Chapter 389: Whirlpools in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region
The "Inverted Star Lake Sword Fighting" competition ended, and the news that Edes Academy won the championship spread to the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region a few days later. Of course, Tilan's alias "Dantrian" was automatically corrected to Heshia Tilan in the reports in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region.
Not only in this Inverted Star Lake Sword Fighting, but also in several large-scale B-level leagues from April to July, Edes Academy has achieved very good results. Part of this is the result of the overall improvement of the school's strength, and a considerable part is the glory brought by foreign exchange students.
For this behavior, the media supporting Saint Ingo naturally spared no effort to discredit it, saying that Edes's method is very "tricky", "cunning", "unreal", "unreal", "despicable", etc. The media supporting Edes are not willing to lag behind, and they have been citing the corruption and jealousy within Saint Ingo, and exposing the corrupt forces entrenched in the upper echelons of the Four-Leaf Crystal, etc.
In the past, with the strong influence of Saint Ingo, it was enough to shut up those media that said bad things. The power of large chaebols was enough to penetrate all aspects, making opponents exhausted and finally being dragged down and defeated.
But this time, due to the disastrous defeat in the Winter Festival Competition and the influence of the new generation of singers, many groups that originally supported Saint Ingo began to hesitate and waver, and did not continue to follow up as usual. On the other hand, the various actions of Edes in the past year made many groups feel that it had a promising future, so they also began to contact and bet on it.
As one thing went up and the other went down, Edes Academy, which was originally far behind Saint Ingo, gradually gained the same influence as Saint Ingo.
Faced with this situation, the board of directors of Saint Ingo Academy also felt a rare pressure in the past hundred years.
In the large conference room wrapped like petals, a group of Saint Ingo's senior executives gathered. Among them were the heads of large enterprises, representatives of trade alliances across the star field, and core members of ancient families from the central star field, etc.
"We underestimated the influence of that girl and the determination of Edes." An old man in a gray stand-up collar windbreaker said in a deep voice, leaning on the table with his hands.
"After all, they have been mice for a long time. It's rare for them to show up, so they will naturally try their best." A tall and thin elf woman mocked the recent excessive behavior of Edes Academy.
"There is no need to pay too much attention to it. Two years will pass quickly. When that girl graduates, Edes Academy will return to its original form."
The man who said this was wearing a silver-white coat. He had a square monocle in front of one eye, and data floated on the light green lens. It seemed that he was still processing some experimental data during the meeting.
"The momentum that Edes Academy has gained is only temporary after all. Governor Temachi still has three years to go before the election. We still have a large number of supporters among the senior officials and congressmen in the star field. The policies will not change, the rules will not change, and no matter how much Edes struggles, she cannot shake us."
"As for those wavering guys, let them suffer a little. Any circle must be divided into levels to distinguish them. Otherwise, loyal people and betrayers will enjoy the same treatment, and who will be willing to keep their promises?"
"Since they are wavering and alienated, let's reduce the favors given to them and give the collected orders, channels, and projects to those companies that are still sticking to our camp."
"Hearts and words can lie, but money and interests can't. As long as we still have the key resources and the right to speak, people will keep coming to us."
After the analysis of this capable man, the people who were originally a little anxious suddenly calmed down and felt that this was indeed the case. The network of connections and interests that Saint Ingo has built for hundreds of years is not so easy to shake. No matter how many people support us, when it comes to fighting for money and interests, how many will support Edes Academy.
"Pa-pa-" A sudden sound rang out, and the thin and tall elf woman who spoke before clapped her hands.
"You are worthy of being Senator Boligus. You still look at the problem so thoroughly." She praised the man in white who had just spoken, and then changed her tone.
"However, since Edes Academy has started to provoke, we can't do nothing. This will make people look down on us."
"Since they are putting pressure on us, we won't let them have an easy time." When she said this, her voice turned cold, which made many people in the audience feel cold.
"Starting from next month, all groups and enterprises involved in Edes, all their merchant ships and goods, will have their freight rates increased by 200%. In addition, contact the customs and the import and export audit department to blacklist all groups under Edes. All their goods will be strictly inspected. If there are any problems, they must be checked out. If there are no problems, they must be blocked, so that their goods will be stranded for a long time." When she said this, although she was thin, the threat and coldness in her words made everyone present couldn't help but be shocked.
"If we do this..." After hearing her words, everyone began to analyze the feasibility of such an action.
"Ms. Sofama, the 'Sun Ship Trade Alliance' you are in roughly controls 36% of the transportation cargo flow of the Four Leaf Crystal Star Region's foreign trade. The rest is the 'Grain Ear Association' which accounts for 16% of the transportation cargo flow, the 'Southern October Star' which accounts for 12% of the transportation cargo flow, and many small commercial and trade transportation companies that account for 26%." A professional consultant stood up to summarize the report.
"If we work together to raise the trade freight rates of the companies affiliated with the Edes Alliance, we can probably increase the freight rates of 45% of their routes. During this period, they will definitely find other trading companies to replace them. After a long time, they may be completely out of our control..."
The consultant analyzed the possible consequences of such a trade war with a professional attitude.
"I understand your thoughts. You are afraid that if you suppress Edes for a long time, not only will Edes not surrender, but it will be out of our control, right?" The tall and thin elf woman tapped the table with her fingers.
"Have you overestimated the other party? Do you really think that everyone is firmly around Edes Academy? No, no, no, they are also human beings, and it can even be said that most of them are also profit-seeking people. How many companies do you think can survive this long period of suffering? A short-term surge in freight rates can make the cash flow of most companies tight, and excessive freight rates can also greatly reduce the profits of companies, causing many small and medium-sized enterprises to go bankrupt. But I think they will not really wait until the day of bankruptcy. As long as we extend an olive branch to these companies and tell them that as long as they join us and no longer gather on Edes' side, we can remove the restrictions on their companies, and those fence-sitters will soon turn around."
Mrs. Sofama skillfully analyzed the psychology of these people and told the consultant the feasibility of her plan.
"Without the support of a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises, they will be unable to support themselves with only those large groups, and the situation will return to the past, or even worse than before."
"Besides, I am only talking about the trade and transportation sector. Old man Gusta hasn't spoken yet." The elf woman stretched out her fingers and turned her eyes to the old man who had been silent for a long time.
"Oh, are you talking about me?" His voice was still low and slightly hoarse.
"My industries are very messy, unlike Madam Sofama who can make decisions with just one word. But since it's time, I will notify them to be prepared."
This seemingly old man is not only a member of the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region, but also the leader of a large business alliance in the star region. He has a long history and has invested in and supported many people, helping their companies expand their businesses, go public, reorganize, etc. His investment company has shares in many companies, covering real estate, medicine, industry, education, hotels, security, and many other industries. He even comes from a big family in the Central Star Region and has a deep background.
After the old man expressed his position, the other directors present thought about it and expressed their opinions one after another, saying that they would urge their own companies to temporarily suspend cooperation with the Edes forces in the near future, and join the Price Rising Alliance to crack down on the group forces gathered around the Edes Academy and force them to give up supporting the Edes Academy.
The meeting lasted until the night. At this board meeting, the core groups gathered around the Saint Ingo Academy discussed and decided on the subsequent arrangements.
In their plan, in the next year, they will give the forces of the Edes Alliance a comprehensive, severe, and life-threatening blow. Under such a heavy blow, the cash flow of most small and medium-sized enterprises will not be able to sustain, and they can only be forced to surrender. Even if there are still a few large companies supporting Edes Academy, it will be useless and unable to change the situation.
After deciding on the plan, the various groups and forces gathered around Saint Ingo started like a steel behemoth and roared into operation.
The will of the upper echelons of the group was passed down layer by layer, and various ongoing projects began to be adjusted. Many orders were reallocated, and supply, cooperation, and joint names must be targeted to exclude companies related to Edes. In terms of politics, many councilors who have close contacts with Saint Ingo Academy began to put pressure on the Star Region Parliament, and many staff members of many institutions also received various calls and notifications. Although there are no formal documents, they have also become harsh and strict in treating Edes-related companies in some ongoing work.
In just one month, the two groups, which were only slightly quarreling, set off a huge vortex wave in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region, and many small businesses were reluctantly or forced to join this business war.
For ordinary people at the bottom, they did not know that the upper echelons of the Four-Leaf Crystal had already started a fierce struggle. They just felt that many accidents seemed to have happened this year, such as the sudden change of brand of a certain daily necessities that had been supplied in the supermarket, or the sudden surge in the price of a certain fruit and vegetable, and the strange promotion of subsidies for a rare commodity.
The previously co-branded shopping cards could no longer be used in multiple stores as in the past, but could only be used in a single store. The price of a certain type of industrial material rose sharply, but the price of another type that was originally paired with it plummeted. Various rare scenes occurred everywhere, but ordinary people generally only came into contact with a few of them, and would not feel too much. But if someone specifically counted the events that occurred in various industries in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region in the second half of this year, they would know how abrupt and shocking this data was.
Due to this drastic environmental fluctuation, many small businesses found it difficult to adapt and began to go bankrupt. As they fought each other, the problems that were originally suppressed and covered up in the star field gradually came to light.
The original balance was broken, and protests and unrest began to appear in prosperous big cities. In some remote areas that were already on the danger line, serious violent conflicts occurred.
This continued until a gunshot was heard -
(End of this chapter)
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