also think that the Italians' reasons are untenable? William simply accepted the Ottomans' request for help, helping a backward country in the eyes of European imperialist countries to resist despicable aggression. This can only show that William himself has a sense of justice that ordinary people do not have."
Gale confidently spoke to the large number of reporters in front of him, his tone was very rare and calm, and he even asked in an aggressive tone, "Is that so?"
"Yes, the Italians' accusations are untenable. We cannot invade other countries just because we have strong military power." In response to Gale's cry, everyone echoed in unison.
"It's no big deal. I did nothing wrong, dear friends." Sheffield waved his hand and walked straight into Congress.
In Congress, President Wilson, who had just taken office a few days ago, did not attend. The questioning was chaired by the Speaker of the House. Due to the previous split between the Republican Party and Roosevelt's Progressive Party, which led to a rare situation in which both houses were controlled by the Democratic Party, this time the questioning seemed to be more of a formality.
First, a Republican congressman asked, "The United Company transported a large army to North Africa via ocean-going ships, which caused the Italian ambassador to strongly protest against the federal government. As the owner of the United Company, what do you think of this?"
"That's not the whole truth. There is no law that says an international shipping company can't accept a commission from another country to complete this task. The Ottoman Empire also paid for it." Sheffield replied nonchalantly, "The specific situation is that the Ottoman Empire commissioned the United Company to assist in transporting soldiers through the navy. I had nothing to do with it from beginning to end. The Italians' accusations are not worth refuting."
"That's enough. Is the Southern Cross flag that appeared in North Africa also a fake?" Another Republican congressman seemed to be angered by Sheffield's understatement and stood up to accuse him aggressively, "How do you explain this?"
"Why should I explain? We are a free country. Which law prohibits the appearance of the Southern Cross flag? You can't even manage your own country, and you dare to question me about the appearance of the Southern Cross flag in North Africa? Honorable congressman, you should take a boat to Benghazi right now and question the person who hung the flag in this tone." Sheffield stared at the congressman, then whistled frivolously, "I suspect you are the descendant of Italian immigrants, but I have no evidence now. I suggest that the federal government should pay attention to the loyalty of immigrants to the United States. After many immigrants come to our country, they always speak for their original countries unconsciously. This kind of immigrant is not what our country needs."
"You?" The congressman who asked the question pointed at Sheffield angrily.
Sheffield tilted his head and looked in other directions, then asked meaningfully, "Dear members of parliament, do you have any other questions? You are all respected gentlemen, and you should ask questions that are appropriate for your status. Don't be like a little cutie and ask questions that even an unschooled child can guess."
The subtext is to ask, who among you has been corrupted by Gale and boarded the ship to Puerto Rico?
"In fact, some public opinion is still sensitive to the appearance of the Southern Cross flag. William, you just need to explain this issue clearly." A congressman from the Democratic side stood up and ended the awkward silence.
"As for this question, those three-no tabloids can say anything. There are two foreign Pashas in the Ottoman Empire, one is from our family and the other is British. The United Company has maintained a good relationship with the Ottoman Empire for a long time. The overseas profit points are very stable. In order to maintain this relationship, the decision I made this time may be a bit risky." Sheffield said with a relaxed look, "Many of the details are very time-consuming to explain. I will just say it simply. In order to avoid being contaminated by the United States and possible protests, it will only happen in the next few days. I cannot fly the flag of the United States, and you can't expect me to redesign a flag. It just so happens that the Southern Cross flag is very common, so I'll use it."
"In essence, some compromises must be considered when confronting the ugly aggression of imperialism."
He then answered some questions about signed works, whether one had purchased the copyright with one's own money, the internationalization of joint ventures, and whether one should avoid getting involved in wars.
Sheffield concluded, "I would like to draw the attention of the distinguished members to this issue. The Italo-Turkish War was essentially an aggressive war, which has always been opposed by the United States, a peace-loving country. I understand the difficulties faced by the federal government in the face of Italian protests. The series of consequences of accepting the Ottoman Empire's transportation order were all decisions I made independently. How to reduce wars in the world is a problem that can only be solved through cooperation among many countries. I even hope that an international organization of multinational cooperation will emerge to mediate disputes and wars caused by territorial issues."
Sheffield calmly made a false lie about wishing for world peace and ended the congressional questioning. He also said that if there was a next round, he hoped to be notified in advance because the United States has a large territory and traveling would take a lot of time.
He walked out of the Congress calmly. The reporters gathered around him quickly. Jesla's bodyguards quickly surrounded Sheffield. The slave owner could only say, "Just wait for the official announcement of the Congress. Please respect the authority of the Congress, the Uncrowned King."
After squeezing into the car and being held down by Edith Rockefeller and Louisa Morgan, Sheffield breathed a sigh of relief. Then Jesla, who was in the front row, also squeezed in and turned around to ask, "Boss, are those bastard congressmen causing any trouble?"
"I am a legal citizen and an excellent taxpayer. Why do they bother me?" Sheffield snorted and thought for a while. "I must find a channel to talk to the Italians. Don't bite me like a mad dog. My patience is limited. I have to accept what happened. We are all people in the civilized world. Don't make it too ugly. Dare to poke the main business of Black Gold Company out. Don't think I can do nothing to them?"
"What can you do? Italy is a country after all! You will only intensify the conflict." Louisa Morgan frowned. She really didn't know where this man got the confidence to dare to boast and threaten a country. Although it is not extremely strong, it is not a weak country either.
"As we all know, our country is quite xenophobic, and Italian immigrants have a bad reputation." Sheffield said briefly, "Some Italian immigrants do nothing but form gangs."
Sheffield is a veteran in this field. Aren't the black population much larger than Italian immigrants? In this election, the total votes of the Progressive Party and the Republican Party combined are not as many as those of the Democratic Party. What does this mean? No one takes the votes of black people seriously anymore. Ignoring black people has become a consensus between the two parties.
"I'll let the branch in Rome handle this matter." Jesla nodded and said, "Don't worry, boss. I will definitely handle it well."
Sheffield leaned back and buried his head deeply in Edith Rockefeller's body.
The Ottoman Empire, which had not made any public statement since the incident, gave its own explanation after the questioning by the United States Congress. The explanation was naturally the same as that of William Pasha, a purely business relationship. The Ottoman Empire hired the Black Gold Company to complete the troop transportation, and the wise and heroic parts of the entire operation were all planned by the top leaders of Constantinople.
(End of this chapter)
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